A Guide to Keep Leather Motorcycle Luggage Good as New

Inappropriate leather care can cause ruin the leather, this not just goes for the leather luggage but also for the leather on your motorcycle. Leather can take a beating and last long but not without proper care. Worry not, this leather care guide will lead you the way to proper leather care for motorcycle luggage and other leather products too.

Leather is absorbent so if dirt and grime stay on there for long enough to become a part of it then leather will surely lose its life. Cleaning the leather after motorcycle trips and every time you wash your bike. However, be careful when choosing products for cleaning, do your research and buy trusted brands.

Here is a detailed guide on how to clean leather saddlebags. Today’s products are good enough that not just clean but enhance the beauty of leather. Plenty of leather cleaners are available in the market these days and you can do some research to find the best ones.

Leather conditioning is as important as leather cleaning. This is because it gives the moisture leather needs, along with that it acts as protection from wind, etc. until the next cleaning. Of course, we all know leather is made from animal skin, so that skin needs care and protection just like ours so that it can remain healthy. Do you like to put oil on your skin rather than a moisturizer? Exactly, oils or a combination of oil moisturizers are not recommended for leather care so go for moisturizers, and UV protectors.

As mentioned above there are some products that you should avoid if you pray for healthy and glowing leather.

• Oil-based cleaners
• Mink oil
• Waterproofing Oil
• Creams
• Vaseline

Firstly, oil-based cleaners or oil can ruin your clothes, etc. Second, caring for leather luggage and bags is not similar to leather boots. The product you used to make your boots waterproof is not suitable for waterproofing leather luggage.

While on the tips you can carry some baby wipes or leather cleaning wipes to clean off the bugs and major dirt off. Always keep a towel or cotton cloth with which you can clean the water instantly before it damages the leather. Some leather wipes offer great cleaning and conditioning in one. There you go, easy for quick cleaning spot cleaning fix for on the go. You can either bring a packet or put some wipes in a plastic bag.

There are little things you have to be careful of. For instance, small spots of dirt water, sludge, and bugs can damage the leather bag little by little and it can be too late to clean them off after the trip. That is what those wipes are for, while the detailed cleaning can be done once you reach home.

Care for leather motorcycle luggage does not end here. You can take a few additional steps like waterproofing, properly packing the bag, protecting it from moisture and water, putting the rain cover on it. However, the bottom is what most people forget either to clean or protect. The bottom of our saddlebags is the part that needs the most cleaning and care. You can either put some protection on it in the form of a plastic sheet or leather oil. Yes, we know above we said not to use oil-based products on the bad but this is an exceptional case when you can and we actually recommend using it.

What this will do is leave a layer of grease or oil there which will catch all the dirt and grime. Now you can easily clean it off and leather down there is safe and sound. Remember we are not trying to make it shine, the goals are to apply an adequate and proper (very thin) layer. Don’t use it anywhere else other than the bottom.