Awning, cover, portable shed...help!

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Hi,

With the new bike coming home this week I want to protect it as much as possible. Mainly will be summer use- protect from sun and rain. I'm trying to get a storage unit for winter storage so snow shouldn't be an issue, except the rare spring/fall storm.

Now the hard part- I live in an apartment. It is actually a converted farm house in a rural area so not like a typical apartment complex. Parking is pretty lax and there is room in the parking lot. I'm not sure what my landlord will allow, but I want to try to go for some kind of portable/movable awning or shed/cover. I was thinking even just one of the sun/rain folding awnings with a cover on the bike itself. That would be easy to move if I had to, easy in and out, and large enough to put both bikes under.

For a cover, I have tried them before without any additional protection and all they did was trap the moisture under the cover. Every time I took the cover off the bike was soaking wet and parts got surface rust very quickly. NOT what a cover should be doing. But I was thinking that if it was over pavement, with an awning over the whole bike to keep rain and direct sunlight off it, a cover would help keep rain that blew past the awning and dust off the bike.

I wish I could do a hard enclosure like a shed, or even one of the canvas garages, but I'm pretty sure the landlord wouldn't go for even the canvas tent. An awning would be pressing my luck but I'm willing to try. At least I can take it down before winter for plowing, when the bike goes into winter storage.

Anyone else with an apartment come up with a solution?
 

Andrew Shadow

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Not sure what your future holds but many many years ago when I was in the same situation I knew I was only going to be there a short time- not more than 2 years. I made a deal with the building owner to allow me to put up a garden shed big enough to house my bike on condition that when I left he keeps the shed- win-win. There are many options that are not to expensive. In my case I found a really good quality used one that I took apart and relocated- everyone was happy.
 

Blrfl

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For a cover, I have tried them before without any additional protection and all they did was trap the moisture under the cover. Every time I took the cover off the bike was soaking wet and parts got surface rust very quickly. NOT what a cover should be doing.
There's not much you can do to avoid condensation; it's just a fact of life outdoors. A good cover will breathe and not keep the water in. I have a Dowco Guardian that hasn't seen much use but does fine on those rare occasions the ST is outside. It replaced a much-used OSI (Evolution, I think) that did an excellent job on my previous bike, which lived outside full-time spring through fall.



--Mark
 
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nhdiesel
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My last cover cost me close to $100 and all it did was trap moisture in. I threw out the cover and left the bike out in the rain. It was going to get wet either way, at least without a cover it had a chance to dry. If the cover is just going to trap water I'll just use a canopy like this:

41KhfVFpudL.jpg

It will still let some water in when the wind is really blowing, but at least it won't trap water in place.
 
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nhdiesel
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Is there enough weight for it to stay put in the wind without attaching it to anything, yet still be able to move it when I have to?

I need to get one of those little bikini style covers for when I travel. Mainly to hide the gadgets from prying eyes.
 
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You are going to think I'm nuts, but I've never used it outside in the elements.

I keep the Bike Barn in the corner of my garage. The store the ST inside the Bike Barn, when I am in the mood to do some woodworking. It never lets a speck of dust in.:D
 
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I need to get one of those little bikini style covers for when I travel. Mainly to hide the gadgets from prying eyes.
I used a half cover half a dozen times last year, when camping at rallies. I noticed that without the cover the bike was covered with dew in the morning - enough that it soaked a small towel when I wiped it down. If I used the cover, the dew formed on parts of the bike below the cover's lower hem, but not what was covered by the fabric. Pull the cover off and my ST was dry. Go figure. (Happiness is a dry seat.....)

It is a Nelson Rigg half cover - I think the extra large size for full sized touring bikes.
 
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My last cover cost me close to $100 and all it did was trap moisture in. I threw out the cover and left the bike out in the rain. It was going to get wet either way, at least without a cover it had a chance to dry. If the cover is just going to trap water I'll just use a canopy like this:

41KhfVFpudL.jpg

It will still let some water in when the wind is really blowing, but at least it won't trap water in place.
You can find these on sale for $70ish...But they double as kites in high wind. DAMHIKT.
 

JT105

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I suppose you could mount the Bike Barn to a sheet of outdoor rated plywood. When you pull the bike in, its weight would hold the cover in place. If you want to move it, just pull the bike out and fold up the cover. A little awkward maybe, but portable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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nhdiesel
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This is an apartment. I don't have room for a trailer. I already get crap for the work van, car and bike being there. I need to sell the car asap
 

ST1100Y

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Have you found any condensation buildup on your bike when it is humid out?
Attach a solar panel and install a 12V Papst-fan in one of the vents, should give enough air exchange to equalize in/outside humidity...
 
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