I am a petrol head with a passion for high powered engines, being an Ex-RAF Jet Engine Tech and a career engineer…Learning to ride on a scrambler (Suzuki RM250) at the age of 12 I have had at least 1 motorcycle on the road every year since I was 16, nearly 4 decades, yes, I am an old git. Starting off with an AP50, leaving Belfast at 18 having owned 4 bikes and crashing my mates RD350LC (not my fault). Arriving in England I bought a CB750F2, which got stolen in Liverpool, giving me the money to buy a CBX1000. Inspired by the movies Easyrider, Stone and Mad Max I was always going to get a Harley but bought a 1977 Kawasaki Z1000A1 at the age of 21, a bike I still have today. I rode my first Harley at 22 always liking the cruiser style but unimpressed with the power and handling. I have owned a massive number of bikes over the years Triumph’s, Yamaha’s, Honda’s, BMWs, Enfield’s, Suzuki’s. I bought my first air cooled Harley 20 odd years ago, a real head turner but what a pile of crap, rattled itself to bits, sold it using the money as a deposit for a house. The only motorcycle I have had from new is my Kawasaki Ninja ZX12R, 185bhp at the wheel with none of the new electronic aids, I have had this bouncing on the limiter in top gear. My VRod is quick but it’s got nothing on the big Ninja.

I have always been into racing and rallies, attending many over the years The Bull Dog Bash (Run wot ya brung) being easily the best Rally in Europe until in stopped a few years ago, more recently ORGI and the Barfly Rally are both great gigs. Racing is a big passion heading to the British, Italian GPs in the last few years, and the Dutch and Bol D’Or in the past. Being an Ulsterman road racing is my blood the North West 200 with the Isle of Man TT being my mecca. I’ve been to the TT 5 times with the ZX12R the first year I was being overtaken doing 150 over the mountain the second year I was doing the overtaking.

Got into touring proper about 2014 and bought a BMW R1150GS, since then I have completed the BMW Breacon 2 day and Yamaha off road skills trips and upgraded to the 1200GS (my commuting pillion bike). Cars – I currently have 400bhp V8 SUV (Cayenne GTS) my towing vehicle…

An engineer by trade studying all types of engineering and do all my own servicing, no job is to small. I am member of a few groups: Being an honorary Member of the Inglorious Bastards (a Belfast group) UK V-Rodders, Pinkertons MCC a local Swindon Club, Z1 Owners Club, BMW Owners Club doing ride outs with them all.

In my opinion the Vrod is simply the best engineered Harley there is. I am aware Buell wanted the engine to go into a sports bike when it returned from Germany and when the put in a cruiser, Mr Buell was furious.

VRod

• Removal of rear number plate and mount
• Removal of pillion pegs
• Side mounted number plate
• K and N Air filter
• Akrapovic 2 into 1
• With stage 1 map
• Synthetic oil
• Beach bars 40” wide
• All plastic and lots of metal replaced by Carbon Fibre
• Rear Ohlins Shocks
• Porsche Covers

Check out some of my pics in the gallery below: