Hilts

VRA (UK)

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Name: Gary Hind

Nickname: Hilts. (My favourite film is The Great Escape and my bike jacket has it written in the back)

Location: Prescot, Merseyside

Occupation: IT Support Engineer / Consultant. If I can help I will

Interests: Photography, golf. Not very good at either but love doing them. Trying to learn to play the piano. Any one out there willing to teach me so I can stop torturing Nicole… Please. lol

Favourite Music

Love most rock music (cant bear screaming rock ), classical, blues, and folk. Hate Jazz!!!!

Favourite Movies

The Great Escape, and Young Guns. Most Clint Eastwood and John Wayne movies

Favourite Books.

Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. All Terry Pratchett books

Status: Married to Nicole for 13 years, with 10 children (from combined family). All grown up and we have grandchildren now. I know, I don’t look old enough.!!!

Pillion: Nicole is a primary school teacher. She is new to this two wheels lark. She seems to be enjoying every mile, as long as the road isn’t too bumpy.

Riding History:

Started riding at 17 on a Suzuki GS125T. It was a real shed and seized, spitting piston out of the exhaust not long after purchase. Next bike was a Honda CB100. I then progressed to CB250 and on to CB400. Lost CB400 in a garage fire in about 1988. Stopped riding then till 1999. Bought a Yamaha RD 750. It was great to be on two wheels again. I bought a Triumph Trophy 900 a few years later. Tall heavy bike - too much for my little legs. That’s when I went a little mental and bought a Kawasaki ZX 9 R Ninja. Loved it. Going silly speeds and dressed all in green. God what a pillock I must have looked. Had that quite a few years but boy did I pay!!. Back, wrists actually whole body ached after even the shortest rides. Knew then it was time to change and I bought the VN900 in the autumn of 2007. Took a bit of getting used to. Leisurely bobbing along eating the dirt sprayed in my face from plonkers on speeding green bikes as they flew past me. But loved it!!!!!! Not eating the …… well you know what I mean. But the best thing was that my wife, Nicole, began to get interested in my little seat, now now, the one on the back! She then started to join me on my jaunts. We have built up a few miles together over the last year. Recently, together, we had decided to buy the VN 1700 Classic Tourer in Red and ……. Er beige, or soft gold as we like to call it. Getting it this weekend 12th June. We, yes we, can’t wait.

We have already booked the bike tour of Ireland for later this year. Two week in the Emerald Isle. We have rented a little cottage in County Longford in late August.

We are new to the VRA and haven’t camped in many years but look forward to joining the rest of you on muddy and not so muddy weekend runs. We have got the tent and building up the rest of the kit as we think of it. Any advice would be welcome.

Favourite Rides

Went to Cardiff last year and fell in love with the A49. We also enjoyed the A59 to Skipton and Harrogate. But to be honest, what I love about biking is travelling along and just turning down a road because…. Well why not. Looking forward to touring Europe. Holland to wherever the road takes us. Any help on routes greatly appreciated.