Bike Shifting in LRDE Layout

LRDE Layout, on the CV Raman Nagar side of Old Airport Road, is a quiet pocket with plenty of sporty households: cricket kits by the door, golf bags in the corner, road bicycles on the balcony. Among them, now and then, is a motorcycle that isn't ridden to work at all. It's taken to a track on weekends, by trailer or by a friend's pickup, and it lives with a collection of equipment that only makes sense together.

A typical track kit includes front and rear paddock stands, a spare set of wheels with race or slick tyres, tyre warmers and their power cables, a set of tools sized to that bike, a fuel can, spare levers and pegs, a box of consumables like brake pads and chain lube, and sometimes a generator. The bike itself may be stripped of mirrors and lights, wearing a race fairing, with lockwire on the bolts.

Moving that bike is not complicated. Moving the kit so it all arrives together, intact, is where care is needed.

Start with the bike. If it's road legal, with its registration, mirrors and lights, it moves like any sports bike: a long ramp to protect the belly pan, soft straps on strong points, a front chock. If it's a dedicated track bike without registration, tell us when booking; it still moves, but it can't be ridden to or from the truck on a public road, and we'll plan to load it directly from where it stands.

Then the stands. Paddock stands are long, awkward and heavy. Strap them together, wrap the ends that touch the swingarm or forks, and label them. They travel flat.

The spare wheels need protection. Race tyres and their rims are easily damaged. Put each wheel in a tyre bag if you have one, or wrap it, and stand them upright, not stacked flat with weight on top. Keep the brake discs, if they're fitted, away from anything that could bend them.

Tyre warmers and cables go in a box together, with the controller. Tools go in their own box, sealed.

Fuel cans must be empty. A fuel can with petrol in it can't travel on the truck with the household. Drain it and leave it open to air for a day before packing.

Lockwire and safety clips are worth checking before the move. If the bike was last prepared for a track day, its drain plugs and caliper bolts may be lockwired. That is fine for transport. But if you've removed anything for the move, a fairing panel or a footpeg, put the fasteners in a labelled bag taped to the part, so the bike can be rebuilt correctly before the next session.

Keep a list, and photograph each box's contents before sealing it. With so many parts, the easiest way to lose something is to pack it in the wrong box. Write down every item, number the boxes, and check them off at the other end.

At the new home, think about where the kit lives. A garage or a storeroom near the bike is ideal. Paddock stands and spare wheels take more space than people expect.

Our LRDE Layout packers page covers sports kit, bicycles and golf bags. This page covers the motorcycle kit that needs the same care.

Some riders now use electric scooters for daily trips and keep the petrol track bike for weekends. Pack the scooter's charger separately from the tyre warmer cables, so they don't get mixed up. When you book, give us its brand and whether the pack lifts out.