Rather than carrying a bulky cover, I keep a chamois type cloth with me, and if need be, dry the bike off before starting out after a rain. The bike will need a good cleaning after a long road trip anyway, so I am not concerned with drying off every part of the bike. I dry the seat, windscreen, grips and where my knees and legs will be up against the bike, as well as wherever on the front of the bike I might get drops being blown up into my face while riding. Usually this takes me only a minute or two and then I am good to go. I use a Beadrider pad on my seat, so drying that off works to keep my jeans dry even if there is still moisture under the beads on the seat itself.