"New" Vintage Jacket

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine walked in with a brown leather jacket. He handed it to me and said that a seem had come loose on the sleeve and another on the back. He had put a $20 tag on it at his wife's yard sale and nobody bit at that price. The jacket was his when he had his CB750 (I think that's what he told me) back in the late 70's and early 80's. If I got it fixed, it was mine.

It took a little while, but I found a lady in Helen, GA who works with leather motorcycle gear and comes very highly recommended. I ran the jacket up to her on my lunch break today. She called me about 3 hours later and said that it was finished.

I've never owned leather before, so I'm looking for how to take care of it. Here it is.



It's got a removable liner with a patch from Honda of Mineola. There's also a similar patch behind the liner too. I guess they didn't want you to forget where you got it.


With the thermometer tipping 91 today, it may be getting a little hot for leather, but I'm still pretty excited about it.

So for the jacket, the repair and the gas for two trips to Helen, I came out cheaper than two movie tickets. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good day.

Looks like a good leather! You'll like it when it's chilly. Jut don't ride in it in the rain.... leather soaks up water and becomes very heavy.
Enjoy!

Lexol makes outstanding leather-care products. That said, I generally prefer something like Obenauf's Heavy Duty Leather Preservative on my leather boots (work and/or hiking boots). I've used both Lexol and Obenauf's on my heavy leather m/c jacket. They're quite different, but each will do the leather right in terms of conditioning and preserving. The Obenauf's is a waxy-feeling product, not unlike mink oil. The Lexol cleaner and conditioner are both liquids (they come in pump spray bottles).

I've always used saddle soap and mink oil on all my leather goods.

Synthetic or conventional mink oil???


(Tosses grenade into crowd and runs away)

Now I know this may sound a bit strange over the pond, but a UK mag recommended the use of baby wipes for cleaning leather jackets. The wipes contain alcohol and moisturisers. The alcohol evaporates and the moisturisers help the keep the leather supple.
I use them for my jacket.

Think of all the nickels you'll save down at the malt shop by being able to just whack the jukebox now to get it to play.

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Mike, do you think Dianese would make a poodle skirt for the little lady. Heeeeeyyyyyyyy!

I would just wear it.

Lou Wambsganss said:

Synthetic or conventional mink oil???


(Tosses grenade into crowd and runs away)

Click to expand...

That is too funny!!!

Lou Wambsganss said:

Synthetic or conventional mink oil???

Click to expand...

ahhhh.....an oil thread

bigjeff said:

ahhhh.....an oil thread

Click to expand...

Good, one active oil thread at a time is not enough to correct all the people on the internet that are wrong.