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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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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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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Jenny said: "After threats of legal action I wont include the picture of Grant sporting the very same outfit"

Well, frankly, I don't care about legal threats from Grant - the public have a right to know! Plus, if Grant really wants to explain to a court what he was up to, so much the better.

I understand that no padding was required.

Rumours that Grant could be found running around the hotel corridors at 3am dressed in the outfit and whooping "Chase me!" in the manner of Duncan Norvelle remain unconfirmed.

Labels: babes, bikesure, expo, grant, oops, transvestites

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, February 11, 2008
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Labels: babes, bikesure, expo, girls, motorcycle, show

link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, February 07, 2008
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This is a summary of my more detailed post on Friday, outlining the key points.

• The DfT surveyed traffic in June and July.
• They waited until September to ensure no late corrections to the data.
• By this time many of the bikers surveyed had taken their bikes off the road for the winter.
• At this point the DfT checked the figures against the DVLA's VED database.
• The bikes which had been removed from the road were mistakenly assumed to be evading tax.
• The error was then amplified by a "corrective" assumption that tax dodgers would use their bikes less and get missed by the survey, the number of evaders would be underestimated. This one step doubled the number of bikers assumed to be riding without tax and it did this because it assumed bike mileage figures would match evasion figures in the same way as they do for trucks (The only category of vehicle they have stats for). This doesn't take account of the important fact that the average motorcycle covers many, many fewer miles than the average trucks. That means that the people you see most often are not necessarily people traveling furthest as they would be for trucks, but are much more likely to be people who just live nearby to a survey site. This means that the assumption that you will see lower than actual levels of evasion (because tax dodgers travel less far) is undermined, as only a very few of the people on bikes are travelling large distances.
• Because of the small number of motorcyclists surveyed, the DfT's own figures show that the margin for error would be at least 20% either way even if the incorrect assumptions were to have been true.

What does this mean?

These are quite major flaws in the methodology of the survey and (I think) blow apart the reported figures. The headline figure was extrapolated from an “observed” figure of only 16% on the basis more tax evading motorcyclists would have been missed, as they don't travel as far, which I've shown above is almost certainly a flawed assumption. If only around 10% of the riders had SORNed their bike at the end of August or during early September, the vast majority of the “untaxed” bikers would disappear from the stats. Add to that a 20% margin of error, because of the small survey size and the figures may well be comparable with the rates for cars. A precise figure is going to be very difficult to arrive at, as no-one currently has the relevant data that could quantify the errors more precisely.

Whose fault is it?

The mathematics used in the statistical modelling was all applied correctly. The errors arose because of mistaken assumptions about how motorbikes are used and would probably have been spotted if a single representative of the motorcycling community had been consulted at the design stage of the survey. What probably should have been spotted is the ridiculously high figure of 38% evasion, which should, I believe, have raised alarm bells. I suspect that this is why Southampton University were asked to double check the result, but they only checked the statistical techniques used, and did not carry out an assessment of way the VED data had been obtained nor of the validity of the underlying assumptions.

So the blame for all of this lies with whoever designed the survey and data processing methodology, and not with anyone who actually carried it out.

I think at the very least all bikers are owed an apology from Edward Leigh MP, of the Public accounts committee for his intemperate remarks. And another apology is due, I feel, from the DfT, for managing to balls up the figures in quite such a spectacular fashion.

Labels: bike, bike insurance, bikesure, dvla, moped, motorbike, motorcycle, sorn

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, January 28, 2008
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Now the name doesn't sound too inviting but I assure you its not what it sounds. Held on Sunday 16th September at Beaumanor Hall, Loughborough the Stinkwheel show is a collection of classic and Italian classic bikes.

Me and Jon were chosen as the worthy representatives for Bikesure for this occasion which was also to be sponsored by ourselves. With the "company", oh yes "company" car stocked up and good to go, we left Kings Lynn for the sunny heights of Loughborough.

We borrowed Suzy Sat Nav from Dean "the egg" Twiddy and programmed in the post code for the show. After a quick stop off at McDonalds, and 2 hours on the road, the Sat Nav uttered the words "100 yards to your destination!" Now at this point I was quite worried, mainly because I hadn't seen any sign of any type of bike show, or house for that matter.

