Most churches don't have any problem with bikers, even big hairy ones can find a welcome in many congregations, as Bikers for Jesus will tell you, if you can persuade them to stop sharing the gospel for a second.

Having said that, it might be a good idea to leave your bike in the car park...

Labels: bike, christian bikers, church, crash, funny, oops

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Friday, August 29, 2008
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In history, many weird and wonderful things have happened. We put man on the moon, won 2 world wars and invented the ASBO, but only now has something happened to challenge the greatness of the above mentioned..................one of us has only gone and got bloody married!!!!!!!

Labels: Adrian Flux, bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, classic bike insurance, motorbike, quad insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Friday, August 01, 2008
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Proof that I was actually doing some work at the show














And finally......check out my pink t-shirt/hat combo......awesome I know!

Grant

Labels: babes, bike insurance, bikesure, classic bike insurance, motorbike, quad insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, July 10, 2008
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Is it just me, or have the Bennetts Babes really gone downhill?

If you want to see some real babes, you can check out the new Flux Babes, as voted for by the public.

And if you want to see how some of our rates compare with other companies, you can check out our bike insurance comparison page.

Labels: babes, bennetts, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Thursday, July 10, 2008
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link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Friday, June 13, 2008
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This was bought to my attention a little while ago by a friend of mine Deano who thinks you all should be made aware of these changes.

Keep up the good work Deano.






Please check out the petition and add your name to lend weight.

Changes to the law mean cars emitting less than 100g of CO2 per kilometre travelled would be exempt from paying Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), while motorcycles are still required to pay.

Your Chancellor Alistair Darling in his first budget outlined this last week, under the auspices of rewarding motorists for driving ‘green’ vehicles.

Despite Darling’s aim, the rate of road tax paid by motorcyclists is set to double in 2009, with the annual charge for a typical 125cc commuter bike set to grow from £15 per year at present, to £33 in 2009.

This makes nonsense of the revised rates of vehicle excise duty, as motorcycles tend to emit less CO2 and use less fuel than cars, with the average CO2 output from motorcycles at 110g/km.

So why do those who ride greener two wheeled vehicles, use less road space and do not contribute to congestion get penalised whilst 4 wheel motorist whose vehicles use under 100g/km are exempt from road tax.... Makes a mockery of your plans

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/motorcycle-tax/

Stay Safe

oneleggedfreak

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Wednesday, June 04, 2008
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Tuesday 13th May saw part of Silverstone racecourse taken over by Can-Am for them to showcase their new "Spyder" to prospective clients. The Spyder is a revolutionary new vehicle that combines the performance of a motorcycle, with the extra stability of a trike.

Labels: Adrian Flux, bike insurance, bikesure, can-am, spyder, trike insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Labels: Adrian Flux, babes, bike insurance, BMF, cheaper motorcycle insurance, custom bike, young rider insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, May 22, 2008
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Now you’ve got to feel sorry for this bloke, Imagine you out for a nice Sunday afternoon ride cruising down the dual carriage way when OOPS your bike goes one-way and you go another,

What would make this worse how about you and your bike sliding along the road at 85mph passing a speed camera and FLASH, not only do you face reporting a single vehicle fault claim but also a possible speeding ticket, although I suppose technically you could claim at the time of the incident you were not RIDING the bike,



This poor 50 year old Dutch motorcyclist was clocked at 137kmp (85mph) on the A28 at Staphorst after laying down his Kawasaki ZRX 1200, on the sunny side of things this gentleman was cleared of the speeding charge,

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Thursday, May 01, 2008
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Like many of you last Wednesday I went and bought my weekly copy of MCN and out fell a leaflet advertising something called UTAG.

Now like the beautiful Suzy Perry, I think this is a MUST HAVE PIECE OF KIT.
As bikers we all know that we take our lives into our own hands every time we go for a ride, be it from lorry drivers who leave diesel on the roads, idiots using mobile phones while driving or local government agencies using steel cables as crash barriers.

While most of us carry our drivers licence with us as ID and also perhaps are registered as organ donors but what about emergency contact details or important medical information.

The UTAG looks like a set of dog tags, but with modern USB technology also contains important medical and contact details that you wish to put on including, Personal details, Picture, Emergency contacts, Doctors contact details, Medical information and all this can be read in 7 languages. All for the grand price of £19.99

Now personally I think these make sense, so I’ve all ready ordered mine.



