Paddy Conway, warranty and technical manager for Peugeot motorcycles
What bikes do you have? I have eight bikes: a 1965 Royal Enfield, a 1969 Triumph Speed twin, a 1972 XS 650 Yamaha, a 1974 KH 500 Kawasaki - this one was called the widow-maker because it was so fast in its day. I also have a 1977 Minarelli 50cc racer, a Yamaha TD1B factory racer, a Bridgestone 200 and a 1967 Honda 50.
How do you get an opportunity to ride all these bikes? I do get a chance to ride them all. I use the Yamaha to drive into work. I go for long spins on the Triumph with my son Danny - who is also big into bikes and I love using the Royal Enfield for plodding along nice and slowly. It gets great respect from people when I ride into towns on it.
What does your insurance cost? All my bikes are insured with Carole Nash and it only costs €800.
How did you become so involved with bikes? When I was 15 or 16 years old my father brought an old BSA M20 home. He had the bike for years and I never knew he had it because he kept it in Baldonnel where he worked as an aircraft mechanic. I thought it was great and have loved bikes ever since.
What was your first machine? My very first bike was a Bianchi 100, an Italian single cylinder 2- stroke and I used it to ride up and down the beach in my hometown of Balbriggan.
Are you a member of any motorcycle clubs? I was a member of the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club in Balbriggan but it broke up because of differences between the members, some wanted to go for Sunday spins and others wanted to go on long rallies, they couldn't come up with a compromise and so it broke up.
Do you follow road racing? Yes I enjoy road racing, especially the classic racing. I applied for a road racing licence last year to ride in the classic race but I developed vertigo, so I'll apply again next year because it's something I've always wanted to do.
I think the classic race is dying out in road racing so I want to do my bit to try and keep it going. The European Commission's agreement to reduce the pollution emissions from motorcycles will have an effect on the use of classic bikes because the majority of them are two-stoke engines. Two-stroke motorcycles produce more emissions and there are very few 4-stroke classic bikes out there because they are too expensive to restore. And it would be crazy to put a catalytic converter on a classic bike because it would kill the performance.
Do you think road racing is a dangerous sport? I really think the racers are one-off people because of their mentality and their unbelievable commitment. Road racing will eventually be stopped because of the fatalities and because the cost of insurance to run a race meeting is becoming so high. I think there will only be race meetings held on some circuits.
Have you had any biking accidents? I've had a few but nothing serious. I think car drivers are more dangerous than bikers. Bikers are given a bad name because of couriers and the few lunatics on the road who have no respect for others.
Any tips for survival on two wheels? Ride sensibly, be observant and don't use the hard shoulder.