Member Profile
Two-Wheeled Discovery Clubs, runs, charities and surviving off-road – is Ron Common a typical BMF member?
“I
was 15 and thought motorbikes were the coolest thing ever, but couldn't afford much and bought a Raleigh Wisp, which was more like a pushbike. But it was affordable and got me on the road. I grew up in Retford, a small town with a market square, the perfect place for teenagers to hang out. The richer 16-year-olds had FS1-Es and the older guys had bigger bikes – a few British but mostly Japanese as this was the late 1970s. I acquired a love of bikes which has never gone away. “The Raleigh was soon replaced by a Puch Maxi, but my first proper motorbike was a CB175, which I had at 17. We didn't ride far, but our thing was going to race meetings, watching Ron Haslam, Barry Sheene. Eventually I bought a Suzuki GS750ES, which I loved. I was a bit reckless then.... “My brother Nigel has had a small shop – Bike Depot – in Worksop for 40 years. It's a traditional, independent bike shop and I've helped out there a few times. That gave me an insight into how hard you have to work, six days a week, but all the customers are really friendly. You get people who rely on their bikes to get to work, those who just use them weekends, but they all like to spend ages talking to you. I think Nigel doesn't realise just how good he is at this job and that's why he has such loyal customers. I've loved helping out but I don't think I would like to do it full-time – I'm enjoying my retirement too much.”
Off-Roading
“Nigel got me into off-roading. He had a DRZ400 in the shop and encouraged me to take it out one Christmas. A friend has a TS125, so we put the bikes on a trailer and took them down to Monks Trodd, which is an 1110
Motorcycle R I D E R
mile byway in mid-Wales. We didn't know that it was very boggy, which doesn't suit a DRZ. But we loved it, and this became a regular thing – it's great, being able to ride across country on a bike and see the uninterrupted landscape. “Later I bought a KTM 400 and was riding the Strata Florida. Repeating a bit of fun enjoyed the previous year I blasted up a steep hill alongside the trail and took off at the top only to discover (in mid-air) that since my last visit a huge dyke had been built just over the brow of the hill. I nose-dived into it and was high-ended over the bars. Amazingly, a group of Mountain Rescue guys were at the same spot, (on a jolly in their Land Rover) so I was quickly sorted and taken to hospital. A separated clavical means my shot-putting days are over, but otherwise I made a full recovery.”
Overlanding and MoR
“Off-roading opened up a whole new world of motorcycling for me, and not just in the obvious way. We were out once and had a puncture. Three women riders stopped to help us and told me Above: Tiger 800 owners enjoyed their Lake District weekends Left: His perfect all rounder and favourite riding backdrop www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk
