Years ago, I bought enough crap from the stealer that they gave me this bucket with all sorts of goodies in it. One of the things was a bottle of HD "Leather Care" treatment. The stock number on the bottle is 98263-95V. Of all the Harley products they sell for shining up the scoot, this was some of the best stuff I have used...it actually worked. Problem is, I haven't seen the stuff in years. I assume they changed it from the cylindrical bottle to the conventional bottle all of their other stuff comes in.
I have used the small container of leather dressing that came with the bike when I purchased it new; no part number on the 2.5 oz container though. I have applied the leather dressing a couple time each year to the saddlebags since purchased in June 2012 and still have 80% of the product. No pigment with this product and it leaves the surface a little glossy.
I also have Doc Bailey's Leather Black that I have used on my leather gloves. It has a black pigment that can restore color to faded leather. I have not used this on my RKC leather saddlebags but I don't see why it couldn't be done. This product can be buffed if desired to provide greater shine.
I found the Doc Baileys on ebay for $13 but the local Walmart has a Mequiars for MC for half the price and more of it. I'm going to give that a try first since I can do it tonight.
Obenauf's has a line of leather cleaner and treatment that I tried after researching on line. Doc Bailys is also rated high. Mink oil is an old stand by that is probably part of the formula in most leather treatment products.
I don't try to "waterproof" leather boots but leather "conditioners" like Obenaufs are great for preserving and softening leather abused by water and heat. I carry boot covers to provide a dry ride when conditions warrant it. FWIW I believe silicone and other waterproofing pastes prohibit breathing and promote rot. Bee propolis is anti-bacterial and fights rot.
Years of working offshore have taught me 2 things about boots. Rubber boots are waterproof; leather boots are not.
Have you ever seen a bee in rotten boots ?? Nuff said !
I'll spray wash first if they are really dirty. Then pre-clean with pledge. Then the special formula stuff. The pledge gets rid of a lot of gunk and makes it easier for your leather treatment stuff to work.
Cancelled the order on the Mequiers since it wasn't going to be there today anway and ordered the Doc Bailey's. I saw their video and it looks like the result I want using my exact bag(s) as an example and the 4.4 appears ample. Should have it Friday. Thanks again all.
You'll like it. It works great on any black leather. I use it on my chaps, vest, jacket, gloves, and I've even used it on a pair of old boots that were almost gray. It brought them back to a nice black.
I'm new to HD but I've been using Honda spray polish or lemon oil on leather for years with good results. I don't have to ride in the rain much but I still occasionally use mink oil on all my leather jackets, chaps, saddlebags and gloves. BOL
I received the Doc Bailey's yesterday and applied it last night. It looks pretty good but I didn't see a drastic difference, guess the bags weren't all that bad but they're definitely improved.
Oddly enough the Meguiars still shipped but won't get to the local Walmart till Monday. For the $7 I might just go pick it up to keep on hand and try it at some point.
I just picked up the HD brand black restorer and clear protectant. Not bad price wise ...$8 each. I applied them both on the heavy side and barely made a dent in the jars. They will probably dry out or get lost before I run out
Anyway, very surprised by the results. The bags and seat on my RKC looked great before and when I first applied the product in the garage didn't see much improvement. But when I rolled her out into the sun it was a dramatic difference. Much much deeper black and no unevenness in appearance.
neatfoot oil treats leather mink oil water proofs it makes the water bead off
imho that's what my daddy told me when we had to clean the harness leather saddle soap cleans then oil then water proof
I used to use black shoe polish for touch ups and the SnoSeal for protection.
Treated the leather and Water proofed like a MFr.
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