Saddle Bags

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Saddle Bags

Postby Bgguy » Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:02 pm

Shown is one of the saddle bags that came with my 1956 165 when purchased used in 1964. As my 165 sat in a barn for over 50 years, the saddle bag leather is dried out and very stiff. Can these old saddle bags be restored or are they too far gone?
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Bgguy
 
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Re: Saddle Bags

Postby d63299 » Mon Jul 02, 2018 11:53 am

THE SADDLEBAG SHOWN WAS AN AFTERMARKET BAG MADE BY "BUCO", A JOSEPH BUEGSELFISEN (SPELLING ?) CO., DETROIT, MICHIGAN.
FROM THE PICTURE SHOWN, IT WOULD BE A VERY TIME CONSUMING/DIFFICULT RESTORATION, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE FRINGE BORDER MATERIAL WHICH WAS PLASTIC AND PROBABLY NOT AVAILABLE CURRENTLY.
I DO HAVE A NOS SET OF THIS BRAND/TYPE OF BAG BUT 50-60 YEARS OF STORAGE HAS NOT BEEN KIND TO THAT FRINGE ALTHOUGH THE COMPLETE BAG SET IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION OTHERWISE. THESE BAGS WERE QUITE DIFFERENT
THAN THE HARLEY VERSION AS MADE FOR THE "HUMMERS" ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL SIZE IS ABOUT THE SAME.

I AM IN PROCESS OF TOOLING UP FOR THE "HUMMER BIKE" SADDLE BAG SERIES NOW WITH ALL THE RESEARCH DONE FOR THE VARIOUS VERSIONS PRODUCED AND DIES/TOOLING ALMOST DONE. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS HOW TO SET THE SPOTS OF WHICH THERE WERE 72 SMALL ONES PER BAG ON THE EARLY SETS. NOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH A HAND SPOT SETTER, ONE AT A TIME. A MACHINE TO DO THAT IS NEARLY COMPLETED SO SOME BAG SETS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY END OF SUMMER.

DUANE TAYLOR
d63299
 

Re: Saddle Bags

Postby Bgguy » Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:03 am

Duane, thanks for sharing the information about the manufacturer of the saddle bags and your thoughts about the restoration process.
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Re: Saddle Bags

Postby badger34 » Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:12 am

Bgguy, many different opinions on leather restoration if you do a web search. I've seen some swear by Pecard, others say never again. I have my g'pas' old H-D townsman jacket that hung in a Texas garage neglected for years, I'm going to try using Lexol products to liven it up.

Duane, I don't have an accessory catalog to look at the different H-D lightweight saddlebag types. I have a couple of early photos of cycles with saddlebags mounted, would you know the name/types of these bags?

Top photo is a '53 ST H-D Exp Dept test fleet cycle.

Bottom photo is the '56 ST that I currently own. I never saw the saddlebags on the cycle myself, they were long gone by the mid-late 60's.
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Re: Saddle Bags

Postby d63299 » Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:32 pm

Badger:

Looking at my research files:

I do not find the pictured bags from the 53ST They were probably an aftermarket bag.
The bottom photo of the 56ST shows a bag that is the same as 91000-49A as pictured in the 1955 accessory catalog. The piping was white, wing part of the choncho white and the center was red, both in plastic. I had actual samples of these
conchos to copy and the dies to cut them are made and on the shelf. The basic bag is the same as the earlier models as far as I can determine at this point. The only differences are spot patterns, buckles and piping colors.

The mounting hardware was either 90985-49A chrome strap hangars or mounted to the luggage rack.

Duane Taylor
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