Whether you’ve recently earned your motorbike licence or you’ve been an avid biker for years, networking and socialising with other bikers can make owning a motorcycle more enjoyable. It can help you learn new skills, find out great rides, get advice on tricky mechanical issues, and make friends.
The three main social networks to look on are Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. If you are joining a group which requires administrator approval, it can help to have a motorbike-related picture as your profile picture; many group admins are wary of adding people who might just spam the group.
Facebook groups can either be public (open to anyone) or closed (admins must approve membership).
General motorbiking
UK Motorbike Routes: a public group with over 400 members, supposedly for sharing great routes, but there’s a lot of other random stuff on their, too (the problem with it being a public group).
North West UK Motorcycles and Bikers: a closed group with over 2200 members looking for riding advice and group riding in the north west. Some bikes and parts for sale, too.
UK Bikers: a closed group of over 3100 members that promotes riding, rallies, charity rides and meetups.
Deaf Bikers UK: a closed group of over 300 bikers that are deaf or hard of hearing.
Specific makes and models
Groups exist that are dedicated to specific brands. Try searching for the name of your bike.
UK Ducati Diavel Riders: a public group with over 200 members who ride or like the Ducati Diavel
Yamaha R6 Owners Club UK: a public group with over 1000 members who are owners of, or enthusiasts for, the Yamaha R6. There is some tech talk, and wanted/for sale ads.
Aprilia RS125 UK: a public group with over 2400 members dedicated to running, riding, tuning and maintaining the RS125, plus second hand parts.
Buying/selling/swapping
Motorbikes, Mopeds and Accessories for Sale or Wanted: a public group with over 500 members for trading bikes and bike parts.
Motorbikes For Sale UK: Public group with over 3600 members for buying and selling bikes and bike parts.
Sell Your Motorbike, Quad, Scooter and Parts UK: Public group with over 4600 members for buying and selling what it says in the group name!
Harley Davidson Bikes n Bits for Sale in the UK: a closed group of over 6000 members that buy and sell Harley bikes and spares and related items in the UK and EU.
Google+
Google+ doesn’t have anywhere near as many communities as Facebook, but you can find a few such as UK Motorcycle Riders: over 900 members and a place for UK-based riders to share and discuss the best roads to ride, bike events happening in the UK, racing, etc; and Suzuki Bikes Lounge UK (200+ members). Most are small, though. If you look internationally you’ll find communities around specific marques such as Kawasaki.
LinkedIn is generally more for business-related networking, but there are motorbike groups on it, and you can also look for jobs in the industry by following relevant companies. Check out these groups:
Motorcycle Riding, Safety and Training
Darren has owned several companies in the automotive, advertising and education industries. He has run driving theory educational websites since 2010.