Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear New leather jacket

I broke down and got myself a "Christmas present" from my kids: my first-ever leather jacket. I like the weight, feel, style, and the smell of it, and am looking for any advice on taking care of it. With my other jackets, I rarely clean them. Unless it stinks to the point that it bothers me, I just leave road spray, bugs, and any other stuff on there and go with it. But I want this jacket to last, and understand that it will need more care than the textile jackets. I've read a little on caring for leather, but just wondering what you guys do to keep your leather healthy and in good shape. I did get a tub of leather conditioner with the jacket; how often do you use this, and any other tips for making it last a long time?

Thanks,

Will

Congratulations on the present from your kids. They are very thoughtful. My last jacket was leather but I don't consider myself an expert. I found several products, like Lexol, that are recommended on the web. But in the end I went to a tack shop where they sell saddles and leather gear and asked their advice. They had a lot of these products and knew what to recommend. I was pretty anal about keeping it clean and conditioned. That bug build up is not a good thing. Good luck.

There's some great information here: http://www.leathertherapy.com/

The most important thing about leather is not what to do, but rather what not to do. Never, never, never use any type of conditioner or other liquid care product that contains wax, or which doesn't list the ingredients on the bottle. Wax is a very common additive to leather care products because it produces a sheen that people like. However, liquified wax soaks into the pores of the leather, solidifies, and then causes the leather to dry out and crack. Once you've treated leather with a wax-containing product, you can never go back. You will have shortened the life of the leather permanently.

There are only two things I use on leather, and both are sold at HD dealers. The first is leather dressing, a thick clear grease. You only need this for leather that's subjected to a lot of water. It's also generally too messy for jackets unless you're putting them up for the summer. It will preserve leather almost indefinitely, and when you pull the jacket out again for winter use, it will look exactly like it did when you put it away. The second thing I use is Harley Davidson Leather Care. It's a white lotion that soaks in and disappears quickly. You can do a jacket in less than 10 minutes and it's ready to wear imediately. This is the only product I can always count on to be absolutely wax-free. At $4 per bottle, you can't go wrong.

FWIW, I have a heavy, thick leather jacket that I bought at a HD shop in NE PA back around 1991. It still looks brand new despite all these years of use and storage.

don't take care of it. Find the nearest puddle and continuously beat and stomp it into said puddle. It will look much cooler. New stuff stinks.

I use what the original owners used.....

Try, Doc Bailey's