This year I’ve had to accept that I’m difficult to buy for. It’s early December and I’m being harassed almost daily by my family who are stressing out over what to buy for me. I thought I was pretty easy but it turns out everything I could ask for I have already bought for myself over the year, I’m impatient, and seriously fussy – I’d much rather shop for myself. Given the choice, I’d buy my own Christmas gifts and tell my loved ones to sort themselves out, but that’s not the right attitude, apparently.

So, this year I’m writing a gift guide to help other people who are in my position or know of someone who is in my position – someone who is very into motorcycles but also very into buying things for themselves. It’s an inclusive list, with inspiration for gifts that are very affordable – stocking fillers, and ‘main’ presents with a slightly higher price tag but nothing bank breaking. All these things will be loved, a pleasure to open, beautifully made or unexpectedly useful, and all relevant to a motorcyclist.

I hope you find it helpful! And tell me if you have any amazing ideas that I’ve missed…

1 – A chonky power bank – £30-40

I was surprised to find out how many people don’t use these little devices, so if you know someone who doesn’t have one, someone who travels a fair bit and likes being ‘off grid’ in their tent, maybe a small non intrusive oblong of electricity that they can carry with them will be a welcome addition to their collection of adventuring knick-knacks. I have a nice 20Mah power bank from Amazon, it costs £30-40 and they’re all much of a muchness, I have linked the one that I own below. This 20Mah product keeps my phone powered up for about a week (with heavy use, I live on the internet) and fully charges overnight when plugged into mains power. It fits in motorcycle jacket pockets. https://www.amazon.co.uk/INIU-20000mAh-Portable-High-speed-Compatible/dp/B07YPS5JC5/ref=sr_1_4?crid=WIO8T7MPHMAA&keywords=iniu%2B20mah%2Bpower%2Bbank&qid=1702214692&sprefix=iniu%2B20mah%2Bpower%2Bbank%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-4&th=1

2 – A GoPro helmet mount set up £30(ish) + $20.00

I’m adding this because I need to write it somewhere, I’m always being asked how I fit my GoPro to my helmet, and maybe you want to copy or know someone who’s still got their GoPro stuck on the top of their helmet and it looks a bit silly. This is two products that are perfect together. A Chin mount from ChinMounts, designed to fit the helmet perfectly so make sure you get the right one, and a GoPro bolt from Schier Concepts which makes adjusting the angle so much easier (and come in a range of colours). (The chin mount products mount the GoPro mount to the helmet, you’ll need the GoPro mount still, this usually comes with GoPros) http://www.schierconcepts.com & https://chinmounts.com/en-gb?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NWrBhD-ARIsAFCKwWtmthT4d5PyYs_cZk7oU_TIJ2J_6wbqQo2vj-Yw5ui4f7VFjgXZedIaAoJzEALw_wcB

3 – Leather goodies from Flux Co. (Prices vary)

Beautiful hand crafted stocking fillers, their signature product is their glove holster designed to carry your motorcycle gloves instead of shoving them in your helmet. They also make wallets, card holders, key chains, and various other little leather accessories. It has to be noted that it’s a real treat to order from Flux Co, I love a good unpacking experience and they really cater to that. If you want to splash out, some of their products are made using suits worn by racers, so you can carry your money around in a bit of Dean Harrisons butt panel if you like. https://fluxco.shop/products

4 – Extremely warm socks from ZeroFit – £25.00

My dad is as difficult to buy for as I am, thankfully he’s learned this and now keeps reserve ideas just for Christmas. This year he wanted socks (imaginative). Lucky for everyone involved I was introduced to Zerofit the same day, who make technical base layers for outdoorsy people – not just motorcyclists. I bought a pair of their socks for my Dad to try out, apparently as soon as he put them on, heat radiated through his feet and despite the cold he has toasty toes. He immediately used them to ride a few hundred miles to some work meeting in the cold November conditions and came back applauding the socks. You can also get tops and pants with the same materials and they work. https://zerofit.co.uk/products/heatrub-ultimate-socks?_pos=2&_sid=d44a5a175&_ss=r

