In a previous article, I illuminated the benefits of a motorcycle cover. Essentially, motorcycle covers protect your bike from the elements when parked outside but they also keep your bike from standing out for would-be thieves. I must admit, I decided to carry no motorcycle insurance. I don’t use my motorcycle for regular transportation, just as a recreational vehicle. As such, I don’t leave my bike parked for hours at a time unattended in the public while I’m at work or at the mall. I usually ride just to ride. I may stop somewhere to get a bite to eat, but I don’t leave it unattended for more than an hour at a time. Yep, it’s plenty of time still for someone to rip my bike off – there’s nothing stopping some miscreant and a partner from lifting my motorcycle up and into the bed of a truck if they’re not inclined to break my Kryptonite disc lock in situ. But that is a risk I’m willing to take instead of paying $75 a month for motorcycle insurance with theft protection. I believe risk of theft in my case is relatively low. Knock on wood.

However, I do leave my house for hours at a time, and I do not live in a house with a secured garage, just an open carport. And I would really like for my bike to remain out of the field of vision of thieves. And a great way of doing that is to cover it up. Don’t buy a motorcycle cover with a make or model emblazoned on the outside – you’re still advertising what you have underneath the cover, right? Keep that shit secret. You have a great bike, you know it, there’s no reason for douchebags to know it.

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Find a great, affordable, fitted motorcycle cover for your motorcycle:

Honda motorcycle covers, Kawasaki motorcycle covers,

Harley Davidson motorcycle covers,

Suzuki motorcycle covers, Yamaha motorcycle covers

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I got a cover for my 2002 Interceptor from the seller CoverCentral. It was $36.49 and that included free US Postal Service Priority Shipping. It’s mostly black but dark blue is also available. It has a stylish silver band of fabric on the bottom. Yeah, it’s made in China. What isn’t nowadays?

It also has grommets at the base of it so you can run a lockable cable for an additional layer of work for them to surmount. But remember, a locked covered bike doesn’t advertise itself. Thieves have no idea what you have under there. Heck, it could be a stupid auto parts store 50cc kids pocketbike. By running a cable and lock through the grommets and cinching it up, a thief has to expend more effort and time.

And, these motorcycles are somewhat fitted/sized to your bike. Their VFR800 cover fit mine perfectly. It’s easy to put on, and it covers my bike in a shapely manner, it even fits my hard luggage bags attached. Pay attention to the FRONT tag on the cover: If you put it on the wrong way, it just won’t look right or provide the best sight deterrence.

At the time of writing, Cover Central carries 375 different, fitting motorcycle covers. Chances are they’ll have one for your bike! Click here for Honda motorcycle covers, Kawasaki motorcycle covers, Harley Davidson motorcycle covers, Suzuki motorcycle covers, Yamaha motorcycle covers. Got a Buell, Ducati, Indian, BMW, KTM, Triumph, Aprilia, Hyosung, Moto Guzzi, there’s a cover to fit your motorcycle model.
Though CoverCentral isn’t the only seller of motorcycle covers (I’ve not purchased from any of these sellers)

If you are lucky enough to have an attached garage with room to park your ride in, I would say that a motorcycle cover may not be a terribly necessary piece of equipment.

Motorcycle covers protect both bike and rider in two ways: They protect the motorcycle from damage, dings, dust, when the bike’s not being used. Hell, we know that sometimes idiot passers-by can sometimes throw garbage, beverages, or whatever at things when they walk by – and motorcycles make fine targets for undeserved vitriol.

I do not have comprehensive motorcycle insurance. So when I read the American Motorcycle Association article online “Lock It or Lose It” recommending that a cover is a good theft deterrent, I looked into getting a cover for the upcoming winter (non riding) season.

Pretend you’re a no-good, waste-of-DNA thief, amblin’ your worthless self down a street, checkin’ out what’s what.

Which looks like the juicier target?

This late-model Honda Interceptor…

Or whatever the hell this is?

Now, if a thief wants what you got, he or she is gonna do their darndest to get it, no doubt nor argument. But, as the AMA article author points out:

“…plenty of motorcycles are stolen by opportunistic miscreants.”

Don’t give the slugs the opportunity. Which bike is going to get more attention, the absolute known quantity (a shiny red sportbike with aftermarket sideluggage) or… whatever is under that plain old cover?

(And, for the record, this motorcycle usually is parked far in the carport. The bike was taken out for photographic, illustrative purposes. Which brings up another reason you need to read AMA’s article:

“Some people are so proud of their bikes that they park them in the front yard for everyone to admire. That just makes it easier for thieves to case your ride.”

Now, I was taken by the logic of the article. Heck, I’d want to put something over my bike to keep my cats and all the neighbors’ cats from gettin’ their muddy little paw prints on my bike. As much as they’d like to think, my Interceptor is not their park bench. How much is a good motorcycle cover? You may be surprised…

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