John Deere Press Room 2009

John Deere turf dealer Powercut of Carmarthen in South Wales has come up with a novel way of beating the traffic when an urgent part needs delivering to a customer – dealer principal Malcolm Rees has added an ex-police motorbike to the service fleet.

It doesn’t have a blue flashing light, but the newly liveried bike does enable a technician to get to a breakdown more easily along the busy south Wales roads, especially in the summer.

“We can now respond much more quickly to service call-outs when necessary,” says service manager Paul Glanville. “For example, Aberystwyth is about 60 miles away, and at the height of the summer it can take two hours to get there in a van, whereas on the bike you can do it in half the time.”

The Honda Pan-European ST1100 touring bike has two standard removable side panniers, and an additional metal rack has been added at the rear, which can carry a box or tool bag. “As long as the problem can be solved with small replacement parts and a few tools, it’s ideal,” adds Paul.

“I have always wanted to try and use a motorbike properly in the business in some way,” adds Malcolm Rees. “Several of the staff have motorbike licences, and would occasionally use their own bike to get to work, so this seemed like the logical next step in trying to provide a more effective same-day service.

“It’s an idea that is still in its early stages, and next summer will be the real test. Contrary to popular belief, bikes are not cheap to run, but if it helps us to give a better, quicker service, then it’s worth it. It’s also a lot of fun when the vehicle in front gets out of your way simply because he’s seen a white motorcycle in his mirror!”