Bikesure @ BMF 2009
After a stunning April of hot weather and high pollen counts, it was soon May.......I had been hoping for much of the same as we packed the car up and headed to the Peterborough BMF. I was wrong
Rain.........all that was forecast was rain. I really shouldn't have got my hopes up as for the last 10 years the heavens have opened on the show on now less than 8 occasions!
We didn't really need the sat nav as being based in Kings Lynn the journey took less than an hour...including a quick stop at Tescos for "refreshments"....cough, cough!
Tagging along with the me in the Bikesure posse were Jon (quote clerk), Jemma (PA and flux babe ) and Laura ( renewals staff and flux babe ). Bringing glitz, glamour and muscle to the show (and that was just the girls)
Bikesure hoodies line up for their mugshot
A quick check in at the hotel and we all convened for a couple of beers and a chat, mainly about hair, make up and clothes.........we were soon joined by the girls ( these jokes don't get any better )
Saturday morning and me and Jon arrived at the showground with Bikesure tent in hand. After doing these shows for over a year now the setting up took all of 3 minutes.
Just before the heavens opened we were joined by the girls and with laptops in hand we were up and running with quotes!
We like red
Now I know what you readers of this blog like to see and its not pictures of us working. So to rush things along I will let you know that we had a blast, sold policy's and gave out loads of freebies.
I never knew you could spend £8.50 on pic n mix but I did!
We met loads of people over the weekend and a few familiar faces. Special mention to Mo from the Bandit Owners club (of which we are the official insurer ) who kept us going with tea and coffee. Also a shout out to that BMF man who lent us the use of the buggy.....good work!
As the company are getting bigger and better, we hope to keep attending this show as many years as possible. So be sure to pop into the red tent next time your down and come say hi
Here come the girls............
The girls about to be jumped by a crazy man in pink glasses
Bandits
The less said about the last photo the better.....but what a lovely white fence!!!
Grant
Labels: Adrian Flux, babes, bikesure, BMF, funny, girls, motorbike, motorcycle, trike insurance, wr250, young rider insurance
link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Friday, May 29, 20090 comments links to this post
Bikesure at MAG "into the valley"
As MAG's official insurer, we were invited to East Yorkshire to attend “into the valley”. A two day event on the grounds of the Sledmere estate. Its a chance for MAG members and friends from around the country to turn up, set up camp and drink.
On arrival we were quick to put the Bikesure stand up and may I say with military precision. Its fair to say we are seasoned pro's at this now. It was the usual plan of action for the weekend, give out quotes, hand out goody bags and generally talk insurance!
No sooner had we placed the free sweets on the table we were inundated with people. Now I'm sure some of these people wanted to talk insurance and generally tell us how wonderful we are but truth is it was all about the sweets!
The weather held out to be a beautiful sunny weekend which for a bank holiday came at more of a shock that Jons choice in music on the drive up.
Around us were stands ranging from helmet sales, camp shops and even a kilt stand! Yea, that's right kilts! Other attractions included the
“best in show”, comedians,live bands and the odd drunk biker littered around the site.All in all we had a fantastic time in Yorkshire, from learning there is nothing like mobile phone signal and that the nearest shop in 7 miles away. I would also recommend a pint and a bite to eat in the Triton Inn just round the corner. Biker friendly and easy to find I would rate it 10/10.
This show is only one of a number that fill the calender this year. You are entitled up to a 15% discount from your insurance when you join MAG. Proof that it pays to be a member of one of the biggest rider organisations in the UK.
Grant
Labels: Adrian Flux, cheaper motorcycle insurance, mag, Motorcycle Racing, streetfighters, young rider insurance
link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Wednesday, May 27, 20090 comments links to this post
Bikesure at Taz Motorcycles - Peterborough
Saturday 13th September saw us invited down to Taz motorcycles in Peterborough for their open weekend.
Taz Motors is East Anglia’s largest motorcycle dealership and the areas only Aprilia centre. Taz has a reputation of outstanding service with their supply of new and used motorcycles, a fantastic service centre and a clothing department stocking all the top names in clothing and accessories.