Stay Safe,

Oneleggedfreak

Labels: biker, emergency, ice, motorbike, motorcycle, safety, uTag

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Monday, April 28, 2008
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On Wednesday 16th of May I had the chance to do something I had not done since I was a kid, my wife and I were invited to go and watch the King’s Lynn Stars compete against the Edinburgh Monarchs at the Norfolk Arena.

What a night! these bikes are a 500cc engine fuelled by methanol, they go from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds that’s faster than a Formula 1 Car and on the straights average around 75mph. On top of this they go round the sweeping corners at an average speed around 60mph SIDEWAYS with NO BRAKES---WHAT A BUNCH OF NUTTERS!!


They race around an oval circuit that’s around 300 metres in length for 4 laps in an anti-clockwise direction as the bikes are only able to turn left and to get around such tight corners at such high speeds they actually have to accelerate.


A standard starter bike cost around £3000 and then the set up of the bikes is changed to suit the individual rider. Now I’ve seen larger front wheels on my wife’s mountain bike than these things have and each tyre costs £30 which needs replacing after every meeting.

Speedway fans like every other sports fan will travel the length and breadth of the country to support there teams, some of the riders are as young as 18 (oh to be that young and reckless again).

I would like to thank Keith (Buster) Chapman on behalf of myself and my wife for a fantastic nights entertainment and we would also like to wish the King’s Lynn Stars, Tomas Topinka, Shaun Tacey, Kevin Doolan, Kozza Smith, Rusty Harrison, John Oliver, Simon Lambert and Rob Lyon, every success in the British Premier League, GOOD LUCK LADS AND GO WIDE OPEN.


Stay safe,

Oneleggedfreak.

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Monday, April 28, 2008
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Well the show season is fast upon us and as usual Bikesure is gearing up to attend numerous events over the country for the following summer.

Following on from the success of previous meetings Bikesure are confirmed to be attending the following shows this year:

BMF 17th to 18th May = The largest outdoor motorcycle event in the Europe ( ooh impressive )

NABD "you been nabbed" 9th to 11th May = The largest outdoor gathering of men with beards ( oh and there's a show there somewhere )

Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club 5th to 6th July = Need I say more??

UK quad show 27th to 28th Sep = Only quad show in the UK ( and the best )

If your quite new to what we do at these shows, I feel it my responsibility to fill you in with what it means to attend:

1. Spend the weekend giving out quotes to the public on laptops
2. Walking round the venue trying to be glamorous handing out goodie bags
3. Chatting to other companies and blagging as much free stuff as possible
4. Getting as many photo's as you can with the promo girls ( just me )

As you can see, there is a lot of hard work and effort that goes into making a show successfull.

To keep up to date with the shows so far and whats happening within bikesure, keep posted to this blog!

Grant

Labels: Adrian Flux, bike insurance, bike show, BMF, show

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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Now I happen to think that I’m a very lucky person, I happen to have a job where I work with some stunning young ladies ( See the Flux Babes and you’ll see what I mean) and I am in a job that allows me to be able to meet some interesting characters.

I’ve been asked to write the occasional article to introduce myself; but me being the shy and timid type I thought that I would introduce some of the people that I know instead.

The first people I would like to introduce own and run the local scooter shop and are a father and son team called Pete Senior and Pete Junior.














Pete Senior has been working on scooters for over 30 years and around 2 years ago decided to take a leap of faith and open his own shop helped by his son Pete Junior.

Between the two of them they can do just about everything that needs to be done; from services to one off custom builds. They have described the work that they do as a labour of love but if you ever see these two work together it’s a typical father and son team ripping each other to shreds.

As you would expect of people with this type of passion they also support the local rally and club culture (not yet persuaded them to attend a bike rally yet though).












Now they also have a grease monkey called Kev who helps them out occasionally and Kev has actually been blackmailed to attending the Celtic Warriors Birthday Bash back in April 2005 where his scooter won best paint work with a Marillion theme.















If any of you scooter-boys are heading out this neck of the woods to King’s Lynn, Hunstanton or Norwich pop in and say hello the coffee’s always on the go.

That’s about all for now.

