Matt Porter, managing director, Kedington Group..
Your bike? A Kawasaki ZX 12R
Why this bike? In 1999 I bought the Kawasaki ZX 12 R. Quite frankly, I fell for the specification: 134N-m torque, 4 stroke, 16 valve, 1200cc, digital ignition, computer controlled timing, electronic fuel injection. . . who knows what all that lot means, but it sounds sexy! My wife describes its specification as a "red" bike!
How did you become a biker? Well I admit to being a "fair weather" biker. I normally travel by car. My father had a motorbike and I remember it fading away against a wall in our back garden. It finally fell apart after a few years. When I was old enough to ask my mother what happened to the broken bike against the wall, she told me my father had crashed it into that wall - a mother's humour designed to put a little boy off ever wanting a bike! However, sub-consciously, I guess the seed was sown. I have always had a fascination with bikes. As a young boy I couldn't pass a motorbike shop. My first bike was a small 125 cc Yamaha, it was all I could afford as a student, and it cost £900. I quickly moved onto a 750 cc Honda.
Taken any rider training? No, I learnt most of it the hard way. Recently, a friend and neighbour of mine gave me some good tips. He helped by taking me on the motorbike licence test route. The guys still make fun of how my tyres only wear in the centre, since I don't take corners at speed. It's a result of spending most of my time on my ass as a student, when I did take corners at speed.
What does it cost to insure your bike? When I passed the test and got my full licence I went to Carole Nash and had my insurance cut in half. I think it is about 1,000.
Do your family worry about your safety? To this day, when my mother opens the door and sees me standing in my helmet she says "I thought I told you to sell that bike!" I always reply: "You did, but I'm 44."
Have you travelled abroad on your bike? Yes I have ventured into the UK a few times. The roads are amazing there - no pot-holes. The roads are improving in Ireland, but they still have a little way to go before we can compare them to our neighbour's roads. I sometimes wonder if the authorities realise how serious a pot-hole actually is to a biker. Pot holes appear as a nuisance to car owners, but are a death threat to bikers!
The best thing about being a biker? I still get a buzz passing all the traffic. The feeling of freedom while riding in the mountains is amazing and it's great to belong to a group of people that look out for each other. It's also fun to arrive at a company's reception for a meeting. Some receptionists assume you're making a delivery. It's fun to see the look on their faces when you ask for the CEO.
If you were lucky enough to win the lottery what would be your dream bike? I consider myself lucky to be riding my dream bike. I am always on the look out for a new machine, but have not yet seen a better-looking bike for me. - Patricia Weston