When your steed’s a lustrous Harley Davidson, it’s pretty easy to feel like a demigod atop his (her) golden chariot. Wherever you go, people are watching you, enraptured with the mighty howl of Harley’s motor, the effortless whirl of tires on asphalt as it kicks up a storm cloud behind it, and the siren song that finally bids them all goodbye, as their mighty stallion melts into the distant sunset.

It’s good to be king. (Or queen, whichever you are.)

So, owning up that you’ve got something special, you’re probably aware it’s going to take some special coaxing for that saintly sheen to stay saintly. By saintly, I don’t just mean the occasional hose down either. Water exposure is contrarily very harmful to your leather in excess amounts, robbing much needed moisture from the internal fibers, leading to a brittle hide. Keep up to date on misconceptions like these with our blog post "Common Leather Care Mistakes." If your leather becomes wet, towel dry it pronto, and let it dry in a cool, clean place away from the sunlight. For extra protection against the watery elements, use Chamberlain's Water Protectant No. 3, a leather supplement for your rain soaked travels.

Think of it like this. Your Harley’s got leather, and that means it’s as alive as you are. It’s a living, breathing beauty, and as is the deal with most living things, it’s going to need some nourishing at some point to keep it on the move. Elsewise, things are going to dry up real fast, and your adoring masses are going to be a lot less adoring, and a lot more pointing and laughing. Nothing kills the mood like a dry, cracked, squeaky seat under your bum.

Now then, how do we go about preserving that lovely sheen with proper Harley Davidson leather care? It starts with protection from the elements. Sure, Harley was meant to get a little dirty; but sun exposure, moisture, humidity, and salt spray can have disastrous effects on your leather if you allow them to build up. You shower after a spin in the mud, right? Hopefully? Give your Harley the same decency. Also, having a good cover to spread over it while it’s parked will go a long way to keeping that leather immortal.

Geez! I had no idea leather was so lively! So how the heck am I going to give it that special Harley Davidson leather care treatment? Glad you asked! Thing about leather, there’s a cycle. If you don’t clean, leather becomes a bacteria breeding ground, compromising the leather’s internal structure and weakening the stitching, opening up the whole thing for an invasion of mold and mildew (not even going into the smell). Cleaning is good. But hold on; cleaning not only gets rid of dirt and grime, but also the natural oils and minerals your leather needs to stay strong and supple. Without conditioning your leather, that girl’s going to get really dry, really fast, and crack out. Those elements we talked about? They’re really all about robbing your leather of moisture, which is what conditioning returns to it. No need to worry about heavy rain showers with a swift dry and conditioning afterwards. Conditioning is also good, then.

When cleaning your leather, use an applicator pad or microfiber cloth to rub in a compatible leather cleaner. It’s important to make sure your leather is compatible with the cleaner, otherwise it may produce undesired effects, such as darkening the color. If in doubt, try your cleaner on a hidden or discreet area and observe its effects first. Also, check out our blog “How to Identify Types of Leather” to check what kind of leather you are working with. Knowing your leather’s type is crucial to determining how to clean and condition it. One cleaner excellent for most types of leather is Chamberlain's Straight Cleaner No. 2.

When you have found a compatible cleaner, rub it into your leather in circular motions to avoid streaking the leather, and use a soft, dry cloth to buff the cleanser off. Applicator pads and microfibers cloths work for this, or if you find yourself lacking for both of these, cloth baby diapers work just fine too. They’re absorbent, lint free, and get thicker and softer as they age, perfectly suited for the delicate, supple skin of your baby. There. That’s my obligatory “baby” joke for you.

Once your leather has dried from your leather cleaner, conditioning is next. As a plus, this will create a barrier against harmful substances in future, preventing that grime from penetrating your leather as long as it keeps. Apply that good stuff much the same as you did with the leather cleaner. Circular strokes, buff it in with an applicator of your choice, and make sure it’s the right kind for your leather. If there are scuffs in the leather you can't seem to get out, Harley sells black color rubs for fixing scuffs, but make sure to buff it into the leather completely and hair dry it completely before using your Harley again. Unless getting conspicuous black marks on your clothes is your kind of thing. We won't judge.

A good leather conditioning recipe to try out is Chamberlain’s Leather Care Liniment No. 1. This carefully concocted recipe has the perfect balance of natural oils and minerals that acts as both a cleaning and conditioning solution excellent for most types of leather. No need to worry about saturating your leather with heavy oils that are going to have you slipping off the seat next time you hop on for a ride. Apply it as much as you feel your ride needs!

Remember to clean and condition Harley’s leather routinely (about two to three times per year or more depending upon how much weather it gets); if you allow it to harden, crack and dry too much, it can become permanently brittle, lessening its value tremendously. Replacing the leather is not an inexpensive undertaking, and really should only be done to vintage bikes riding past twenty years old. In sum, give your girl the good Harley Davidson leather care she deserves, and she’ll take good care of you.

Well, we’re riding up on the finish line here, folks! Just letting you know, as your friend, you’ve got one sweet ride. We’re all completely jealous. Shine her up good – your adoring masses await!

Contributors
Anna Woodward
Daniel Sutton
Chris Repp (www.leatherhelp.com)

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