Stay Safe,

Oneleggedfreak

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Wednesday, April 09, 2008
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Labels: babes, bike insurance, custom bike, Grant Varnham, insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, April 03, 2008
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Safety is always a more intimate concern for those who prefer to travel on two wheels than it is for those who favour four wheels and a metal box. With nothing between you and the road, any accident is potentially quite harmful to a motorcyclist.

All sensible bikers in this day and age should be wearing a decent helmet and a good set of leathers (or other suitably protective clothing). But now some of the fancy safety features standard on most modern cars are starting to become available to bikers.

Dainese have come up with an airbag that is incorporated into the rider's protective clothing. They are currently testing and refining the technology on the track, but it is sure to become widely available in the next few years, so frequent riders could benefit from added peace of mind.



The idea is that the neck, head and chest are protected from any impact or scraping injuries, meaning you're more likely to survive any injury suffered.

Whilst this is still very much early days, any technology to reduce injuries suffered by bikers has got to be a good thing. And whilst these outfits probably won't be cheap, decent protective gear rarely is, which is why it's so important to get a decent helmet and leathers insurance policy - ours gives £1,000 worth of cover for just £20 per year.

Labels: crash, helmets, leathers, motorbike, motorcycle, safety, video

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, April 02, 2008
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Now I’ve got to admit probably like most of the bikers I know I like my food, I don’t care if it’s a decent bacon and egg roll at a rally or even that Madras curry that seems like a fantastic idea on the way back to the tent at silly o’clock in the morning.

Now I’ve known a few Australians in my time and all have been some what tapped BUT the most excellent party people ever but this takes the biscuit this can only be what happens if you buy an Australian biker the Hairy Bikers Cook Book,

This was spotted by the CGU Safety and Risk Services ( sounds like the same people that tell kids not to play conkers as it might have there eye’s out), Now this was taken on a long weekend to celebrate Australia Day and the food loving aussie was on his way to a Barbie,




All I can say is thank god he was not on the way to a hog roast.

Remember drink driving kills,

Cooking and cruising also not so cool.

Australian Daily Telegraph piece.

Stay safe,

Oneleggedfreak

Labels: barbecue, biker, dumb, motorcycle, oops

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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Now like most of you out there I like to think myself a law abiding citizen, I pay my road tax, I pay my insurance and I abide by the laws of the road.

I drive with due care and consideration to other road users and keep an eye on where I’m going and what I’m doing.

So what really gets my goat is the idiots on pushbikes be them in their day-glow Lycra shirts and shorts with their aerodynamic helmets (protective headwear is always advisable) or be they the teenage BMX – Mountain bike stunt riders, who think that the Highway Code does not apply to then,

Only the other night on my way home from work I was approaching a set of traffic lights when a idiot on a push bike decided that without looking or signalling to cut across three lanes of traffic, then as the lights turned red he then thought he did not have to stop but cut across the oncoming traffic to mount the pavement and continue on his way.

Now I think that if I had done any of these things on my bike I would have received a torrent of blasts of car horns from aggravated car drivers or even started a new career as a grill ornament or had I been riding on the pavement the old bill would have taken a dim view on my riding style.

Now WHAT really winds me up is that before anyone can drive a car or ride a motorcycle on the road we have to past tests, pay insurance and pay road tax, so why can any cretin jump on a push-bike and ride like a idiot and when (NOT, if) they are involved in a accident the blame is usually placed on the car or motorbike rider.

Now most people who have been involved in a collision with a bike (hopefully the pushbike rider was or is not hurt) will claim for the repairs to their car or motorcycle from their own insurance. BUT if anyone is hurt or damage is done to property the police should be informed. NOW HERE IS THE BEST BIT; as far as I’m aware you may be able to make a claim against the bike rider through their public liability clause in their house hold insurance ( If they have any that is).

How about instead every other road user footing the bill why doesn’t the government make a test compulsory for pushbike rider’s also compulsory insurance, then if the government has not made enough money; instead of wasting money with GATSO cameras and community support officers why don’t the police sit outside of the local high school in unmarked police cars and as the school kids leave at the end of the day hand out fixed penalty’s for riding on the pavement and help build even better community relations. OOPS PERHAPS TOO MUCH SARCASAM THERE?

Stay safe

Oneleggedfreak.

link | posted by oneleggedfreak at Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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14:00 By this time we are in full swing as everyone comes back refreshed from their lunch. Except of course for minty who is still shoveling his food (and everyone else's) down that hole he calls a mouth.

