I was born in 1970 and grew up on the Isle of Man. My parents would never let me have a motorcycle as they thought they were too dangerous. I did, however, participate in a lot of BMX riding. I enjoyed success, both in competition and socially, in off-road racing and performing jumps and stunts. After school I would easily have ridden 3 to 4 hours around the streets of Peel jumping off things, bunny hopping over things and sprinting up the hills as I never did enjoy climbing hills. I remember bunny hopping over 13 tourists that laid down on Peel promenade on one occasion. As I grew a bit older I progressed to mountain bikes and never lost the ability for the odd trick.
I left school at 16 and started working at an aircraft design company that required 2 years training at the Shorts aircraft factory in Belfast. After earning some money I saved up and at the age of 17 purchased my first motorcycle – a Kawasaki KH125. Later that year I purchased a share in an old Suzuki RM125 motocross bike and entered Douglas beach race. This was a 2 hour endurance event with huge jumps and obstacles. I loved it and took to the sand really well but never had the money to try anything like this again.
At the age of 19 I went off to University to study a BSc in Computer Science. When I returned to the island in 1992 I got a job and started trying to etch out a career. I met my wife to be Nicola and I have lived with her ever since. It took a while but in 1997 I started to earn enough money to pay more than just the bills. I bought a Honda CBR600FT. I loved it, it was like riding on the back of a missile and it handled beautifully. I learned how to ride fast and safe using A Twist of the Wrist by Keith Code and retrained my survival reactions in line with his teachings.
After working in ICT until 2000 I decided to train to become an ICT teacher. At about the same time I was up late one evening watching the Discovery Channel. What I was about to see changed my life. At midnight they broadcast Mondo Enduro. That was it, I lost all interest in sports bikes and decided that the air-cooled single was for me. I wanted to experience what they did. I sold my CBR600 and bought an NX650 Dominator.
In 2002 we had our first child, in 2005 our second and being a responsible parent I put any ideas of motorcycle travel on the back burner until the children are a bit older.
Forty years of living on a small island takes its toll and as much as I love the Isle of Man it was time to try living somewhere else. New Zealand seemed really attractive. It was similar to the Isle of Man but warmer and bigger. There was the potential of plenty to explore and it would provide both Nicola and me with a fresh learning experience.
So, here we are in New Zealand. With the current financial crisis it took a while to sell our house on the Isle of Man. We had to live in a rental for a couple of years but we have now bought our own house. I am glad to be back on 2 wheels as I have my DR650 and I have found the Northern Gravel Adventure Riders to join for rides.
What next? Perhaps an adventure ride in the South Island?