Bikesure Blog

The motorcycle racing calendar kicks off in just a few weeks and is set to bring a packed year of action, from World Superbikes leading the charge in Australia in February through to MotoGP in Valencia rounding off the year in November.

Sandwiched in the middle of the action, on the last weekend of August, comes the Isle of Man Classic TT, a celebration of motorbike racing’s glorious past on a course that still sets records and draws crowds every year. Each summer thousands of people descend on the island to watch icons and bikes of yesteryear tackle the famous 37¾-mile route, and this time around will be no different.

Sitting amongst the grandstand crowds this year will be three of Bikesure’s dealer network members; competition winners awarded weekend tickets for two, ferry transport and the use of camping facilities on the island. The three winners were chosen from the shortlist of 200 dealers who each received a ‘golden ticket’ invite to the Motorcycle Expo trade show, recently held in Coventry.

Our first winner, Mike Garrod, 39, who works for Sinnis Motorcycles in Brighton, told us: “I’ve always wanted to go to the Classic TT because classic bikes are my real passion, so it’s incredible to finally get the chance to head down there.

“I’ll be taking my girlfriend Carla with me – we’re both huge bike fanatics and love taking part in the bike scene here in Brighton each summer, so we can’t wait to soak up some of the sun and festival atmosphere at the TT.”

Alan Poole, 45, from SBT Motorcycle Training in Hertfordshire, is also relishing the chance to visit a TT thanks to Bikesure: “I’ve been to the TT once before and loved every second of it. I wasn’t planning on going this year, so it’s come as a great surprise for me and my son Greg.”

Kevin Thomas, 50, owner of KevsBikes near Merthyr Tydfil, was equally thrilled with his prize. “I’ve been riding motorbikes for about 30 years but have never been to a Moto GP or anything like it, so the Classic TT is about the best introduction to racing I could have hoped for,” he said.

“The bike garage I’ve been running for the past 20 years takes up a lot of my time, so the trip is going to be a lovely chance for me and my wife Caroline to get out of the garage for the weekend and see some wonderful old bikes.”

In January, Bikesure won Motorcycle Trader’s Insurance Provider of the Year award thanks to its work with an extensive dealer network. Gerry Bucke, General Manager at Bikesure, has said how delighted he is to be able to distribute prizes to the network:

“The dealer network has been vital to our success over the years, so it’s been great to get the chance to reward the efforts of the people who make it all possible.

“The Classic TT is a fantastic event, and the weekend will give our dealers a chance to get out of their offices and garages to experience the very best that biking has to offer – I’m very jealous!”

Bikesure has been providing insurance quotes for all makes and models of bike for over 20 years, and we’ve seen more than our fair share of classics. Whether your bike is vintage classic fit for the August TT, or a performance bike primed for the event’s big brother in June, we can find you a quote to suit.

To get more information on all of our policies, and to get your free quote today, fill out a callback form on the site or call us now on 0800 369 8580.

It’s always nice to get the year off to a winning start, and 2015 has kicked off with Bikesure being awarded the Insurance Provider of the Year Award by Motorcycle Trader magazine.

Seeing off stiff competition from all the big names in the motorcycle insurance industry, Bikesure’s award win was revealed in the January/February issue of the trade magazine.

Explaining how Bikesure was selected for the prize, Jenni Foulkes, Editor of Motorcycle Trader, said: “We shortlisted a number of motorcycle-specific insurance providers ourselves early on in the process and then conducted a telephone poll amongst members of the motorcycle trade to choose a winner.

“Thanks to its dedicated trade service and dealer referral scheme, Bikesure was frequently named as a preferred provider by the dealers we spoke to, making it a clear and deserving champion with a big portion of the final votes.”

The coveted plaque

Since opening its doors over 20 years ago, Bikesure has developed a network of dealers across the UK, helping to provide customers with competitive insurance locally. The large and varied insurance panel that Bikesure works with means that the dealer network now extends to practically all makes and models of bike across the country, and Gerry Bucke, Bikesure’s General Manager, believes this relationship was key to winning the award.

“All of us at Bikesure are delighted to have won this award, and it is testament not only to the quality of the insurance that we have been offering, but also the hard work and dedication of our staff, insurers and the entire dealer network.

“We’ve been offering bikers around the UK insurance for just over two decades now, and the dealer network we’ve built up over that time has been a key part of our success. The great relationship we have with our nationwide dealers and the support we’ve given their customers over the years has undoubtedly worked in our favour when they chose a winner.”

With the award plaque now taking pride of place in the Bikesure offices, everyone at the broker is looking forward to a successful year and hopefully many more awards to come.

Bikesure’s Tom Clay and Grant Varnham with the award

The freethinking motorcycle insurance specialist, Bikesure advocates safe motorcycling. BikeSafe is a nationwide motorcycle safety project run by most police forces in the UK. The main aim of the BikeSafe scheme is to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and injuries, and to make the roads safer.

The most recent figures from the Department for Transport in Great Britain show that motorcyclist casualties dropped by 2 percent in 2011. There was also a 1 percent decrease in the amount of motorcyclist fatalities or serious injuries in the same period. Although the figures are heading in the right direction the number of casualties and fatalities are still high and have room to be reduced further. The BikeSafe scheme encourages motorcyclists to take responsibility for their own safety, training and re-training.

The BikeSafe schemes explore the main issues facing bikers on the roads today as well as advanced riding techniques. They aim to improve biker’s skills, knowledge and hazard awareness in order to make riding safer, as well as more enjoyable.

BikeSafe encourages bikers to continue their training and development after they pass their test. Regardless of when you passed your test skills can always be improved in order to make riding safer. Many crashes and incidents on the road are avoidable and often involve basic mistakes or errors of judgement. The BikeSafe scheme aims to reduce these and hone skills.

The practical element of the full-day workshop is an on-road assessed ride, with the BikeSafe Observer providing one-to-one guidance and feedback on strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas that can be improved and developed.

The scheme also holds an annual show. The National BikeSafe show is a celebration of all things motorcycling, with something for all the family. The show includes demo bikes, trade stands, live music, arena, fairground rides, stunt shows, as well as the BikeSafe team. It is held at a different venue around the country each year.