My name is Mike Garrod and I want to become more involved with forums and answer those questions people ask on forums, but dont actually ask the people who know directly.
Ive just completed this on a Sinnis 125 with my colleague Lukas. Hope you dont mind me posting just a link on here - but it would take weeks for me to copy it all over.
I work for Sinnis Motorcycles here in Brighton and I test the bikes as well as being an account manager here. I love my job, mainly because I do believe in what I sell - so I thought I would prove it by doing a stupid adventure on a 125! And a chinese 125 at that.
You may think Im biased? Fair enough, but let me tell you I have tested some crap and Im not afraid to tell you I simply wont sell it - so we dont buy it. Others do - thats up to them.
3200 kms or 2000 miles on two Sinnis 125cc Machines through 7 countries. No breakdowns, the bikes cost £1500 for the Cafe and £1295 for the SP125 and the kit (which could have all been dumped bar the Lomo bag, Twisty ride Iphone holder, Chatterbox Bluetooth set and a decent coverall waterproof suit). Id say not bad at all
Didnt even swap the tyres out for stickier ones and the only maints was a spark plug and a couple of bulbs.
Raised a bit of money for charity too. How bad can it be?
I loved it all - even in the monsoon. I have loads of Go Pro video and Muvi Video that im now editing (we had four cameras)
I woke up the next day wanting to get back out there. Ok, maybe on a 250cc + machine, but thats only because of speed on the motorways. The 125s were perfectly capable on the A roads.
Great experience. And would gladly help anyone else in their quest to do the same
Good effort and good lad! Though I’d like to know how these stand up after a winter of commuting on crap, salt filled London roads. Was (and still am) seriously considering one as a winter hack, just worried I’d get fed up with a 125 fairly quickly. But then there is something refreshing about riding a slow bike fast. Good to see so many models and styles available and the price is great to get people into biking.
I’d have one if you want an all year London commuting test dummy
I hear what you are saying about riding a 125 all out - I love it. Ive had many big bikes, but now I love the part of my job that means I can outride the bike. Ok maybe the top speeds are a bit blurggggg but around town nippyness always makes me smile.
You cant filter on a Harley in Brighton haha
Nice one! Admire people that can do something like this for a good cause. I’m too lazy and too ignorant with things like long trips to do something similar.
Always cracks me up when people say this about London I’ve not ridden outside of it much so I guess I’ve been christened by fire. Love the madness though for some reason. But then again I’m a city boy by nature so it must be in my blood
Kudos, well done, looked like a lot of fun, looking forward to the videos.
how did you guys go about raising the cash? do you have a just giving page or something, always happy to support riders for health and happy to sponsor you guys.
make sure you share the vids with us.
Defo agree about the Belgian motorways, worst drive I’ve ever had was on a Belgian motorway, at night, in driving rain, surrounded by lunatics!
Being a country boy at heart the first month of riding in London where hell it took me 2 months to start filtering. Almost sold the bike. Glad I didn’t but I can understand people that don’t do it.
Big congratulations on the ride always good to raise money for charity. Always wandered about the Chinese bikes. Interesting read.
Art, this country adopted the metric system in 1972, get over it! sooner we ditch the miles and stick with km’s the better, leave the yanks as the only ones still using that outdated chaotic imperial nonsense.
why would i want to do that? I just dont agree with the perpetual use of an outdated, archaic, chaotic nonsense of a measurement system when a much better system is here, in use. unlike the euro, different argument to the metric system really, and I am pro pound BTW. And why on earth would i want to speak German?:crying: The metric system was invented by an English bishop in the C17, (John Wilkins by the way). although to be fair, if discussing metric then we should be speaking french as those defining the ‘universal measure’ would have done.
“Whenever Sir John Riggs-Miller, from England; Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson from the USA met together or corresponded on a proposal for a ‘universal measure’ with Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, (usually known simply as Talleyrand) and Jean-Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (usually known simply as Condorcet) from France they did so using the French language.”
The sentimantality of the British and the lack of forward thinking has done us no favours in the past, and continues to hinder progress now, the sooner we catch up the better.
I’ve not ridden outside of it much so I guess I’ve been christened by fire. Love the madness though for some reason. But then again I’m a city boy by nature so it must be in my blood 
