Offer advice to a novice on how to make this bag? Sewing Machines Parts and Sales in Los Angeles

Hello.

I’m hoping to make a pair of saddle bags for my motorcycle and was hoping someone could give me some advice.

I’ve found a design that I really like here:

http://imgur.com/4qfayEm

Unfortunately, these bags go for around $600 for the pair and I really can’t afford that. I’d like to know how difficult it would be to make something similar.

I have almost zero sewing experience (aside from a couple buttons and boy scout patches). So a couple of questions:

1. How fancy of a sewing machine would I need? I assume with the leather and potentially thick fabric, a super cheap one isn’t the way to go.

2. What material would you recommend? It would need to be somewhat rigid to hold it’s shape. It has to be strong enough to hold a bit of weight. Slightly water resistance would be a plus too.

3. How likely am I to screw this up completely? (I have plenty of experience building things, just never anything made of fabric).

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!