Good day all,
Need to cover my adventure type bike whilst it’s sat outside for painfully long periods.
Have seen the Oxford ones and also the DS Covers, but would be good to hear of real world thoughts.
Cheers.
I hate the idea of a cover rubbing on paintwork when it is wet and windy so when I had no garage but did have a little bit of patio space I used one of these
and it worked great. That was a long time ago though
My GS is covered by an Oxford cover. It's been fine for nearly 10 years, but it's now pretty good camouflage as it's green and covered in bird shit. But the bike isn't.
OP, I have the expensive, breathable Oxford one that you can have for postage if you’re interested? It’s well used, but serviceable. I can’t remember what size it is, but it fitted over my Multistrada.
I had one of the Oxford ones, it wasn't that great to be honest. Wasn't their most expensive one though, but for the £60ish it cost, I only had about 18 months out of it before it tore and was no longer any use.
Bought a JDC cover off Amazon for £25 after a recommendation, and it's way better than the Oxford one was... Don't need it any longer, as now have a garage though so if you're local to Worcester, by all means come and grab it, it's yours for a tenner.
Ive got a KTM Adventure - big bike. This winter the car had to live in the garage and the bike outside. I used the Oxford one, but kept the bike under the porch, so it was not in direct contact with rain. It did get affected by the wind. I secured the cover with some string to stop it blowing off in the gales. This was basically for about 4 months.
No scuff marks on the paint.
If its for long periods I would ensure the bike is clean then spray it with WD40 so no rust starts to take hold. As for rubbing, well I reckon it depends on the cleanliness of the bike/cover and how abrasive the cover is, how tight it is. Eventually over time it will rub. Keep it lose.
Ultimatley a shed is best.
They all tend to fade and deteriorate in pretty short time. I've had a few of the more expensive Oxford ones. They're reasonable as covers, but don't last long. A heavy duty JDC one has held up better. A rubberised Dr Bike one has deteriorated less, but parts of it are a bit flimsy. I tend to use 2 on each bike. The old one on top of the newer one. ACF 50 is pretty good as a rust inhibitor.
Me again, thanks for the suggestions all and really good to her about the reality of the life expectancy, although that does seem to vary.
Watty, mines a KTM 1090 so yours may well fit if still available? What’s the best way if getting postage to you?
Cheers again.