Bruce Springsteen’s epic track, ‘Thunder Road’, could be the backdrop to the life of local motorbike man, Rickie White.

The line, “Come take my hand, we’re riding out tonight to case the Promised Land” jumps out at as you listen to the machine gun delivery of this Belmont Road, Belfast native, whose love affair with Honda bikes is as constant as the North Star.

Rickie has been in Fermanagh since 1989, but has never lost that distinctive East Belfast accent as he chills out after a hectic weekend helping to host a superb 32nd Honda CBX 1,000 European Rally based in Ballinamallard.

Listening to Rickie in his lovely home just outside Enniskillen, it is clear that he has an extraordinary passion for Honda bikes.

The four-day extravaganza from August 15 to 18 attracted in the region of 100 riders from all over the world, with one coming from as far away as Japan.

And Rickie was right in the heart of it, helping to put up the marquee at the Ballinamallard football car park, organising the riders, arranging the catering and entertainment, and taking part in the various ride-outs to Belleek Pottery, The Linnet Inn, Mullaghmore and the picturesque cliff viewpoint of Maghoo – events that showcased the beauty of Fermanagh to a wider audience.

Rickie’s passion for Honda bikes goes back to 1978 when he bought his first brand-new 250 T Honda for £600 as an 18-year-old in Belfast.

He joined the CBX riders club in England around 30 years ago, and went to the national rallies in England and the Europeans in the Netherlands in the 1990s.

Rickie was the all-Ireland representative at a time. He first thought of having a European rally in Northern Ireland in the early Noughties. In 2005, he made contact with other bikers and had his first national rally in Ballinamallard that year, which had around 25 Honda CBX bikes.

He had another rally in Ballinamallard in 2006, and another national rally in Ballinamallard in 2010, where some of the bikers camped in the Ballinamallard Football Ground.

Rickie was approached about hosting an international rally in Northern Ireland in 2013, with a view to having it here in 2015.

“We had the first European rally in Ballinamallard in 2015, which was the first of its kind in Ireland.”

Sunderland resident Ray Inskipp helped Rickie for the rally, and he had good contacts in the PSNI who helped in the organisation of the event.

Eddie McGovern was a big help in the then Fermanagh District Council.

But the planning for the recent event started two years ago.

“Ray and I got together, and he does all the computer work – [designing] T-shirts and badges etc.

“I do all the ‘gopher’ stuff, like trying to get bits of help, and I organised the marquee which was 27 by nine metres, and that was quite an amount of money.

“George Beattie has an exhibition stand that he let us use as a sign-in office, and it set it off. Many of the bikers are in their 60s, so a lot of them were staying in guesthouses, and there were around 100 riders in total.

“The bikers came from everywhere – [from as far away as] France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, Czechoslavakia, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and even Japan, so we had a very good mix.

“I did the work over here, and what the riders got for £140 was three breakfasts from JD’s outstanding catering; an agenda-all contact; two evening meals; and a T shirt, a badge, a pair of sunglasses with CBX tattooed on them and a pen.

“The rally started on August 15 and the first ride-out was to the Kestrel at the Round O, and then we went by boat, which was £13 around Enniskillen with a tour and a talk, and out to Devenish Island to see the monastery. The weather was beautiful.

“At 6pm on Thursday evening, we left Ballinamallard and went to the Linnet Inn in Boho with the thatched roof and the cave inside, and they all thought this was fantastic! We came back to Enniskillen for a meal.”

He added: “It really kicked off on Friday morning and the PSNI gave us great help. We had our own outriders, and we went to Maghoo Viewpoint, which is quite stunning, and shows Fermanagh at its best.

“We also went to Belleek Pottery, and we were there for an hour and a half, and then went back to the campsite.

“Then we had entertainment on the Friday night with ‘The Panthers’ band from Sunderland, and a dinner and ballot prizes.”

Rickie and the cavalcade of bikes left at 10.30am on the Saturday morning and headed for Mullaghmore via Belcoo, Blacklion, Glencar, and on to the Pier Head Hotel in Mullaghmore.

They came back via the Horseshoe at Gleniff, Kinlough, Manorhamilton – a route Rickie had previously checked out a few times, and came back via Florencecourt.

They were back at 4pm at the football ground for refreshments. “We had awards, ballot prizes on Saturday night, and then they went back to their homes.”

He continued: “I asked [the Council] for picnic tables, a marquee and a big trailer that opens out for a signing-in office, and they turned me down, which was most disappointing in view of the good help we got back in 2015.

“We had to hire everything ourselves, and fair play to the Ballinamallard Football club, who provided free camping at their ground. The football club had a bar as well.”

But those were relatively minor blips in a most successful weekend in Ballinamallard, Enniskillen and the county for a man whose heart and soul will always be in his beloved Honda bikes.

“It was really hard work, and Alastair Campbell did all the videoing. The outriders were very good, as was MLA Tom Elliott, and I am delighted that it all went so well. It was a great way to put Fermanagh on the map.

“You have to be a biker to understand and feel and see the real beauty of this county.”