David Carroll, emergency staff nurse at St James's Hospital, Dublin
Your bike - and why that one? The Suzuki GSXR - because it has great power and handling.
When did you become a biker? I started when I was 26 years old. My first bike was a ZZR600, a semi-touring bike and I found it very underpowered. Then I bought a ZXR600 Kawasaki. After that I was on a cruiser for a while which I found very uncomfortable - it was just too wide and it was a disaster for going out on biking weekends with the lads. So I gave that up and bought the Suzuki.
Did you take rider training? No, the only training I got was when my brother took me out on his friend's bike around a car park so I could pick up the basics.
What do you use your bike for? I commute up and down to work from Portarlington to Dublin and I find it very relaxing. It's a 45-mile journey and I can do it in under an hour. My job is quite stressful so the trip is a great way to relax and unwind.
Did your family have any objections to you becoming a biker? Well, my wife won't ever travel on the bike with me. She refuses to go near it. She's a theatre nurse and she's seen the damage bikes can do.
Any bike trips? Yes, I go on bike trips on Saturdays for the day. I'd usually do around 250 miles. We just pick a destination and go there and back.
Do you take an interest in motorbike sports? I enjoy watching road racing, but it's a problem with my job as I'm always working weekends. I do try to get to see some of the races on the odd weekend off. I've also worked as a nurse responder at the Kells Road Races.
Had any accidents? Yes, two. I crashed head-on with a Ford on the ZZR. Then I had a low-speed crash where I fell over on the road - unfortunately it was in my home town and some mates saw what happened and they had a great laugh at me. It was nothing serious and I've never badly hurt myself.
Biking issues for the government? Yes, I wish they'd get rid of those cheese cutters on the side of the roads - if you crash into them you don't have a hope of surviving. I also wish the muck and dirt could be cleaned up after tractors - it's lethal for bikers. I also find I'm constantly followed and stopped by the gardaí - they pull me over for no reason and ask me how long it takes me to get to work and how powerful the bike is, they even say silly things like "would you not be better off driving a car." There is always the perception that we're going too fast. I've never once been followed or stopped and asked questions while I was driving my car.
Any tips for safe riding? Always wear the right gear, even if you're only going for a short spin. I've seen lads riding without gloves or leathers and they end up falling off and taking lots of skin off. We call this road rash in the hospital and it leaves very bad scarring.
Your dream bike? Well, I don't like Ducatis - I just hate the tubular frame look. What I have at the moment is enough for me to handle. In fact it's almost too much to handle. So it'll keep me happy for the next couple of years. I had a spin on a Blackbird recently though - it was fantastic so I'd probably pick one as a dream machine.