Pat Kenny, broadcaster
Your current bike? A BMW C1- 200.
Why this particular bike? Ever since BMW announced the C1 I was curious about it. The concept was intriguing: a commuter bike with a safety cage, ABS brakes, seatbelts, and designed to keep most of the weather out! It sounded like a winner. Then when I heard that BMW had discontinued production I figured I had to get hold of one, quick!
Why were you drawn to two rather than four wheels? I rode motorbikes in my college days, and I regularly hired bikes on holiday - in Bermuda, where my wife Kathy was born, you cannot hire a car - so I'm familiar with the pros and cons. Increasingly, over the last few years the commute to work has become tediously slow. I've been toying with the idea of a bike for some time. I ride an ordinary pushbike to work occasionally, but it's really only comfortable to do that in summer.
Did you take any rider training course before you took to two wheels? Not yet. I would like to do some training, more to explore the limits of the BMW C1 than anything else.
Do you hold a full or provisional licence for your bike? Full licence.
Was there any family resistance or objections to your riding a bike? Yes, my wife regards motorbikes as coffins on wheels. However, when she saw the set-up of the C1 with safety harness, ABS and safety cage, she was reassured.
Motorcycle fatalities are increasing. Do you worry about your survival as a biker? Of course it crosses your mind. I find now I am much more vigilant that when in a car, anticipation is everything.
What do you use your bike for? Mostly for commuting to and from work, and pleasure riding around the Dalkey area at the weekends.
Have you ever had an accident on the bike? No, touch wood! Like every motorcyclist, I've had a few spills - wet cobbles for instance, but with my return to the bike, nowadays I'm likely to be a fair weather biker. And I have discovered how dangerous modern road markings are to two-wheel traffic when wet.
When the C1 was first introduced here riders were not required to wear a helmet, do you wear a helmet? I'm not sure it was ever OK to forsake the helmet in this country. A recent case in the UK has cleared the way for helmet-free driving of the C1 there. The courts were persuaded that a safety cage is far safer than a helmet. But the Minister here has not really studied the issue, as far as I can see. So, for the moment, I wear a helmet.
As a famous TV and radio presenter, do you enjoy the anonymity of riding around town on your bike? Yes.
Would you race Gay Byrne on his motorcycle? No, I gave up boy-racing years ago! Anyway his 1200cc Honda versus my bike might make it hard work.
What you do think is the bond that links bikers closer than motorists? A belief that most of the other people on the road are idiots!!!
What, if any, has been your worst experience with motorists? My pet hates are the motorists who zoom out from side roads and brake at the last minute. If only they thought about the almighty frights they give people on two wheels!
Are there any issues you think the Minister for Transport should address for bikers? Yes, the issue of bus lanes for use by motorbikes. I don't use them because some gardaí pull you in, other gardaí don't. It should be possible for the authorities to devise a protocol for their use by bikers without compromising the safety of any other road user.
Any tips for survival on two wheels? Try to give other road users fair warning of your intended manoeuvres, and generally keep your speed at a level appropriate to the conditions.
If you won the lottery what would be your dream bike? I'm perfectly happy with my C1.