News
Brighton to Ulaanbaatar - 3 weeks, 10,700 miles and 1 Sinnis Apache 125! 15/09/2011
On the 24th August 2011 Anthony Jackson, the marketing man at Sinnis Motorcycles crossed the finish line of the 2011 Mongol Rally in Ulaanbaatar being the 1st motorcycle to cross the line 8 days ahead of schedule all on his Sinnis Apache 125!
Hover over a photo to enlarge it:
Anthony says. "When I suggested this gruelling trip, everyone thought I was joking, I planned it in just 6 weeks and decided to raise money for Leukaemia Research. "Many thought I wouldn't make it on a 125cc let alone one 'built in China' so to finish 1st in record time with zero failures says a lot about Sinnis and what we are about".
Anthony's trip was far from smooth with long waits at border crossings, bribery, long hot days and very difficult, demanding roads where he rode for 14 hrs a day crossing Western Europe, Ukraine, Russia through to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to reach the finish line 10,700 miles away.
Anthony's Sinnis Apache took him to Mongolia in just over 3 weeks riding through as Anthony put's it 'horrific, dangerous roads' down into valleys, crossing desert basins to mountains at 10,000 ft. He even crossed ten rivers one of which he fell in, submerging his bike and all 40 kg's of his gear… Anthony explains "there was no other way to cross & a local insisted I could do it, so I followed him across but it lead to another river and another then he fell in and I had to shut off my throttle so I got washed away by the current and the bike fell in 4 ft of water… I thought it was over but after I drained the airbox and carb she fired up once again; it was an amazing feeling when I thought my Apache was dead".
"I rode alongside camels, children on horseback and met so many locals along the way all mesmerised by me and this bright orange motorcycle; I ate goat, swam naked, got attacked, bribed and threatened… I fell off 9 times one morning in sand and even went over the handlebars; it really was the adventure of a life time…"
Asked about his best and worst moments…
The best moment was in the Altai Mountains sweeping through the beautiful scenery, scraping my engine bars on the tarmac with jade green rivers and snow topped mountains all around to the worst being stuck in a Russian city for 7 hours lost in 37 degree heat… I just ended up back where I started! My exhaust manifold was glowing red hot, I was exhausted and dehydrated; I thought my engine would melt but she just kept going!
Anthony's Apache never failed him or let him down… "It was quite incredible the abuse the Apache was subjected too; I carried a spare shock mounted to the front and the front tyre touched it so much it wore through 10 layers of wrap and wore the spring down to the bare metal! Mongolia and its corrugated tracks killed many cars and bikes on the rally yet I had zero problems or failures… I didn't even replace a cable and the standard tyres took me 8000 miles! I easily could have washed it and rode her home again, quite remarkable and all on a machine that cost less than £1800! "I donated the bike to charity at the end and although happy I left the Apache with a heavy heart as we had been though so much together!"
"I hope that people will see that they don't need a huge £10,000 motorcycle to go on a real adventure; I did this in record time on a 125cc and there's no reason why others can't do the same… So grab a Sinnis Apache, throw on your luggage and enjoy the ride!
You can follow Anthony's journey via his page www.facebook.com/anthonysadventure or support his cause at www.justgiving.com/antjack55 to help raise money for leukemia Research.
iPhone App '24/7 Bike Claims Assistant' on MCN news! 02/09/2011
Our new iPhone app is now availible on the iTunes Store. It is also on MCN News! Check it out here:
MCN News - Rampdale iPhone release first ever Bike Claims App!
Brighton to Russia on a 125 and still going! 17/08/2011
Anthony Jackson is on a mammoth journey for charity across all sorts of terrain to the capital of Mongolia, on a Chinese built Sinnis Apache 125! So far he's ridden all the way from Goodwood in England 7,000 miles through 11 countries on his was to Mongolia.
Hover over a photo to enlarge it:
Anthony.
Anthony's Bike.
Touch up on the bike and a break.
Currently Anthony and the Apache have made it to Barnaul - his last city in Russia before reaching the Mongolian border, saying "I travelled across France, Belgium , Germany then into Czech Republic, through Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, then Poland... Ukraine and now Russia.". Riding as much as 14 hours in a day and covering as much as 2,500 miles in just 4 days both bike and rider are being tested like never before.
He's been chased away from campsites and forced to wait at borders for days as he chose not to pay the $1,000 to $2,000 fines for apparent 'invalid paperwork' but he's kept his nerve and made it through with just the delay.
The only issues he has had with the bike, apart from the school boy error of running out of fuel in Germany, has been with a fork leg. Anthony managed to damaged it when servicing the bike in a car park, but was fortunate enough to get a replacement part from a local dealer in the Ukraine. Very handy considering he doesn't have a support vehicle.
Describing the current leg of the Mongol Rally Anthony says "Russia been tough, hot, dirty, smoggy & literally thousands of trucks trying to push u out of the way! Police everywhere, there's nowhere to buy food just filling stations... I'm coughing up black dirt!... I've covered most if southern Russia In a few days, am very tired but bike been great!"
