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| Beautiful autumn day near Iuka, MS |
Like most riders I know I tried to keep my motorcycle in the garage when I am not riding it, detailing/washing it, working on it (depends on what I am doing) or cleaning up my garage. When I lead my yearly Beat The Heat Tours (BTH) I try to reserve vacation rental homes with a garage, but that does not always happen.
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| Beat The Heat Tour 2023 at the Ouray, CO Look Out Point |
If I am staying one or two nights on a trip I don't worry a lot about a garage or a cover, but extended days I will use a motorcycle cover. Take my current situation for example. My wife and I are working on our move from Princeton, TX which is north of Dallas and east of McKinney to the southern part of Middle Tennessee.
So what is a fellow to do? I am using the motorcycle cover I bought shortly after I purchased my 2022 Indian Pursuit. After some research I purchased the Dowco Guardian Ultralite Plus Cover for touring motorcycles. I used it during my 2022 and 2023 BTH tours and it worked well.
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| The Memorial Springs Bridge in Iuka, Mississippi |
When I arrived in Iuka in early November the acorns and leaves were falling consistently and cooler weather would be coming soon. We would be in the rental from early November to January 7 and I knew there would be rain, leaves, acorns and cold temperatures. I know a motorcycle can withstand the elements and weather changes, but why not at least cover the motorcycle?
So I cover the Indian Pursuit when not riding and I must say the Dowco cover has been superb and I am very happy with my purchase.
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| No garage at the Airbnb so a cover is needed |
The Dowco Guardian cover comes with a compression bag that allows compact packing of the cover. The bag has 3 straps to cinch down the top of the bag and compress the cover. The bag is made from the same "durable 75D rip-stop polyester" that will resist tearing and abrasion used for the cover. The fabric also has UV and water-repellent coatings to aid in maximizing motorcycle protection and the life of the cover.
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| Photo by Dowco |
The cover has a light soft lining for the windshield thus reducing the chances of scratching the windshield. There are two vent flaps near the mirror area that allow moisture to escape and not sit on the bike. An adjustable polyester webbing strap is provide to secure the cover as well as two sewn-in plastic eyelets towards the back quarter of the cover for optional tightening of the cover.
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| Adjustable strap to secure the cover | |
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| Eyelets and a bungee cord works great for additional cover security |
This cover is made with quality materials and workmanship. Dowco backs this product with a three-year limited warranty. As far as I can find that is one of the best warranties in the motorcycle cover world.
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| Sewn flaps allow moisture to evaporate from under the cover |
Although not mentioned in any of the advertising material the cover is easy to clean. Since I have been using the cover in lieu of garage it has had leaves, dirt, bird droppings, acorns and twigs on it. Each time I have cleaned it with a cloth and water the dirt, grime, droppings... come off without staining or damaging the cover.
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| The cover is large enough to cover the lower parts of the Pursuit |
I am very pleased with the Dowco cover and highly recommend the cover for short-term or long-term motorcycle protection. I hope this helps as you look for a great cover and it will not break the bank.
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| The Pursuit is cover and protected pretty well for being outside |
I would love to hear your stories, comments or questions concerning motorcycle covers or really anything motorcycle related. Just leave a comment here or on my social media sites.
Hi Oz, I've tried and have covers....wind has always been the issue for me. I tend to only use the cover to protect the motorcycle's sun-sensitive bits like the seats and such.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been in a high wind area so I guess that is something I will have to watch for, although this cover I have pretty tight on the bottom and I think it would hold up pretty well. Kind of interested in finding out now that you mentioned it. :)
ReplyDeleteI use a cover whenever the bike isn't in the garage. It sat on a trailer without a cover for half of the summer and the tonneau cover on the sidecar is starting to fade. But then again, it's almost 12 years old. Right now there is no garage so I'm using a cover that I carried on long trips. It keeps the leaves off and isn't waterproof (deliberately) to allow it to breath. But my bike doesn't look anywhere near as nice as yours.
ReplyDeleteRichardM - a 12 year old cover! That's getting your money's worth :). I am blessed to have a great looking bike. Several years down the road I may not be as concerned about covering it then. I think the sun in the summer is really hard on covers. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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