Barry Emmens

Age 48 (I think)

Retired from Thames Valley Police force in 1994 and trying to wind down. 
Horizontal is best.

Qualifications :

1968 : Full motorcycle license obtained
1969 : Full car license obtained
1983 : Standard driving course Thames Valley Police driving school
1984 : Intermediate driving course Thames Valley Police driving school
1986 : Traffic Patrol Course Kent Constabulary driving school
1986 : Advanced Driving Course Essex Police driving school
1987 : Advanced Motorcycle Course Thames Valley Police driving school
1991 : Class One Advanced Course Thames Valley Police driving school
1991 : Department of Transport Certified Motorcycle Instructor
1991 : Star Rider Approved Motorcycle Instructor (intermediate grade)
1998 : Member Institute Advanced Motorists (motorcycle)
1998 : Member Institute Advanced Motorists (car)
2000 : BMF Blue Riband Advanced Motorcycle Instructor

History :

I started riding at the age of 10 years when the word illegal didn't exist in my vocabulary. I used to rebuild everything with two wheels and an engine that had been dumped on waste ground near to where I lived at the time. This resulted in excellent off-road skills, the ability to fix almost anything mechanical and very quick reactions when the local police arrived.

Following my period at school I became a MOD before graduating to real motorcycles some years after, riding everything from an MZ250 up to a Kawasaki Z1000 and BMW R100 and most machines in between.

My desire for all things dirty never really left me following those early years and 
there followed various excursions into Motocross, Enduro and even Trials events but I must confess that the blast between sections gave me more pleasure than the section itself. My favourite bike then, and it still is ..... the Maico 490 motocrosser. What a beautiful example of engineering.

Upon joining the police force and transferring to the Traffic Department I became 
involved in motorcycle training working closely with both the police and the BMF dealing with related issues such as Road Safety, Traffic Law, Machine Control and Accident Prevention and compiling reports on all these subjects.

Following my retirement from the police force I have become more involved with the 'advanced' style of riding and first associated myself with the Blue Riband rider training scheme in 1999, finally qualifying as an advance motorcycle instructor in June 2000 following a period as a training assistant at Cooper Bike Training in Reading.

Bike : Honda CBR600

Biking Philosophy : Treat everyone else as an idiot and you will never be disappointed.

Pet hate : People who throw cigarette butts out of the window of a moving vehicle. I gave up smoking years ago !