Thread approved

Buy a good cover

Thanks noor!

@Harish - I have one, but you can't really cover a bike in a student parking lot in the hostel where you've got over a hundred of them standing!
The cover invites fiddlers

Couple of things: One, for your cover, buy a bicycle cable/lock. Most covers have holes near the bottom that a cable could be threaded through, to prevent it from being removed.

Two, in most cases, the cover probably won't attract much attention. No one will know what's under it, and realistically, won't really care. As the saying goes: "out of sight, out of mind". Plenty of people cover their bikes, even in crowded parking areas. If it's difficult for you, park near the edge of the crowd so you have room. In the US, it's common for people who own particularly expensive cars to park way out away from shopping centers and the like, where there aren't any other vehicles parked. They'll park their vehicle across two or more spaces so no one can park near them, to prevent possible damage from the doors of other cars etc. They do this even though it means a longer walk to the door, because that's really a small inconvenience compared to dealing with a potentially costly bodywork repair.

Alternatively, You can drape a sheet of clear plastic over it in the evening, so people can see what the bike is, and won't be tempted. Just take it off during the day, and don't put it on until the exhaust cools so you don't get plastic melted to it. Also, if you really don't want to cover your bike, put several coats of car wax on the tank, sidecovers, and the engine crankcase (not the finned part, the lower part). Renew this regularly. This will protect the paint from water and sun damage. Wipe the wheel rims, forks, and other parts with an oily rag from time to time to repel moisture (don't do this to the brake rotor, it's ok if that gets rusty).