Turn right and you will reach your destination she said, so we did........and pulled into a car park of a local cricket match!!! If it wasn't for the child lock, Mrs Sat Nav would have found her way strewn a mile down the road! After much reprogramming, we eventually found the show and set up.

Back to the hotel for light refreshments and an early night...cough cough!!!! ANYWAY!!!!

Next morning after a few cups of tea and figuring out if we were in the right hotel or not, we brushed ourselves down...not each other!!!! and arrived at the show at 9.30.

There were loads of traders and bikes including BSA, Norton, MV Agusta etc. There was a large showground in the middle for all the bikes to be shown off, as well as a display team.



We set our our stall and proceeded processing quotes and giving out goody bags and generally chatting to the public and spreading the word of Bikesure.

At one point I was approached by the organiser to enter the ring (Ed: I didn't think Rob Balls was at this show?) and say a few words over the tannoy!!! SAY A FEW WORDS????? I bloody loved it, snatched the microphone off the announcer and delivered a speech that Winston Churchill himself would be proud off.

All in all the show was a great success, we spoke to owners clubs, the public, everyone really.

Look out for us at up and coming shows as Bikesure will be appearing at as many as possible, so just come and have a chat!!

Grant "cheese on toast" Varnham

Labels: bike, bike insurance, bikesure, bsa, mv agusta, norton, show, stinkwheel

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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On the night of 20/06/2007, a quiz night was held in the grounds of Flux. It was a prestigious event in which at least 20 teams of around 4-5 members competed against each other in a battle of general knowledge.

Bikesure staff were involved in three different teams but there was one team which really did show their true worth, my team. The Arsehole of Flux. There was a bit of drama right at the last minute before the event. Two of our members dropped out Charlie and Faye (quite clearly not team players). Thankfully two other members from the bikesure team stepped up to the plate. Richard "The Horn" Rowsell and Ros "The Horn's Missus" Hindry. So the dream team consisted me, the Captain Kyle "Minty McMint" Benefer, Grant "Cheese on Toast" Varnham, "Ginger" Jon Mellish, and the pre mentioned Richard and Ros.

So the scene is set, the dream team is at full strength. We had a combined general knowledge similar to a small principality so things were looking good. We strolled into the quiz marquee, almost reminiscent of the Reservoir Dogs scene, apart from the guns and the blood stained shirts. They weren't needed on this occasion.

As we all settled down to begin the quiz, the tension was slowly increasing to boiling point. Quiz master Paul Twite was getting the punters going by banging out a usual set of poor jokes based around extracting the urine from some of the better known staff members. Then it came, the moment of truth, the first round. There were six rounds all consisting of twleve questions. Each team was given a "joker" which gave you double points for the one round you decided to play it in.

The first round was on music. A lot of teams played their joker in this round. The Arsehole of Flux held back the temptation to play their joker here, and some would say it was a wise choice. This round came and went and from memory we got 10/12 questions right, so a good solid start.

The second and third rounds passed, and there was an update on the standings, we were sitting pretty in joint third place. There was a very positive attitude in team, happy with our progress so far. We all would have been pleased with a podium finish. We were then handed a bonus round, which consisted of recognising lyrics from certain songs. We done ok in this round about 9/12.

Now for the fifth round, the forth round wasn't very important. We played our Joker in this round, the subject was tv and film. We played a blinder. All twelve questions right, and as we played the joker in this round we got 24 points for the round. This bumped us up into the top two. What a result!

The final round was in the style of "Guess The Intro". We got 11/12, the only one we didn't get was 2000 miles by The Pretenders. What a rubbish song, never liked it anyway. Chrissie Hynde gets on my nerves as well.

And that was it. The end of the final round, just left the totting up of each teams points and for the final standings to be revealed. The results were read out in reverse order, and the general idea from our table was a top 5 finish would be a good result. So when it got to the top three and our name had still not been mentioned we thought that third was excelent, but to our surprise still no Arsehole of Flux, we just assumed that we had missed our name further down the list. What was even more surprising is that were in joint first place. If only we got the 2000 miles question right, I hate Chrissie Hynde so much.

So to settle things there was tiebreaker question. The all important question was "According to Ask.com, how many islands are there in the Maldives?". The nearest answer would win. Of course an island in the Maldives consists of and lump of sand protruding out of the sea. my first thought was there can't be more than a hundred or so. No one else had any other bright ideas and so went for the answer of 130. The other team involved guessed at 2000. No one had a clue who was right, but it wasn't us. The answer was 1300. Gutted we were just one zero out from the right answer.

