I think I was always destined to ride a bike; my dad was a motorcycles messenger from start to finish of WW2 and somehow forgot to hand his bike back to the MOD when the war ended and he returned to Civvy Street. As a youngster I would run home from school to get changed and go and meet him on his way home from work just to get a lift back home again, so I suppose that was me hooked. My first contact with the police came on one of these trips when they stopped dad for carrying me on the tank as my older sister had already claimed the pillion.

The first bike I rode on my own was a BSA 250cc Starfire that at the time, 1972 was the largest type of bike a 17-year-old could ride in England, and yes it did leak oil, which seemed a trademark of British bikes at that time.

One of the older lads in our village (Mick Grant) was a successful bike racer, winning the famous Isle of Man TT and racing against the USA in the Transatlantic Challenge series of the early seventies so the rest of our group became firm bike racing fans, this is an interest I have kept right through to today.

There then followed a bike free period of married “bliss”, buying a house, raising a family, turning 40, getting divorced, and then guess what? Yes back on a bike before the ink on the papers had dried.

My choice of a Yamaha Virago to get back on the road played a big part in my current involvement with Biker Ally. Bought the bike, got the T-shirt, joined the Virago club and was then elected group leader and road captain. Then through the club network got in touch with Rain, when Bev and I planned to stop off in Chicago on our way to Seattle and L.A. Rain was kind enough to invite us to meet her group, The Chicago Cruisers and spend a couple of days with her and Bob before flying on to Seattle.

Rain had just started with Biker Ally at that time and we offered to help with contributions from life at this side of the pond and have done so ever since.

I have ridden most styles of bike, cruisers, sports, and muscle bikes but my present bike is an Aprilia Capanord 1000cc which is classed as a giant trials bike, but loaded up with a full set of luggage is ideal for touring Europe which is how I spend most of my vacation time, which as Bob and Rain know is plentiful, my three week break every nine weeks and another 20 days to take when I want seems to be more than my American friends can imagine, so plenty of time for riding.