Dowco Guardian Ultralite Plus Bike Cover

Dowco Guardian Ultralite Plus Bike Cover

CW EVALUATION

A bag for your bike

YOU'VE BEEN THERE, SO HAVE WE. You leave an o'dark-thirty wake-up with plans of hitting the road early and making some miles before it gets too hot. Departure is delayed, however, when you reach the bike and discover dew all over it-or worse, an overnight rain shower has really doused things.

Back to the room for a bath towel... Dowco, maker of covers for all kinds of marine and powersports vehicles (as well as rainsuits, helmet bags and soft luggage) has an alternative. Among its five lines of motorcycle covers is the Value Series, lesser priced, lighter in weight and more easily packed so that carrying one on tour is a piece o’ cake. Our medium-sized Guardian Ultralite Plus, meant for sportbikes, standards and smaller cruisers, weighed just 9.3 ounces and compacted into a package not any bulkier than a folded sweatshirt.

The polyester cover does its job well, as we found out thanks to California’s record rainy spring. More than a mere bag, the Ultralite has an elasticized hem, covered condensation vents at the handlebar ends, interior windshield lining, a belly strap and D-rings to keep it in place in high winds, and a pair of plastic grommets so it can be locked onto the bike.

Biggest downside is that, unlike Dowco’s premium bike covers, this one has no aluminized heat-shield panels, so exhaust pipes have to cool off before it can be put on. Of course, that’s what happy hour in the hotel bar is for...

DETAILS

Dowco, Inc. 4230 Clipper Or. Manitowoc, WI 54220 800/558-7755 www.dowco-inc.com Price.. .$47

Jps Integral stuff pouch 3-year warranty L and XL sizes available for a few dollars more~

Vbowns Watch those hot pipes! Isn't this my old pup tent?