Motorcycle Saddlebags

There are few motorcycle accessories that are more important than your motorcycle saddlebags, and it's important that you give them proper care to make them last. Remember, your saddlebags will be holding some of your most important stuff, and since they are usually out of sight, out of mind, it is easy to forget about them when it comes time to care for your bike.

Remember the days before you had motorcycle saddlebags? I sure do. I used to wear a backpack which, when loaded, would offset the balance and sometimes make for a scary ride. If I ever rode through wet weather, my gear in the backpack would almost always get soaked. Trust me when I tell you that it's almost impossible to dry out a down sleeping bag by campfire on a cool spring evening!

That's why we installed motorcycle saddlebags. It doesn't matter whether they are hard or soft bags, they really need to be cared for to make them last and to keep your gear inside safe and dry. Here are a few tips to keep your bags in tip-top condition.

Leather Conditioner/Cleaners

If you have leather saddlebags, apply a good leather cleaner and conditioner once every week or two to help keep the leather soft and pliable. Any more often than this and you are wasting your time, and the cleaning product. If you ride in the sun, or your bike spends time parked out in the sun, a cleaner/conditioner with UV (ultraviolet) protection is a must. The sun will wreak havoc on your leather saddlebags, drying them out and will turn them into brittle and useless scraps of leather.

When using the cleaning/conditioning product for the first time, wipe it on a small area on the underside, and look for any staining or discoloration before cleaning the whole bag. Some leather experts say to stay away from products containing petroleum products. My rule of thumb is to use something that others have had great success with - regardless of the ingredients.

I try to look for leather products that penetrate deeply and offer good moisture protection. One great old standby is saddle soap. Saddle soap is as old as leather (it seems), is cheap and is very gentle on the leather. Some say it's old-fashioned, and compared to modern conditioning products, doesn't offer enough protection from the elements.

Sometimes these cleaning/conditioning products will have strong chemicals that will give off nasty fumes.Try to use them outdoors so you don't inhale these fumes.

Water Protection

This is another extremely important product to use on your leather saddlebags. If you ride, you will eventually ride in rain. Sometimes you will get caught in a downpour, and there will be no bridges to park under. It's times like these that you will be thankful that your leather saddlebags will be protected against water. Since leather is porous by nature, it is very difficult to make it water proof. Most treatments will make leather water resistant, and the best will offer quite a bit of resistance.

But, these water treatment products need to be applied on a regular basis to be effective. Many are water-based, and the chemicals can evaporate over time.

Like the conditioner mentioned above, it's best to apply a water treatment gradually, starting in a small spot on the underside of a bag. Only then, if you don't see any ill-effects, should you treat the entire bag.

Motorcycle saddlebags are made in varying levels of design and quality. But, one thing is for certain - any saddlebag will last much longer if given proper care and treated with respect.