Darren Smith, motorcycle instructor.
Your bikes? Kawasaki ZX6R and a Suzuki GSX600R race bike
Why these machines? I bought the Kawasaki because of its looks and I've always found them to be good all rounders. I bought the Suzuki because it came straight from the Manx GP with an average lap speed of over 110mph.
Why did you become a biker? Because of the manoeuvrability, the freedom, the fact that parking is not an issue and because bikes are so much cheaper to run.
Did you take rider training? At first I didn't. Then I did a Fingal Star Rider gold course which got me hooked on training. I now have my own training school called bike2bike rider training and I run the novice group in Mondello at all of their track days.
What does your insurance cost? It costs €480 third party with Aon/Axa
Do you drive a car? Yes I do, at the moment I can't get the wife and two kids on the back of the bike!
Did your family ever object to your biking? No, my Dad brought me into the old Kawasaki centre on Wexford Street to buy me my first bike and I haven't looked back since - cheers Dad.
Do you worry about your survival? I would be foolish not to, because I know that 70 per cent of accidents are the fault of the other road user.
What do you use your bikes for? Pretty much everything, it's great for commuting in and out of town especially in Dublin's rush hour traffic, and I also use it for giving lessons.
Have you ever had any accidents? On this one no, but on other bikes yes. It's hard not to when you're pushing the envelope while racing.
Do you follow road racing? Yes, it's a very exciting spectator sport. The big problem at the moment with road racing is the amount of riders getting hurt or even killed.
Are you planning any biking trips? I'm heading off to America next year to lead a group from San Francisco to New York. It's a charity run in aid of Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children. The project is called Children's Lifeline Challenge 2006 and we'll be launching it very soon, so if anyone's interested in coming please check out our web site: childrenslifeline.ie
Any bad experiences with motorists? I try my best to keep to myself while riding on the road. The beauty of riding a bike is that if they or you have a problem you don't have to sit there, you can move on and forget about them.
Do you have any biking issues for the Minister for Transport? Open the bus lanes to motorcycles and get a move on with the introduction of the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT).
Any tips for survival? I strongly believe in good quality training, do yourself a favour and check out the National Safety council's web site for a list of approved instructors: nsc.ie
What's your dream machine? At the moment I'm testing bikes for the Bike Buyers Guide and I've just come back from Spain. I spent three days testing the limited edition Yamaha R1 SP, and I'd love to get my hands on one or a Valentino Rossi M1 Yamaha.
- PATRICIA WESTON