Leather saddle bags?

[Farther]

Although I have a set of Jumbo Strong hardbags on backorder with Directline Parts, I have started looking at leather bags.  Patients is not my virtue.  So here is my question.  Does anybody have any direct experience with Boss Bags or Leather Works Bags?  If so please comment.  I am also interested in comments regarding hardbags vs. leather bags.

[BF]

I have the HondaLine Valkyrie leather bags on mine.  I'd rather have hard bags on them if for no other reason than to be able to lock whatever's inside them.  I do think the hard bags look better and I'd rather have hard bags on the bike. 

One thing that I think is a plus for my leather bags is the ability to scretch a bit when stuffing oversized items in them.  Hard bags won't give....either something fits, or it won't. 

[six2go #152]

I just bought the Boss Bags during Direct Lines Back to school sale. That 20% discount made the purchase a lot less painful. I have wanted these bags for a long time & decided to pull the trigger. I really like them, a very robust mounting system & top quality workmanship. I also bought a pair of the "piggyback" bags. Those make a nice addition to the setup. For all practical purposes, these are "Hardbags". They have a rigid framework which is covered by heavy leather.

[F-106]

I belive there is give and take on both side of this issue. Hardbags you paint and they are good for the life of the bike. Soft bags work well but they will go bad over time. Consedering how long we keep our valks a good hardbag my be the best longterm invesment. Painted bags if you go down you may be able to fix and repaint. Soft bags you would most likey repalce the set if they got to tornup to fix.  I have  covered hardbags on my bike and if it gets torn i have it recoved and i am down the road. Just my 2-cents

[Puffs Daddy]

Have a pair of Boss Bags on my Valk. Purchased them nearly seven years ago. Clean them up with leather cleaner/conditioner once a year or so. They're basically indistinguishable from brand new. On and off is simple with the aircraft quality snap connectors and they come with an attachable strap, allowing them to be carried into a hotel when the need arises. The bags are lockable (with an included Master lock) and the bags can be locked to the bike even when the bags are unlocked.

On the downside, slight as it is, the mounting plates are ugly as h**l. Since I always ride with bags it doesn't matter to me, but getting the plates off is a bit more complicated than removing the bags. Also, the opening at the top is slightly smaller than the bottom of the bag, so if you use bag liners, it's possible to lose some volume (or at least require you pack around the interior bags.)

As you no doubt already know, Boss Bags are expensive, especially compared to other "leather" or "leatherlyke" bags. But don't be fooled, Boss Bags are in another league altogether. The leather is thick and almost indestructible. The steel that makes up the bags themselves is likewise rigid. The mounting system, though ugly, prevents virtually any slips and slides.

All in all, if you like a "leather" look for bags, they can't be beat.

[Demo]

I bought the largest Boss (42?) about three years ago and they are as good a bag as you can get.  I'm not much of a leather guy and wanted the look of hard bags but couldn't get what I wanted and really couldn't cough up the money for champions.  As someone else said, these are basically hard bags with leather covers.  They are incredibly sturdy, mantain their shape, all elements are well made, and with minimum care they look like brand new.  You can't go wrong with them as long as you want the leather appearance.

[Cleaner Man]

I have a set of both hard, and leather bags (2 Valks).  I like the leather ones better- I got my leather ones from leatherneckjim.com (no affiliation).  These are the nicest bags I've seen.  My leather bags lock, and also have a very neat locking system to the bike that allows them to be removed very easily.  Nice when unpacking for the day.

[Farther]

Hey Cleaner Man, thanks for the link.  I canceled my backordered Tsukayu Jumbo Strong hardbags and ordered a set of leather Warrier Chiefs from LeatherNeckJim.

