After spending 6 months working in an engineering firm as a fettler/sander/spray shop operative, I joined the Royal Navy in November 1977, spending 6 weeks at Raleigh doing basic training before moving on to HMS Mercury to do communications training.

Drafted to FOSNI, at Rosyth while waiting for my first ship, joined HMS Tenacity (Fast Attack Craft), November 78, which was attached to the Fishery Protection Squadron, spent a year with Tenacity before being through drafted to HMS Ambuscade (Type 21 Frigate) in November 1979, I spent 3 years on the Ambuscade seeing service in the West Indies, Med, Gulf, Falklands etc.

Leaving Ambuscade I joined HMS Osprey (FOST) Portland working in Comcen for 6 months, before joining HMS Dumbarton Castle (Castle Class Patrol Boat), based at Rosyth and attached to the Fishery Protection Squadron, spending 18 months mainly patrolling UK off shore territorial waters, visiting Iceland, Orkney's / Shetlands etc.

I returned to HMS Osprey (Portland) for a few months before joining HMS Peterel (Bird Class Patrol Boat)  used as an Officer Cadet Training Boat, based at Dartmouth, I spent 2 years on the Peterel before  returning to Osprey for my final months prior to leaving the Royal Navy in May 1988, transferring to the Royal Fleet Reserve, recalled as RFR Jan 91 until Aug 91 to assist during Gulf conflict serving at HMS Warrior Northwood at the NATO Comcen.

On leaving the Royal Navy I had to decide what to do, the Telecom market was just opening up and seemed ideally suited to me. MPC Phones was formed on Portland dealing mainly with installing Domestic phone extensions and supplying handsets/answer phones/ cordless phones etc.

I relocated back to Leicester and continued to move MPC forward, as experience was gained we moved into the business market supplying Telecom Solutions, as time went on we added Security systems including CCTV, Security Lighting and Intruder Alarms, MPC Phones still continues to be run alongside the developing Ural dealership.

Next bike was a Triumph Bonneville T140E which I used to travel from Plymouth to Newcastle to visit my wife to be, saw an ad in Newcastle for a Cossack Outfit (Dnepr MT9) had a look Must have - crank seized taking it down to Leicester - (Rebuilt crank been in use ever since), acquired a Honda CD175 for £10 restored it, thrashed it, stored it.

 Now living in Portland doing a round trip of 200 miles daily to Dartmouth, the Triumph protesting after a year of this, brought a Yamaha XS750 to use for the round trip - drinks fuel by comparison but dosen't need the maintenance.

New Triumph's being built  at Hinckley watched the progress, liked what I saw bought a Triumph Trophy 3 new in 1994 super machine, given an RD50 M, rebuilt for eldest son, offered a Honda CB750 F, cleaned and tidied this bike, used for a while and stored.

Suzuki Hayabusa released, what a machine, got to have one, I had been keeping an eye on what Uralmoto had been doing for a couple of years, approached them about a dealership, granted dealership status, since then I have been doing anything I can think of to promote and prove the versatility of the Ural (ie stunt team, beach & enduro racing)