Biking keeps you young at heart

Celebrating Devitt’s ‘Keep Britain Biking’ Campaign and showing the passion a person can have for motorcycling, 86 year old Mr Lewis from Yately, Hampshire is Devitt’s longest customer, having been with the insurer for 70 years. Any motorcycle owner will tell you that once a biker, always a biker. And nobody proves this better.

Back in the 1930s Mr Lewis traded in his push bike for a motorbike and he’s never looked back. His first motorbike was a prestigious AJS 350, which he bought from a dealer who arranged his insurance through Devitt, using the dealer scheme that it pioneered in 1936. Mr Lewis has had a motorcycle ever since.

During the war, Mr Lewis was stationed in Calcutta, where he rode an Ariel 350, which lasted over two years. They used to ride in convoy and covered their front lights with brown paper with just a slit in it, so the enemy couldn’t spot them. When Mr Lewis returned to the UK he worked with the AA and patrolled on his motorbike for 16 years, before he was given a van. He worked for the AA until he retired, but Mr Lewis is still biking. His current bike is a Yamaha 250 and both his sons and son in-law are keen bikers too.

Five months after purchasing his first bike, in 1939, Mr Lewis decided to upgrade to a better model and after the war brought an 18 Norton. When he contacted Devitt to find out how much the premium may increase, he was told there would be no extra cost and it would be reviewed at renewal if necessary.

“I was so impressed by the service from Devitt, that I decided to stay with them, as it seemed like a company that looked after its customers,” explains Mr Lewis. “When I made a claim in 1951, Devitt assisted me with the paperwork terminology. Once again offering me great service!

“One year I was waiting for my green card, to take my bike on holiday to Ireland but it hadn’t arrived. I called Devitt and due to an office move, my cheque and renewal confirmation had been sent to the old address. Devitt arranged for the green card to be sent to my holiday address and it arrived the day after we did. Over the years, Devitt’s service has been second to none. I have always recommended Devitt to friends and family because it is a company that really values its customers.”

William Hughes, Managing Director of Devitt Insurance adds, “It’s great to see an example of someone who has been biking for most of their life. This really supports our ‘Keep Britain Biking’ campaign, which aims to encourage more people to enjoy the benefits of life on two wheels. Of course we are also delighted that Mr Lewis is our most loyal customer, which illustrates the level of care we like to show all our customers.”