Favoto Motorcycle Cover Honest Review: Fit, Wind and Fading

I will tell you straight: I did not want to like the Favoto motorcycle cover. I have been riding for about 30 years, and I have gone through more covers than I care to count. The cheap ones tear at the grommets. The expensive ones cost as much as a good tank bag and still fade after one Idaho summer. So when the Favoto cover showed up, I expected to pick it apart, write a few notes, and move on. Instead, I have spent the last six months putting it through the worst this valley can throw at a parked bike, and it has earned a permanent spot in my garage. This is the honest review, the one that tells you what nobody mentions in the product listing.

My name is Russ Kimball. I am 54, I live outside Twin Falls, Idaho, and my one bike is a 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King with about 60,000 miles on it. I ride daily into town, I do weekend loops through the canyon roads, and every summer I take one long multi-state trip. That means my bike sits outside in the wind, the dust, the rain, and the kind of sun that fades a paint job in a single season. The Favoto cover has been on and off that bike more times than I can count. Here is what I learned.

How I've Used It

For the first month, I used the Favoto cover like a skeptic uses a new tool: I checked it after every windstorm, I peeked under the edges after rain, and I took photos of the same spot on the fuel tank every Sunday to track fading. The cover went on the Road King in the gravel driveway next to my shop, not in a garage. That is the test that matters, because a cover that only works indoors is not a cover, it is a dust sheet.

The bike sits outside year round. In the summer it bakes in the sun. In the winter it gets snow, ice, and the wind that comes straight off the Snake River plain. I have used the Favoto cover for about 180 days total, including a stretch of 40 mph gusts in March and a week of rain in April. I also used it on the long summer trip, where it spent nine nights strapped to the back of the bike during the day and over the bike at night.

The fit on a touring bike is the first thing I checked. The cover is cut for a full-size motorcycle, not a sport bike, and it shows. The mirror pockets line up with the Road King's mirrors. The elastic hem reaches the ground all the way around. The front and rear are long enough that the wheels are covered down to the pavement. That matters more than most people think, because a cover that stops above the wheels lets rain blow up underneath and leaves the tires and brakes exposed to the sun.

Fit: The First Thing Everyone Asks About

Here is what the product photos do not tell you. The Favoto cover is not a one-size-fits-all sack. It has a real shape. The front is taller than the rear, which suits a bike with a windshield and a tall seat. The mirror pockets are positioned where mirrors actually sit on a touring bike, not halfway down the fairing. When I put it on, I do not have to wrestle it into position. I drop it over the windshield, pull it down over the mirrors, and the elastic hem grabs the bottom of the bike.

The underside has a soft lining that does not scratch the paint. I checked that specifically, because I have had covers that left micro-scratches on a tank. The lining is a brushed material that feels like it belongs on a more expensive cover. The outside is a thick, water-resistant fabric that feels like a tarp, but quieter. When the wind hits it, it does not crackle like a cheap tarp. It flaps a little, but it does not sound like it is about to self-destruct.

There is a webbed strap that runs under the middle of the bike and buckles on the side. That is the part that keeps the cover from turning into a sail. I have had covers with only an elastic hem, and they end up on the ground after one good windstorm. The Favoto cover stays put, but you have to use the strap. If you skip it, the cover will still stay on in a light breeze, but a real blow will lift the rear end and let dust in. Use the strap. It takes ten seconds.

Wind: The Test That Separates Covers

Idaho wind is not a gentle breeze. It comes off the plain in gusts that rock a truck. I have watched a neighbor's cover blow off his bike and tumble across the yard like a tumbleweed. So I did not just leave the Favoto cover on the bike. I strapped it down, buckled the middle strap, and then I waited for the wind to do its worst.

The worst night was in March. Wind gusts hit 40 mph, maybe more. I went out at 2 a.m. with a flashlight, expecting to find the cover wrapped around a fence post. It was still on the bike. The rear corner had lifted a few inches, and dust had gotten in along the bottom edge, but the cover itself had not moved. The middle strap had done its job. I buckled it a little tighter and went back to bed.

The next morning, the cover was still there. That is more than I can say for two of the three covers I owned before it. One of those was a name-brand cover that cost twice as much, and it blew off in a storm that was not even as bad as that March night. The Favoto cover has now survived four windstorms, a summer of gusty afternoons, and one trip down the highway at 70 mph while strapped to the passenger seat. It has never blown off.

The wind test is the one that separates covers. The Favoto cover has survived four windstorms, a summer of gusty afternoons, and one trip down the highway at 70 mph while strapped to the passenger seat. It has never blown off.

