Bikes

If a genie were to grant me three wishes, I suspect the first two would revolve around an endless supply of cash and the ability to consume cake without gaining weight. I'd spend so much money on cake. However, the final wish would be for every day to be perfect for motorcycling. How nice it would be to have the Goldilocks conditions where it's neither too hot nor too cold. If it could be dry, cloudless and around 23°c, I'd be a happy boy. A happy boy full of cake.

A change is as good as a rest. If you're starting to feel bored with your bike, maybe you should try a different style of riding. The vast buffet of motorcycling offers a lot of choice and you should sample as many different flavours as possible.

Our friends at Krazy Horse are coming back and this time with their MV Agusta Demo Fleet on Saturday 3rd June 10am - 4pm. These days are always popular so get in quick! 

Motorcycling is a hobby which tends to start relatively cheaply. Many of us start with a used bike and budget clothing, but as the years roll by, we buy bigger, more expensive bikes and upgrade our gear with flashier helmets and better clothing. We buy various lotions and potions to keep our machines clean, and discover new tools and gadgets to help maintain them. After a few decades of riding, we'll own a tool for everything, more helmets than we know what to do with and enough fluid-filled aerosols to drown an elephant. Don't be afraid; this is perfectly normal.

Furthermore, we'll accumulate accessories. Small items which fulfill some kind of need to make riding safer, easier or more fun. I've chosen six items from Bike Stop, which every rider needs in their arsenal.

In fifty years' time, it's likely a motorcyclist will wake up in their solar-powered home where an array of energy-dense batteries holds a store of energy from the previous day's sunshine. They'll don their bike gear, walk to the garage and unplug their motorcycle - built from ninety per cent recycled materials - from its nightly recharge, swing a leg over and ride out to a soundtrack of whirring and buzzing. While this may sound like a dystopian hell for many bikers, it's a future that's on the cards. Some people are holding out for hydrogen power, but it's unlikely that's ever going to be efficient to produce, transport or sell. Others may put their faith in e-fuels, but unless you relish the idea of paying £6/litre, that's probably not the solution, either. It's looking increasingly likely that battery-powered bikes will form a part of our fossil-fuel-free future.

There's little doubt that adventure bikes have become increasingly popular with the buying public. Sports tourers used to be the default choice for eating miles in good comfort whilst carrying enough luggage for an arctic expedition, but things have changed. However, it's now all about big wheels, a high riding position and looking like you're about to enter the Paris-Dakar. Perhaps the fashion for adventure bikes is similar to cars, with people ditching hatchbacks and saloons in favour of rugged-looking SUVs and crossovers. There's a lot of choices out there, too. Nearly all manufacturers now offer a top-tier adventure bike, but to make sure every possible gap in the market is well and truly plugged, most of them offer smaller, lighter, junior versions, which are just as capable but with a lower price tag. Big or less big, the choice is yours. 

There are certain rules that we, as motorcyclists, should strive to obey. Things that keep us safe, keep our bikes safe and keep those around us safe. These are the 10 commandments of motorcycling.