Introduction

I have loved bikes for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is from racing BMX bikes at the age of 5. The BMX racing only lasted a year and my interest soon turned to bikes with engines.

My Dad surprised me one day turning up with a Puch Maxi twist and go scooter. I really loved that bike and was out at every opportunity. We used to take the bike to a local gravel pit for some off road riding and there was always a good crowd of people on a variety of bikes. There was a particular hill in the pits that was famously known as 'suicide'. The hill was incredibly steep and there was a lip at the top that came back on you, well, with a lot of concern from my Dad, I could get the Puch Maxi to the top. It was a case of hitting the bottom flat out at 30mph and you just made it. There were lads 3 / 4 years older than me on YZ100's that wouldn't attempt 'suicide'.

From the scooter we progressed to full on motocross bikes. They were all a few years old and I only rode them in the pits or other local off road areas. My Dad was keen for me to be more involved in the bike than just riding the bike. We were always in the garage at home either doing basic maintenance or full on engine rebuilds.

By the time I was 14 it was clear that I was as keen as mustard on bikes. The result of this was the purchase of a new YZ125, new riding gear and my first motocross race.

What a day that was. There was me, my Dad, my Mum and Sister on a wet cold day in November. We really didn't know what to expect and although I was nervous we thought I would do OK. Well, I couldn't believe how quick those lads were, although I did finish midfield. I don't think my Mum and Sister enjoyed the day that much but me and my Dad had a great day and we also had our first trophy for the cabinet at home.

We had 6 years of motocross racing riding several different Yamaha YZ125's and a Suzuki RM250. I struggled during the first year but after that I was always in the top 10 with some great wins. The competition was always fierce and whether you was battling for the lead or 5th place the competition was great. The 6 years of motocrossing was probably the biggest biking buzz I've had.

By the age of 20 I had other interests and wasn't focusing on the racing. My Dad was concerned that we were still spending a fortune and I wasn't dedicating the time required. After serious thought we decided to sell the bikes and retire from racing.

2 years later I was back on the bikes. I purchased a CBR600, still had the same mentality that I had on the race track and was young enough not to care. This was the most dangerous era of my motorcycling career. Looking back I do wonder how I survived that bike but I must say it was absolutely awesome at the time.

Another break in motorcycling followed due to 4 years at College and University. After graduation I married and setup a home taking another 2 years.

I'm now back into motorcycling more than ever. To start again, I purchased a Honda XR650R, which I used as a road bike and also a few local trails. The bike was an absolute beast, fondly known as a BRP (Big Red Pig). I soon felt confident enough to enter Enduro's but soon realised I wasn't fit enough.

Following on from the BRP I started riding BMW 1150 GS's. They are a fantastic bike that suit my riding style perfectly. They are great all round bikes and I have covered over 40,000 miles on them in the last few years.