Several months ago we brought you the news that our MD Andrew Dickinson and his PA Diane Robertson both had the happy arrival of new additions to the family within a few weeks of each other.   Well we’re at it again!

Weighing in at an impressive 673lb – Diane recently took delivery of her new Harley Davidson Street Bob!

Diane has been riding  since 2009 with her first “big bike” after she passed her test being a Harley Davidson Sportster.   In fact the first time she ever rode it was when she rode it off the shop  forecourt as she hadn’t been riding long enough to be allowed to take a test ride first!  Luckily they suited each other well!

She rode “Blue Betty”  (named after the custom paint work depicting Betty Boop, flowers, stars and butterflies in sparkly blue paint, all very girlie!) to work at our Cecil Square office every day for three years,  then decided to give Blue Betty a bit of a break and she obtained her “work horse” - a red Suzuki Gladius (affectionately named Gladis).

Diane says “I had ridden Betty  on many travels including France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium.  Most weekends my partner and I are out and about riding around Kent and East Sussex, but riding abroad is my favourite thing to do.  Most riders will tell you they’re better at either left or right hand bends, well I’m not too good at right handers, which makes roundabouts in the UK a constant challenge.  Abroad they’re easy!  I love the excitement of packing up the bike each day and moving on to somewhere new – although I wouldn’t call it a relaxing holiday by any means!  I think my biggest challenge, apart from doing the 3,500 mile round trip to Portugal twice, was when I travelled to Gran Canaria for a biking holiday around the mountains there.. not for the faint hearted.. each morning my guide would say “will it be death or glory today?”!  Thankfully each day was glory – mostly!”.

But having ridden Betty for over 43,000 miles in 7 years she decided it was time to trade up for something newer.  Diane had seen a Harley Davidson Street Bob at her local dealership and it was love at first sight!

“I couldn’t bear to part with Betty as she was very personal to me” says Diane.  “The paintwork was a kind of homage to family no longer with us, but I couldn’t keep her either.  I sold her within an hour of posting the advert, then found the Street Bob I wanted – but it was at a dealership in Glasgow.  So once again, I was purchasing a bike I’d never even ridden!  I knew the controls may be an issue for me as I have quite short legs,  and once I took delivery was proved right.  So  although I can ride it, “Bob” wasn’t a perfect fit like Betty and he’s off to the custom shop to be altered to fit… and that’s what I love about Harleys.  There is so much you can do to make them personal to you.  To call biking a hobby is completely inaccurate – as corny as it sounds, it is a way of life.  Apart from not having a car so being reliant on my bikes, it’s my social life too”

Diane has worked as part of the Oakwood homes team since we first opened our doors in 2005.