Protecting Your Ride

Whether you’ve invested $30,000 in your motorcycle, or have just purchased one to get you from point A to B, you’re going to want to protect it from the weather. Rain, snow, wind blown sand or the rays of the sun, all of these can harm your motorcycle. If you are able to park your bike in the comfort of a warm dry garage you will likely still want to protect it with a cover when it is not being used for longer periods.

In most parts of the USA, the motorcycle riding season is about 7 months. For some spirited riders that can brave the cold, your season may be 9 months, as long as there isn’t snow on the roads. In many southern states, such as Arizona where we ride, motorcycle riding can be year round. Wherever you ride, a motorcycle cover is an important accessory.

What Type of Motorcycle Cover is Best?

There are dozens of companies selling motorcycle covers of several types and styles. Options include full covers, half covers, seat (one or two up), Trike and Can-Am covers. Another style is the motorcycle enclosure, sometimes called a garage or tent. We will discuss these in another article coming soon.

Some important differences in cover construction is the material used. Is it waterproof, water resistant, UV resistant, vented, breathable and does it have heat-resistant fabric on the lower half on full covers? All important when it comes to deciding which cover you will purchase and how much you will be spending.

The highest rated motorcycle covers will be 100% waterproof, highly water resistant for fabric covers, UV resistant, breathable, vented with a heat shielded lower half. The more expensive covers also offer security straps to secure the cover under the bike and some can be bought with an alarm as a deterrent against someone trying to steal your cover. Typically, the highest rated will also be the more expensive.

The type of motorcycle cover you will be looking for depends on several things. Riders in areas with more severe weather will likely be looking for all the top features. If you live in an area that is more temperate, you could be looking at covers that are water resistant instead of waterproof. Really on a budget, then simple seat covers can do the job to keep your motorcycle seat and the seat of your pants dry after a rain shower.

Besides the material features, the best cover for your ride will be determined by your needs and budget. I’ve always had a full cover for road trips where I’m away from home for days or more. It is a mid-range cost cover that is water resistant and has heat shield fabric on the lower half. It packs up nicely and acts as a backrest against my sissy bar backpack. For at home, I’ve had a motorcycle enclosure for the best protection.

The final decision on cost and features will be yours. Some people will always want the best, regardless of cost. Other riders will look at it more practically and be more cost conscious. Either way, we will give you our opinion on the best overall and the best value.

The Top Rated Motorcycle Covers

• Neslon Riggs – Best value ranging from the high end priced covers to mid range. Higher end Defender Extreme full and half covers offer 100% waterproof, UV treated fabric with heat shield, vented, windshield liner plus a limited lifetime Warranty. Mid range Defender All Weather full covers are also 100% waterproof with many of the same features but with a 5-year limited warranty and lighter weight material. The Defender All Weather half cover is the same as the full cover only with a one-year warranty. They also offer some less expensive covers and dust covers for your motorcycle.

• Cover Anything / Covercraft – The Covercraft line only offers two premium covers. One for outdoor use, the Weathershield®XP, and one for indoor use, the Form-Fit®. Both are very pricey, but also extremely high quality made in the USA. These are fabric covers that are washable. Their outdoor cover fabric is water shedding and UV resistant. It rates very high for protection against water, durability, UV, dirt and dust protection and fit. It is a lighter weight material than other fabric covers. The warranty for both covers is 6 years, prorated, for defects in materials and workmanship. Their website allows you the ability to input your motorcycle year, make and model for fitment. A great feature!

• Cover Anything / Premium – Another top quality cover under the Cover Anything company umbrella. About half the price of the Covercraft covers. Still pricey, but affordable. The Weatherfit™ Line offers four levels of fabric covers, Platinum, Gold, Solar-X and a base cover. The Platinum is the top of the line that is a fleece lined, waterproof 5-layer maximum protection cover for harsh environments. The Gold cover is 4-layers with the same protections as the Platinum without the fleece lining. Solar-X cover utilizes reflective multi-layer UV-proof fabric that is highly water resistant. The base cover is a reliable multi-layer fabric cover for milder weather. The warranty for these covers is pro-rated for defects in materials and workmanship from 10 years to 3 years. As above, their website allows you the ability to input your motorcycle year, make and model for fitment.

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We feel it is very important to stress the following when deciding on which cover you may purchase. There are hundreds of covers you can purchase online for $60 or less. The life expectancy of those covers is usually 2 years or fewer if you will be using them almost every day. Less if you live in a harsh environment. If that is what you want, then you’ll have many choices.

The three bulleted selections we have shown above are of covers that will hold up to harsher environments and will give you years of protection. The covers we have listed are some of the more expensive available and we feel they are the highest rated motorcycle covers we have found. There are other well-known expensive brands on the market, but we have found a wide range of reviews that had too many dissatisfied customers with complaints ranging from poor quality to poor customer service for us to recommend them here.

Ride Safe!