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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Open vs Closed, Revisited

After burning up an excessive amount of elbow grease, buying a small heater to keep me warm in the garage, and still having a motorcycle that looked cruddy, I had to reassess my thinking....... Towing a bike in the open ain't good either, so I need to find a solution.

By pure coincidence, the people at Geza Gear, who make that cover I was interested in (see previous post), happened to be exhibitors at the DC Motorcycle show the weekend of 1/15. I went up and talked to Tom from Geza and explained my dilemma about needing an open trailer, and that I had an equal concern about totally fucking up my bike with salt, road dirt, etc. And then I told him about the horror stories I'd heard about covers, bikes, and open trailers being a bad combination.

Tom had heard this one before, knew the kind of trailer I used, and recommended a solution. First he put my mind at ease about Geza covers wearing out the paint, letting me know they had many years of experience making covers designed for towing. He said the material used and the fit of the cover would prevent damage to my bike's finish.

OK, so which design....

When I looked at his sample designs, I realized that with most of their off-the-shelf models, the bottom of the bike would still be exposed, and I don't want that. Tom then suggested they make me a custom, full cover that laced at the bottom like a shoe. He offered me a great price for a custom-cut full cover and I handed over the credit card!

I can't wait. Even if it keeps most of the crud off, I'll be happy. Stay tuned for a road test report.... And yeah, the fabric is machine washable, so if I get someplace and it's filthy, I can stop at a laundromat and wash the damn thing. And I can flirt with the locals and have a couple cold beverages while I wait. Who knows, I might get lucky and find a new riding partner. Or just get lucky.

Cowboy

PS It was also cool to find out Geza is right in in Northern Virginia, near Fairfax.