I have an 05 Road King Classic with the Hard leather bags, but it still hasnt seen any rain. I am going to Americade this year and wantedto make sure they were okay incase we got a few days of rain. Should I do anything to prepare them for rain in general? I do use the HD goo that came with the bags, but I havent put anything else on them at this point.

 

H.D. also offers a rain repellant which works well. I have uswd it on leather jackets with good results. I would recommend you get a can,spray your bags before you leave and take it with you. you can get it at any harley dealer.

 

I used the goo you speak of for my leather bags when I owned my Wide Glide and never had any problems caused by rain or washing.

 

My 01 RKC has been in driving rain, in the desert for days, and most any other nasty weather condition you can imagine (other than snow), and after 30,000 miles the bag still look good. I've used the HD goo on them at least a couple of times/year (I use it on my leathers too). I think that part of the trick is to not be shy about how much you put on and give it a good rub in with your bare hands. That way you can feel when the leather has taken up the goo. Let it soak up a little bit (it won't really dry), then rub it off with a towel. You can bring it to a polish with a little elbow grease. It's really the same process as shining a pair of good shoes.

PL

 

The leather bags on my old softail held up great to the weather. However they were far from waterproof. So I would recomend packing your belongings in some sort of waterproof liner if you want to ensure that they stay dry.

 

Mink oil works well also. Have used on bras, bags, boots, jackets, all maintain soft pliable feeling, even after drenching rain. Dries out with a wipe off.

 

Try an outdoor provision store & get riverbags. They have different sizes & you want have to worry about water getting into your stuff.

 

It's awful hard to beat Doc Baileys for leather care, good stuff and a bottle lasts a long time. Best stuff I have ever used.

http://www.docbailey.com/leather_care.asp

 

Do what PLHOG said except leave the goo on for 24 hours before wiping off. That is what the instruction tags said when I got my 02' Classic. I never put anything else on them and I treat them when ever they look like they need it. Also right before any trip that will be more than 3 days. It's worked for me!
I have traveled in lots of rain. Several times 2 and 3 days before I saw the SUN! They have always dried out and looked fine!
One last thing..... NEVER USE HEAT OF A BLOW DRYER,ETC. TO DRY THEM!

Just my 2cents!

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Yea, what they said. I use the Harley stuff and it works great. I use it on all the leather stuff. Slather it on, wait, wipe it off.

Chris