Barney Whelan, director, marketing and communications, safefood, Food Safety Promotion Board
Your current bike? A BMW 1150GS
Why this particular bike? Because it's a BMW. I rode a leaky unreliable Triumph and an even more unreliable BSA for too long 30 years ago.
Why two rather than four wheels? I add at least one hour a day to my own time every time I commute on the bike which is sometimes a strange feeling.
Did you take any training course before you took to two wheels? I hadn't ridden for about 25 years so I took a refresher course and felt the better for it.
Do you hold a full or provisional licence for your bike? I used to have a full licence - I'm sorry now that I didn't tick the box when I was renewing my driving licence a good while back!
Do you drive a car? Yes, a Mondeo Turbo Diesel estate - it's great, plenty of low-end power for commuting and towing and a real kick when you need it from the turbo.
Any family resistance to your riding a bike? No, quite the opposite - I was the reluctant one.
With motorcycle fatalities rising, do you worry about your survival as a biker? Of course - and I accept there is a greater risk. Biking requires continuous concentration and attention. I tend to drive the bike like I drive the car, fairly conservatively, which might seem a bit naff but I get there and back and still save a bundle of time.
What do you use your bike for? Commuting and sometimes I take it for dry miles around Wicklow and Wexford.
Any accidents? I had a minor accident on the Triumph when I was 19. It happened really easily and quickly and I got a bruised foot. It was down to lack of experience and it could have been so much worse. A salutary lesson.
Any two-wheel trips abroad? No - that would be temperature dependent. You can freeze or overheat very easily! I'd like to travel through northern Spain in the shoulder season when it's still dry and about 20 degrees.
What's the bond that binds bikers? We all nod at each other but I wonder what else there is to it. I think it's that there is a view among many that this type of transport is somewhat anachronistic in this day and age, when you can have all the comfort of a mobile sitting-room in your car.
Your worst experience with motorists? I witnessed car rage when the side luggage door of a tour bus opened and popped up in traffic, just at neck height. This happened on a rainy day! The driver got quite irritated at the sound of horns and flashing lights.
What should the Minister for Transport do for bikers? Compulsory test on theory and practical skills with the educational resources to back it up.
Any survival tips? Take it easy. Nobody knows who you are. We all look the same in the gear. Nobody knows if you are 19 or 49, so there's no need to make an impression by taking risks to get to the next traffic light before all the other bikes and well before the cars.
You've won the lottery. What would be your dream bike? I'd get a slightly higher seat put on what is already wonderful bike - you need that sort of money for BMW parts!