I searched through the old posts and didn't find a whole lot. I seem to rember reading good stuff about covers, but it must all be barried.
Anyway, I'm going to be parking my bike outside in a parking lot through the summer. I'll need a full cover thats fully waterproof and venting wouldn't hurt either. Is one brand any better than the others, or are they all the same? Also, I would appreciate some direction as to where I could find my perfect cover.
Thanks
Mike
I have the Ducow (sp) one.. works great.. just get a bigger one.. not the one that says fits 500's.. because mine barely fits.. doesnt cover to the bottom.. get it slightly bigger than you need. Mine is freaking tight and doesnt cover it all the way.
I do not believe in covers since they are more or less a green house when you really look at them if you like in a humid place. They trap the water under them which actually will cause thigs to rust quicker.
Being that the GS500 has a quality paint job I do not feel the need for a cover. The main thing that I have noticed about motorcycles and sun is that the guages will fade so all that you need to do is make some type of cover to protect the guages.
If you wax the painted parts of the bike including the frame you will not run into any issues that would require a cover other than bird shaZam! and if you happen to have to park the bike under any typr of tree that drop its sap of other stuff onto the bike on a regular basis.
If your bike is outside, then its outside... no cover can substitute for a garage. Just use a good, vented cover (I have a Nelson Rigg) and whenever you can, remove the cover and let the bike breathe after a rain. In a downpour a cover is well worth it just for keeping water out of the exhaust and off the plugs, etc IMO. And, as mentioned before, a cover will prevent fading in the sun.
Without a garage, what else can you do? :dunno:
I've got a Nelson Rigg vented nylon cover I leave at work and cover my bike in the lot. It's a medium, and it's plenty big enough. I garage it at home. Here in Arizona I don't get much more than a year out of a cover. With the sun and wind they disintegrate. I'd much rather have the cover take that abuse than my bike. These covers are basically lightweight tent type material and I've never seen them hold moisture.
A cover can cause the battery electrolyte to evaporate, too. I use a bedsheet at work, and secure it with rubber bands to the turnsignals.
I use the Aerostich ultra-light cover. It's kind of pricey at $117, but i like it a lot. Really thin nylon material that's very tough, also has a draw-string and fittings for a pad-lock. It packs up to the size of like two cans of beer (bad analogy, i know), making it very easy to take on trips. The medium size cover fits the GS perfectly.
Seems like the consensus is personal choice. As a wild guess I think I will get a cover in the $60?? range. So now the question is, whats the best place to buy? As a wild guess I think I will get a cover in the $60?? range. I will probably get it online and I can't remember all the preffered sites that were lost with that post :dunno: Or would the price be about the same at a dealer.
My most common choices:
www.denniskirk.com
www.chaparral-racing.com
I got mine from Pep Boys for $40. Works just fine.
2 things:
Make sure yours has a heat resistent bottom, and goes down to the tips of the rotors.
The heat resistent bottom is for that hot pipe, and the rotor thing is so they don't get rusty.
You have to find a spot that is more or less shielded from the wind. These GS's blow over preaty easy(twice last year). Up against a wall or a fence is perfect with the wall on one side and the kick stand on the other. A pair of $50 case guards from Suzuki is also recomended (no damage).
Make shure the bike is on a level surface, and get a peice of something hard to stick under the kick stand b/c they have a way of melting into the asfault (No Joke). Even a soda can is better then nothing.
:thumb:
These little bikes will take alot of abuse, but keep an eye on bolts and the area right by the foot pegs as these things are the first to rust (excluding exhaust). Chears