Taz Motors is East Anglia’s largest motorcycle dealership and the areas only Aprilia centre. Taz has a reputation of outstanding service with their supply of new and used motorcycles, a fantastic service centre and a clothing department stocking all the top names in clothing and accessories.
As their official recommended insurer we were there to offer quotes for the weekend, give insurance advise and hand out goodie bags.
Oh did I mention we were joined by Chelle and Laura to offer a bit of class and sophistication to the event?
The hardest task of the weekend had to be trying to get them off the bouncy castle, it was mainly the kids complaining, the dads seemed to cheer!
So if your in the area and looking for a great deal on your new or used bike then Taz is the place to go!
Many thanks for making us feel welcome all weekend and thanks for the sandwiches!
Grant
Labels: Adrian Flux, bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, motorcycle, motorcycle test, taz, taz motorcycles, young rider insurance
link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Friday, September 19, 20080 comments links to this post
Bikesure FC
And you thought we just sit on our backsides all day........and you would be right but hang on....
After narrowly missing out on the signature of Robinho it was business as usual for Bikesure FC!
Bikesure F.C was formed last year due to the fact there was nothing else to do on a Thursday evening but drink ( which isnt a bad thing ). We meet every Thusday evening at the local astro turf and attempt to pass ourselves off as footballers for an hour.
So if theres anyone out there who wants to take on the might and power of Bikesure FC, kindly bugger off because were rubbish!!!
Meet the team
Kyle "Minty" Benefer - like Hayley's comet, can be seen passing once every 75 years
Dean "Egg" Twiddy - passing to him is like kicking it against a brick wall, could go anywhere
John "Turbo" Mellish - Faster then Usain Bolt over 100 metres - fact!
Pete "Zilla" Sanctuary - one of those annoying blokes who is good at everything!
Matthew "soppy b***ocks" Sopp - can often be seen shouting the odd swear word at his team, apparently for encouragement!
Phil "philski" Owen - more tricks up his sleeve then Paul Daniels - that's magic!
Grant "welsh wizard" Varnham - lob me a ball from 70 yards and i'll slot it home, pass it to me in front of an open goal and over the bar it goes!
Richard "the horn" Rowsell - started off looking like Mr Tickle, now more like Mr tackle ( granted that does sound a bit odd )
Jason " the fridge " Masters - big bloke, rubbish centre of gravity....goes down more than........um...........um..............Reading.
Tom " Cassius " Clay - that one player in your team that thinks he has the tricks then always falls on his arse - to the great pleasure of the rest of the team!
Adam " Holbinho " Hollinger - seems to be absolutely fascinated by his feet, always starring at them, even when he passes
Harry " Sports Bra " O'Donnell - imagine watching a Linford Christie's lunch box running the 100 metres, now imagine him with man boobs.......Harry!
Rob " Chopper " Balls - hell of a right foot ping on him, unfortunately hell of a nack of tackling......even without the ball being anywhere near him....amazing!
Duncan " Liability " Garrick - often gets voted the man of the match.......for the opposing team!
Kevin "big man " Lee - frustrated striker, the bloke is 7 foot tall but has a head like a 50p - when he pulls back for a strike, the force can be felt as far as Luton.
Labels: Adrian Flux, bike, bike insurance, bikesure, cheaper motorcycle insurance, chinese scooter, compulsory basic training, quad, quad bike, quad insurance, sportsbikes, young rider insurance
link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Friday, September 05, 20080 comments links to this post
Bikesure at the BMF Peterborough
Its been a while but I'm back!!
( I mean the girls....not Jon )
Thanks for all the lovely cards and gifts...who am I kidding, the only post I got was bloody bills!
I digress.......
The 17th and 18th of May saw thousands of bikers descend on the Peterborough showground for the biggest outdoor bike event of the 2008 calender. Attending for the first time was Bikesure and to make sure we got noticed we invited 2 of our Flux babes along to make me and Jon look good. If your not familiar with the Flux babes...SHAME on you.....they are a collection of beautiful woman who accompany us to numerous shows in the year and they all actually work for the company!.....see below 2 good reasons why I love coming to work.
( I mean the girls....not Jon )The whole show was set out so that the girls went out and gave out our goody bags full of sweets, key rings, magazines and bike stands....no expenses spared! Whilst me and Jon were offering free quotations there and then to anyone on anything!