Anthony says the quality of the roads has been degenerating throughout the journey, and they actually disappear when he crossed the last border to Mongolia saying "Unfortunately the border I'm registered with has very bad roads… i.e. none.", so this is when the challenge steps up a gear!
Anthony has had to rely on his gear supplied by many sponsors including Ocford Products, Akito, Nitro, LS2 helmets, Lazer helmets, Silkolene, Putoline, Forcefield armour, Lloyd Lifestyle and many dealers have all played their part and I am so grateful!"
You can follow Anthony's journey via his page www.facebook.com/anthonysadventure or support his cause at www.justgiving.com/antjack55 to help raise money for leukemia Research.
Sinnis rides to Mongolia! 08/07/2011
Brighton based Sinnis Motorcycles has been growing strong over the last 6 years and has gained a strong reputation for reliability and high quality with over 100 of the UK's biggest dealers.
Anthony Jackson, the marketing man behind the Sinnis motorcycles brand has decided to take it upon himself to ride a Sinnis Apache 125cc all the way to Mongolia for leukaemia Research! Despite his limited experience Anthony will cross 12 countries and camp every night. He will aim to cover 240 miles per day without support crossing some of the earth's toughest terrain crossing mainland Europe, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.
On arrival he will donate all his gear and motorcycle to an outreach charity in Mongolia. Anthony explains: "I never planned to undertake such a huge task initially but what better way to raise money for charity while at the same time pushing my boundaries and demonstrating that you don't need a £20,000 motorcycle to get within a whisper of China".
Anthony's machine is a 2010 model Sinnis Apache supermoto with only a heavy duty chain and rack fitted to carry the 30 Kilos of gear that will be needed over the 6 - 7 week trip. You can follow Anthony's journey via his page on Facebook or support his cause at www.justgiving.com
If you would like to donate please leave Anthony a message with Rampdale in brackets, so he knows how you heard about his brave adventure.
"Leukaemia and Lymphoma research do an amazing job and I just want to try and raise as much as I can and hopefully get my Apache all the way to Ulaanbaatar 10,500 miles away!"
On behalf of Rampdale, Becky will be making regular updates on Anthonys progress.
RAMPDALE RAISE £500.00 FOR HELP FOR HEROES 16/02/2011
We are proud to announce that whilst at the Bike Expo in January we raised over £500 for the Help For Heroes charity. Philip Rose came up with the idea of collecting for his favourite charity a few months ago, and as well as selling the Help for Heroes wristbands we also ran a number of televised horse race events where again money raised was given to the charity.
Philip says the Help for Heroes charity first came to his attention in The Sun newspaper in 2008 and he is a strong believer of more help being given to our brave men and women who do such an amazing job serving in the forces when they return home. Phil was delighted with the success of the support for the charity at the Expo and would like to thank the girls at Rampdale for all the hard work in helping collect such a great amount, along with the generosity of everyone who attended the Expo for digging deep to support such a worthwhile charity.
If you would like to know more about the Help For Heroes charity or to donate online please visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk
RAMPDALE AT EXPO 2011 16/02/2011
Rampdale were yet again present at the annual Bike Expo in Birmingham from 23 - 25 January 2011 and as usual we had fantastic feedback from both our current dealers and potential new dealers as well as meeting up with many old faces at the other stands.
BRITISH SUPERBIKES VIP TICKET WINNER 20/10/2010
Rampdale are very pleased to reveal that the winner of the 2 VIP tickets to the final round of the British Superbikes 2010 race day at Oulton Park on 10th October 2010 was 19 year old Scott Johnson who qualified to be entered into our prize draw due to taking out legal cover with us when setting up his Insurance policy.
Our Business Development Manager Dion Ling travelled to see Mr Johnson in early October to award him with the 2 VIP tickets, and Scott is pictured above receiving his prize from Dion.
Scott explained to us that he actually has friends who race at the Oulton Park track and was therefore very excited to have his name pulled out of the draw from the thousands of customers who took out an Insurance policy and legal cover with us between 15th July and 30th September 2010.
We are sure Scott and his companion had a fantastic day at Oulton Park, and please keep checking back at rampdale.com for our next prize giveway!
Article by Paul Baggott 08/09/2010
We keep on hearing about times being tough at the moment but, for motorcyclists, the expression that "every cloud has a silver lining" is particularly appropriate. Simply put, there's never been a better time to buy a new bike.
On the one hand, energetic and innovative manufacturers like Britain's own Triumph concern and BMW Motorrad have increasingly been giving the likes of Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki a real run for their money with a plethora of highly attractive and keenly-priced new models loaded with all the latest technology. As a result, the choice of bikes available on the market - across all the various style categories - is probably the best ever. And it has to be said that innovation and excellence pays, because while UK motorcycle sales as a whole have been down by quite a big margin so far this year, both Triumph and BMW have been cheerfully bucking that trend.
