Garret Doyle, enterprise director
Your bike? A Ducati 999s. I've had many bikes. This is my second V-twin but my first Ducati. It's impractical and incredibly uncomfortable around town but it's red, Italian, very focused and on the right road you can hear and feel the racing pedigree like no other bike. To be honest, there's no practical reason why I chose this bike whatsoever.
Why did you become a biker? Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window. Two wheels exercise the body and mind in a way that four wheels never can.
What licence do you hold for your bike? I had an Irish provisional driving licence on and off for nearly 20 years. While I was working in London I made a decision to get my full licence there. I felt it would be harder won under a stricter British testing regime and it was!
Have you taken rider training? I recently completed a one-day intensive course and it was clear to me that learning never, ever ends.
What does your insurance cost? It has been as high as €1,600 but the advantages of irreversible age, a single seat motorbike and not living in Dublin have brought it down to around €1,000 a year and this will decrease by a hefty 25 per cent when I get my advanced driving certification.
Any family objections? I was lucky because my parents had a very liberated attitude at the outset. My wife Angie has been fantastic about the Sunday morning disappearances, the burgeoning collection of helmets, leathers and bike bits but she remains very concerned about the risks. Helen, one of my daughters, gets it completely - as a pillion, she can lean better than Valentino Rossi.
Do you worry about your survival? A great quote from Mary Shafer of NASA's Flight Research Centre sums it all up for me: "Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world." I can't legislate for other drivers' errors so I focus on getting my part right.
Any accidents? Many years ago I crashed on Patrick Street in Dublin and ended up under a car. The driver emerged in a green velvet dress suit, told me he was a doctor and proceeded to check me over. I thought I'd passed on, before I passed out.
Do you follow motorbike sports? Yes, but not to the point of obsession. I think MotoGP and Superbike racing are considerably more engaging than Grand Prix car racing.
Any trips abroad? I aspire to the roads of France and Spain but it's amazing how a new baby and an old house that leaks can focus the mind. I drove a Harley-Davidson drag bike from London to Dublin and back last year - I'll never, ever abuse myself in this way again!
What do you think is the bond that links bikers closer than motorists? I've never met a motorcyclist who rode because he or she had to. That's the salient difference between a biker and many car drivers. I'm a founder member and PRO of a midlands motorcycle club, the Mavericks MCC, and this is certainly the case for our current 90 members. We come from diverse backgrounds and workplaces but have developed global friendships, raised over €100,000 for various Laois and national charities and contributed to many local community projects. But, without the common thread of a motorbike and the trials and tribulations that accompany them, none of these activities would have been possible.