Needless to say the tradition of the good old British weather having its say on the Saturday didn't disappoint. The heavens decided to open and it pi**ed it down on the Saturday but that didn't seem to put off the thousends that came flooding through the door.
As a whole it was good to see so many Bikesure goody bags being carried around the show and the quotes we did on the day seemed to be very well received by the public. An ever growing sign that Bikesure Insurance are becoming a major contender in the motorcycle, quad,trike and custom bike market.
We plan to be at the BMF next year but a lot bigger and better so put this date in your diary and make sure you come say hi.....or just grab loads of freebies!!
Grant
Labels: Adrian Flux, babes, bike insurance, BMF, cheaper motorcycle insurance, custom bike, young rider insurance
link | posted by Bikesure Grant at Thursday, May 22, 20080 comments links to this post
Bikesure Staff do CBT
Unlike many bike insurance companies, many of our staff are enthusiastic bikers, who like nothing more than a good ride out and are far happier on two wheels than four. So when we hire staff who aren't already bikers, we feel we have to do our bit and help them get bitten by the biking bug, too. So, as well as their exhaustive insurance and underwriting training, which lasts several months, we round up all the trainee staff who aren't already into bikes, and send them off to do their Compulsory Basic Training (CBT).
As you can imagine, letting a bunch of novices loose on a bike often has hilarious consequences, so we got the latest batch of
CBT: Richard Rowsell
The day was 14th June 2007 when I took my CBT...
The phrase that I repeated most during this experience would be "oh cock", let me explain.
On the morning of the 14th I called M.I.C.K.S (Riding School - apparently it's supposed to stand for Motorcycle Instruction Course Keep Safe, but since it's run by a guy called Mick, we're guessing he was a C.Hi.P.S. fan) to see if there are any spaces, I found that there was an opening later that day at 13:15.
13:05 - Arrived at M.I.C.K.S
13:20 - Given brief about what we will be doing and reassured that all will be ok and have fun
13:40 - Taken to the off road area to try out the bikes, completed the moving off and stopping section. We were allowed to go down a track and back that I did several times at high speed with no problems. Here comes the first "oh cock"... I went down a part with loose stones and turned around, I moved off and changed up the gears but missed a gear change and massively over revved causing me to think "oh cock, this isn’t good" so I grabbed the front brake and due to the big stones we were on, buried the bike into the floor. I continued forward but luckily kept upright, leaving the bike in a cloud of dust.
// Damage Report - Electrics OK - Foot peg Bent - Gear Lever is now at new Snazzy Angle - Front Left Indicator is Hanging Off - Front Light at Funny Angle \\
14:30 - Taken back to base where lots of Gaffer Tape was the order of the day... followed by several minutes of bending the gear lever into a less interesting position
14:50 - Said to Julie (An instructor) "I may have dropped the bike" Got told, "you're not a biker as you have to crash 3 times to earn the title of biker"
Sulked for 20 minutes…
15:10 – Taken out on road on recently repaired (if Gaffer tape counts) bike, although the gear lever is still at a funny angle
15:15 – First junction, buggered up clutch and pulled a mini wheelie!
15:40 – 60mph side road, getting overtaken by massive lorries. This is scary as hell, as my mirrors don’t even show anything behind me, as they are rubbish {we are going at 35mph}
15:55 – Radio contact is lost!
16:00 – Car overtakes me and cuts me off from the group so I cannot see the instructor and he cannot see me
16:46 – Other pupil in front of me stalls the bike on a big junction, the instructor is the other side of the road
17:25 – QE Hospital roundabout – Instructor goes straight on, other pupil goes round the whole roundabout! "oh cock" I know to go straight on but follow to keep her company just in case she panicked.
17:40 – CBT COMPLETED
Thanks goes to Rob “the Bossman” Balls for the opportunity to do this.
Labels: cbt, chinese scooter, compulsory basic training, learner bikes, learner legal, learning to ride, moped, motorcycle instruction, teenage rider insurance, young rider insurance
link | posted by Dave Wilson at Monday, June 18, 20070 comments links to this post