Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Willie & Max fake leather??

Hey guys I am looking to get a set of Willie and Max bags but they are synthetic leather and I was wondering if they look cheesy or do they look like real leather?? Its hard to tell in pictures.. Thanks..Also anyone know of any leather bags that look good on an America?? thanks again

Welcome aboard, Tom.

Have you looked at any of the other posts/threads in this accessories forum? There are several threads running that answer your questions. Lots and lots of information already here.

You can spend a lot of $$$$ on real leather bags (or a little), or you can enjoy some peace of mind with the stuff that looks like leather and lasts a lifetime without a lot of maintenance like leather requires. And spend more $$$ on shiny bits that make your machine go faster, or items to protect your hide or skull from the weather or road. Your choice.

I have river road saddle bags and a willie and max fork bag and they seem to be made of similar material. I can tell you that my river road bags have held up pretty good through some heavy rain and my gear stayed dry. Is there a visual difference between leather and fake? Sure there is, but what will the leather ones look like after being weathered a few years. My bags still look like they did when new.

Do a search for saddle bags for more opinions, all kinds of bags have been used here.

We have a big-time Spring phenomenon called POLLEN. If you want to worry and fuss over your expensive leather bags and the way they look, or if you want to constantly be putting them on and taking them off again...

You see where I'm going. The W&M bags can be forgotten about with no worry. Just wipe them off occassionally with a damp cloth. They all look the same at 80 mph anyway.

I 2nd the the RiverRoads. Thanks to Roundy I bought a set, You really can't tell the difference. They look like leather and they are water resistant almost water proof!

I agree. Sure, real leather looks nice, feels nice, and for a seat (like my incredible new Corbin) go for leather. But for bags, you're talking road grime, dust, dirt, water, mud, I'd rather save the money, by some synthetic ones, and save the rest for Scepter Exhaust!

I don't think anyone's actually answered your question, they've just given you reasons to consider fake leather. Do they look like leather? If you're more than 5' away then sure they do. Do they look so fake as to be cheesy? No. Are there heaps of good reasons to use vinyl instead of leather? Yes.

You're not going to fool anyone who knows what they're looking at into thinking you have real leather bags, but noone's going to think they look like pressed trash liners either.

Matt

I agree with Matt. I just ordered some, arrived yesterday. In my opinion they look good to me. Like Matt said, up close you can tell but they still look good. And for the money, I can buy three sets of them for the price of one set of leathers.

Thinking about getting these...would look awesome against my goodwind green tank...don't think they look cheesy

i have W&M slants and they look very much like leather with virtually no leather upkeep. they have held up very well and do good in the rain. good buy i think.

I have the pink ones too.........

very brokeback!

I've also got W&M Slants (the newest version)...there's an older version being sold by most of the web-stores...mostly cosmetic differences, I think.

I like 'em...fit nice...lots of clearance (using Easy Brackets).

I ordered a pair from W&M last week. They are the braided touring model. Thought they looked good and the price was right. The tool bag of theirs that I have has been holding up real well. I also ordered the easy brackets with the bags. Should arrive next week sometime I hope.

If you use the W & M bags with easy brackets you will have to support them inside with some kind of plate. I used a thin sheet of plywood. Just what I had handy. The bags will flop around quite a bit with out some support. Over all the bags have held up well for two years now and have remained nice and dry inside through several extended rides in the rain.

Instead of plywood, aluminium or some other stiff flat material, couldnt you just use something like 1/4" rod and bend it to fit on the inside of the bags?

Soren

Yes you could Soren but the point of the bracing with Easy Brackets is to spread out the stress points that will occur. Just as Dinq!!

Thanks for the advice on the need for some interior support for the bags.