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Best cover?

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:17 pm
by Eraph
My Fazer is (unfortunately) parked on the street, so I had it covered to protect it from the elements and hopefully act as a first-stage deterrent against would-be thieves. Unfortunately, said cover was bested by said elements, and failed in its task of doing what it says it should. So that's a well-shredded Oxford bike cover landfill bound.
So now I want suggestions for alternative covers, something less fragile that I won't have to replace every time there's a bit of wind.

Cheers! :cheers

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:03 pm
by Dave
Additional bungees/straps to reduce flapping will prolong the life of any cover

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:13 pm
by Tonster
I've got a decent hein gericke cover which I've hardly used. You can have that for £20

And what Dave said - stopping it flapping around will definitely help plus will stop any dirt on the bike from being dragged back and forth across the paint work

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:22 am
by metallninja
Also try to minimise the amount of space the wind can fill. A cover is like a freakin sail.

I used a cover on my first bike until the wind filled the cover and toppled the bike.

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 10:40 am
by haiax0
metallninja wrote:Also try to minimise the amount of space the wind can fill. A cover is like a freakin sail.

I used a cover on my first bike until the wind filled the cover and toppled the bike.
:stupid

I have had my previous bikes blow over more times that I care to remember when they have had a cover on.. (3/4 of the time accredited to a very open to the elements parking place) haven’t had nearly as many problems just leaving the damn thing off!

But since we are now coming into the "blowing a f00king hoolie" season if your bike is exposed to the wind in anyway just be ultra careful when using a cover. :2up :hippy

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 2:21 pm
by Eraph
Cheers for the advice, guys.

Did a bit of research earlier, seems that the cover I was using is only really useful for temporary cover/dust protection. My girlfriend has kindly invested in an Oxford Stormex cover, which has been getting pretty great reviews on Amazon. Secure it with a bit of rope and hopefully it'll last a bit longer!

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 2:49 pm
by haiax0
I have a stormex too and so far it has lasted the year in perfect condition where others havent... be sure to store it inside and keep the lined inside as clean as possible to avoid stracthing the bikes paintwork. :2up

Expensive is the stromex but worth it if you have no other shelter for the bike. :hippy

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 3:31 pm
by dyz
haiax0 wrote: But since we are now coming into the "blowing a f00king hoolie" season if your bike is exposed to the wind in anyway just be ultra careful when using a cover. :2up :hippy
I've parked on the street with a cover for almost a year, luckily I had a fence next to the bike, meaning I could run a strap from the frame to the fence to keep it from falling over.

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 3:38 pm
by aisgsimon
I had a heavy oxford one but it perished within a year. Lining tore, vinyl/plastic outer got cracked and ended up with holes. got a cheap one off ebay i use now and use the chain on the back wheel to keep it flapping too much/off.

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:06 pm
by Eraph
Quick update, I got the Stormex a few weeks ago, and coupled with a bit of rope to keep it tight, seems to be doing a pretty bloody good job so far. The bike is dry and still standing, and it's a ruddy good fit, too.

Re: Best cover?

Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:54 pm
by haiax0
Eraph wrote:Quick update, I got the Stormex a few weeks ago, and coupled with a bit of rope to keep it tight, seems to be doing a pretty bloody good job so far. The bike is dry and still standing, and it's a ruddy good fit, too.
There probably fit enough sleep in to be fair, really well made!

Keep it dirt free and it will keep the bike cozy and scratch free! :2up