12 great motorcycling presents for Father's Day

You know it’s Father’s Day this Sunday (June 19, 2016) don’t you? Present and card all sorted, aren’t they? Of course they’re not. So absorb MCN’s list of 12 great ideas for the motorcycling father in your life – we’ve even included easy links that take you straight to a page where you can buy online.

1. Harris rear paddock stand (£81.60)

He might already own a paddock stand, but this isn’t just a paddock stand – this is THE paddock stand. The quality of engineering in Harris’ work is a level up from the norm and these operate beautifully with smooth-turning wheels and a lightweight yet reassuring feel. If he already has a Harris stand, then you can give him MCN’s congratulations (surely that’s enough of a Father’s Day present in itself).

2. Oxford Motorcycle Chain Brush (£9.99)
 

What? A brush for Father’s Day? If you’re looking for a bike-related present for a tenner you can’t get much better than a dedicated chain brush. You’re not just giving him a brush, you’re giving him a clean chain for life (especially if you throw in an offer to get your hands dirty yourself on the odd occasion). If he’s the sort who takes pride in his bike, he’ll love this. If he’s not (and who are we to protest about that?), then move on down the list.

3. sDoc100 Motorcycle Gel Cleaner (£14.99)
 

All but the affluent motorcyclist thinks hard before delving this deeply into his pocket for a bottle of bike cleaner. But those who can get their fingers down far enough are always happy with the results from sDoc100, widely and rightly regarded as the best bike cleaner around. It’s gooey enough to stick around and keep working after other cleaners have slid off into the distance and it even leaves a light corrosion-resistant coating once it’s rinsed off. If he won’t buy it for himself, he’ll be rightly chuffed that someone else has done it for him.

4. King Dick Tools 6-in-1 Screwdriver (from £8.27)
 

Anyone’s old man would be well chuffed to wake up and unwrap a King Dick screwdriver. Most blokes’ screwdriver ‘collection’ consists of a pile of cacky old nonsense with chipped ends or smears of paint where they’ve been used to lever open the tin of magnolia that’s now covering the living room wall. Not everyone is like that, so move your old man into the executive lounge with a screwdriver where the head will securely fit the six most common crosshead screw types. And all for less than a tenner.

5. Kriega US-20 DryBag (£75)
 

A bit pricier than your average Father’s Day present, but Kriega are the kings of luggage and with a 10-year guarantee you know he’ll get excellent service for many years. It secures to the pillion seat of any bike and is a genius piece of design that remains unmatched by plenty of rivals who have tried. It’s 20-litre capacity is enough to hold a weekend’s stuff (if he packs light) and keep it secured to the bike so well he’ll forget it’s even there.

6. Xena XX10 Alarmed Disc Lock (£64.99)
 

The loudest present he’ll have had since his Motorhead/Metallica/Marilyn Manson album/CD/download (delete according to relevant father’s age). This Xena disc lock will deter would-be thieving gits, especially once they give the bike the slightest nudge and have an eardrum pierced by the 120-decibel shriek that comes out of this stainless steel lock. Park the bike under the hotel window and it’ll deliver the loudest peace of mind known to man.

7. Drift Stealth 2 (£99.99)
 

Help the old man move into the modern world where if it isn’t recorded it didn’t happen. The Drift Stealth 2 is small enough not to intrude and can be mounted in all sorts of locations on the bike or rider. It’s also dead-easy to use, with the press of two buttons getting recording. As well as shooting video in a variety of different resolutions, it can take stills on the move too.

8. Red Torpedo Gear With Grit t-shirt (£25.99)
 

The quickest way to get him in line with race hero, TV star and all-round superbloke Guy Martin is to get a Red Torpedo t-shirt. It’s a hell of a lot quicker than a sideburn-growing kit, anyway. Red Torpedo stuff is made from good-quality materials so you’re paying for more than just the design print. We’ve chosen a general Red Torpedo design, but more Guy-specific designs are available including one with a life-sized Guy Martin head on the front.

9. EDZ Merino Multi-Tube (£17.99)
 

Yes, every motorcyclist worth their sodium chloride has a necktube (or three). But not every motorcyclist has one made from Merino wool. It’s a wondrously soft material that has some sort of miraculous ability to be cool in summer and warm in winter (makes you wonder why we don’t all live in tents and save on heating bills). EDZ’s Merino tube is made from the stuff and isn’t even as expensive as others made from cheaper materials.

10. SDoc100 Visor & Helmet Cleaner (£12.99)
 

Old-school dads will probably tell you there’s nowt wrong with kitchen paper and watter. We can’t argue with that fact, but something tells us a roll of kitchen paper and a bottle of tapwater will not go down all that well as a Father’s Day present. So at the risk of being accused of wasting your money, this visor cleaning kit will leave him questioning his faith in traditional methods. Spray a mist of SDoc’s cleaner over the visor, leave for a while and wipe it to a shine with the microfibre cloth. And when the bottle runs out, refill with a few drops of washing up liquid and some water and it’ll be the present that keeps on giving.

11. Oxford RP-2 leather gloves (£49.99)
 

No motorcyclist has ever said ‘Gloves? What do I want those for?’ The things are guaranteed to wear out and a decent pair of new gloves is one of the pleasures of being a biker (once they’ve broken in to your hand shape). Oxford are starting to make a splash in the glove market and this model offers a good blend of quality and the sort of price that fits in the Father’s Day present range.

12. R&G Racing Paddock Stand Bobbins (£8.69-£11.69)
 

This is a great, cheap present – and it comes with its own detective challenge for you, completely free of charge. Of course you have the guile required to surreptitiously find out if his bike has the necessary threaded bosses for these little. And who could think it difficult to extract from him the size of bolt required to fit such bobbins? No, not us. Easy peasy. Get to the bottom of that mystery and a life of easier paddock stand operation awaits the father in your life.