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Pc Kevin Stark Talking!

Pc Kevin Stark is a police motorcyclist, his personal view on bikes and biking is recorded in an interview below.

How long have you been riding bikes?
On and off since I was 16.

How many miles do you do per year?
Over 10,000

What kind of bikes do you ride?
Benelli, Fazer and the BMW, of course.

What is your ideal bike?
Very much depends on what I am asking it to do. The Fazer is ideal for commuting and instructing whilst the Benelli is a fun bike and a real beauty to look at, well I think so anyway. It would be somewhat limited for touring though and that's where the BMW would come in.

On a personal level, what is the attraction of motorcycling for you?
Fun and an instant common interest with so many people.

Obviously you ride a bike as part of your job but do you do much leisure cycling?
Not as much as I would like but I do try to.

Where do ride to when you are off duty? Do you take biking holidays?
I tend to enjoy riding good quality "C" and "B" class roads with lots of bendy bits. I have taken a number of biking holidays, namely off-roading in Spain. I have also enjoyed attending one of the bigger race schools.

Why did you choose to become a police motorcyclist?
If you enjoy motorcycling it is the perfect job.

What is difficult about the job?
I'm sure you would expect me to say prosecuting my fellow motorcyclists, but that is not the case. As a Roads Policing Officer I will never apologise for doing my job, which is to enforce the law and promote road safety. The two are intrinsically linked and if it is required then people are prosecuted, no matter what vehicle they are in or on. As a collision investigator, what is difficult is seeing the sad loss of life on the roads, especially when it was avoidable in some cases.

Tell us about your interest in "Bikesafe"?
This is easy. As I said above, my interest is promoting road safety and trying to prevent any needless loss of life on the roads. If I can assist in "bridging the gap" between riders passing their tests and developing their knowledge of enjoying their machines safely then I will. Becoming a Police Motorcycle Instructor has allowed me to provide an extra credibility to our scheme here in Suffolk.

Pc Kevin Stark
Suffolk Constabulary PHQ,
Roads Policing Unit,
Martlesham,
Suffolk.