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OK, here's my two bits...
Living in Florida without a garage, I'm very well acquainted with what the sun does to bikes [tomorrow's UV Index: 10+ according to weather.com]. Ditto what rain, tree sap, bugs, idiots flipping away cigarette butts, hail, and the local lawn-care people do (those lawn cuttings are going somewhere!).
If there is no covered parking to be found, a cover is a lifesaver for a bike, greatly reducing the aging process. But a crappy cover is like a crappy condom -- you'll come to regret wasting the money in the first place. Buy good quality the first time.
So what do you look for in a good cover for this kind of situation?
Thick material. Lightweight covers are nice for keeping dust off in a covered parking situation, but the same UV rays that you're trying to prevent getting at your paint, plastics & vinyls will degrade the strength of the fabric in short order and a lightweight cover will tear readily (I've seen the cheapest of the chinese covers, the $20 ebay specials, go off in about a month here). Something specifically rated for high-UV exposure is a big plus; a lifetime warrantee against UV failure is a huge plus.
Some form of venting close to the top, preferably covered with an integrated reinforced flap or guard, to let hot air out move out by convection without letting rain & debris in.
Some form of softer fabric sewn on the inside to protect your windshield (to keep you from scratching it by the repeated putting-on/taking-off of the cover). Really high-end units sometimes offer the same softer fabric all over except in the seating & exhaust areas -- not in the seating areas because if you cover a wet bike in the rain, you don't want the water potentially held to a leather seat; not in the exhaust area because you don't want the fabric to burn/char.
Good fitment. A properly sized cover will cover below the axle bolts of both wheels, won't droop too significantly over the tank, and will shed water if you take a garden hose to it (as verses to pooling it somewhere above the bike).
Some form of heat-shield or heat-compatible material where the muffler is. You want to be able to cover the bike while it's still hot without having to worry about it.
bonus points: strap under the bike to hold the cover tight (for longer periods away or extremely windy days), grommit-holes for a chain or lock, optional alarm, zippers to ease getting it on and off.
The problem with a cover of this nature (example: Dowco Gaurdian, Durasheild "lined" series, etc.) is that it's going to be pretty large once its' been unfolded/used a few times -- you're not going to want to have to drag it home every day unless you have large saddle bags that make storing it easy without taking the time to fold it up perfectly each time.
Note: Local boat upholstery places can traditionally make you one to spec as well, if you don't want to buy off-the-rack.
You could always go the other route and buy yourself a canopy or portable instead, install that at work:
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet
Living in Florida without a garage, I'm very well acquainted with what the sun does to bikes [tomorrow's UV Index: 10+ according to weather.com]. Ditto what rain, tree sap, bugs, idiots flipping away cigarette butts, hail, and the local lawn-care people do (those lawn cuttings are going somewhere!).
If there is no covered parking to be found, a cover is a lifesaver for a bike, greatly reducing the aging process. But a crappy cover is like a crappy condom -- you'll come to regret wasting the money in the first place. Buy good quality the first time.
So what do you look for in a good cover for this kind of situation?
Thick material. Lightweight covers are nice for keeping dust off in a covered parking situation, but the same UV rays that you're trying to prevent getting at your paint, plastics & vinyls will degrade the strength of the fabric in short order and a lightweight cover will tear readily (I've seen the cheapest of the chinese covers, the $20 ebay specials, go off in about a month here). Something specifically rated for high-UV exposure is a big plus; a lifetime warrantee against UV failure is a huge plus. Some form of venting close to the top, preferably covered with an integrated reinforced flap or guard, to let hot air out move out by convection without letting rain & debris in. Some form of softer fabric sewn on the inside to protect your windshield (to keep you from scratching it by the repeated putting-on/taking-off of the cover). Really high-end units sometimes offer the same softer fabric all over except in the seating & exhaust areas -- not in the seating areas because if you cover a wet bike in the rain, you don't want the water potentially held to a leather seat; not in the exhaust area because you don't want the fabric to burn/char. Good fitment. A properly sized cover will cover below the axle bolts of both wheels, won't droop too significantly over the tank, and will shed water if you take a garden hose to it (as verses to pooling it somewhere above the bike). Some form of heat-shield or heat-compatible material where the muffler is. You want to be able to cover the bike while it's still hot without having to worry about it. bonus points: strap under the bike to hold the cover tight (for longer periods away or extremely windy days), grommit-holes for a chain or lock, optional alarm, zippers to ease getting it on and off. The problem with a cover of this nature (example: Dowco Gaurdian, Durasheild "lined" series, etc.) is that it's going to be pretty large once its' been unfolded/used a few times -- you're not going to want to have to drag it home every day unless you have large saddle bags that make storing it easy without taking the time to fold it up perfectly each time.
Note: Local boat upholstery places can traditionally make you one to spec as well, if you don't want to buy off-the-rack.
You could always go the other route and buy yourself a canopy or portable instead, install that at work:
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet
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