Rodney Devitt, chiropodist/podiatrist
What was your fist bike? In 1970, I married a girl with a Lambretta 50 scooter. After a year as the pillion passenger, I passed my motor cycle test on that bike. The road was mine.
In 1996, I "inherited" my daughter's Honda 50 scooter, 'cause she was getting her first car. Three years later I started hankering for a real big boys toy, so I bought my Yamaha Fazer 600 cc. Cost about €6,000.
What attracted me to motorbikes? The speed, the freedom, the independence, the camaraderie on the road, and let's admit it, that certain tearaway image, even though most of the bikers I know turn out to be middle-aged accountants, solicitors or medics when they emerge from their helmets.
What about insurance? My insurance company extorts a scandalous €1,376 out of me. And to add insult to injury, they now say I will not be covered for theft unless I fit an alarm or an immobiliser to my bike.
What is your next bike likely to be? I love my Fazer, it's a great all-rounder for tedious city work or fast touring, but if I was going to change I might be tempted to move up to its big brother, the Yamaha FZS1000.
Your longest journey on your bike? Dublin to Clonmel non-stop last year. I was so stiff when I got there I almost drove into the River Suir.
What would be your dream trip? Ferry to Holyhead with one or two biker companions in May or June. Take two days to meander through Wales and England down to Channel port, avoiding those God-awful motorways, with plenty of rest stops at quaint pubs - for a lemonade, of course.
Another four or five days pootering around Normandy and Brittany. Naturally, the weather would be warm and dry, but not so hot as to feel sweaty inside the leathers.
Is there any biking heritage in your family? My grandfather was a motor cycle dispatch rider in the first World war, so I suppose he and his ilk were literally the granddaddies of today's motor cycle couriers.
My dad used to bring me to school on his BSA 250, and a neighbour used to bring me for jaunts in the side-car of his Norton. So the feeling of throbbing machinery between my legs just feels naturally good.
As a chiropodist, what's your thinking on footwear for bikers? There are some excellent boots on the market, and like anything else, you gets what you pays for, so it is worth investing in quality.
Complete protection is essential. New boots should be warmed up and worn in gently around the house before riding.
Who are the worst road users? For a motor cyclist, defensive riding means trusting no one on the road around you to behave rationally.
My "worst" driver is the occasional taxi, truck or car driver who is disrespectful or discourteous to me, a fellow citizen and a fellow road user.