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waterproof cover for outside parking

rapid_roy

rapid_roy

Well-known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2021
Total Posts
66
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Location
Jersey City, NJ, USA
Hey all! I'm looking for a waterproof cover for my CB175. It's going to be parked on the street/our backyard.

Is an expensive one like the Dowco Weatherall Plus worth it? Or should I just get a cheap amazon one? From reading reviews, they seem to all be the same, meaning they'll all fail eventually. But I thought I'd check with the experts ;)
 
I've got a couple of Nelson Rigg covers that over the 15 years I've had them have both spent at least 10 years each out in the elements. They're no longer in great shape but I'll continue to use them until they don't protect a bike anymore.

I found a cheap cover once wrapped around a road sign on a windy day, since it didn't appear to be used to dispose of a body I checked it out... It was new. So I threw it on my then CM400C project, it lasted about 3 months out in the wind before it was completely shredded.
 
It's been my experience (at Barber in 2018 while camping) that if the humidity is high enough, a cover does little good for overnight moisture. I parked the bike well before bedtime so it wasn't warm when I covered it with one of those average covers from Amazon, and in the morning it was as wet underneath the cover as it was outside the cover... so after that I just wiped it down the next morning. I'm sure it would help in the rain, but previously seeing others cover their bikes for days at a time seemed to result in trapped moisture and resulting rust unless you uncovered it and wiped it down daily.
 
Thanks yall!

I currently have a Nelson Rigg cover on it, it's a dust cover from when it was in a garage. It's been doing an ok job of keeping it dry on these rainy spring days. But it's not "waterproof" and I don't know how long it will last in the elements. Maybe it's better that it's more breathable? Ancient dad, thanks for the tip, makes sense, I really don't want more rust. Should I just leave it uncovered?
 
I think it depends on your storage area and the humidity in it. In a metal shed, for example, the temperature swings cause some condensation and that hastens rust. In a garage the temperature swings should be less and hopefully the humidity as well. Outside all the time, even under a carport, would be the most likely to rust regardless of cover unless you tended to it regularly. Unless you're in the southwest US where it's so dry your skin can get chapped
 
ancientdad said:
I think it depends on your storage area and the humidity in it. In a metal shed, for example, the temperature swings cause some condensation and that hastens rust. In a garage the temperature swings should be less and hopefully the humidity as well. Outside all the time, even under a carport, would be the most likely to rust regardless of cover unless you tended to it regularly. Unless you're in the southwest US where it's so dry your skin can get chapped
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Ok thank you! I was thinking of a carport/tent, but it sounds like it might not help. I think I'll stick with the cover I have, and try to dry it after the rain. And look for a local garage in the meantime!
 
I've been buying cheap nylon covers on Ebay.I make sure to get the silver ones because I think they're more resistant to UV than the black/dark colors which absorbs it.I don't expect them to last too long,possibly 2-3yrs.. but they're Much better that using a water-tite style blue tarp because those type of tarps trap all the moisture from the ground underneath the bike and corrode the bike.
 
rapid_roy said:
LDR, I was looking at the Bilt cover, thanks! Less expensive than the Dowco one.

Do you keep your bike outside with the cover for long periods of time? Do you need to do any extra maintenance or cleaning?
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This winter it's been in the garage but most of the time it's outside. Battery removed outside because of temps. I do remove the cover on warm/hot weather days and even light rain. No real extra maintenance needed but it does get accumulated dirt so hose downs are in order.
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I can't recommend a particular brand. But I can say (many) years ago I tried a cheap one and all it did was trap moisture inside. I switched to a better brand and never had a problem after.
 
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