Cover options for winter storage?

[Barkingshins_imp]

It's mid-October and, for most of us riders in the upper Midwest, that means the end of the riding season is weeks away at-best. As such, I've started to give some thought to how I want to store my '14 DLX for the winter. I've downloaded and printed Honda's "Winter Storage Guide" and plan to follow it to the letter but I have one question about a cover.

Honda specifically doesn't recommend tarps or sheets as they "trap and hold moisture against your vehicle, promoting rust and mildew". They recommend a "specially designed, breathable cover". My dealer did a search for me and apparently Honda doesn't have a cover available that is specific to the CB's so I'm wondering what others are using and have been happy with.

My CB will be stored out of the elements in an unheated garage for the winter.

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[Lord Popgun]

In a garage, won't an old sheet do? Thats what I use in my garage.

 

[Barkingshins_imp]

In a garage, won't an old sheet do? Thats what I use in my garage.

Not according to Honda.
From Honda's "Winter Storage Guide"...
"When ready for storage, cover the vehicle with a specially designed, breathable cover such as a Genuine Honda Accessories cover available at your dealer. Do not use tarps or cotton sheets - they will trap or hold moisture against your vehicle, promoting rust and mildew."

I've read similar things from owners on this very forum so, in lieu of a "Genuine Honda Accessories cover", I'm wondering what CB owners are using and what they like.
I'm considering this one but will wait to hear others' opinions...

http://www.empirecovers.com/detail.aspx?p=MCS&v=MCSB0

 

[HikerToo_imp]

You want something breathable and that does not hold moisture
I bought this indoor soft stretch cover from empire covers.
http://www.empirecovers.com/motorcycle_c...&size=MC-0

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Honda is wrong. I've been storing my bikes for the past 15 years in an unheated garage with just a breathable cover. Sometimes its an old sheet or thin blanket, sometimes it's a thin motorcycle cover, that's something like parachute nylon. All you need is a dust cover, nothing fancy. I also keep a small side window cracked open for air circulation.

 

[Barkingshins_imp]

You want something breathable and that does not hold moisture
I bought this indoor soft stretch cover from empire covers.
http://www.empirecovers.com/motorcycle_c...&size=MC-0

Nice! That's exactly the one I've been considering. Thanks Hiker.

Honda is wrong. I've been storing my bikes for the past 15 years in an unheated garage with just a breathable cover. Sometimes its an old sheet or thin blanket, sometimes it's a thin motorcycle cover, that's something like parachute nylon. All you need is a dust cover, nothing fancy. I also keep a small side window cracked open for air circulation.

Actually, what you're saying is pretty consistent with what Honda recommends. The important thing seems to be breathability. Now what qualifies as "breathable" is probably open for debate.

 

[Houtman_imp]

As soon as my bikes have cooled down I put an old blanket over the tank and the rest of the bike going back wards and an old sheet over the front.
I do this the whole year round and protect the bikes from dust etc.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Houtman,

We've been doing it wrong. Apparently only a "...specially designed, breathable cover such as a Genuine Honda Accessories cover available at your dealer" will work. Sounds like a sales pitch...

Now, can we talk about something that we all agree on, like oil

 

[HikerToo_imp]

come on guys...can't you see where it would be beneficial to have a cover that does not absorb and hold moisture????
You have to embrace the new materials and technology....
Now, you wouldn't go jogging or hiking in cotton sweats would you? ( uh...don't answer that)

 

[emptysea]

I don't really cover my bikes in my unheated garage over the winter. Instead, I attach a sheet a shelf that's above the bikes and sort of curtain them off from the rest of the garage. This keeps the dust off them and allows plenty of airflow.

@hiker...I run (and ride for that matter) only in performance gear....or naked, depending on the outside temp.

 

[CB4ME_imp]

I keep mine inside the house - and have a very understanding wife.

 

[Barkingshins_imp]

I keep mine inside the house - and have a very understanding wife.

Years ago, when I was still doing in-home computer work, I was let into a customer's house in the middle of winter and was surprised to see a HD sitting in the middle of his living room (no idea what it was... didn't know anything about motorcycles back then). He chuckled at my expression and explained that every year he gets a few buddies to help him haul it up three or four stairs, through his front door and into his living room where it lives all winter. I remember being amazed by how much larger a motorcycle seems when it's sitting in someone's living room.