We went out gallant runners up. Still got £20 each in prize money, so not all bad.

Labels: bikesure, funny, lucky, quiz

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, July 02, 2007
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Sunday Morning. A lovely sunny day, perfect riding conditions. Still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sent a bit of a random text to a mate who lives over 100 miles away; "Fancy meeting up for a ride out and then coming over for a BBQ?"

I got the answer I was hoping for and we arranged to meet somewhere in the middle.

So I got on my Black Z750 which I don't use nearly enough and hit the road. It was just right; dry and sunny but not too warm. A few less cars on the road would have been nice but what can you do? Nothing apart from overtake them of course.

We met up had a chat about the ride and then set of to a nearby dealership "just to have a look". Outside the garage there sat a lovely looking Triumph Speed Triple. We had a bit of time to spare so I blagged a test ride on said bike for a bit of fun. What could possibly go wrong?

As it happens nothing went wrong. In fact it all went right, too bloody right. It felt so right it must have been wrong. The bike seemed to know exactly where I wanted to go and obediently, straining at the leash rushed to get there in the most pleasurable way imaginable. The bike was so responsive and delivered the seemingly never ending power to the wheels smoothly but with a raw edge. Gulp!

I arrived back at the dealership with a shit eating grin (what does that mean exactly) spread across my face. Oh dear.

My fate was sealed and although it took me a couple of days of wrestling with my conscious (I don't "need" a new bike) and my mortgage (hiding the cost over a 25 year mortgage seems sensible to me) I placed the order for the new machine.

I've found a buyer for the Z750 (bye bye) and should be picking up the new Speed Triple in Matt Black (only 100 made so I must be an individual and carving my own niche in life?) in a couple of weeks.

Mid life crisis? What mid life crisis?

I'll let you know how it is and post a photo when it arrives.

Laters.

Rob

Labels: bike dealers, bike insurance, bikesure, kawasaki, ride out, speed triple, triumph, z750

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Thursday, June 07, 2007
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After the unseasonably warm April we've had, many of us will have already been out on our bikes this year, but if you haven't, or if you have, but you haven't carried out our simple maintenance checklist, now is the time to do it.

After spending the winter in your shed, garage or under a tarp, it always pays to make sure that your bike is still in full working order before you set off for a ride. Even if you've used it every day during the colder weather and into spring, giving your bike a thorough health-check this weekend could save you from more than just the dreaded Eastenders omnibus.

Bike insurance claims show a definite spike at this time of year, as bikers start making the most of the warmer weather, and in many cases the claim - along with resulting injuries and inconvenience (not to mention increased premiums) - could be avoided by giving your bike a once once over and following the checklist the BikeSure team have put together.

Head honcho, Rob Balls says "A much greater proportion of the claims we get in the spring are related to maintenance issues. Whether from breakdown insurance, or accidents related to maintenance issues, the winter takes its toll on your bike, and too few people check the points. Bikers stand to benefit if the level of claims go down, because the fewer claims you have, the lower your insurance will be next year. It's vital to give your bike a thorough going-over if you've stored it during the brass monkey weather."

So here's Rob's checklist of the simple maintenance tasks which can save you money and might even save your life.

1. Review any notes you made when you put your bike into winter storage. It's easy to forget little things like that small part you removed to get a matching replacement and never got around to replacing.
   
2. If you removed the battery for winter storage, check and clean the battery terminals before refitting. A bicarbonate of soda solution works well to clean the terminals.
   
3. Charge and refit the battery. Positive lead first!
   
4. Change the oil and filter, and check the grease and other lubricants.
   
5. Check all cables and lubricate with the specified lubricants.
   
6. Drain the fuel tank, clean and refill with fresh. This especially applies if you left it nearly empty during the winter. An empty tank will have air inside, and that air will have moisture, which will condense out in the cold as water.
   
7. Check the tyre pressure and wear of tread. If you had a special winter pressure, remember to change it for summer. Don't use a tyre cleaner on bike tyres - it will make them hard and slippery.
   