19:00 The day slowly grinds to a halt as the important business of which pub to go to after work takes over.

So there you have it, a minor insight into a usual day in the bikesure office.

Token shot of Tom our renewals man of the hour:

Feel free to give us a ring for a quote or just a general chat, just make sure you don't get hammond, that bloke talks for ages!

Grant

0800 089 2000

Labels: babes, bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, quad insurance

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, February 28, 2008
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Now you may have seen some "odd" looking pictures of me floating around this website. I want to assure you that in no way do I make a habit of dressing in womans clothing. I dont really want my chances of finding a girlfriend to be non existent and thats the way its going at the moment.

To reliterate this point I would like to draw your attention to the below:
















As you can see I do enjoy the pretty girls, the fact that they get paid to have photo's taken with anyone is besides the point!

Its not long before "that" picture of me will be issued in the monthly magazine and distributed all around Adrian Flux, so im just trying to back myself up before I get the p**s taken out of me from everyone.

Thank you

Grant " straight as they come" Varnham

Labels: Adrian Flux, bikesure, Grant Varnham

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, February 21, 2008
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The all new 2007 figures from the Department for Transport for Vehicle Excise Duty (aka Road Tax) evasion have just been released.

You can tell something is going to be different, when you see statements like this:

Substantial improvements in the way that the roadside survey data are collected mean that evasion estimates for 2007 are not directly comparable with those from previous years.
Analyses of this year's survey data also suggest that misread registration marks do not have a neutral effect on estimates as previously thought and, instead, tend to inflate estimates of evasion.

This all sums up to a breathtaking conclusion - the evasion estimates reported last year for motorcycle were probably overestimated by staggering 300% (or thereabouts - effectively the stats were done in such a different way that it is impossible to do a direct comparison. Note also that the figures for cars were also overestimated by a similar percentage - but with less dramatic effect or tabloid outrage.)

Put another way, the headline 38% evasion figure reported last year, and repeated last month with some anti-biker vitriol by MP Edward Leigh, were roughly 4 times higher than they should have been.

At least.

In fact there are still some problems with the reported figure of 9.8% evasion for bikers.

First the sample size is still very small - that makes the error margin over 50%, so (even taking nothing else into account) the figures for bikers could be as low as 4.7%.

Second, the change to the survey methodology that had the biggest impact was the switch to using Automatic NumberPlate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Using these they were able to check misread plates for the first time, and found they were incorrectly matching to vehicles removed from the roads much more often than they had expected.

BUT, for collecting the data on motorcycles they did not use ANPR, but instead relied on contractors stood by the side of the road with a clipboard. It seems inevitable that a guy with a clipboard by a motorway trying to jot the number of a moving bike travelling at 70mph (let's assume bikers don't ever break the speed limit) is going to write down the wrong number more often than an ANPR computer which takes a still photo of the same vehicle and then uses Optical Character Recognition software to match up the letters, for the simple reason that, the computer doesn't have to deal with the effects of a high speed movement.

Someone might have picked up on this, had the DfT not glibly stated in the previous years report, that they had computed the effect as a 'slight upward bias.' The admission that they got this so badly wrong will be little comfor

The DfT also notes they made a number of other changes to the statistical methodology, in line with the Southampton university report into their previous methods and assumptions.

It is therefore my opinion that the figures for tax evasion by motorcyclists, although markedly reduced and only a quarter of what was previously being claimed, is still a considerable overestimate.

If next year they manage to use ANPR to record motorcycles as well as cars, and also collect some hard data about relative mileages traveled by taxed vs untaxed motorcycles (which currently they only have for trucks), my bet is that the numbers will dramatically fall again.

But in light of this publication, where are the apologies.

Miscalculations of this magnitude represent some serious bungling by the 'top statisticians' we pay our taxes to employ. I think, at the very least, bikers are owed some major apologies from Edward Leigh, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, the Department for Transport and National Statistics. The DVLA probably deserve an apology too - they were castigated for their poor performance in managing tax evasion, even though their own figures suggested they were collecting more tax than ever.

See also MCN's story.

Labels: bike, bike insurance, motorbike, motorcycle, motorcycle law, sorn, ved

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Thursday, February 14, 2008
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