5 – A compact screwdriver set by Wera – £49.65

No one likes rubbish tools, this is a toolkit you’ll be proud to whip out when someone needs to adjust something, and it’s capable of removing BMW panels since it includes the full sizes of torx bits, as well as the other normal ones. The packaging is lovely, another product you’ll enjoy opening, and I have a real soft spot for their cases – you’ll see why. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wera-Kraftform-Bit-Holding-screwdriver-05059295001/dp/B000X1R2K2/ref=sr_1_17?crid=I87HZ8R3V03K&keywords=wera%2Bscrewdriver%2Bset&qid=1702215822&sprefix=WERA%2BSCR%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-17&th=1

6 – A desk lamp from LidLamps – £70.84

LidLamps sent me one of their desk lights a few years ago and it’s a loved feature in my office space. These are lamps shaped like helmets and they’re so cute! They come in 5 colours – pink, blue, green, white and red. They have a touch pad at the base so you can set how bright you need the light, and the tinted visor can be closed to soften the light further. The light is filtered by the colour of the lamp, so I have a lovely pink glow in my space when I use it. https://lidlamps.com/collections/all

7 – A backpack from Kriega – from £119.00

If you don’t have a Kriega backpack then you probable want one. I’m telling you you want one, and I’m right. These are the ultimate backpack for motorcyclists, I can carry the weight of my laptop, iPad, various electronics and clothing for a week on my back, while riding, for hundreds of miles, and be totally fine with it – no shoulder ache, nothing digging into your back. I use them for everything, they’re robust, comfortable, and they look great (in my humble opinion), some of them are also completely waterproof. There are many to choose from so you can work out how much you normally carry and what size/features you need. I have the R15 for general use, and the T9 for traveling as a safe place to store my electronics and valuables. Here’s their website – https://kriega.com/riderpacks

8 – An Olytto statuette – from £115

An unusual one, but I love them. These are little motorcycle shaped sculptures designed and assembled on the Isle of Man. Of course I have the pink one, but they come in several colours so there’s something to suit everyone. They come beautifully packaged and sit and inspire you while you’re working at your desk, or look edgy on your living room shelf. https://www.olytto.com/collections/all

9 – Muc-Off Helmet and Visor Cleaner – £15.00 (or £10.00 from Halfords)

Probably the perfect stocking filler, everyone has one of these, but they’re consumables and they run out/get skanky, you’ll be grateful for a new one. They come nicely packaged, you cannot go wrong (if my family are reading this – I lost mine. Yes please) https://muc-off.com/products/visor-lens-goggle-cleaning-kit?variant=40135620264034

10 – Furygan Get Down / Angie Trainer Boots – £149.90

OK, a bit more lavish than the rest of the list but maybe sort of within budget if you really like this person. It’s easy to not want to buy actual bike gear for someone else – but everyone likes these so you’re safe. These are motorcycle boots disguised as trainers, and are actually perfect for everyday wear. The best example is for these to be worn at a bike event where you have to both walk and ride around, they’re super comfortable on and off the bike, breathable, and low level waterproof. A great addition to any wardrobe from a popular and well loved brand.

10 – Buff neck tubes – £16.95+

Most of the time we get our neck tubes free from shows. Are you even a motorcyclist if you don’t have a White Dalton neck tube that appeared in your sock draw one day and has been a part of your life ever since? Your loved ones will definitely appreciate a beautiful coloured one that matches their bike/personality/eyes/whatever, and now maybe they can put their freebie one in the wash, or even double up while it’s so cold. https://www.buff.com/gb/neckwear/multifunctional-tubulars-and-snoods.html

11 – Track Day Vouchers – £whatever you want

A more socially acceptable way of asking for money. Or gifting something you don’t need to wrap. Perfect. https://www.nolimitstrackdays.com/merchandise.html

12 – A BikeShed Logo Hoodie – £75.00

Nothing beats new hoodie feeling. BikeShed is a cool brand with a cool logo and they make cool hoodies. The nice thing about bike related casual wear that isn’t a manufacturer brand is that when you sell your Yamaha and get a BMW you don’t find yourself with 5 different Yamaha hoodies that you don’t want to get rid of but don’t feel right wearing. Anyway. https://bikeshedmoto.co.uk/collections/sweatshirts-hoodies/products/bsmc-inc-overhead-hoodie-navy-cool-grey

13 – A drying towel from Auto Finesse – £14.95

You don’t want to put your bike away wet after washing it, but since it’s winter nothing’s drying on its own. These towels gently pull the water off your bike so you don’t have to leave it soggy after a clean. They’re nice and big and do the job quickly.