My bike looks amazing, and I'd like it to stay that way. I was parking my bike in the South African summer sun and wind every day, so I covered it with a motorcycle-cover. Label Front and Back The first hack I did to make the process quicker is once the cover was on the bike, I drew a line of F's and a line of B's vertically down the front and back of the cover, so that when I take it out of a bag, I can quickly see where the front and back of the cover are and put it on the correct side of the bike. I also added a line of M's for the mirrors, that I think is also useful. Type of cover, protection and packing ability The first cover is made of plasticized rigid fabric, so it's very difficult to stuff into a bag. It takes up a lot of space. The 2nd cover is more similar to a tent rain-cover so it stuffs small into a bag easier, but is probably less waterproof. So it's good to be aware of what type of cover you want and how you're going to store it and how often you're going to transport it. Initially I was taking the cover between home and work and using it in both locations. But now I've got one cover at home, and one at work. Tying the cover down (protection against wind) Both covers need to be tied onto the bike, otherwise they will blow off in the wind. For this purpose I've simply tied a piece of string around the center part of the cover. This was a hassle because I was often dropping the string on the ground then occasionally forgot to stuff it into the bag with the cover and lost the string one time. It was a separate hassle. Since then I cut a small hole in the bottom of the cover and tied the string to it. So now the string will never get lost but it flails around and I have to crouch down and tie the string at ground level, which is still a hassle. Usually I take the string, lift the cover a few cm, then throw the string under the bike, walk around, grab the string, pull it over and then tie it at the side where I threw the string from. I tie a bow, like you would tie your shoe laces. Tying down tips? So if anyone has any tips of how to make tying the cover down quicker and easier, that would be great. The covers comes with crappy elastic built in, but they're hopelessly loose. I might cut a bunch of holes at the bottom of the cover then weave some elastic through the holes, and tie it such that once the cover is pulled down over the bike, it holds on without the need to tie anything. Coverage Both of my covers cover the front wheel entirely to the ground, but they don't cover the back wheel to the ground, they leave the chain exposed to the wind, which is not my preference. So at some point I might want to sew some extra sections of fabric to the covers so they cover the rear wheel too. Tailor I'm tempted to just park my bike outside a tailor shop, and give the covers to them, and ask them to remove the flab from the covers, and add extra fabric where needed so it fits my bike better. This is my work cover I don't have a string on it yet so have tried to twist it around the paddock stand bobbin hoping it won't blow off on the wind haha
Could you not just buy one of the 'clingy' covers that go over both wheels and hug it nice and tight...
I've not shopped around. Lately I've been tying a knot in the slack with the more flexible fabric cover. That allows me to avoid using a string, but then it doesnt cover the chain etc. I'll make some kind of plan to get a bigger cover soon The best would be a draw string in the bottom.
what I don't like about covers is that they constantly rub against the paintwork, usually the same area. Not a problem for long term storage but potentially so for regular/ daily on/off. I cover mine in the garage (against dust only) and I use a feather light fabric. Don't laugh but it was a light (not fluffy) mattress protector and weighs next to nothing If your need is protection from the sun, you can put 4 eyelets on it and use elastic cord (the type for keeping your luggage in place). As long as the is no rain involved
