Kiwi Rider September 2024 Vol.1 | Page 64

well in the local NZ champs . After that season he was approached by Moller Yamaha in Great North Road to run their workshop as Service Manager , plus race their 1981 XJ750 and 550 in the NZ Champs , however , the kicker was he had to forgo any relationship with Kawasaki . He dwelt on it for a while , but the offer was too good to miss , and he left Lloyd May ’ s employ . It wasn ’ t until much later that he recognised how much that decision may have hurt Lloyd ; realising that his old master had almost certainly expected him to take over the dealership and garage . Amongst all these activities Ken married the love of his life , Denise , in 1980 . She has always
supported , toured with him and loved him , and they remain happily married to this day , with two sons , Stan and Beau .
AUSTRALIAN STEPPING STONE Ken raced in NZ throughout the early 80s and was always pretty laid back about it . But all the time , that dream of racing The Isle of Man TT was ticking away , beckoning . Ken was always pretty handy on a bike and the sport relies on contacts and reputations to get ahead ; with his eager nature , charm , knowledge , skills and hard work ethic , plus quality delivery on track , it was only a matter of time before his wings needed bigger skies . When talking
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