The First Warm Ride Always Tells On The Bike

The first properly warm ride of the year has a way of making everyone impatient. You want to pull the cover off, throw a leg over, and pretend the bike has been waiting in perfect condition. Sometimes it has. Sometimes it has been quietly collecting small jobs.

Before the first longer run, give it ten calm minutes. Tyre pressures, chain slack, oil level, lights, brake feel, coolant, and the boring little look-around for leaks or loose bits. It is not glamorous, but neither is finding out at the first fuel stop that something needed attention two weeks ago.

A good ride starts before the engine does.