Nah, no bubbles, just high thread count percale sheets. I really does a wonderful job of keeping things sparkly. As I have once said in the past, the material you choose for the cover will greatly affect the effectiveness of the cover and how convenient it for usage. The key to a successful cover is ensuring that the material is of a sufficiently high thread count to exclude the particulate that you are trying to eliminate from the protected surface. As reference I will include part of my previously posted brief comment about how to choose wisely. Hence:
Thread count has for several years been a buzzword among bikers for motorcycle covers. Let’s face it, at one point it actually got to be something of a status symbol, a “my sheets have more threads than yours” sort of thing as more and more bikers pushed the issue.
So what exactly is thread count? It is simply a measure of how many threads—warp (lengthwise) and weft (widthwise)—are woven into one square inch of fabric. The thread count of “standard” cotton or muslin is around 150; good-quality sheets start at 180-thread count; and a count of 200 and higher is considered percale.
Thread count also has to do with the yarn construction and quality of the yarn. With finer threads, like those produced with Egyptian cotton (big yipee), more can be woven into each square inch, producing a finer, fairer, softer, and more flexible fabric.
As a practical issue, just how many threads can fit into one square inch of fabric? While improvements in spinning and milling technologies have pushed up the numbers, thread counts above 500 are something of a misnomer (and, according to many more educated bikers, a waste of money). Very high thread counts generally entail the use of a “plied” yarn—one that is produced by twisting together gossamer-fine threads. For marketing purposes it is not uncommon to count the twisted yarn as double and, for example, describe fabric with 250 individual four-ply yarns in a square inch as a 1,000-thread-count product. What a heap of crap that turns out to be!
But according to the National Textile Association, which cites the international motorcycle cover standards group ASTM, accepted industry practice is to count each thread as one, even threads spun with two- or three-ply yarn. The Federal Trade Commission also agrees and recently issued a warning that consumers “could be deceived or misled” by inflated thread counts.
I use only 100% Egyptian cotton, acknowledged as the best quality, longest-staple cotton in the world. Although historically it all came from Egypt, today “Egyptian” cotton is also produced in other countries. It still complies with the original Egyptian standards of quality, including a 1 1/4- to 2-inch staple, compared, for example, with Wal-Mart’s top of the line, (and yet still trailer deco) 7/8-inch staple.
Be aware that the type of cotton presents another area in which labels can be misleading—some may say Egyptian cotton, but in fact may contain only one percent. Look for labels that say 100% or pure Egyptian cotton.
That’s the Egyptian part. Now about the combed …
Once raw cotton is blended and cleaned, it is carded to remove any short staples and dirt that can cause yarn breakage in weaving. While carding will remove some 5 percent of the fibers, combing—a process used in MY bike covers—is much more thorough, removing a further 10 to 15 percent. This leaves the longest staples ready for spinning into yarn that is stronger and finer to the touch—yarn that will produce a high-quality fabric. That being the case, any sheets can have a high thread count, but if they are not made of long-staple cotton, they are not going to be as refined, or actually up to the task of covering your precious CVO. The best-quality cotton results in a stronger fabric with a smooth, soft hand and better dust resistance.
And We’re Not Finished Yet!
Once you’ve established that you have the very best cotton, what’s next? Finishing processes have a lot to do with the way the sheet performs as a bike cover, which ultimately changes the way your bike feels about it. Always take extra care to launder carefully to remove treatments used during weaving. This finishing process not only helps reduce wrinkling, it maintains the clarity or brightness of the color by preserving the cellulose core of the cotton and gives the fabric a smooth hand and silky, shimmering look.
The way in which fabric is woven also has an effect on its feel—cotton sateen sheets, for example, are softer than those with a classic linen weave. A satin weave has more warp threads on the top surface, resulting in a silk-like touch and appealing luster. Which is better? It’s a matter a personal taste; some people prefer the crispness of a linen weave, others like the softness of the satin, not to mention that if you place a sateen weave sheet upside down on your precious CVO, it will actually draw and attract dust rather that repel it, which would be counter-productive...
So! The bottom line here is, if you choose to go cheap, and actually subject your precious CVO cargo-hauler to the indignity of the factory, cheap, heavy-breathing, dust-atrracting, non-ASTM certified cover, you better show up to ride with an air-compressor, 2 California Dusters, and a whole gaggle of bikini clad beauties to get ready for the road, because your bike will be covered in all kinds of "stuff".
And! If you go the way of the provacateur and place your bike in a bubble, be prepared to be ridiculed by commentary along the lines of " I thought you bought it to ride, not put it in a bubble and look at!" or worse yet, the ever feared comment from the grand-kids of "Grampa? Will you shake the snow globe in garage with the big motorbike in it? We tried but it just fell over and there wasn't any snow at all!" .....
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Topic: Bikes Undercover... Bike Covers (Read 9434 times)