Over the past few years, I’ve attended a bunch of local and regional motorcycle events and spoken to many men and women riders. I know why I ride, and I do my best to understand why others ride. Are their reasons different from mine? The answers always fall into one of two categories:

1) “I love the community — the people are so welcoming, generous, and inclusive. It’s like a big family.”

2) “I love the solitude — no texting, no phone, no contact. Experiencing nature, smelling the outdoors, and feeling the movement of a bike is a beautiful escape from daily life.”

It turns out that we’re all the same in our love for both community and solitude, and now I’m convinced that motorcycle riders are part of the largest community of introverts on the planet.

How does this all relate to coronavirus and COVID-19? Don’t worry. I’ll get to that in a minute.

The impact of COVID-19 on our daily life

During the past week, our world learned about “flattening the curve” and “social distancing.” People have stopped traveling and have stayed indoors with family. Airlines? Hotels? Restaurants? Schools? Disney? Halted, empty, dead, shuttered, closed.

In fact, to the dismay of thousands of riders everywhere, MotoGP was rescheduled from April to November. It seems that riding a motorcycle in Austin isn’t going to be as much fun in early 2020.

How does Coronavirus impact riding a motorcycle?

This is where it gets interesting. Earlier, I mentioned how we all love both community and solitude. Like downhill skiers and two-year-olds, we enjoy parallel play: participating in an activity next to a friend, but not really interacting with them too much. But we also love the outdoors. We love our independence, and love to move. This virus is really cramping our style.

So like Jack Torrence, we will quickly get frustrated with our four walls and need to get out. We need to ride. But do we need to attend Daytona Bike Week to get our fix? Not necessarily. We can still experience our very own version of “wind therapy.” In fact, hopping on your motorcycle is a perfect way to social distance.

So in this time of uncertainty, fear, and isolation, we’ve prepared a list of ways you can beat coronavirus on two wheels.

Nine ways to beat COVID-19 on a motorcycle:

1) Just ride. It’s important for us all to clear our heads, get outside, and continue experiencing activities that make us happy. So throw a leg over your iron horse, start the engine, and leave. Ride around your neighborhood. Take a day trip. Just get out. Experience the simultaneous assault on all of your senses that reminds you you’re alive.

2) Plan your next trip. We all need something to look forward to. In fact, research has shown that people may anticipate taking their next vacation more than experiencing the actual vacation. It’s called anticipatory happiness and it’s our gift to you. Start that dopamine surge now, look on Twisted Road and start planning.

3) Read about riding. There are plenty of books about riding a motorcycle. Some, like Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well and Twist of the Wrist: The Motorcycle Roadracers Handbook, give us plenty of drills to sharpen our riding skills. Others, like Two Wheels South allow us to dream about taking an extended motorcycle journey. And finally, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Haven’t read it? Time to start.

4) Watch motorcycle movies.  Start with Easy Rider. Then move on to some more recent flicks like Oil in the Blood and Why We Ride. Or grab a bag of popcorn, get cozy, and watch all seven episodes of Long Way Round, as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride from London to New York. The long way.

5) Perform some routine motorcycle maintenance. Change the fluids, brakes, and battery. Clean and lube (or replace) the chain. Check the tires for air (or replace if necessary). Make sure the battery is working. Replace bulbs. Oh, and take some warm water and detergent and clean her. She needs the love too.

6) Moto-camp. You might have more time and less money to spend right now, so if you haven’t tried it yet, get some essential motorcycle camping gear—like a sleeping bag and solo tent, tie it to your bike, and spend a few nights on the road. Pull over wherever. Find some grass and a shady spot. And relax.

7) Watch YouTube videos. There are plenty of good YouTube videos that are a fun, and sometimes instructive, way to pass the time. These two short videos (Riding September and this video of Tom Pagès) are two of my favorites. Then check out Yammie Noob and his educational, snarky, comical, and informative videos. You won’t be bored.

8) Shop for gear. My Dad has this great saying about his wife: “If she had an unlimited budget, she’d exceed it.” As comical as that sounds, I never have enough money for motorcycle gear. When I started riding, my closest friend suggested that I have $1,000 ready to buy gear. This seemed excessive, but it allowed me to get the necessary helmet, gloves, jacket, and other essentials without compromising on safety. But our gear gets old. Worn out. Tired. Seasons and technology changes. All good reasons to browse online for new motorcycle riding gear and find what you love. If you’re not ready to add that new jacket or helmet to your collection, just enjoy the escapism of e-commerce browsing. It’s a nice way to check out — before you fill your cart and “check out.”

9) Earn extra money by renting your motorcycle. It’s possible that this virus will last longer than anyone expects, as forecasts and predictions change daily. Uncertainty breeds a hunker-down mentality as people stop spending and start saving. They go into survival mode. But avoiding spending isn’t the only way to save money. If you rent your motorcycle out to other riders, it could generate hundreds of dollars a month. It only takes 3 minutes to list your moto for rent, and we take on all the risk so you can relax (and watch your bank balance rise). Insurance? Rider verification? Credit cards? Payments? Scheduling? We handle it all.

This could last longer than anyone hopes, but there is still joy to be had. So get out there. Enjoy the outdoors. And just ride.

One last thing. Here’s a link to my referral code. If you’ve never rented with us before, click it and sign up to get your free ride (and I’ll earn $25.) See how easy that was?