8. Check all lights. Don't forget the flashing ones!
   
9. Check brake fluid level and ensure brake pads and shoes aren't worn.
   
10. Clean the inside of your helmet with a mild soapy solution and ensure it is dry. Examine it for hairline cracks.
    
11. If you put away your winter cover during the summer, air it properly, then store it somewhere warm and dry. Don't let yourself suddenly discover it damp or mildewy next winter when you suddenly need it again.
    
12. Start a new log book for the year and write down your starting mileage - and all the actions you took to get out on the open road again. Promise yourself that you will keep it up to date this year!

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, maintenance, tips

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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It takes a special kind of skill to keep your bike upright bike following a high speed collision. Fortunately for the chap in this clip, his experience with a high powered bike kept him on both wheels as well as in one piece.



Bikers who take their skills to the next level, by taking an advanced riding course, don't just increase their chances of surviving an accident, they also reduce their chance of being involved in an incident in the first place. And as well as keeping them in one piece, you can also qualify for lower insurance premiums with Bikesure.

We can reward your participation in a number of schemes, including ROSPA & the IAM, but the biggest savings are to be had by those who have completed the RideDrive course. If you complete the Ride Drive course successfully, we will guarantee to beat your renewal premium by a whopping 25%!

There are no strings and no hidden charges. Just do the course, and when you are due to renew, we will beat any renewal premium by at least 25% and sometimes more.

Labels: advanced riding, bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, motorbike, motorcycle, skills, video

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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If you thought the slogans on the bikes were funny, wait till you read the owners manual, like the one that comes with the Qingqi scooter (and yes that really is pronounced "kinky"!)

The opening sentences give you a flavour of what's to come:



Read the rest of the manual at the Chinglish Files. And if you've got a Qingqi scooter, or any chinese import motorcycle, remember that Bikesure can give you a Chinese Scooter Insurance Quote, even if no-one else has heard of it.

Labels: bikesure, chinese scooter, funny, insurance, scooter

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, April 11, 2007
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As you may recall from his previous post, Rob Balls, our beloved business manager, was going to climb Mount Kilimajaro on the Kenya / Tanzania border and raise a stack of cash for VSO as well.

Well he did it, and, as he doesn't seem to be any more mental than he was previously, he seems to have managed it without causing himself any lasting damage.

I'm sure everyone would like to congratulate Rob on raising £8000 for such a worthy cause, and if you haven't made a donation, and would like to you can donate here (They'll even claim back the tax, so your money goes even further!)

He's asked me to post his diary of the trip, so here it is:

(You can view more of Rob's awesome pictures at our Flickr.)

Kilimanjaro Trek January 2007

As so many of you were kind enough to sponsor me, I thought I'd write a piece to tell you how it all went. To use one of Paul Adams' favorite sayings, "I'll cut a long story short". Although he then usually goes on to tell you a very long story indeed. Oops, I've just finished and realised I've just done the very same thing. I'll apologise it advance.

To those of you brave enough to read on, I hope you find it interesting. If you don't or stop here then don't worry, it's the internet, not paper, and it helped bring back some memories for me that are starting to fade already.

Day One

7am. The phone rings and it's my Mum. The call is to tell me that Nan has just passed away. She'd suffered a short illness and we all thought she was going to pull through but alas it was not to be. We were close and I knew I'd miss the funeral but I had time to write a piece that my Nephew later volunteered to read. Hmmmm.

I left the house at noon, giving me four hours to reach Heathrow in plenty of time for the 7.00pm flight to Nairobi. Thursday the 18th of January was the day of the worst storms this country had seen for 17 years, yes count them, 17. That works out at odds of 6205 to 1 that I would leave my house to face this weather. I'll place £10 on that please Mr. Bookie.

Three overturned lorries, four closed roads, one pee up a lorry and eight hours later, I still hadn't reached Heathrow and had clearly missed my flight. All the hotels outside Heathrow were fully booked so I decided to drive to Oxford and stay at friends for the night.

Day Two

Six of us missed our flight and were all incredibly fortunate that they managed to get us on another one the following night. Sitting on the plane I reflected on all the events of the previous day. Not that I reflected for long mind you as it became clear that I had been lucky enough to get a seat next to an abusive, alcoholic charmer from Birmingham. He proceeded to get completely smashed, racially abuse and threaten another passenger, narrowly avoid arrest, insist on me being his witness and then generally annoy me for the next nine hours. We became firm friends. Tosser. It's all going so well so far and I know I said I'd cut a long story short but to be honest I'm struggling. This is some kind of therapy. "Nurse!" Right, it really will be just the highlights from now on, honest.