Fading: What the Sun Does to Everything

Here is the part that nobody tells you in the reviews. Every motorcycle cover fades. The sun is brutal, and the fabric is out there taking the same UV beating as your paint. The question is not whether a cover will fade. The question is whether it will fade into brittleness and start tearing, or whether it will just lose a little color and keep working.

After six months of Idaho sun, the Favoto cover has faded slightly. The black is not as deep as it was on day one. If you look closely, you can see a difference between the top of the cover and the underside. But the fabric is still supple. It has not gotten stiff, it has not cracked, and it has not thinned out where it folds. I can still fold it up and put it in the storage bag, which is something I could not do with a cheap cover that went brittle after two months.

The fading is cosmetic. The protection is not. The cover still blocks the sun, still sheds rain, and still keeps the dust off. My fuel tank, which used to develop a chalky haze by August, has stayed clean all summer. That is the job. A cover that fades but keeps doing its job is a cover that works. A cover that looks great but tears after a season is a cover that wasted your money.

Rain and Dust: The Daily Grind

The Favoto cover is advertised as waterproof, and I will say this: it is water resistant in a way that matters. Rain beads up on the surface and rolls off. After a full night of rain, I pulled the cover off and the seat and tank were dry. The ground was wet, the cover was wet, and the bike underneath was dry. That is the test.

There is one caveat. If you park on a slope, water can pool on top of the cover and eventually find its way through the seams. I learned this the hard way when I parked the Road King on a slight incline during a long trip. A puddle formed on the flat part of the cover, and by morning there was a damp spot on the seat. It was not soaked, just damp, and it dried out in an hour. But if you have a perfectly flat parking spot, you will not have this problem. If you do not, park so the cover sheds water instead of collecting it.

Dust is a different story. The cover does not seal like a bag. Dust will find its way in through the bottom edge, especially on a windy day. That is true of every cover I have ever used, including ones that cost three times as much. The Favoto cover keeps out the big stuff, the leaves, the bird droppings, the pollen, and it keeps out most of the dust. If you are the kind of person who wipes the bike down before every ride anyway, you will not notice the difference.

Who This Is For

This cover is for the rider who parks outside and actually rides. If your bike sits in a driveway, a parking lot, or under a carport, and you want to keep the sun off the paint and the rain off the seat, the Favoto cover is a solid choice. It is especially good for touring bikes and other full-size motorcycles, because the fit is cut for a real motorcycle, not a generic blob. If you ride daily, like I do, the cover is easy to put on and take off, and it packs down small enough to strap to the back seat for a trip.

Who Should Skip It

Skip the Favoto cover if you park in a garage and only need dust protection. A lighter, cheaper cover will do that job, and you will not need the wind resistance or the water resistance. Skip it if you ride a small bike, like a 250 or a sport bike, because the fit is generous and the cover will bunch up around the wheels. Skip it if you are the kind of rider who will not buckle a middle strap. Every cover with a strap requires that strap to do its job, and if you will not use it, you are better off with a cover that fits tighter and relies on the hem alone.

Alternatives I Considered

I have owned covers from three other brands in the last decade, and I compared the Favoto cover against them in my head before writing this. The first was a cheap no-name cover that tore at the grommets after one winter. The second was a mid-priced cover from a big brand that fit well but faded and stiffened after one summer. The third was a premium cover that cost nearly three times as much as the Favoto. It was the best cover I had owned, but it cost more than some riders spend on a full tank of fuel and oil for a season.

The Favoto cover sits in a sweet spot. It is not the cheapest cover you can buy, but it is not the most expensive either. It does the job of the premium cover at a fraction of the price, with two small tradeoffs. The premium cover had a slightly better storage bag, and its fabric felt a little more substantial in the hand. But the Favoto cover has survived the same wind, the same rain, and the same sun, and it has done it for less money. That is the math that matters.

The Bottom Line

After six months of daily use, windstorms, rain, and Idaho sun, the Favoto cover is still doing its job. It fits the Road King properly, it stays on in wind that has blown off more expensive covers, and it keeps the sun off the paint. It has faded a little, because everything fades, but it has not cracked, torn, or stopped working. The storage bag is tight, the middle strap is mandatory in a real blow, and dust still finds its way in on windy days. Those are honest complaints, and they are minor compared to the alternative, which is a bike sitting out in the weather with nothing between it and the sun.

If you park outside, ride a full-size bike, and want a cover that actually holds up, the Favoto cover is worth a look. I have put more than 180 days on mine, and I will be putting it back on the bike tonight. Check today's price on Amazon and see if it fits your bike as well as it fits mine.