Our team obviously has a love of motorcycling but it’s not just the solicitors. Our latest two wheeler is our office junior, Lottie Channon, who was bitten by the biking bug during her teenage years but has only just taken her test.
Lottie, 25, said: “My dad wasn’t allowed to have a motorbike when we were little but as soon as we were old enough he got back into motorcycling and I loved going on the motorbike with him.”
“I did a day of CBT and felt confident – I’ve driven in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They’re not like Columbia where it’s lethal to be on a moped! So I feel pretty relaxed about riding in the UK.”
Lottie is legally able to ride both a twist and go and geared motorbikes up to 125cc and has an AJP 125 standing by. But having learnt on a Honda automatic moped she’s being suitably cautious. She’s taken the advice to have more training, provided by Martyn Dey, a White Dalton Partner, to get her used to a geared motorbike and the differences in throttle and clutch control.
She said: “I enjoyed my CBT training. You have to have a good knowledge of the Highway Code before you start which I did have as I drive. I also borrowed motorcycle kit – boots, gloves and had a jacket, helmet and thick jeans as it’s important to protect yourself. It probably would have been a little less painful if I hadn’t had a bruised foot – as I dropped a Santander bike on my foot the day before!
“The extra motorcycling lessons with Martyn have been great as I really didn’t think about the differences such as juggling the gear changing and concentrating on clutch control but I love it.”
Despite the mini injury Lottie passed her CBT with flying colours and is now planning to use the AJP to commute – not bad for a girl who failed her cycling proficiency test!
Andrew ‘Chef’ Prendergast
Well done Lotz, I can’t wait until we can go for a ride-out. Thanks Martyn for getting Lottie up to speed. Go steady and take care all.