ABR takes on Elephant for charity...

John with his Honda Transalp

Our very own John McLain was featured in Adventure Bike Rider Magazine, the article is about his charity bike ride...

An ex-military ABR, who left the forces due to injury, is doing the Elephant Rally solo, to raise money for Help For Heroes.

40-year-old John Mclain (no, not that one!) is planning to tackle the gruelling Bavarian rally on a Honda Transalp, which will see him cover 3,000 in eight days in the depths of winter, to raise a target £5,000 for the charity.

“I’m a very lucky boy,” says John, sales manager at Phoenix Honda, Grangemouth. “I was injured on duty in N.Ireland, but after a few operations on my hands and leg, I’m fully fit and I’ve still got all my digits."

"Me and my best mate from the military were originally planning to do the Elephant together, but he’s now injured and will be in rehab until the end of January, so I thought why not do the ride for charity? Help For Heroes seems a fitting choice under the circumstances.”

The Transalp Set for the off

John’s journey will take him from his home in Scotland on 25 January through the UK, France, Germany and the Bavarian Alps to reach the Elephant Rally in
Thurmansbang, East Germany, on 27 January, where he plans to camp in sub-zero conditions before departing for the three-day trip home. And just like his namesake, John, aka ‘Yippy’, is well prepared.

“I’ve been fully trained in Artic conditions, and have been fortunate enough to try all my kit in the worst of the Scottish weather,” he explains. “I’ll also be taking the new adventure range of clothing from RST, SIDI adventure boots, and the good old Alpinestar Apex gloves, plus a Snug Bug heated jacket, and an Arctic sleeping bag!”

It’s not all cold comfort for John though. “I’m looking forward to taking my time and enjoying the experience,” he says. “My friends and family all think I’m nuts! But that’s because they don’t have any adventure in them.”

Unlike us lot, eh? To sponsor John got to http://www.bmycharity.com/johnmclain

Also, please remember to "Like" Phoenix on Facebook, and follow what the Motorcycle side is up to on Twitter. 

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Another great year for Phoenix Honda Motorcycles...

Phoenix Honda Motorcycles has once again proved a popular brand within the motorcycle fraternity with our reputation of selling quality bikes continuing to grow.

2011 saw the introduction of three new models in the Crossrunner and Vision 110 along with the ever improving Fireblade that further confirms Hondas ability to cater for all biking needs.

The sales team has now changed and 2012 will see Alistair Watt continue to work alongside the ever present John McLain.

Probably one of our greatest launch nights ever saw over 200 people attend the Charity Launch Night of the all new 2012 Fireblade in association with the charity Help for Heroes. Not only was there full appreciation for this iconic machine, we were able to attract great interest in Johns forthcoming adventure to Bavaria in January, where he will embark on a 3000 mile round trip on one of our own Transalps to the Elephant Rally. All for the Help for Heroes Charity.

2012 will see the introduction of some exciting new models, starting with the new Crosstourer, an Adventure Sports Tourer that boasts the same engine as the VFR1200f with our Dual Clutch Transmission system as an option. The Crosstourer is likely to be launched at the beginning of February so watch this space for further details.

The commuter world will have a greater selection with the introduction of the NC750s and NC750x models along with the exciting Integra Scooter. All the bikes should be in the showroom around Spring. We also have an exciting offer on all 125cc Scooters with prices starting from £2050 for our Commuter Vision package that includes bike clothing and CBT test.

Its going to be a very busy year with lots of bike launches and lots of rideouts to be organised, so come in and don’t miss out.

To keep up with everything that's going on this year, please remember to "Like" Phoenix on Facebook, and follow what the Motorcycle side is up to on Twitter. 

If you've found this post interesting please use the Facebook, Twitter and other Share buttons to pass it on to your on-line community, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.