Many of us bikers, motorcycle enthusiasts and racing fans are staying at home due to the COVID 19 Coronavirus lock down advice from the government. MotoGP is cancelled, BSB is cancelled , WSB is cancelled and the Isle of Mann TT is cancelled, so what can you do?
Catching-up with motorcycle servicing and projects
I’ve always liked to get my hands dirty with building and servicing my own bikes when I have time, however many bikers like the reassurance of dealer and specialist servicing of their motorcycle. Now you have some time your hands why not learn the basics of servicing your motorcycle? A good place to start is buying a trusty Haynes manual for your motorcycle, which has often been a trusted companion for servicing and rebuilds
Stocking up on workshop tools
Having a good clear out in the garage and reorganising your workshop space and tools is always a good thing to do when you have time. I’ve accumulated a lot of tools and spares over the years and it becomes easy to loose track of what you have and what you’ve loaned to friends.
Starting out from scratch could just involve buying a good quality socket and ratchet set before moving on to some specialist tools for specific bikes. For some inspiration check out the workshop tools article.
Motorcycle books and videos
Whether you are into motorcycle racing or motorcycle touring there are lots of great videos and books available to provide inspiration, look back some great racing or improve your riding.
One my first inspiration motorcycle books was Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon which which documented Ted’s global journey on his Triumph during the 1970s. Following on from Ted Simon’s books was Mondo Enduro which documents a group of regular guys who travelled the world on Suzuki DR350s, all filmed on basic camera equipment. Check out the interesting books page for more information.
Motorcycle video games
When I started playing video games the only really good motorcycle game I remember playing in the video arcade was Super Hang-on, which involved sitting on a replica motorcycle which looked like a Honda GP bike and using your weight to steer the bike. Super Hang-on was great fun at the time but obviously looks very dated now. You can still enjoy the original Hang-on within the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/arcade_hangonjr
Moving on 20 years we now have the Xbox and PlayStation delivering amazing video games and super realistic graphics in the home. The latest of the amazing video games is the Isle of Man 2 “Ride on the edge” which brings the TT to your living room with amazing detail and all the famous bikes and riders.
The game will never replace the experience of being at the Isle of Man TT, however with 2020 event being cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak this could be a good placeholder for fans until next year. Perhaps learn the track for “Mad Sunday”?
Donate time to charity
During a time of need for many being able to give back to your community is a great way to maintain a positive outlook and possibly keep riding your motorcycle. Whilst the coronavirus is dominating the news there as still many people who require medical help for serious medical conditions.
Why not consider becoming a blood biker? Keep hospitals supplier with blood products is very important for all sorts of treatments and medical emergencies.
Having fun whilst exercising
If you have decided to leave the motorcycle in the garage but still want to engage in exercise on your pushbike, perhaps you could spice things up a bit? Riding a pushbike is a bit too quiet for motorcyclists, so why not attach a Turbo Spoke to your pushbike to remind your friends and neighbours about your motorcycle fandom?
Dig out your scalextric track
Like most people of my age I grew up as a youngster playing scalextrix with my brother, often during the holidays when it was too rainy or cold outside. It was also a great way to annoy the cat who spent hours chasing after the cars as they whizzed around the track.
Back when I had a scalextric set there wasn’t any motorcycles available, however now there are. Why not dig out your set and give the motorcycles a try?
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