Eamonn Behan, retired Eircom engineering manager.
Your bikes?
A 2001 Yamaha XJR 1300 and 1975 air-cooled Yamaha RD350, 2-stroke.
Why were you attracted to these bikes?
I bought a 1977 Yamaha XS650 Classic for work and pleasure riding. I was hooked.
My first modern bike was a Honda NTV650 - it gave me much better performance in the braking department and it also had a shaft drive, but I still wasn't happy. So I moved on to a Yamaha Fazer on the basis of magazine reports, but I found it too revvy and the mirrors and lights were poor. A Rathdrum dealer had a one-year-old XJR1300 for sale and, after a test ride, I knew it was the bike for me.
I sold my 1977 Yamaha and decided to go for something completely different - a 1974 RD350 2-stroke. It was running rough when I bought it, but some tuning and electronic ignition system sorted that out. I use it on classic runs with the Irish Vintage and Veteran MCC. It's light, small and goes like the clappers. It makes me feel like a young fella.
Why were you drawn to two rather than four wheels? I first rode a bike in 1952 when I was 12-years-old, a BSA Bantam. The owner let me ride on country lanes in exchange for polishing and washing it. In the late 1950s and early 1960s buying a car was out of the question, so it had to be a bike.
Ever do any rider training course? A guy from the Heinkel club gave me tips on riding and maintenance. No formal training was available in those days. I've had some one-to-one training with an IRTA instructor. I also passed Fingal Council's Gold Star course, like Gay Byrne.
Any family objections to your riding a bike?
Not really, after I gave up my scooters in 1964 I had become involved in grasstrack and Motocross scrambling. Injury and age finished that in 1983. Biking was in my blood and getting a bike on my retirement was fully supported by the family.
Do you worry about your survival as a biker?
The dangers of biking are a worry. There were two fatal accidents near where I live - the biker wasn't to blame in either case.
I've bought some good protective gear. When riding alone I always use the headlight and wear a high visibility jacket and ride defensively.
Any accidents on the bike?
Yes, I've had some minor accidents on my earlier machines.
Do you take an interest in road racing or motocross? I've been involved in motocross as a competitor up to 1983 and as a commentator to date. I've been going to road races since my teens. I try not to miss the Skerries 100 and the Ulster GP. I find road racing very exciting - the atmosphere is unique, but the death of Garry Jess at last year's Ulster GP affected my thinking - I remember him as a young motocrosser. This year I was close to Adrian Archibald's horrific crash at Skerries - he was lucky to walk away.
However, the 2003 Ulster GP was accident-free and very exciting. Along with 20,000 others, I enjoyed the hardest-fought and closest racing I've seen in my life at the Mondello British Superbike Championships last year.
Your worst experience with motorists? One of many incidents was at Roundwood and Laragh - a large 4 X 4 jeep came out of a gateway on my left, driven by a woman with a mobile in her right hand and a cigarette in her left hand which was also holding the wheel.
Luckily I was in the centre of the road and managed to get out of her way. She stopped and said the sun was in her eyes and that she never saw me. There were three children unbelted in the back of the car, I could go on .
Any survival tips?
SEE AND BE SEEN.
Your dream bike, if you won the lottery?
The new 1000cc MV Agusta - my dream classic has to be a Manx Norton Replica.