Username Kate has joined the Bikesure family. Our new brand ambassador, a rising YouTube star, shares her motorcycling journey so far and her hopes for the future.
Influence of ‘Username Dad’
Kate Ralph, who lives in Bolton and works in Manchester, has been around bikes for as long as she can remember.
Long before she started producing online content that follows her life working in the industry and features test rides, bike and product reviews as well as adventures with her father – fondly known as Username Dad – Kate could only look on admiringly at his two-wheel machines.
“There’s pictures of me as a toddler holding a sponge and helping clean my dad’s motorbike so I’ve always been around them,” said Kate, now 29.
“I used to ride pillion on his bike and get dropped off at school. People were like ‘wow, a motorbike’ and I’d get dropped off and feel like the dog’s danglies walking through the playground. I did my CBT at 16 but my first scooter was terrible. It was blue with an orange flame sticker and started without a key and was dead cheap.
“My dad was pretty strict at first and would only let me ride stuff that was pretty tame. But I’ve worked my way up and now I’m just itching to get out and ride and explore and produce the content that’s on my content calendar.
“It’s just surreal to be doing it with Bikesure and being an ambassador like Foggy. He’s an absolute legend and hopefully I can show things about riding from a different angle. I’m really excited about maybe, hopefully, doing some things with him. Dad would be pretty impressed.”
Working for big brands
It was his passion for motorbikes that started the love affair which has helped her become our first female ambassador. She joins Superbike legend Carl Fogarty, a long-term face of the company, in representing us.
Kate has been riding for 13 years and is considered an industry insider after working in clothing departments and then sales roles for brands like Harley-Davidson, Ducati and BMW, who she joined in March 2020.
Username Kate works for BMW motorcycle dealership Williams Mottorad.
Almost 1.5 million views
Her Username Kate channel has more than 15,000 subscribers and her videos have amassed almost 1.5million views. Despite only vlogging for three years, Kate has also built up an army of fans on Instagram who enjoy following her biking journey.
Her profile is set to rise further after she agreed to represent us – a broker that has been providing specialist motorbike insurance since before she was born.
The rising YouTube star hopes she can inspire a new generation of female riders after jumping at the chance to agree a partnership.
‘I’m just being me’
“It’s all been a bit of a surprise,” smiled the sales executive who owns a Triumph Street Triple 765 RS, Suzuki GSXR 750 K6 track bike and Beta Alp 200.
“I never expected it to go wild. I started filming really as a bit of a personal diary to look back on things when I did a Euro trip in 2017. I wanted my mum and dad to be able to watch what I’d done and where we’d been. I never thought about trying to become a YouTuber or an influencer. I hate even using those words.
“I uploaded a few videos, there was a flood of comments that I replied to and the majority were really friendly, and I just started making more videos. I don’t really get why it’s taken off but my partner says people like me and the random stuff I come out or do. But I’m just me being me.
“I never expected something like this to happen with Bikesure and I was taken aback when they got in touch. It’s a really good opportunity for me and if I can inspire more women to ride, or even short people as I always get told I’m so small to be riding these massive bikes, then that would be brilliant. There’s plenty of women riding now but we’re still under represented and I’d love to help more get into riding.”
Kate’s top five vlogs
1 – First impressions of riding a BMW R1250 GS Rallye TE
2 – Are BMW going for a slice of the American cruiser market? (2021 BMW R18)
3 – A day around the Lake District on a KTM 790 Duke
4 – BMW R1250 RS Sport – better than the R1250 GS?
5 – 1,000 Mile Owner’s Review – Triumph Street Triple 765 RS 2019
Motorcycle insurance
If you’re riding a bike like Kate, or something a little different, make sure it’s fully insured with Bikesure.
