Leather Screen Pouch Fitted .......... 2005 Suzuki M800 Intruder

Tried my first hand at doing some leatherwork for a useful little accessory…. A kind of mini ‘dashboard’ to mount on the bottom inside of my screen to carry lightweight bits… phone/specs/passport etc, making them easily accessible.
Components:
Ebay black leather jacket – cost £6
Contact adhesive - £3
2 part cone rivets - £2 for 50 On Fleabay
Tobacco tin – from stock
Black thread – from stock
Old glasses case – from stock
Offcut signage plastic (foamex) from work.

Step 1
Cut the foamex to the size of the metal framework of the screen, highlighted green.


Step 2
Make a document pocket from leather by cutting an oval which when folded back on itself will be your chosen pocket shape.

Use contact adhesive to make this double thickness panel. I used a piece with a seam down the middle, for a little decorative feature. I then used a scalpel and straight edge to trim a neat edge.


Step 3
Cut a piece of leather which will be the piece facing you as you sit on the bike, leaving an inch or so border beyond the foamex. Mark position of pocket, so you can add contact adhesive where the pocket edge will sit. Also apply glue to the ‘border’ of the pocket, and press together once touch dry.


Step 4.
Mark rivet holes around pocket border, and punch with bradawl. Here are the 2 part rivets:


Step 5. Push back of rivet up through leather, then place coned top on, and tap together. (I drilled a conical hole in scrap wood, to sit the rivet head in when tapping to avoid distorting it.
The rivets are pretty strong, so add to the construction, but add decorative detailing too.


Step 6.
Your inner face is now complete. Glue it to the foamex.

Step 7.
Glue matching leather to other side of foamex, making sure your ‘overhanging’ leather surfaces are glued together. Use a knife handle or something to press the leather right up to the edge of the foamex, so it defines the shape.


Step 8. Trim the edge neat, using a scaplel. As an optional extra, mark evenly spaced dots all round the edge, punch with a bradawl, then run stitching round for edge setailing (this handywork was courtesy of Mrs Bigmal... not known for her sewing prowess, but wahta  job!)


Step 9.
Drill through leather panel in line with screen bolts, and sandwich in place. Here's the end result:


Step 10.
I also pimped a tobacco tin...

and an old glasses case, so I can carry my phone and specs. These aaccessories will be mounted with Velcro, so they can be changed if needed in future.


Sorry that's a bit long winded, but hope you like the end result

Good mod and write up Mal,thanks for sharing.

Excellent Job Mal! It looks great! Very detailed and informative write up too

Looks good Mal, and practical too.
Wish I'd known, I could have got you to make my tank bib!

Cheers mate....no, believe me, your £100 or whatever was well spent! I'm pleased with what I've made, but it's nowhere near as gorgeous as that tank bib!

Nice mod.
The result ooks really professional

Excellent mod and write up Mal, good on you

Thanks all

Really good that Mal, doesn't look like a home made item at all mate.

Looks really good.

Good job Mal

yeh thats well good

Nice!!
Thanks' for the write-up and great pictures.
You two are a team.

After seeing this mod in the flesh so to speak on the recent Normandy Tribute Tour I just want to say how impressed I was with it & will attempt making a similar product myself when I have a bit of time. Great job Mal.

Thanks mate.... it was dead handy, especially for things like passport control.

But.... major blooper with just velcroing the phone holder to the leather - wouldnt do it that way again. Wish I'd done it like the main central pocket.... belt & braces, contact adhesive & rivets.

For anyone interested, I held up our merry little band in France for about 30 mins while we all searched for my mobile. As I was slowing, coming into a motorway rest area, doing about 50mph, I saw the leather phone holder, complete with mobile, detach itself from the leather panel and drop like a stone.

I pulled up as quick as I dare, and wandered aimlessly up & down the hard shoulder looking for it. Eventually one of the group, Ian, said "Are you sure it's not caught on your bike somewhere?" and miraculously it had got lodged in between the crankcase and my footpeg!!

Wasnt even a decent phone, but it was still a big releif to get it back.

If anyone's thinking of making one of these, I recommend a further mod which I've still to do, and that's removing the panel and refitting it with rubber washers to let it 'breathe' - I'm getting condensation between the leather and the inside face of the screen.