Here at Scottoiler, we’re a small team that are passionate about the products we make and the industry we operate in. We want to be able to use our blog as a way to educate riders about the importance of chain maintenance, but also to reveal a bit about ourselves in the process, so you know we aren’t lying! First up, we spoke with Nick our Head of Sales & Marketing. Nick has been with Scottoiler since 2005 and now plays an important role in leading our sales and marketing projects across the Globe. Here’s what he had to say when we asked him a few questions about how he got into the motorbiking lifestyle!
HOW DID YOU START RIDING?
There are a few ‘first ride’ memories I have that come from different periods in my life. My very first ride was probably on the back of a mate’s dirt bike after school pulling wheelies along the bridleway at the back of his house, but my first memory of a ride on a road bike was riding pillion on the back of my father-in-law-to-be’s Triumph Daytona 600. It was the first time we’d met but I jumped at the chance for a shot on the back! We set off with me holding firmly onto the pillion grab handle, but it wasn’t long before I was hugging around his waist hanging on for dear life. On reflection, perhaps it was a test, but this first exhilarating experience of the acceleration and performance of a motorcycle was one that stuck with me and left me wanting more.
A few years later I had the opportunity to take my CBT. I remember the feeling of the wind blast pushing against my chest as I set off down the road, only to be brought back to reality by the sound of the instructors voice in my ear telling me to increase my speed up to the speed limit as it was a 30mph road and I was only doing 16! After that, it didn’t take me long to get up to speed.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIKE?
My first bike was a Triumph Street Triple R and it was my daily commuter. I picked it up new from the factory and when I got it home decided to give it a clean after its first run. My young son decided he was going to help me and set about hosing it down. After a brief period of activity I suddenly realised the noise of the hose had disappeared and to my horror realised this was because it had been poked down the end of the exhaust! After rectifying this I spent many hours riding my Street Triple improving my skills until I was ready for my next bike.
BEST JOURNEY ON YOUR BIKE?
I have been very fortunate to be able to travel with my work over the years and this has given me many an opportunity to experience motorcycle based adventures in many different places. I have particularly fond memories of riding adventure bikes through the middle east on dusty wind swept roads, blasting along the roads of Majorca scrubbing the boards of a big cruiser around every turn and nipping through traffic in Moscow whilst getting to see the famous marshmallow topped spirals of St Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square. Closer to home though, any journey through Scotland on a motorcycle has always been a real pleasure as the scenery is always amazing.
BEST MEMORY ON YOUR BIKE?
Like many of my first ride experiences, one of my most memorable experiences ever on a motorcycle was again riding pillion. I was very fortunate to be able to spend the day with the stunt rider Kevin Carmichael as part of some filming we were doing for a customer from overseas. Early on in the day, before any riding had taken place, Kevin remarked how people are often reserved going out with him. Having never seen him perform before and having put my faith in other riders before, I replied that I couldn’t understand why anyone would have a problem with it – surely it would be fine! Later that day after having watched him perform hundred mph wheelie after wheelie, he asked me again how I felt about riding pillion with him. Despite my trepidation, my bravado wouldn’t let me refuse! 2 minutes later I was screaming like a kid in my helmet wondering if I could hang on any longer as we did wheelie after wheelie that seemed to go on forever followed by stoppies and burnouts. Kevin was an absolute gent and a phenomenal rider. He really opened my eyes to what can actually be done and gave me an appreciation of what a good rider really looks like!
CURRENT BIKE
My current bike is actually a bicycle. When we setup our sister company Flaer I ended up spending a lot more time mountain biking and road biking than on a motorcycle as we were doing more and more in this arena. Work keeps me pretty busy but when the opportunity presents itself I do try to get out for a ride when I can.
DREAM BIKE?
I don’t think there is such a thing as my dream bike. Instead it would have to be dream bikes! Depending on the adventure I’d choose a different ride each time. One thing I would like to see in my garage though is an electric motorcycle. Having experienced what electric cars can do I think the electric future for motorcycles is going to be really interesting, especially as the difference between electric motorcycles and electric bicycles continues to blur the boundaries.