Re: Bike cover for a R1100S? Helmet lock?

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Dave,

From: "Dave Blumgart" <DBLUMGART@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

>I imagine most of you house your lovelies in your garage.  But I often
> don't have that option.  Do any of you have experience or
> recommendations regarding outdoor fabric motorcycle covers for a R1100S?

Whatever cover you get, beware that wind is a bitch, as it causes your cover 
to flap, and in doing so, to haze your finish. What is the purpose of your 
cover? To keep damaging UV rays off? To keep it dry? To keep it clean? Try 
finding a cover whose inside is a soft cloth, and then fasten the cover so 
that it does not flap at all in the wind. I've never been fully satisfied 
with covers, but I was lucky because I only stored my bike outdoors for one 
season.

Also beware of mice, as they like to nest in sheltered areas, such as the 
one you present by covering your bike. Mice built a nest in the crotch of my 
R1100S, right at the front of my saddle, visible when the saddle was 
removed. Luckily, they did not chew through the wires. I put out snap-traps 
and baited them, and got around 1 or 2 per night. PITA.



> Also:  Am I suffering from Male Pattern Blindness ("Honey, where's the
> mustard?"  "It's in the frig."  No, I looked, it's not there" [Rinse,
> repeat] "Here, I told you it was in the refrigerator!"  etc. ) or is
> there no helmet lock on the 1100S?

Remove the seat and look for a heavy wire that is shaped like a C, I believe 
along the right side of the seat frame. Fasten your helmet's D-fastener 
through that, replace the seat, and voila! Helmet lock. If your helmet does 
not use a D-fastener, like my Schuberth Concept, use a short cable that has 
a loop at both ends, loop through the face of your full-face helmet, and 
attach both loops of the cable on this under-seat hook.

Good luck!

- -Steve Makohin
 '01 R1100S/ABS (second in a series of two)
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

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