Avon Tyres supports blood bikers

ERJ staff report (DS)

Melksham, UK -- Avon Tyres, a subsidiary of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., is supplying motorbike tyres to a group of volunteers who help transport blood and other medical supplies throughout the West of England.

Freewheelers Emergency Volunteer Service is a registered Charity who provide emergency out-of-hours medical transport throughout the West Country. The group's fleet of marked-up Yamaha FJR1300s are often referred to as “Blood Bikes,” but also provide lifesaving transport for other urgently-needed items such as test samples, patient notes, X-rays and medical supplies. Avon will supply Storm-ST tyres, while JHS Racing at Keynsham will service Freewheelers' duty bikes as well as fit them with the brand new rubber.

“We do around 80,000 miles a year in total as a charity and we're doing that all year round, in all weather,” said Freewheelers' Mike Belch. “The chief protection we have is that little patch of rubber that keeps the bike in contact with the road and safety and predictability is everything for us. Having good quality tyres we can trust on the bikes is literally the difference between life and death not just for us, but for the people we're helping. It's great to have such a high profile supporter as Avon.”