Alnwick councillor hangs up helmet after 60 years on motorbikes

Gordon Castle, 78, developed an interest in motorbikes in 1964 at aged 16 and bought his first bike three years later, sparking a life-long love affair.

Over the years, he owned around 62 bikes including a racing Norton, Kawasaki, Triumph, BMW and Honda Valkyrie.

Whilst serving in the RAF in 1982, Gordon owned a Suzuki Katana 1100 which he would use to commute to Germany and back home when posted abroad. In 1984, he was given the job of road testing a rotary-engined Norton for RAF convoy escort duties.

Then, in 1997, he completed a month-long tour of Florida on a Honda Valkyrie while working at Barter Books in Alnwick.

Gordon said: “Motorbikes have always been part of my life from my mid-teens and riding to places I’d never been before became a lifelong hobby.

"Riding a motorbike is an end in itself, not a means to something else. The journey, not the destination, is the purpose.”

Gordon rode bikes safely for almost 50 years but that all changed in August 2014 when he was seriously injured in a collision after another driver did a U-turn on a blind bend.

His injuries included five pelvic breaks, three fractured vertebrae, brain bruising and bleeding, plus a crushed hand. Gordon described how he was ‘lucky to survive’ and still feels the physical effects of the crash today.

“After my serious collision, I noticed limitations caused by reduced spatial awareness that never recovered to former levels,” he said.

Gordon carried on riding to council meetings on less powerful bikes following his injury – but has now decided it is time to finally hang up his helmet.

He added: “I realised this year that my normal enthusiasm as spring got underway simply wasn’t there.

“I’d normally expect to be cleaning my riding kit, making sure the bike was spot on and waiting for a sunny Sunday, but this didn’t happen.

“So really the decision was made for me. I don’t regret selling it, though part of me wishes it hadn’t been necessary.”