Shelter, shed or cover at a glance

Option 1: a motorcycle shelter (storage pod)

A motorcycle shelter is a small fabric garage on a steel frame. You roll the bike in, pull the front section closed, and the bike stays out of the weather without fabric resting on the paint. When you ride, the front folds back like a convertible roof.

The Pro-Shelter Garage is ours, and it is the storage product our customers ask about most. Here is what it is built to do:

• All-weather fabric. UV-coated Technolast polyester keeps out wind, debris, dust and snow, and the UV coating protects your paint from the sun.
• A rust-resistant frame. The steel tube frame is powder-coated, and a grounding plate with anchor pegs holds it in place.
• Airflow. Ventilation flaps let air circulate, which helps prevent mildew and lets hot exhaust fumes escape. You can park after a ride in the rain without drying or cooling the bike first.
• Security. Two standard padlocks, one per side, lock it closed (padlocks not included).
• Quick to build. Assembly takes around 45 minutes with no special tools.

Sizes. The Medium measures 278 cm long, 111 cm wide and 160 cm high inside (109.5 x 43.6 x 63 in). The Large measures 341 x 131 x 191 cm inside (134.25 x 51.75 x 75.25 in).

Know its limits. The Pro-Shelter is water-resistant, not waterproof. Your bike stays dry in normal rain but can get slightly wet in a heavy downpour. For full waterproofing, we recommend sealing the seams with a seam sealer made for coated polyester tents, tested on a small area first. Outdoors, interlocking patio tiles under the shelter give you a firmer, cleaner floor, and they are easy to find at hardware stores.

The Pro-Shelter also takes a snowmobile, a PWC or a bicycle, so it can keep earning its spot after riding season. If the fabric ever needs replacing, the replacement cover is sold on its own in both sizes.

Option 2: a hard storage shed

A wood, metal or resin shed gives the most complete protection and room for tools, gear and a battery charger. It is also the biggest commitment. Expect to build a level base or foundation, add a ramp to roll the bike in, and check your municipality's rules on accessory buildings before you buy. A shed makes sense if you own your home, plan to stay, and want storage for more than the bike.

If you rent, move often, or only need space for the bike, a shelter keeps the weather off in a much smaller footprint, and it is anchored rather than built, so it can move with you.

Option 3: a waterproof outdoor cover

A good cover is the fastest option and the one you will use most during the season: at work, at the cottage, overnight on a trip. For outdoor use, the cover must be waterproof, not just water-resistant. Look for sealed seams, vents, a strap under the bike and heat-proof panels near the exhaust. Our guide to choosing a motorcycle cover goes through sizing and features in more detail.

All three of our outdoor covers have seams that are electronically sealed to be 100% waterproof, air vents that limit moisture build-up, and reinforced grommets for a cable lock. The Bodyguard and TourTitan add aluminized panels that protect the cover from a hot exhaust, and with the Bodyguard you can cover the bike as soon as you park. Pick by bike type:

• Bodyguard Waterproof Motorcycle Cover: Medium for sportbikes, scramblers and standards, Large for cruisers, baggers and bobbers, X-Large for full-dress tourers without a top box. One Road King owner's first Bodyguard lasted six years outside before they bought a second.
• TourTitan Waterproof Motorcycle Cover: for the largest tourers with a top box, such as the Gold Wing, Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited and Road Glide Limited, Indian Roadmaster and Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager, plus Harley trikes. For a Can-Am Spyder or Ryker, see our Can-Am Spyder and Ryker cover guide by model and year.
• AdventureX Waterproof Motorcycle Cover: for adventure and sport-touring bikes with tall windshields, long suspension and rear cases.

A common mistake: an indoor cover is not an outdoor cover. Our Premium Indoor Motorcycle Cover is water-resistant and made to keep dust and scratches off a bike in a garage. It is not recommended for outdoor use. If the bike lives outside, choose one of the waterproof covers above, or put the bike in a shelter.

A cover alone is the most exposed way to leave a bike outside for a Canadian winter: snow sits on it, wind works at the straps and freeze-thaw cycles test everything. If the bike will sit outside all winter, a shelter is the better choice. If a cover is all you have room for, check on it after storms and clear heavy snow off it.

Which one should you choose?

• The bike sits outside all winter: a motorcycle shelter. It keeps snow off without fabric on the paint, and it vents.
• You ride most weeks and park outside between rides: a waterproof cover sized to your bike.
• You own the property and want a workshop too: a shed, if you have the space and budget.
• The bike is in a garage, but the garage is dusty or busy: an indoor cover is all you need.

Get the bike ready before it goes outside for winter

Whatever you store it in, a few minutes of preparation in the fall saves a slow start in the spring. Check your owner's manual for anything specific to your bike.

1. Wash and dry it. Road salt and grime do their damage over months, not days.
2. Fill the tank and add fuel stabilizer, then run the engine for a few minutes so the treated fuel reaches the system.
3. Look after the battery. Connect a battery maintainer, or remove the battery and keep it somewhere above freezing.
4. Set tire pressure to spec, and use a stand if you have one to take weight off the tires.
5. Keep mice out. Mice like a quiet bike in a quiet corner. If you plug the exhaust outlets or the air intake, use something you will see, tie a bright tag to the handlebar as a reminder, and remove every plug before you start the engine. Check on the bike every few weeks.
6. Cover it only when it is dry, and let the vents do their job. Trapped moisture is what causes rust and mildew.

Questions riders ask us

Is the Pro-Shelter Garage waterproof?

It is water-resistant. It keeps your bike dry in normal rain but can let some water in during a heavy downpour. For full waterproofing, we recommend sealing the seams with a seam sealer made for coated polyester tents, tested on a small area first.

Can I use an indoor motorcycle cover outside?

We do not recommend it. Indoor covers are water-resistant, not waterproof. For outside, use a cover with sealed seams such as the Bodyguard, TourTitan or AdventureX.

Can I put a cover on right after a ride?

Yes, with the Bodyguard: its aluminized panels protect the cover from hot engine parts, so you do not need to wait for the exhaust to cool. The TourTitan also has aluminized bottom panels that protect it if it rests on a hot exhaust.

Will the Pro-Shelter fit a snowmobile or a Sea-Doo?

It is made for a motorcycle, snowmobile, PWC or bicycle. Compare your machine's length, width and height with the inside dimensions of each size above, and leave a little room to get around it.

Can I buy just the fabric for my Pro-Shelter?

Yes. The replacement cover is sold on its own in Medium and Large, on the Pro-Shelter Garage page.

You can browse every cover in our motorcycle covers collection.