I hadn't thought of that for years until I saw your post CB4ME. Thanks!

 

[Papa Weeley_imp]

I keep mine inside the house - and have a very understanding wife.

Years ago, when I was still doing in-home computer work, I was let into a customer's house in the middle of winter and was surprised to see a HD sitting in the middle of his living room (no idea what it was... didn't know anything about motorcycles back then). He chuckled at my expression and explained that every year he gets a few buddies to help him haul it up three or four stairs, through his front door and into his living room where it lives all winter. I remember being amazed by how much larger a motorcycle seems when it's sitting in someone's living room.

I hadn't thought of that for years until I saw your post CB4ME. Thanks!

Years ago, when I was still doing in-home computer work, I was let into a customer's house in the middle of winter and was surprised to see a HD sitting in the middle of his living room (no idea what it was... didn't know anything about motorcycles back then). He chuckled at my expression and explained that every year he gets a few buddies to help him haul it up three or four stairs, through his front door and into his living room where it lives all winter. I remember being amazed by how much larger a motorcycle seems when it's sitting in someone's living room.

I hadn't thought of that for years until I saw your post CB4ME. Thanks!
LOL.
I've told my wife for years that if I ever find a pristine Ducati 916, that is exactly where it'll be stored.
Luckily (for both of us) I haven't found the right one yet...

 

[gossman_imp]

[/QUOTE]

LOL.
I've told my wife for years that if I ever find a pristine Ducati 916, that is exactly where it'll be stored.
Luckily (for both of us) I haven't found the right one yet...
[/QUOTE]

I know of a pristine '96 Ducati 900 monster that is in a heated garage and covered with less than 200 miles on the meter. Too long of a story but the owner is thinking about selling it. It was started regularly up to a few years ago but the present owner never rode it. If you want an email i can get you his. It's here in the Portland area.

 

[JustJohn_imp]

I spray mine down with a WD-40 fogger and cover with packing blankets. And remove the batteries...and add Stabil. And in the spring just wash with S100 and add freshly charged batteries, fuel and start. Thats just me tho

 

[dBuster_imp]

All this talk about moisture... This may be on a tangent but bear with me.

Anyone who lives in the cold climate region like Wisconsin knows that if you get moisture in your car and leave the car outside you can develop ice or frost on the inside of the windows. Few know this trick but if you leave your windows open say a 1/8 or 1/4 inch that the cold at night will draw that moisture out of the vehicle. My old jeep Cherokee is like this and it works.

So for those storing in an unheated garage do you really have moisture build up? Wouldn't the cold night draw that out? Don't warm your vehicle up in the garage would help also keeping that heat out.

Then I could see a sheet as like a curtain over the bike but not resting on it in order to keep the dust off and allow the air flow....

Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

I agree with you. Just a dust cover is all that's needed, and the sheet or dedicated bike cover can contact the bike with no issues. After all, the bike is inside the same garage the other three seasons, and humidity fluctuates from day to day anyway. The only thing different is you may not be able to take it out and ride it for a few months. There are plenty of 35 year old Hondas out there with no rust. It's the ones that were stored outdoors for five years that have rust.

 

[Obliviontoad]

I have the "Official" Honda reccomended cover. I bought it for my Shadow, and found toy delight that it fits my CB quite well... it doesn't do a darn thing about keeping moisture in or out. Every morning, I can count on the bike being wet under the cover if it is outside. I have the corrosion on the engine to prove that. It doesn't keep the rain off, much. I only use it because the people around here have fires, and having a bike covered with oily soot and ashes sucks. my bike winters in an unheated shed, with the cover. I kept tank full of ethanol free gas. But even in the snow belt,I ride at least once or twice a month, no matter what. So it never sits. Never had an issue mechanically with any of my bikes storage wise.

 

[HikerToo_imp]

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[Blockhead_imp]

Mine sleeps in a heated garage draped with two old blankets, with a full tank of gas , a little Seafoam, and a battery tender.

I try to ride for an hour or so at least once a month in winter as long as the roads are dry, regardless of temperature, just to keep it (and me) happy.

I don't see a need to do any other 'winterizing'.