But the fact that sales are down overall is a big bonus too, because it's become very much a buyer's market in response. Dealers' showrooms are packed with plenty of new stock which they need to shift before the summer season ends. So almost all prices are thoroughly negotiable and you can ride away with some truly incredible bargains if you're prepared to haggle.
Also driving down the cost of motorcycling to you is the widespread availability of promotional consumer credit offers to kickstart sales. Minimal deposits and zero-per-cent finance used to only apply to particularly slow-moving showroom dust-gatherers but now, when virtually everything's potentially in that league, such offers are been advertised across entire ranges by many of the leading marques. And in most cases you can add new leathers, helmets, boots and other accessories onto the bike within the same finance package.
Yet another bonus factor is that, despite a decline in new bike sales, the motorcycle trade is currently suffering from a serious shortage of good-quality secondhand machines because that particular market is very buoyant. In part this has been driven by the weakness of the pound against the euro, encouraging dealers from other European countries to boost their secondhand stock by buying up bikes in Britain, usually at trade auctions. The rules of supply and demand therefore mean that such machines increase in value. So when you trade-in your old bike against a new one it's now worth more than you might expect.
All these elements add up to make a pretty neat equation. Working that out and getting the right answer - a purchase decision - really isn't difficult.
CHINA PARTS WIN RPD 13/07/2010
The winners of the Rampdale Prize Draw for the months of May-June 2010 are China Parts from Hobson in Newcastle. We contacted Pippa Robson in early July and she was delighted to hear they had won £100.00 in high street vouchers. China Parts are a specialist parts company who also sell a number of different Kinroad bikes on ebay.
Our next prize draw will be held at the end of August, and as always ANY dealer with 10 or more successful referrals for the months of July/August will automatically be entered into our draw for the chance to win £100.00 in high street vouchers.
BRITISH SUPERBIKES VIP TICKETS WINNER 15/06/2010
We are pleased to announce that the winner of the 2 VIP tickets to the British Superbikes Race day at Mallory Park on 27th June is Terence Simpson.
Terence was chosen at random from the thousands of customers who took out insurance with ourselves between 1st March – 31st May 2010, and he is pictured below with Assistant Dealer Manager Becky Woodcock who visited him in early June to hand over his prize.
We are sure Terry and his lucky companion will have a great day, and check back at Rampdale.com for future competitions we will be running!
The Trade Centre Win RPD for March/April 28/05/2010
As you know Rampdale run a prize draw every couple of months and we are pleased to announce the winners for March/April are The Trade Centre from Cannock.
Our dealer team went to see The Trade Centre on 7th May in Cannock town centre where they had a big display showing the wide range of bikes they sell. The Business Development Manager Dion Ling is seen above with Matt from the Trade Centre who was on hand to collect their prize of £100.00 in High Street Vouchers.
Our next prize draw will take place at the end of June 2010 and any dealer with 10 or more referrals for the months of May and June will automatically be entered into the prize draw where the winner will receive £100.00 in High Street Vouchers.
Please take a look at The Trade Centre / Used Car Values website to see the variety of bikes they sell.
NEW DEALER TEAM 07/04/2010
Carwyn Llewellyn, known to our affiliates as their main point of contact, has moved on to pastures new and we would like to thank him for all he has done for us and wish him well in his future endeavours.
Taking over from him as our new Business Development Manager is Dion Ling, who many will be familiar with due to his various visits to our dealers and appearances at the Bike expos.
Rampdale Insurance would also like to welcome Rebecca Woodcock as our new Assistant Dealer Manager. Becky has been working at Rampdale for 2 years and we would like to wish both Dion and Becky all the best in their new positions.
RAMPDALE RESCUE 01/04/2010
We've teamed up with Equity Redstar to offer our customers a breakdown service, which will cover you locally, nationally and even across Europe. So wherever you go on your travels, you will have peace of mind.
EXPO 2K10 26/01/2010
The team at Rampdale would like to thank everyone who came to visit our stand at the Motorcycle Trade EXPO in Birmingham last month.
For the last 3 years we have found the EXPO to be an excellent forum for meeting and listening to feedback from our colleagues in the bike industry. The EXPO also gave us a great opportunity to make new contacts and we look forward to a great 2010!
>> Scooter Giveaway!
While at the EXPO we ran a prize draw competition where we gave away a Lexmoto Zoom 2 scooter, and we're pleased to announce the winner, Terry Williams from The Motorcycle Outlet.
Our Business Development Manager, Carwyn Llewellyn, went to deliver the scooter to Terry at The Motorcycle Outlet's premises.
The Motorcycle Outlet, based in Kent, sell a wide range of 50, 125 and 250 scooters and motorcycles, along with a select range of accessories. Visit http://www.themotorcycleoutlet.co.uk for more details.
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