Real life can be a mean mistress, expecting so much and leaving so little. It’s not surprising then when something as life-changing and exhilarating as a ride on the motorcycle is pushed to one side by soccer or band practice, ‘honey-do’ projects or even work.

If you’re starting to look at your two wheels of steel as something taking up needed space in the garage instead of the ticket to mental freedom, then Clutch and Chrome may have the perfect answer to get you back on course and riding with the metaphorical pack.

Re-igniting a passion that once occupied your every free moments of thoughts is as easy as forcing a habit, relearning a reflex and feeling like that rebellious (but socially accepted) biker you once were.

So here is the challenge if you’re willing to accept it. There are ten things to be done in ten months which are guaranteed to find that lost biker in you. They don’t have to be completed in any particular order, but they should be done consecutively. While some of them may seem trivial at first or even maybe something you wouldn’t normally do, we are asking for some of that biker-trust that can only come from brotherly (or sisterly as the case may be) love.

Have a motorcycle movie night

Call us kind but we’ll start the first challenge off with a simple one that doesn’t require you to go any further than the DVD player. But why a motorcycle movie night?

Several reasons, most important of which is opening the clutch slowly for this race through the infectious gears as we ease down the road to becoming a full-blown biker again. Also, it gives riders the opportunity to show that special person in their life why the open road is better than anything found on the ‘honey-do’ list.

What are some good motorcycle movies to throw on the DVD? The classics are a great place to start; The Wild One , Easy Rider , Hells Angels on Wheels and Electric Glide in Blue are all great examples of movies that put motorcycles, and Hollywood’s version of the riding lifestyle were playing movie screens in the 60’s and 70’s. Even if you’ve seen one of the movies in the past, time may have passed or may have even started riding since first seeing it.

Looking for something newer? The surprise hit from 2007, 'Wild Hogs' starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy should be a perfect choice.

And let’s not leave out the current favorite two-wheeled flavor, 'Sons of Anarchy' . The successful television series from FX has released its first season on DVD.

Subscribe to a motorcycle blog

There are hundreds of riders who have put pen to paper, or in this case the electronic word into cyberspace. Writing about everything from the latest modification to their motorcycle to a weekend ride, biker blogs can take any homebound rider out onto the open road with the click of a mouse.

It won’t be long before you find yourself ripping the cover off the motorcycle and taking in some wind.

To start your literary journey Clutch and Chrome has a directory of motorcycle blogs.

Keep a log

Keeping a log can add more miles onto the motorcycle odometer in a few ways. Firstly, it helps remember every glorious mile put down. Second it can bring home just how few miles have been ridden over the last month.

And finally, the focus of keeping a log magically encourages any biker to make an effort to not only find time to ride, but new places to ride too. Not sure how that works, but it seems to.

The log can be a simple as a sheet of paper, something kept on the computer at home or there is even an iphone app for the really technically advanced bikers out there.

Join a charity

Bikers are known for their big hearts as much as they are wearing leathers. Besides, joining a charity gives any rider the perfect excuse to break out the bike and put down a few miles for a worthy cause.

And how could anyone in a rider’s life deny them the time to help someone in need?

Find a new riding group

Maybe the reason you’re not getting out as often doesn’t have anything to do with your real-life interfering but your riding buddies and their honey-do lists.

Taking a ride with a set of riders you’ve never ridden with before can not only introduce new places to ride and different places to visit, but the bikers stories will sound completely fresh.

Take a motorcycle safety course

A motorcycle safety course is another perfect excuse to sneak in some serious saddle time. It would be difficult for that special someone to say no to the opportunity to improve riding skills, learn how to survive the deadly modern roads and save on insurance premiums.

Motorcycle safety courses come in many flavors with the accepted authority on the matter, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation reorganizing the number and contest of their recommended courses in late March 2010.

Test ride a different motorcycle

One of the main attractions to attending a major motorcycle event or rally are the number of manufacturers who bring a fairly large line-up of their latest models for riders to take for a spin.

Hopping in the saddle of not only a new motorcycle, but a different style than the one you’re used to riding can reinvigorate any rider in the deepest rut.

And the best part of the ever-popular demo ride is its absolutely free!

Attend a rally

It is always surprising at how many bikers haven’t taken to the road to head to a major motorcycle event. For those wanting to push the motorcycle envelope, setting your sights on one of the major rallies that bring together the larger groups of bikers.

The feeling of filling the local roads with your fellow riders, every corner of a town catered for bikers and of course the endless conversation about motorcycles is tough to find at any place other than a rally.

There is so much to do away from the main event such as poker runs, charity rides and of course the organized group ride through unknown back roads.

Ride further

So what is your limit? Two hours? Three?

The whole point of taking on the task of ten things in ten months is to push your riding to the next level and that would include a little more consistent saddle time. Look on a map and find somewhere that requires a longer ride than is usually taken. Ask some fellow riders if they know of a hidden restaurant or bar that is worth the extra hours it takes to get there.

Saving the best for last, why not look up an old riding buddy.

Modern life is hectic and it’s easy to have the best of friends drift away. Maybe your riding buddy was the reason you bought a motorcycle in first place. The riding buddy may have even find himself in the same rut, wishing they could spend more time on the open road and less time doing, well, everything else.

There is no reason to take a full ten months to make your way through the to-do list. As matter of fact the sooner the list is completed the more time left in the summer to enjoy your reborn passion!