About
Jon Richards was born in the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. Throughout his childhood, he spent many hours watching his dad restoring vintage bikes. From Brough Superiors to a New Imperial, Jon could see the meticulous work his dad put into his restorations.
Jon then had his own bikes and by his early 20’s was working as a qualified instructor, teaching new riders to pass their motorcycle tests and stay safe on the road.
Now in his 50’s, Jon is still a fanatical motorcycle enthusiast, and he regularly spectates at the Superbikes, MotoGP and twin shock scrambles as well as visiting local bike meetings.
He hopes this book, which is the first in a series, will be read and enjoyed by generations who will be inspired to talk about their own experiences of biking with the children in their lives. His hope is that these books will not be read in one evening, but they will be started and stopped due to the conversations they bring.
Today Jon lives happily with his partner Nicky on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. He is still very much involved in the motorcycle industry and spends lots of time discussing bikes, both old and new, with local motorcycle dealers.
Other than the Bertie the Bobber series of books, Jon’s next project is to build a café racer from a barn find.
Between Jon and his partner, they have five sons, all of whom are keen race fans.
Why did I write the “Bertie” books?
Countless amazing children’s stories have been written for many decades. I can recall reading books to my own children, and they loved every minute of them.
These times spent with my children still hold some of my fondest memories to this day. It was whilst reflecting on these memories that I realised that there were differences on the effect these stories had. Some of the stories were read end to end and thoroughly enjoyed but others had a marked difference…… they created conversations!
When my eldest son was very young, we read a great deal of Steve Irwin’s escapades about rescuing wildlife in Australia. It was these books that made us stop, think and most importantly, talk about what Steve was doing.
So, as a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast and self-confessed petrol head I can remember wishing that there were some biking stories aimed at children. I wanted something that my kids would love and spark my own memories into conversation.
Now, nearly two decades later, Bertie the Bobber has been written with the aim of children enjoying the stories whilst giving lots of opportunities for adults to talk about their own biking memories.
If you are an adult with a love of biking, then these books are for you to read with the children in your lives. If you are a child who likes motorbikes, Bertie and Bill can’t wait for you to come along for the ride!
I hope you all enjoy your time with Bertie and Bill.