She is home!

[Jim]

Great looking Indian!! I've been following your story and it's nice to see you finally got it home.

PS: Keep the original seat ORIGINAL. You can always get another seat and have that one recovered as said before. ;^)

[Xtracho]

OK guys..I will keep the seat original. I have already begun treating it with Leatherique (I'll have to get some more because I have the saddlebags as well.) And Mike...thanks for the web site. I really appreciate it. You guys are great!

[Xtracho]

Thanks Tom...I do seem to remember an ad in the magazine for those keys. I'll look it up. Took a bunch of pics yesterday. I think I'm gonna clean her up real good and post them as before and after. Just to see what difference a good cleaning and degreasing will do. I am pretty stoked about all this and am so fortunate to have this resource as I move forward. LOL...had her out in the driveway yesterday and 3 of the neighbors stopped and had to have pics done with them standing next to the bike.

Looking back over previous issues of the club mag...I cannot find the ads to have keys made for the bike. If anyone can guide me in the right direction I would be grateful.

[Dkgoz]

Mark,

You can try either of these guys:

Vintage Lock
144 S. Main St.
Cambridge, MN 5508
Vintagelock@msn.com
(763) 689-0877

Key Men
Monroe, NY USA 10950
www.key-men.com

Key Men's website has some useful info on ordering blanks and cut to order keys.

dkgoz

[Xtracho]

Mark,

You can try either of these guys:

Vintage Lock
144 S. Main St.
Cambridge, MN 5508
Vintagelock@msn.com
(763) 689-0877

Key Men
Monroe, NY USA 10950
www.key-men.com

Key Men's website has some useful info on ordering blanks and cut to order keys.

dkgoz

Thanks dkgoz...already reached out to Key Men. Can you or anyone direct me to where my key code is located on the ignition? I already have the bezel off. If I can find that I can get the keys cut. But so far I haven't been able to locate it. Thanks!

[rusted few]

seat

i just read about a technique that says to slather seat in neatsfoot or the like and place in black plastic garbage bag,then put it on the dash of your car/truck for a few days. apparently the heat makes it soak in better? havent tried it yet but plan to

[sirhrmechanic]

In Central PA that's probably safe. In Florida... might be a bit much!

That said... most leather conditioners are about time... to soak into the leather and rejuvenate it. Accelerating it isn't necessarily helpful or even good. You might simply end up deep-frying your seat if you get it too hot. When I do it, I leave it in a warm corner of my shop and just put the leatherique on every day or so until it stops soaking in. Can take several weeks, but it does soften things up. The bags on my EL were like boards. Now soft as can be. But took a whole winter of putting on oil.

Before putting in a truck window... you might try testing another piece of leather. Maybe an old boot or something. Hate to have you fry-o-late your seat!

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Rubone]

i just read about a technique that says to slather seat in neatsfoot or the like and place in black plastic garbage bag,then put it on the dash of your car/truck for a few days. apparently the heat makes it soak in better? havent tried it yet but plan to

That is the perfect technique for absolutely ruining any leather seat. You must have read that on the internet, where only truth is posted....

[Xtracho]

Thanks for the advice. The change in the seat after just one week of treatment with the Leatherique is pretty remarkable. And I also have the saddlebags to treat. They are pretty stiff and brittle. And, speaking from a cost effective standpoint....any opinions on Leatherique vs. Lexol?

[D.A.Bagin]

I have used Lexol exclusively for over 25 yrs. and from what the "internet" experts say, it is the best by far.

[fillibuster]

That is the perfect technique for absolutely ruining any leather seat. You must have read that on the internet, where only truth is posted....

How about this one?: Soak in hot water, which will release the shape the dried leather is in, and stuff (we're talking bags here) with garbage bags to hold the shape you want them to have. Once dry, they will hold this new shape. Then you can treat with saddle soap, neatsfoot, what-have-you. (I have zero experience with leather)

And here's another, that I have seen on a good friend's bike: Once your refurbished shape is attained, line the insides with fiberglass. The glass will hold shape very well
(Carl Olsen, if you are reading, we have a friend who has done this, and perhaps you could let me (us) know if his bags are still good-to-go.)

[T. Cotten]

Beware of Neat'sfoot oil, Folks.

I learned the hardway, when it quickly turned a pair of bag lids as hard as coconut shells; An old farmer told me it was because they were horsehide.
Often binding strips beneath seats have turned brittle in this manner.
Beware also of "mink oil" and other oils that feed mold growth; Some products, such as "Leather Therapy", contain mold inhibitors.

....Cotten

[sirhrmechanic]

Lexol is good stuff. Leatherique, IMHO, is better and mainly hasn't got the "Internet cred" of Lexol simply because it's a niche product and primarily used in professional shops. They don't sell retail (at least last I knew) and their rejuvenator is part of a system that includes dyes, etc. I know that all the trimmers we use in the antique car industry use Leatherique. But no one ever has anything bad to say about Lexol, either.

I don't know what the cost difference is... but in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not much. ;-)

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Jim]

Interesting about the Leather treatments! Good Luck with that! On a side note, i used to use Mink Oil on my leather jacket and that always kept it supple and always smelled and "squeaked" like leather. Never knew about "mold" and such.

[T. Cotten]

Interesting about the Leather treatments! Good Luck with that! On a side note, i used to use Mink Oil on my leather jacket and that always kept it supple and always smelled and "squeaked" like leather. Never knew about "mold" and such.

Jim!

Not all of us store our saddlebags in the wardrobe.

....Cotten