[Sodbuster]

Also .... check out the "NEW" covered hardbags from Mustang (They are not cheap !!)

http://mustangseats.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=658

[recall]

I belive there is give and take on both side of this issue. Hardbags you paint and they are good for the life of the bike. Soft bags work well but they will go bad over time. Consedering how long we keep our valks a good hardbag my be the best longterm invesment. Painted bags if you go down you may be able to fix and repaint. Soft bags you would most likey repalce the set if they got to tornup to fix.  I have  covered hardbags on my bike and if it gets torn i have it recoved and i am down the road. Just my 2-cents

Hi, nice bags.. how much..and where

[Farther]

Got my new Leatherneck Jim saddlebags installed yesterday.  I think they will work just fine.  The saddlebags are manufactured for Leatherneck Jim, New Fairfield, CT by Leatherworks, Stockton, CA.  The bags were dropped shipped from Stockton.  At least I avoided CA sales tax and didn't have to pay for shipment across the country either.  Easy Brackets are a nice feature although they have downgraded their fasteners and locks.  Fender washers are no longer supplied (sourced locally) and the lock is no longer a barrel lock but some Asian import that my local locksmith is having trouble finding a key blank for.  Also, the socket head metric bolts are longer than they should be and tear out the nut cage before the right torque is reached.  Other than that, life is good.

[Sonny]

I have a pair of leather bags that I took off my standard write after I bought it.  They have lots of room, nice and large. But they are the syle that has the leather peice under that back seat with quick snaps. Also has the two chrome metal brackets that attach to the struts.  I never could get them to set up striaght. It was nice to be able to stretch them a little when nessasary.

I bought me second set of aftermarket hard bags from JC Whitney and had them painted to match my bike. They are made well, lockable and look nice.  Eventually the climet will have an effect on the leather and deteriation will start to happen.

For me hard bags are the way to go.  Just my opinion.

[boss hoss bill]

FWIW

I have had the Leatherlyke bags on my 03 since soon after I bought it.
They are well made, reasonably priced, lockable, and look as good as they did when new. A little Armorall every now and then keeps 'em looking sharp.
Easy mounting and removal and steady as a rock. They have worked well for me.
Bill

[Sonny]

That's great that your bags have continued to stay inshape and look nice.  I always prefer to here stories of success with a product.
Just makes for better reading.

[Puffs Daddy]

FWIW

I have had the Leatherlyke bags on my 03 since soon after I bought it.
They are well made, reasonably priced, lockable, and look as good as they did when new. A little Armorall every now and then keeps 'em looking sharp.
Easy mounting and removal and steady as a rock. They have worked well for me.
Bill

A note of caution. Though no bag is immune from the effects of touching a hot exhaust pipe, my wife's Leatherlyke bag slipped onto the exhaust of her Honda Shadow Sabre for a few seconds and basically melted. The product is a good one for the price, but doesn't compare to my Boss Bags, either in terms of the quality of the bags or the mounting system.

[Puffs Daddy]

...Eventually the climet will have an effect on the leather and deteriation will start to happen.

For me hard bags are the way to go.  Just my opinion.

Could be, but after seven years, as noted above, my Boss Bags are indistinguishable from brand new.

[Farther]

Do you do anything to maintain the leather of your Boss Bags?

[Puffs Daddy]

Do you do anything to maintain the leather of your Boss Bags?

Nope. Just leather cleaner and conditioner once or twice a year. I don't ride in downpours very often, but here in the NW if you don't ride in the rain you don't ride. When it happens, I just wipe off the bags when I stop. The leather on the Boss Bags is VERY thick and tough and as noted in an earlier post, it's over a steel body. I have the "basket weave" on the lids of my bags, mainly to keep them from being scratched by something sharp I'm carrying.

I also have the small "piggy back" bags that mount on one end of the bags and provide a good place to put small items or a water bottle. They now have alternatives in the form of "hang bags" that are not permanently mounted to the bag for that purpose.

All in all a great product but only if one prefers the "leather" look since they're comparable in price to most hard bags.

[Farther]

What cleaner and conditioner do you use?

[Puffs Daddy]

What cleaner and conditioner do you use?

I'm pretty agnostic. For the last year or so I've used "Doc Bailey's."

https://www.leatherclear.com/cgi-bin/store/pid_02.htm

[Sodbuster]

"Doc Bailey's" ....