| There are few motorcycle accessories that are more | | | | others have had great success with - regardless of |
| important than your motorcycle saddlebags, and it's | | | | the ingredients. |
| important that you give them proper care to make | | | | I try to look for leather products that penetrate |
| them last. Remember, your saddlebags will be holding | | | | deeply and offer good moisture protection. One |
| some of your most important stuff, and since they | | | | great old standby is saddle soap. Saddle soap is as |
| are usually out of sight, out of mind, it is easy to | | | | old as leather (it seems), is cheap and is very gentle |
| forget about them when it comes time to care for | | | | on the leather. Some say it's old-fashioned, and |
| your bike. | | | | compared to modern conditioning products, doesn't |
| Remember the days before you had motorcycle | | | | offer enough protection from the elements. |
| saddlebags? I sure do. I used to wear a backpack | | | | Sometimes these cleaning/conditioning products will |
| which, when loaded, would offset the balance and | | | | have strong chemicals that will give off nasty |
| sometimes make for a scary ride. If I ever rode | | | | fumes.Try to use them outdoors so you don't inhale |
| through wet weather, my gear in the backpack | | | | these fumes. |
| would almost always get soaked. Trust me when I | | | | Water Protection |
| tell you that it's almost impossible to dry out a down | | | | This is another extremely important product to use |
| sleeping bag by campfire on a cool spring evening! | | | | on your leather saddlebags. If you ride, you will |
| That's why we installed motorcycle saddlebags. It | | | | eventually ride in rain. Sometimes you will get caught |
| doesn't matter whether they are hard or soft bags, | | | | in a downpour, and there will be no bridges to park |
| they really need to be cared for to make them last | | | | under. It's times like these that you will be thankful |
| and to keep your gear inside safe and dry. Here are | | | | that your leather saddlebags will be protected against |
| a few tips to keep your bags in tip-top condition. | | | | water. Since leather is porous by nature, it is very |
| Leather Conditioner/Cleaners | | | | difficult to make it water proof. Most treatments will |
| If you have leather saddlebags, apply a good leather | | | | make leather water resistant, and the best will offer |
| cleaner and conditioner once every week or two to | | | | quite a bit of resistance. |
| help keep the leather soft and pliable. Any more | | | | But, these water treatment products need to be |
| often than this and you are wasting your time, and | | | | applied on a regular basis to be effective. Many are |
| the cleaning product. If you ride in the sun, or your | | | | water-based, and the chemicals can evaporate over |
| bike spends time parked out in the sun, a cleaner | | | | time. |
| conditioner with UV (ultraviolet) protection is a must. | | | | Like the conditioner mentioned above, it's best to |
| The sun will wreak havoc on your leather saddlebags, | | | | apply a water treatment gradually, starting in a small |
| drying them out and will turn them into brittle and | | | | spot on the underside of a bag. Only then, if you |
| useless scraps of leather. | | | | don't see any ill-effects, should you treat the entire |
| When using the cleaning/conditioning product for the | | | | bag. |
| first time, wipe it on a small area on the underside, | | | | Motorcycle saddlebags are made in varying levels of |
| and look for any staining or discoloration before | | | | design and quality. But, one thing is for certain - any |
| cleaning the whole bag. Some leather experts say to | | | | saddlebag will last much longer if given proper care |
| stay away from products containing petroleum | | | | and treated with respect. |
| products. My rule of thumb is to use something that | | | | |