Day Three

We transfer in rickety minibus with broken suspension (feels that way at least) for the journey from Nairobi to a hotel in Tanzania just outside the Kilimanjaro National park where we have a nights rest. I drift in and out of sleep, having got none on the flight, and am bounced around for the 7-hour journey.

Day Four

We're a day behind the rest of the party and the six of us make a decision to do two days trekking in one to catch up. We start at 1800m altitude. It was a big ask but not doing so would mean we'd miss out on a days acclimatisation at higher altitude and increase the risk of suffering from severe altitude sickness, not completing the climb or worse. All well and good but I soon discover to my horror that I've picked up a nasty stomach bug with the kind of unpleasant consequences where you'd really rather not be trekking through an African rain forest. I frequently had to take "the walk of shame" into the bush. Still, I'm not likely to ever again go to the toilet with such amazing views. Is that too much information? I was however concerned about the loss of fluids and body salts. We had to drink five litres a day just to maintain hydration levels.

An amazing but difficult nine hours later we reach our destination just before nightfall having climbed almost 2000m in height, which is pushing it in terms of climbing too high too fast. We'd walked through rain forest, seen monkeys, lizards, waterfalls and travelled through heath land and across plains to reach Horombo huts where we would stay for two nights.

Day Five

Stomach is starting to calm down. Thank Christ. The night was bleedin freezin cold and so completely dark. Neither of which helps when you have to journey to the toilet several times because the drugs you're taking to try and combat altitude sickness make you piss for England. Still on the plus side I got to see the most amazing night sky, could see the Milky Way, a shooting star and watched the dawn break over the African plains. Incredible stuff and it seems almost like a dream now, it's just so far removed from this reality. The day was spent doing a leisurely hike and getting to know the people from the group who were ahead of us.

Day Six and Seven

Right, the next two days are where it starts to get serious and they really just blur into one very, long day and night. Today we climb 1000m to reach Kibo Huts at 4703m. It's only about a 3-mile trek but it takes about 7 hours. Progress is slow and cold because of the high altitude. We reach our destination, have dinner and then have the luxury of a three-hour rest before we tackle the summit. Sleep at this point was impossible. I was cold and psyched up and nervous about what lay ahead.

We were roused at 11.30pm for a kit inspection and were given bottles of hot water. This was to prevent the water freezing in our packs as they were expecting temperatures of -15c for the night climb. So off we set at around midnight, pitch black and freezing with head torches on, hoping the batteries would not run out and wearing everything I could that would keep me warm and dry. I don't mind admitting I was dog-tired, excited and add then add in a bit of fear for that extra edge.

A short while into the climb I realised that my gloves were really not up to the job but there was nothing I could do about that now. Every now and then I'd have to put away my climbing poles and ball up my hands in my gloves to try and get them warm. All you could see was the stars in the sky, a few feet in front of you and up ahead, the lines of other groups head torches as they made their own way up the mountain.
Progress was incredibly slow, it was all about just carefully and deliberately putting one......foot......in.....front.....of the.........other.

The path was getting steeper and steeper and seven and a half hours later we reached Gilmans Point at 5685m. I was exhausted, slightly delirious and felt ready to drop. The incredible and inspirational sight of the dawn breaking, a few minutes rest and encouragement from the guides and I was ready to start off again to make the final leg of the journey towards the summit. This would be a journey around the rim of the crater to Africa's highest point.

The rest of the journey would be entirely made on snow and ice, which was all a bit surreal. After a while the temptation to sit or lie down and just have a little rest was growing stronger. I was getting a headache and was starting to experience problems with my vision. All of these are classic symptoms of altitude sickness or a normal Saturday night so I decided to carry on. I didn't want to get that close and not make it. "Tiny steps to climb a mountain, just lots of tiny steps to climb a mountain", was the mantra I had going round in my head to keep going. At these times I thought of my friends and family and everyone who had been so generous with their sponsorship. It really did make a difference.

Blah, blah blah, stop banging on about climbing a bloody mountain for f**ks sake! If anyone is still reading I apologise but I'm trying to get across something of what it was like but it's taking a while. Maybe the editor will split it in two like Kill Bill or just take out the boring stuff.



