Join our moto-volunteerism and clean up with your motorcycle

I don't know about your area, but around here, I’ve seen more roadside litter and garbage than usual, and I hate that. (Especially littered masks… Yecch.) We Zillans are seriously passionate about sharing the road, literally and metaphorically ("Share the Road" is one of our guiding corporate values), and we hope you’ll join us for some socially distant volunteer work. We're taking a few hours to ride our favorite roads or trails to clean them up as a simple way of showing that we care.

The standard way to quantify trash clean ups is by weight, but we're counting hours spent trash picking to keep things simple. Just grab your motorcycle, head for your favorite riding spot, and bring a bag because there's no shortage of trash out there. You might want to take some pictures, too, because we'll run a follow-up article in three weeks where you can share how many hours you worked, where your newly cleaned favorite roads are, and any outrageous stuff you found.

I went out for a quick two-hour ride and scored a bunch of plastic wrap, some Amazon bubble mailers, way too many beer bottles, a five-gallon water can, and a trailer wheel. I carried everything on the back of the KTM 200 Duke using a milk crate, a trash bag, two bungee cords, and an elastic cargo net, although I had to make a second trip for the wheel. Please don't put yourself at risk by overloading your motorcycle with garbage. Can you imagine the headlines?

Rules are simple: Any trash already in a trash container is ineligible. Just keep in mind the spirit of what we're trying to do here: beautify our roads and natural lands. Don't endanger yourself or others while collecting trash, stay off private property, and remember that some trash, like tires, will need to be disposed of in a particular way. Always wear protective gloves when handling garbage. Also, never stop to pick up trash unless you can safely park off the road. Look for roads with shoulders, public parking lots, or parks for easy access. Hi-viz gear is your friend!

Due to the virus, I understand any hesitations you might have about touching unknown trash. To minimize contact, a simple garbage pick can be made with a nail and a length of wooden dowel. Drive the nail into the end of the dowel, then cut the head off the nail and grind a point for satisfactory spearing. Slip an electrical butt connecter over the end if you're worried about riding around with a pointy thing. Mine rode along in the milk crate with no issues.

The only prize is whatever you feel after cleaning up your area. (Probably a unique blend of disgust and pride.) Here's a guide to picking up trash in the age of COVID-19, and here's a WikiHow article with some additional tips.

Use #motocleanup if you post to Instagram so we can acknowledge your work there, too. See ya in three weeks, and happy hunting!