TWO-WHEELED paramedics are beating the congestion on Hondas to deliver life-saving service Honda’s versatile ST1300 Pan European has been chosen by the London Ambulance Service to extend its fleet of paramedic motorcycles.

Twelve Pan European motorcycles have been acquired to cover the London Ambulance Service’s major expansion to the two-wheeled paramedic fleet, following the realisation that nothing can beat a motorcycle for response times in the congested capital. The extra motorcycles will help cover the whole of London, but especially the east side of the city.

Shaun Rock of the London Ambulance Service said:, “We looked at response times in congested areas of London 20 years ago and saw that motorcycles were the solution to getting a vehicle and paramedic on-scene as soon as possible. We needed to expand our two-wheeled operation so that we could ensure our response capability was compliant with new government response times.

“Our riding group evaluated a number of motorcycle models but the Honda Pan European has met and exceeded our specifications over the past 18 years and we feel it continues to do so.

“It is capable of carrying a large range of medical equipment and is perfect for our needs. It is capable of speed when required but also possesses the excellent low-speed manoeuvrability that we need in the congested areas of the capital. This is why we’ve chosen to further strengthen our existing fleet with 12 more Pan European motorcycles.”

Honda’s public sector operations co-ordinator Bob Fellowes said: “We are delighted to emerge as the favoured supplier to the London Ambulance Service with a version of the ST1300A8, which they believe meets their extremely high specifications.

“At Honda (UK) we are proud to be of service to an organisation which performs such a vital and reliable role to our capital’s community.”

The London Ambulance Service is the largest emergency ambulance service of its type in the world.

It is made up of more than 4,000 staff, working across 70 ambulance stations around London. They serve the needs of more than seven million people who live and work in the Greater London area, which covers more than 620 square miles.

There are about 50 motorcyclist paramedics currently in the London Ambulance Service and they provide on-the-spot lifesaving treatment with response times of just minutes, despite the congestion of London’s roads.

Earlier members of the Pan European family have been faithfully working in ambulance services across the UK for many years.

Since its launch in 1990, a number of organisations have trusted the Pan European’s reliability and dependability to get on-scene in minutes so paramedics can dispense life-saving treatment.

This is just one of many roles that the Pan has successfully tackled in its 19 years.

The original 1990 ST1100 was hailed by the media of the day as one of the finest touring motorcycles ever made and over the years it has been used by tens of thousands of motorcyclists as a reliable commuter, trans-continental tourer and courier bike, in addition to more specialist roles by organisations across the UK.

The machine’s V4 engine configuration gave it impressive performance, while the chassis helped the bike handle like a much smaller machine.

In 2002, the ST1100 was replaced by the ST1300, which introduced a larger capacity engine of 1,261cc and many other refinements.