Reaching the summit was the most amazing experience of my life. So many emotions were flying around it's very difficult to put into words how I felt and I'm not even sure I want to. We had fifteen minutes or so at the top and were then told that we needed to get off the mountain before our brain cells started to swell and die in great numbers. Hmmm, nice. It's only then as you start off that the realisation that you've got to climb all the way back down really starts to sink in. Where is my damn helicopter you bitch? You're so focused on getting to the top that you don't think about the climb back down at all until you start it. Just as well really, cause you'd probably never bloody do such a stupid thing in the first place if you did.

I got back down to Kibo huts at about 1.30pm, ready to collapse. Literally. But it's ok, no really it is. Feel that sarcasm? We had lunch, a whole hour to get our shit together and then set off on another three to four hours trek back to Horombo huts. Just what we were looking forward to.

Day 8

Today we trek back through the heath lands, the rainforest and out of the Kilimanjaro National Park and through the gate where it all began. We get back to a hotel where we have the most welcome shower I think I'll ever experience followed by a celebration dinner. We had a really good success rate, most people made it although there were a few causalities and a stretcher case but nothing that no one won't get over

Day 9

On the last day we journey, on a slightly better bus, to Nairobi through the plains of Africa which was like going through a BBC wildlife documentary, without the wildlife. I did see a Giraffe though, if that counts. Beautiful scenery, awesome.

Before reaching the airport we visited a VSO supported project, which provides healthcare for children with HIV and aids living in the slums of Nairobi. It was good to see an example of how your sponsorship was making a real difference to people’s lives. The poverty we saw over there was just breath taking but regardless, all the people I met while there seemed to be happy, friendly and open. That's more than could be said for a lot of us at times.

Day 10 and a couple more.....

Back to London and then drive home. Out for a curry and a couple of beers. Sleep. Spend the next day with the family and then back and work on Monday! Now that part was completely unreal. It was so very strange, coming back to my life when only hours before I'd been in the Nairobi, and hours before that on top of Kilimanjaro! Complete head bender.

Well that was it, it may not feel like it to you but that is the edited highlights. This was my first time doing anything like this and I could not recommend it highly enough. It was incredibly hard, I probably should have done more training but it was soooo worth it. If you don't fancy Kilimanjaro there a plenty of other treks and it's certainly given me a taste for this kind of experience. It certainly will not be my last and when your muscles recover you're left with some great memories, a sense of achievement and something more than that too.

Thanks again for everyone who sponsored me, they have made a real and genuine difference to many peoples lives and helped me to start and actually finish something. Doesn't always happen that way.

Cheers. Rob

Labels: bikesure, climbing, kenya, kilimanjaro, mountain, tanzania, uhuru, vso

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, February 28, 2007
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Remember the SMIDSY post we did previously? The guy driving this car also did a SMIDSTRL (Sorry mate I didn't see the red light).



The guy on the bike might just be the luckiest guy in the world. If you get into a scrape you want to be wearing a high quality helmet and protective clothing.

Of course, the best gear can be expensive, but in the event of an accident you won't have to worry about replacing all your safety gear, so long as you take out our optional helmet and leathers cover.

Labels: bike, bikesure, crash, helmets, insurance, leathers, lucky, video

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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The latest issue of the Insurance Times has an interesting feature on the so called Bennetts "Babes".

Usually Bennetts employ wannabe glamour models, who may look attractive in the right light, but generally know as much about insurance as I do about morris dancing. It seems that Bennetts have realised that having someone from the insurance industry who is both attractive and well-informed on the merits of the various motorcycle insurance policies available would be a good thing.

And so, presumably having failed to find anyone suitable working for them, they've launched a competition to recruit babes from the UK insurance industry.

They must be somewhat regretting having chosen alleged racist bully and Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Danielle Lloyd, to launch their campaign - especially so given her well known history with competitions (She "won" Miss Great Britain before being stripped of the title when it was found she was in a relationship with judge Teddy Sheringham). They've now been forced to cut their losses and dump the hapless glamour girl.

Of course, we already know that the hottest girls in insurance work for us, in the shape of the legendary Flux & Bikesure babes.



