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Saddlebag repair

8K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  vanderlinden_j 
#1 ·
I bought a 2009 v-star 1300 both bags have the top seam split. Need advice on how to repair.
 

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#3 ·
If you can push it back together to get the holes to line up, you could sew it back together yourself: heavy duty thread and needle.

You would need to push the needle thru with a pair of "needle nose" pliers, and it will be a lot of work, but not so bad if you can push the needle thru the existing holes.

if you pay someone else to do it, it will be a lot of work for them too, and you will pay accordingly.

Another option, a shoe repair shop might be able to sew that back together.
 
#4 ·
If you have any leather butter or conditioner, I would start soaking it so that the leather will be a bit more pliable and easier to go back together when you opt to repair it or take it somewhere.
And if you choose to do it yourself, use leather needles, they have a blunted tip, and a little bit of wax to help ease them through the holes.
 
#6 ·
I took the covers to a shoes shop for him to look at. Two problems.
1. the material has shrunk, we can take it off and he can resew it fine but will not be easy to put back on.
2. the material is sown through the plastic of the cover, the shoe shop guy felt his machine would sew through the cover material and the plastic the extra holes sewing would create would compromise the cover.

Many of the covers for sale on ebay have this same issue and was hopping someone may have came up with a patch for the outside.
 
#7 ·
It sounds like they are kaput!

are those Yamaha bags or aftermarket? this might be one of the bad things that happen when a bike is left parked in the sun a lot.
 
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#10 ·
I have the same leather covers on my 950. I have to constantly use mink oil on them to keep them from splitting. It may be more beneficial to remove the covers and paint the bags with a color of your choice. I’ve seen this done on other bikes, again just a suggestion.


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#11 ·
I brought this up earlier this year and people thought it was ridiculous to talk about a Thread on a Forum thread. I also took mine to a shoe shop and he was going to zig-zag the top seam (off the cover) then hand stitch them back to the cover by stretching them back to the cover. I am going to talk to a guy that makes saddles for his advice. Jim
 
#12 · (Edited)
I was going to mention the mink oil also. I had a set of leather seats in a car a few years ago that were hard. I used mink oil on them several times and that brought them back around. I've had split seams on several Items in the past and when I took them to have them fixed was told the same thing. By resewing, will make them rip apart in no time, as it makes them too weak. I have had some luck by restitching them by hand or having new covers made.
 
#14 ·
So I went to the upholstery supply shop today the owner is a friend of my mom and she took time to teach me a few things. She thinks the leather that Yamaha used was cow hide and it needs continual care. The RH cover is not salvageable and needs to be replaced. She suggested not sewing the leather to the plastic cover rather use 3M 80 spray adhesive to glue it on.
Has anyone ever used the 3m 80 to attach leather to plastic?
 
#15 ·
I've used 3M 80 many times with great success on vinyl and leather. I had just bought a new rain suit a while back and first time I used them burned a big hole on the inside leg from the exhaust. I had an old piece of leather and used 3M to glue it on the rain suit leg. I still use the same rain suit and the leather protection patch is still there. Make sure and follow the directions and the bond is extremely strong.
 
#16 ·
This gives me another reason to use more leather care on my bags. I'll have to go over it again.
I did my ultimate seat, and it took to it well. But the bags didn't seem to take it at all. They have not been cared for previously that I can tell. They where installed 6years ago, not sure how old the bags are, as they did not come with the bike and might have been in the stock room for a few years.
 
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