About Andy

A Civil Engineer, journeyman sheet-metal worker, ex-corporate food processing specialist, father to a young boy, and husband to a great wife. Lifelong motorcyclist having owned around ten Ducati’s, my first being a 750 F1, a couple of Harley’s, a couple of dirt-bikes, many Japanese liter-bikes (my favorite being a ZX9B2 – what a motor!), a few Triumphs, and one BMW, but I have a feeling that will change.

My earliest memory on the topic of ‘the motorcycle’ is in the form of a discussion between my mother and my Great Grandma who asked me if I thought I would want a bike, and I assured them both I would never ride a motorbike, I wanted a tractor.

Four years later there was a modified 1978 Yamaha DT100 sitting out the back of the house next to a partially assembled Italian built Aermacchi Harley Davidson. I used to get taken to school on the back of an XL250 when I was 10, and that was alright by me, it made me a cool kid. The bug had bitten, and I knew I was destined for a life involving motorcycles.

Now I’m in my early 50’s I don’t feel my age as measured by how many times during this lifetime I’ve circled the sun while residing on this rock of a planet, but more by the experiences that I’ve gained that keep me feeling like I’m still 30 but with 20+ years of experience. There are times however when the magnificent things I’ve done to my body come back to and remind me I wasn’t always as wise as I am today. The problem isn’t the reminder so much as how the message is delivered, it’s usually a function involving limited movement and/or a pain rather than a nicer feeling such as a pleasant tingly feeling or a cool little head rush, but I guess that’s Mother Nature’s way of letting me know things don’t fix as quickly when you’re a bit older and not to try the same shit again…or at least if you do, don’t fail.

I’ve always been a bit keen to stay away from pain and while I’ve had a couple of motorcycle incidents, the serious ones were way back in my teen years. These days I have a somewhat metered sense of my own mortality and a combination of what I’ve learned and what training I’ve sought out to help me know what to look for and avoid getting into a situation that could lead to ‘an accident.’  Far from making me want to stop riding, it makes me want to travel more and enjoy a good life that I will be able to have memories of, and it makes me want to share with others what I have learned.

My current garage comprises a BMW Triple Black R1200GSw K1600 GT -R1200RT kitted out for long rides and touring, a 2017 Ducati Monster 1200S MultiStrada 950 that is set up for solo riding, and a 2008 Triumph Bonneville Black that has 34,000 miles and recently underwent a makeover to look like a Scrambler, at least to those who can’t tell the difference.