For proof of that, you only had to be at Stoneleigh Park last week for the Motorcycle Trade Expo, where men from around the UK bike industry had the opportunity to meet Laura and Jenny, who were there on our behalf, along with Rob, Duncan and Dave McCourt, our dealers rep.

And the dealers and traders were pleasantly surprised to find that OUR babes not only looked stunning, but also genuinely worked for us, knew all about insurance and bikes and even took an interest in their well polished helmets - our helmet and leathers cover is an essential add-on for bikers who want to look after their gear.



Check out our Flickr for more pics of some real insurance babes in action, or check out their website - fluxbabes.co.uk.

Labels: babes, bennetts, big brother, bike, bikesure, danielle lloyd, girls, helmets, insurance, leathers, motorbike, motorcycle, show

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Friday, January 19, 2007
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Brad Pitt has a really cool custom bike, but recently made a first class pratt of himself by filling the chopper's oil tank with petrol right in front of a load of journalists.

There's a full explanation of how Brad managed to cock up along with some juicy pics on the truly excellent and highly recommended Helmethair blog.

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, funny, motorcycle

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, November 06, 2006
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Bikesure have just done a new squidoo lens on radically modified scooters with all the top links a twist and go enthusiast could ever want linked in one place. You can check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/radicalscooters

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, motorcycle, scooter

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, November 06, 2006
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Here are some really annoying questions to ask your mates the next time your in the Pub.

Why are wrong numbers never busy?

If swimming is such good exercise,why are whales so fat?

If nothing sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to pans?

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

If olive oil comes from squeezing olives, how do they make baby oil?

When a agnostic dies, does he go to the 'great perhaps'?

When sign-makers go on strike, do they carry blank picket signs?

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Why are haemorrhoids called 'haemorrhoids' instead of 'asteroids'?

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holand called Holes?

If a tortoise loses it's shell,is it naked or homeless?

If a word in the dictionary was spelled wrong, how would we know?

Is there something you can take for kleptomania?

Do bleached blondes pretend to have more fun?

If the pen is mightier than the sword, and a picture is worth a thousand words, how dangerous is a fax?

Why do people steal hotel towels when hundreds of people have used them to dry their crotches?

Can sexual harassment at work be a problem if you're self-employed?

Is reading on the toilet multi-tasking?

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, funny, motorcycle

link | posted by 1 legged freak at Monday, October 23, 2006
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South Gloucestershire police have been running a campaign called SMIDSY, designed to help educate drivers about bikers and remind them to watch out for and expect bikes.

Here are their top tips for safer riding and staying seen, I've posted their tips for car drivers on the Fluxposure blog.

• Even if your bike is small and low powered, don't ride too close to the kerb if you can help it.
  
  
• Whenever possible, ride so that you can see other vehicles and they can see you - at least midway between the kerb and the central white line - REMEMBER, you may have to adjust this position for on-coming traffic or traffic emerging from a side road.
  
  
• Never assume that another driver has seen you.
  
  
• If in doubt, alter your position and slow down.
  
  
• Consider using your bike’s horn to draw drivers’ attention to your presence.
  
  
• Do not ride between lanes of traffic at high speed. Steady progress is still progress.
  
  
• Remember, cars and vans cannot accelerate from stationary as fast as a motorcycle, so make allowances.
  
  
• Don't tailgate cars, sit away from them and give yourself plenty of space.
  
  
• The road is not a race track and those few riders who treat it as such do a disservice to responsible motorcyclists.
  
  
• Keep your speed appropriate to the road conditions.
  
  
• Be patient, be cautious and enjoy your motorcycling.
  
  
• Wear high visibility clothing and use your lights to improve your visibility to other road users.

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, motorcycle

link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, October 16, 2006
1 comments links to this post

Rob's Quest for Meaning and Getting Himself in Trouble

For some time now I've had this nagging feeling that I just don't do enough. What difference have I ever made? When have I ever really put myself out? What have I ever done that has not just been about pleasing myself? What have I ever really achieved? When have I ever really tested myself and been pushed to my limits and beyond? Call it a mid-life crisis, call it soul searching, call it what you will.

These feelings and voices have steadily grown from a whisper to a loud voice that has become impossible to ignore, impossible to drown out with another beer and demands to be acted upon.
A while ago a guy who wanted motorcycle insurance contacted us. He'd been rising round the world on his bike for the last 5 years raising money for the "VSO" (Volunteer Services Abroad).

