To cover or not to cover when traveling?

Do you cover your bike when you travel with it?

  • No I do not travel with a cover

    Votes: 33 33.3%

  • I have one cover that I use for everything

    Votes: 24 24.2%

  • I have a cover specifically for travelling, but no home cover

    Votes: 23 23.2%

  • I have both a home cover and a travel cover

    Votes: 18 18.2%

  • I do something else, or I don't travel [please provide details in your post]

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Total voters
    99
I use a dowco half cover for rides of any kind and a full cover when it's home. The Dowco half cover works well for me and pack small enough not to take up valuable space. I take it on all rides where I will be off for more then a few hours.

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I have a heavy bulky Dowco for when the bike sits in the garage for a long period (it never gets used). :slv13: A full light weight cover for traveling. Bungeed in place for wind or steel cabled and padlocked in place for added security. Like others have said "the less curious eyes see, the better".
 
Nope, no cover. The dew helps me clean the wind screen each morning. I've naff had a person touch or fool with the bike.
 
Mick said:
I learned from two incidents to always cover my bike when traveling. Once while parked at a motel in a small Texas town, I awoke to find that someone had cleanly snipped off my CB antenna. Another time I was at a motel in Farmington, NM and someone let all the air out of my rear tire during the night. After the second incident I bought a travel cover. No problems since. Anything you can do to keep drunks and other jerks from fixing their eyes on your bike, the more likely they are to just move on without messing with your motorcycle.

The brand of travel cover I've always used on my bikes is one made by EZ-Touring (Wanderer "M" model). They are very light, strong, and pack up very small so that they take up only a small amount of room in your saddlebag. A tad pricey but absolutely perfect for traveling and worth every penny:

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+10 on the EZ Touring Wanderer cover. It fits nicely over my ST1100s with a top box and a tall windshield. And as was said, it keeps 'curious' eyes and hands off the merchandise! ;-)
 
I throw a sheet over my shiny red suzuki SV in my garage to keep the dust off, but I figure my ST is tuffer, and don't need no stinkin' cover (even when travelling).
 
All, if I may hijack this post a bit and ask for your recommendations for a full-sized cover that will fit the bike with a Givi Maxia top case installed. I'm primarily looking for coverage when it sits in the garage....compactibility to take on trips not as important. Thanks. Jim
 
Uncle Phil said:
+10 on the EZ Touring Wanderer cover. It fits nicely over my ST1100s with a top box and a tall windshield. And as was said, it keeps 'curious' eyes and hands off the merchandise! ;-)
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Hey Phil. What size Wanderer cover did you get?
 
I "have" a Nelson-Rigg UV2000 half cover that I have used for the last 4 bikes I've owned. Since I park in my garage, and never let it sit alone for more than a few days if possible, I don't cover there but only when traveling. Lately, however, I've left the cover behind even while traveling. It does keep tree sap off when attending STOC events or parked near a tree and it will keep little tykes off. I do find condensation from the ground if parked on grass (like at STOC events) will collect under the cover in the morning so that softens the bugs, but that doesn't happen parking on pavement or gravel. Maybe I will start bringing it along again.
 
I voted for Other. I have a full cover that keeps the dust off during winter storage. I also have a travel cover my loving wife bought to cover my 'sweetie' while on the road. :bow1: I just got back from 17 days on the road and it never made it out of the top box. :) Hence, "Other".

BTW, she was with me and wasn't impressed. :D
 
I voted home cover and travel cover but neither gets used. I park in the garage at home and never take the cover with me when I leave.

Not sure when/why that changed, I used to cover my 919 every day at work...
 
Have just brought myself a cover, But haven't really used it yet because i'm worried about the heat from the engine and exhaust.


Lee
 
SteveST1300 said:
Re: To cover or not to cover?

I use a Nelson Rigg UV2000 packs small and covers all the stuff you don't want people to see.
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What size Nelson Rigg UV2000 did you find fits best? With top case?
 
leegti6 said:
Have just brought myself a cover, But haven't really used it yet because i'm worried about the heat from the engine and exhaust.
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I've got a Nelson-Rigg DE-2000XL Falcon Defender cover (no top box).
defender-2000.jpg

The silver portion of the cover is heat resistant (and not needed on half-covers). N-R says to let the bike cool for 10min (depending on a few variables) before putting the cover on. Generally, there's enough stuff to do after parking that it's 15-20min minimum before the cover goes on and it's not marred in the least. Naturally this could/will vary with different covers.

I cover on the out of sight out of mind principle. It's no guarantee.
 
I only cover with a half cover when traveling. I used to cover in the garage during winter but it seams to attract more mice.
 
SteveST1300 said:
Re: To cover or not to cover?

I use a Nelson Rigg UV2000 packs small and covers all the stuff you don't want people to see.
Click to expand...

This is what I use (and even got a new one at WeSTOC this year! :cool:

I like it because I don't want to wait for the bike to cool down before putting the cover on after my commute into work. I will also use it at rallies and such. Since my bikes are all parked in the garage, shed or storage, even though I have a full cover available, I don't cover them at home.

When I park someplace that is semi protected (guard in a parking lot, close by, I will leave my jacket and gloves under the cover.
 
ratliffw said:
What size Nelson Rigg UV2000 did you find fits best? With top case?
Click to expand...

My UV2000 cover is also the XL size. I've used the same size cover for my Gold Wing (full dress), 2005 B650 with top case, ST1100 with top case, CTX1300 without top case, and now my 2013 B650 with pillion back rest. I found this size works well with or without a top case and if you take off the top case it just pulls down a little lower in back. Love that it packs small.
 
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