FAQ

For lack of a better word, I named these lid skins. Ever had your old lady drag a boot across a hard-bag lid? I have. It isn’t pretty, and I’ve seen it end in a messy divorce where she gets the bike. These are the fix. Automotive-grade vinyl wrap for the top of a Harley-Davidson hard-bag lid, thin enough that it almost looks painted on. Air-release channels, so it goes down fast. Outdoor life is 7 to 10 years, and that’s if the bike sits outside around the clock. Wipe it with any vinyl or leather protectant. It won’t peel or fade, and it comes off when you’re done with it. Die-cut to the lid year. Free shipping, USA only.

On the top of a stock hard-bag lid. Left skin, right skin. Not the sides, not the front face of the bag, not a tour pack. If you can set a boot on it, that’s the panel.

Same cut, same job. Black carbon is a twill that looks like a panel. Clear lets the factory paint show and still takes the scuffs. The year decides the outline.

1993–2013 is one lid. Rushmore is the other, 2014 through 2023: 2014–2023 Street Glide, 2015–2023 Road Glide, Road King through 2022, Road King Special through 2023, Ultra Limited through 2023. There was no Road Glide in 2014. The 2023 CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide already switched to the newer lid. Harley changed the Street Glide and Road Glide bags again for 2024, and that skin is in progress. Call before you order one.

Police-style hard bags are a different lid. If the bike is wearing standard touring hard bags, order the year of those lids. If it’s the police bag, don’t. A stretched kit only works when the lid outline is still the stock shape for that generation. A lot of them use their own lid. If you’re not sure, call and describe the lid, not just the bike.

No. Ceramic wax, ceramic spray, paste wax, and sealant will keep the skin from grabbing the paint. It will lift. The wax has to come off the lid before you install. Same rule for the flag, on the bag side or under the windshield.

1. Spray wax or regular wax: wash the lid top with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Scrub the top. Rinse. Dry it with a clean towel.
2. Wipe the dry lid with isopropyl alcohol, 70% or stronger, on a clean cloth. Let it dry. It should look dull, not beaded.
3. Then install. If water still beads up, the soap did not get it. That is a real ceramic coating, not a spray wax. Soap will not strip that. Use a ceramic-coating remover made for paint, or have the lid top polished until water sheets off instead of beading. Don’t cut through the clear. Then do the alcohol wipe.

A sheet ships in the envelope, and Jack’s number is on it. Read it before you start. Do this in a spot with no dust. The steps below are the whole job, including the wax and the temperature.

1. Do it at room temperature, about 70°F. Under about 60°F the vinyl can crack and turn brittle. Let the bike and the skins warm up inside first.
2. Mix about 8 drops of dish soap into a quart of water in a spray bottle.
3. If the lid has ceramic wax, any wax, or a sealant, strip it first. The skin will not stick through it.
4. Clean the lid with glass cleaner and a dry cloth. No specks of dirt.
5. There is a left and a right. Peel the backing paper off the skin.
6. Soak the top of the lid and the adhesive side. Wetter is better.
7. Center it so the gap around the top is even. Lift and reset as many times as you need. Use more water between tries.
8. Squeegee from the center out with a squeegee or a damp soft cloth. Push the bubbles and the water out. The vinyl can take it.
9. Let it dry a couple of hours. You may need to smooth an edge after it sits. The tack gets stronger, and semi-permanent, after those hours.
10. Speaker grills: the skin does not come cut for them. After it is dry, cut around the grill with an X-Acto knife. Slow. A slip cuts the paint.

Hair dryer to soften the skin, then peel. Never a heat gun. Any glue left behind wipes off with alcohol.

A high-visibility reflective graphic. These glow like neon when headlights hit them. Black on a black bike can hardly be seen in the day, and it glows like neon when light hits it. The film is premium flexible enclosed-lens retro-reflective vinyl, the same highly reflective sign material used on school buses, police cars, and ambulances. It resists fading and cracking. Lifespan is 7 to 10 years. Made in the USA. It goes on the side of a stock touring hard bag, and on the panel under the windshield if the bike has a fairing. It is not a lid skin. On a lid it looks sharp and protects nothing.

Not really. A little patience is the whole trick, and a lot of us don’t have any, so read this. They go on like sign vinyl. Install at room temperature, about 70°F. Under about 60°F the vinyl can crack and turn brittle while you work it. Wax disclaimer: the bag side and the panel under the windshield have to be free of ceramic wax, paste wax, spray wax, and sealant, or the flag will not grab. Not everybody is handy with this. Do your research, or have a friend or a sign shop do it. Jack is not responsible for an install or a removal that goes wrong, and he does not refund one. They do come off: hair dryer, a soft plastic scraper, alcohol, and patience. He has pulled dozens off his own bags without hurting factory paint. Hire a pro if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Yes. Not for nothing. Most of what I sell is a simple image, without a pile of tiny pieces. If you need something custom I will help, but I don’t start a job without a phone call, a clear agreement on what’s being made, and payment in full. I’ve done hundreds. The point is you’re satisfied. We talk, then it gets done.

Free shipping. 3-day USPS Priority in the USA. Outside the USA is $35 to most countries, and you call (716) 940-0040 before ordering. Nothing is charged on this site. Jack confirms the year, then he sends a PayPal request.