I can't ride at the moment due to tendon damage in my left (clutch) hand. And I've been told it could be 12 to 18 months until I have full use again. It's pure torture seeing and hearing all the bikes going past me. Any ideas on how to cheer me up?                                                                                                                                                                             

Hello Richard, hope the hand heals quickly.
I was going to suggest you get on the bus to mine, then saw that you're in Soton, a tad too far to travel just for a cuppa and chin wag.

You'll have to settle for a browse through my Various picture album, hopefully you'll find something amusing there. 🙂

Get a new Triumph with a slip assist clutch, alternatively I saw a bike years ago with a box spanner gaffa-taped on for a rider with a similar problem.                                                                                                                                                                             

This might help..back in the 70's i had an accident (drunk car driver),this was bad enough to break my lower left arm in 42 places,destroy my wrist socket and cause permanent damage to three fingers..7 months in East Birmingham Hospital...2 months after i got home,i was back on the bike...never give up,buy a tube of tennis balls to accelerate physiotherapy..just keep scrunching them till the seams burst,repeat ad infinitum...and for something else to keep busy with,investigate a hydraulic clutch conversion to make life easier,if your bike has cable clutch....Venhill and other companies list a range of fitments,or look on Ebay/internet....for the record,only 2 of my 8 bikes have hydraulic clutch..:)>

I know the feeling about hearing the sound of bikes zipping up and down the road and not being out there. Although I can't imagine being in that situation as a rider, with an injury (I'm a pilly only!). I wish you a speedy and strong recovery.

What about live music? Could you get out there and see a band once a week.

Plan a dream trip for when you are fully recovered and you can tick all those bucket list things in the process. Think BIG!

Ever thought about designing a custom bike?

Could you get along to a local bike venue? A chinwag with a few folk and a wander around the bikes is often good for the soul/heart and mind.

If you fancy getting out to one of the social events/camps give a shout out and I'm pretty sure someone would endeavour to get you to one or two.

Hoping that the suggestions above have given you a little food for thought.

All the best for a speedy recovery.

A few weeks ago I saw a biker with only one arm and he rode with no problems, bike was adapted for one arm control.                                                                                                                                                                             

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestions. I'm definitely going to look into the hydraulic clutch.                                                                                                                                                                             

Richard's question is interesting on several levels, not least because how he words it indicates acceptance and resignation. Arguably an odd comment for most readers, as most people accept mainstream medical recommendations without question and follow those recommendations like innocent disciples listening to messengers from God.

Whilst it would be wrong of me to offer Richard medical advice, and I will not do so, I will pass very brief details of some of my own experiences and if anything I write offends anyone's sensibilities then reject these writings. It truly matters not to me.

Several times during my sporting careers which exceeded five decades over three sports ( indulged in at both junior and senior age international levels) I have either been written off by G.P's. or told that I would likely carry a residual disability (following injury) for life, or at best take many months to heal instead of what I was prepared to accept i.e. a few weeks.

Fifteen years ago I was almost bedbound with chronic rheumatoid arthritis which had got worse over decades, barely able to get out of bed, let alone wash my face on rising. The medical profession essentially stated that I would detreriorate further and simply prescribed - let me generalise - pain killers.

I carried out my own research and discovered that such condition is often caused by an allergy to food / liquid intake and nothing more. It did not take long to discover the offending substance (coffee) and after cutting it out plus exercise I was fully mobile within six months, and shortly thereafter competing internationally in a new sport - longdrive golf (see photos.)

I then believed in addressing the cause of medical medical challenges rather than a blind acceptance of illness coupled with rest and partial relief, and at best an all too slow recovery.

Many injuries followed during the ten year period of my third and final sport and of course mainstream medicine simply largely only prescribed plaster, rest, painkillers and hope.

But chiropractitioners and other alternative therapists taught me how to for example deeply massage internal tears, deliberately causing internal bleeding and thereby preventing the formation of internal scar tissue. A three to six month advised recovery period often being reduced to two to three weeks with no subsequent flare ups. Those specialist practitioners who work with sports patients (who invariably demand quick results) are generally the best doctors to work with.

By all means take medical advice but be open to all of the various proactive professional medical advisors out there who have the time and inclination to quickly fully cure, either by their own hands on approaches or by them passing on their excellent techniques to those patients willing and able to follow their proactive lessons to the letter.

Best wishes to all who are suffering with their bodies or minds, and possibly also with blinkered medical advice.

I also had tendon damage in my clutch hand, no idea how I did it. After the realisation that I'd barely ridden for a year due to pain, I sold my 600 Fazer and bought an Aprilia 850 Mana. No clutch. Essentially a really big, v-twin twist and go, ludicrously easy to ride ... and it seemed happy enough to keep pace with a guy on an R6 😊. I don't believe they're still available new in the UK but there are some good second hand examples around if they're the type of bike that appeals to you.

Besides the old Mana (cracking bike, proper back road hooligan) there are the various DCT offerings from Honda. Or go left field, keep your main bike and buy a cheap maxi scooter, you'll get a few year old 400 - 600 for peanuts.                                                                                                                                                                             

Several options for you on converting the bike to hydraulic, right side control, foot control etc.