"I was 7 years old and my dad brought home a motorbike which had been discarded and I got it going and would ride it all over," Stares said. "I was the only boy in the grammar school who went in on a motorcycle. It was quite a statement, and it still makes me chuckle now."
Stares celebrated his 101st birthday by testing his cycling skills on the British television show 100 Year Old Driving School.
"If the examiner says 'You're not safe', my instinct would be, 'Look, get stuffed and mind your own business. I'm gonna carry on.' That would be my instinct," he said. "But I am so considerate to other people and their opinions that I would take it on board and take it very seriously and think, well should I be driving?"
In the meantime Stares can be spotted completing his morning errands on his Yamaha 125 scooter and plans to renew his license once again next year.
"I still get the same thrill from my scooter now as I got when I first started riding and when I had big powerful bikes," he said. "I get excited about going to the shops because it means I get the feeling of being on the road again. There's a true feeling of freedom."
