MEET THE COACHES - CLIVE

We talk about all the things you should practice and learn to become an even better motorcyclist, but have you ever wondered whose advice you’d be following? Wonder no longer, as we introduce to our experienced, skilled, and professional coaches in our new ‘meet the team’ series.

First up is Clive Shepherd. Clive, like many of our coaches, is a former police motorcyclist and when he qualified as an advanced police instructor in the 90s, he was the youngest in the country at the time.

I started riding when I was 10-years-old; I was competing in school boy scrambles, and that love for off-road has never left me, and outside of my motorcycling for work I always raced enduro and really enjoyed it.

In the police I was an advanced instructor, and although I eventually moved onto other jobs and took promotion, I never lost involvement with police motorcycling.

Outside of work, as well as the enduro, I took part in many trackdays, in both the UK and Europe. I believe both off-road and track riding really develop machine control.

Since retiring from the police force in 2009 motorcycling has remained a huge part of my life. In fact since the age of 10 I have always had at least one bike, often more than one, and now my wife and I enjoy touring across Europe and beyond, and I’m still racing enduro in the SuperVets class with some success. I believe motorcycling is a massive, diverse community and it’s great to belong to.

The physical act of riding a bike gives you a feeling of freedom, excitement, and superiority that is hard to replicate, on road, off it, or the track. Working with RAPID to develop and coach riders, helping them improve their enjoyment of motorcycling and building their confidence is one of the most rewarding things I have done. Plus it gets me out on the bike most days!

And, of course, there is always a winter project in the workshop, so when I’m not riding a bike I am pulling one apart and rebuilding it.