He said: “It’s very soothing. When you ride a bike, it just takes all the stress off.”
A practising Sikh, Mr Singh is required to keep his turban on when in public, including while he is riding a motorcycle.
When he moved to Jersey from India in 2019, Mr Singh set about getting a motorcycle licence to continue his passion for biking on-island.
However, he very quickly ran into an unexpected problem.
When he went to apply for his compulsory basic training course at DVS, Mr Singh was told he would not be able to get a licence as he could not wear a helmet over his turban.
Pictured: Manvinder Singh, the only Sikh to hold a motorcycle license in Jersey. (Jon Guegan)
At the time, riding without a helmet was against the law in Jersey despite Sikhs having a legal exemption in the UK.
Mr Singh put his concerns to DVS and the the law was amended in 2021 to include an exemption for his religion.
Mr Singh said: “The Sikhs were formed in 1699, we were made out of Hindus as an army to protect them from the Mughals… every country has an army. Every army has their uniform. We have our uniform, we have our turban. That’s the significance.”
He subsequently got his licence and is, to his knowledge, the first and only Sikh to hold a motorcycle license in Jersey.
Despite the law change, Mr Singh has noticed that people in Jersey have not quite got to grips with his unique situation.
He said: “When I was doing my CBT everybody was stopping me and saying: ‘where’s your helmet?’. They were concerned about my health and safety.
“I was riding by them and they would get out of their cars and trucks and say: ‘Stop’.”
Pictured: The picture a bystander took of Mr Singh whilst he was out riding his motorcycle. (Manvinder Singh)
Mr Singh added: “When I was doing my practical exam, the examiner was in the car behind instructing me.
“Everybody was stopping me saying: ‘Where’s your helmet? Where’s your helmet?’ So had to keep pointing at her to explain to everyone.”
One bystander even took to Facebook to post a picture of Mr Singh riding without a helmet on the community page: ‘Jersey Ask! Advise! Advertise!”.
He said: “There was a big discussion about it all.”
The post was removed shortly afterwards but, due to the traction it received, Mr Singh is hoping to reassure people that he is well within the rules.
He said: “I understand. I do understand why people do it, they are concerned about my health and safety, if I’m not wearing a helmet, it could be dangerous for me.
“I just want to make people aware.”