This sparked my interest and I did a bit of research on the net about the organisation.
VSO is the largest independent charity in the world, working through volunteers. They work in over 30 countries in the poorest region of the world and instead of sending money, food or clothes, we send people from a range of professions who want to make a difference, building schools, making wells and a whole range of projects to help those far less fortunate than us. VSO volunteers work in six specific areas: HIV and AIDS, disability, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, education, health and well-being and they need to raise money to train these volunteers and get them out there.

I noticed on their site that they do "adventures" where people can raise money through sponsorship for the charity, get to do something that little bit different and challenge themselves in the process. "Hmmm, I thought, sounds interesting". I read on. I saw that they were doing a trek to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world at nearly 20,000 ft, in January 2007. "Cool" I thought, without really thinking about what might be involved, "Sounds like an experience I wouldn't forget, I'll sign up for that".

The catch was that you had to raise a minimum of £3000 to fund the trip and provide a sizeable donation to the charity. That's all well and good but I didn't like the idea of asking people to sponsor me when part of their sponsorship would be going towards me having a possibly life changing (ending) experience. Why should anyone give me money to have a (hopefully) good time? So I had a chat with my conscience and decided to completely finance the whole trip so that 100% of any sponsorship I collect will go to the charity.

So, sign up I did. A few days ago I received confirmation that I'd been accepted and was the 29th person out of a group of 30. Just like me to leave things to the last minute! The pack arrived with lots of useful information and it was only then, after reading the literature cover to cover, that the scale of what I had decided to do without giving it serious thought, hit home. Gulp! This was going to be very, very far from being easy and it became clear that I would need to get into training straight away.

The hike will involve about 40 hours walking, the longest trek being on the final day, taking about 14 hours solid climbing, much of it through the middle of the night, up steep, difficult terrain, with about 50% of the oxygen that occurs at sea level and a really serious risk of altitude sickness! Holy sh*t!

As I write this I'm about to go and buy some hiking gear, plan a training programme and I've just read one guys write up of his personal experience of the ascent. Reading it left my palms sweating, feeling sick and wondering what the hell was I thinking about! This is going to something that I have to take extremely seriously for a change.

Here are a few extracts from his account that'll give you a feel of it:

"Within 10 minutes James was on his way down unable to cope with the path by torchlight. Down on the ground several kilometres below us this would be a laughable excuse, but up here everything was different. I myself was constantly out of breath, each time we stopped I leant heavily on my stick and just tried to take in as much air to my lungs as possible. There was no view to be see, just black and a hundred billon stars above me – not that I noticed them. I was just concentrating on my feet, urging them, willing them to make the next tiny step forward. After about an hour of climbing my head torch suddenly went dim, then out. I carried on by the lights of the people before and behind me. By five in the morning we reached the Hans Meyer we stopped for a break and sweet tea was provided."

"The true summit of Uhuru peak was another 210m up and 2 hours walk away. There was no way I was going to make it and all I wanted now was to get off this mountain - now. This was probably a wise move. I was later told that each year on average 20 people die on the mountain. They wouldn't say how many people make it to hospital before becoming a statistic. I was quickly seen by Margery and she instantly diagnosed High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema. Which was explained to me as water on the lungs. If I had stayed up on the mountain it was likely that I would have drowned at over 5 kilometres up – a different way to go!"

So, there you go and here comes the big ask.....I want and more importantly, need your help! I want to try and raise a total of £5,000 in quite a short space of time. Having got as much sponsorship as I can will help give me the drive to push on where otherwise I might give in. In the dark, in freezing temperatures, both physically and mentally exhausted, knowing that I've got so many people helping me and putting their hands in their pockets will enable me to find reserves of strength and will power that I didn't know I had.

If you feel able and willing, please click on this link and you can make a donation direct to the VSO or you can email me at robert.balls@adrianflux.co.uk to make a donation and I'll get in touch. Any sponsorship or donation, no matter how small will be very gratefully received indeed. Equally, no worries if not and thanks for taking the time for reading this far, if you're still with me that is. Have a good day.


Robert
Business Manager Bikesure Insurance Services

Labels: bike insurance, bikesure, motorcycle

link | posted by cheesey-grin at Friday, October 13, 2006
1 comments