We were sad to say farewell to Dave Forster, our general manager, after 18 years at Orwell Motorcycles.
Dave left at the start of this month to run an Autosmart professional vehicle cleaning products franchise in the Colchester area, from Holton St Mary to Kelvedon, supplying car and motorbike dealers and plant and truck companies.
“The time was right to do my own thing. I want to be my own boss.
While Dave admits it is sad to be ending an era in his life, he is excited by his new challenge.
“I will miss being around motorbikes all the time but that will also probably reignite my hobby as well.
“I’ll still be buying my motorbikes and accessories here and I’m looking forward to bike shows again as a visitor.”
Dave Willis said: “He will be very sorely missed.
“Not only was he a very good parts and accessories manager but he was handy with a spanner, so has helped in the workshop, and is a very organised general manager.”
His role has been taken on by a familiar face, a regular visitor to Orwell Motorcycles.
Loyal customer and Kawasaki ambassador Richard Paine is a welcome addition to our team. His love of motorbikes combines with his retail sales background and managerial skills.
Richard has been working with Dave for a month to learn the ropes.
Dave has left Orwell Motorcycles but with partner Laura Hardiman a big part of the business, and Dave riding a KTM, we will still see him and keep in touch.
Next month we find out more about Richard’s passion for motorbikes and mixing business with pleasure.