While it’s true that not every motorcycle fan enjoys working on bike-related projects, an awful lot of us do. I don’t know about you, but keeping myself busy is probably the best possible thing I can do to keep my stress levels down. That same line of thinking is what led Roland Sands Design to create the #CoronaVirusBikeBuildOff, which is exactly what it sounds like.
It started as the same kind of nervous joke I’m sure we’ve all been making, about how we already practice responsible social distancing every time we lock ourselves in our garages and work on our bikes. I mean, we might laugh about it, but does that make it any less true? Spring maintenance is great and all, but thinking bigger and actually building a bike for this competition is a great way to spend a whole bunch of free time you may suddenly find yourself with.
Living In The Wired:
The rules are: there are very few rules. It should ideally have two wheels, although a trike is totally acceptable. If your build started as a motorcycle, RSD will probably consider it. Also, I especially like that in this video, a kid building something based on a bicycle is specifically mentioned as totally fine. Kids are home right now, so let’s get them building along with us! A bike really is like a giant 3D puzzle with oil, and I’m just gonna keep saying that because it’s true.
The contest is open worldwide, because just like motorcycling, we are all in this together. There are cash prizes, but the main thing is to give you something cool to focus on during this trying time. The deadline will be announced in the coming weeks, since none of us knows what’s going to happen just yet. Also, it’s a virtual contest, and no part of it will take place in person.
In my opinion, it’s a fantastic idea, and I also kind of feel like this video is pretty much all of us right now. We’re grateful for what we have, for each other, for our bikes, and we’re all just trying to make sense of what’s going on and also keep our spirits up. If we have a few extra bucks we can use to order some motorcycle parts online to help with our builds, that’s a productive thing we can do for both ourselves and the motorcycle world.
It’s a good reminder that community-building is how we’ll all get through this and come out stronger on the other side. Both in the larger motorcycle community, and in our small, local communities, looking out for each other gives us meaning, purpose, and hope every single day.
Sources: YouTube, Roland Sands Design