My Passion With Amanda Vigar

I HAVE a passion for Harley Davidsons and my love for these bikes started at a young age.

Both my grandfathers were ardent bikers and when I was younger I always seemed to have boyfriends who had bikes.

I always loved motorbikes and enjoyed being a pillion passenger for many years; however, I never quite found the time to learn to ride.

All that changed when, in my mid-20s, I was knocked over and underwent major surgery on my back. Unfortunately, I had a very bad reaction to the anaesthetic and, for a while, it was touch and go as to whether or not I survived. After that experience, I firmly decided to indulge my latent passion for bikes.

Life’s too short, so I thought I should just get on with it and learn to ride one, once and for all.

So, with my grandfather’s encouragement I decided to bite the bullet and get my licence. I didn’t know what kind of bike to go for, but I’d always loved Harley Davidsons and my grandfather urged me to “get a Harley!”

Eventually, I put in an order for a brand new Harley Davidson to be delivered on August 1 but sadly, my grandfather died just a few days before it arrived.

Two of my great sadnesses in life are that I hadn’t told him that I’d ordered it and that he never got to see it. That still brings a lump to my throat. I am emphatically not a speed demon when it comes to biking, hence I ride a Harley.

Instead, I love the freedom that comes from riding a Harley and it is also, most definitely, a thing of beauty.

For me, it seems to be a bit like riding a horse and the sense of freedom and oneness with nature you can enjoy while pootling about the countryside is very addictive.

Of course, I am incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of Yorkshire as Holmfirth, which is of course ultimate Last of the Summer Wine country.

There really is nothing better to do at the weekend than to go for a ride on a Harley along the winding country roads in this beautiful part of the world.

It feels like such a fantastic tonic by which to unwind from a busy week at work; and it’s a great opportunity to put the world to rights!

One of my aims is to organise a regular charity bike ride out as, unsurprisingly, a number of our clients are bikers.

Over the past couple of years, I have been very busy building up the business, which is another thing I am deeply passionate about, and so I haven’t really had the time to indulge my Harley passion as much as I’d have liked.

I am proud to be a Harley Davidson owner and would love to ride the open roads on my bike more often.

The freedom you experience when riding a Harley can, for me, never be surpassed.