RAMP is back on track, thanks to Dave Thorpe and Honda UK
A North Yorkshire youth riding project is back from the brink after a theft wiped out its bike fleet, with help arriving from MX legend Dave Thorpe and Honda UK.
A long-running youth riding scheme in North Yorkshire has been thrown a lifeline after a theft threatened to shut it down for good. The Richmond Area Motorcycle Project (RAMP), which has been helping teenagers get into riding the right way for nearly 20 years, lost four of its Honda CRF125F bikes in a break-in late last year.
For a volunteer-run outfit that relies on grants and donations, it was the kind of loss that could have ended the project entirely. Thankfully for the team, help was quick to arrive, with the MX legend, Dave Thorpe, and Honda Motorcycles UK stepping in.
Based out of Risedale School in Catterick, RAMP works with 13 to 19-year-olds, using off-road bikes as a hook to teach road safety, basic maintenance, and the legal side of riding. Sessions run most weekends between March and October, with the wider aim of keeping young people engaged and away from trouble. The scheme is run alongside local youth services and police.
The CRF125F has been central to how RAMP operates, thanks to it being simple, tough, and unintimidating, exactly what you want when introducing new riders to bikes. Losing four in one go left a massive gap, and while one machine was eventually recovered, it came back damaged and in need of a significant overhaul.
A crowdfunding effort is underway, but help has already arrived from an unexpected direction. Three-time 500cc motocross world champion Dave Thorpe stepped in after hearing about the situation and offered a practical fix. Through his Honda Adventure Centre, Thorpe had a batch of year-old CRF125Fs that were due to be rotated out of the fleet. Instead of selling them on, he arranged for them to be loaned to RAMP.
Speaking about the news, Dave Thorpe, said:
“I was so disappointed to read about RAMP’s bikes getting stolen and feel that off-road bike theft is a challenge up and down the country. The CRF125F is a brilliant little bike which we make good use of at the Honda Adventure Centre and, as ours were due for replacement and only 12 months old and in great condition, I figured that we could give them to RAMP on loan to keep their dream, and riding programme alive. Honda UK is in full support and has also offered to supply and pay for a spares package to repair the damage of the one bike that’s been returned. The more young riders that start out the right way off-road the better, I feel and RAMP certainly does just that. Long may they continue.”
Honda UK has backed the move too, committing to supply the parts required to get the recovered bike back on the trails, and will continue to support the project as it gets back on its feet.
The handover has already taken place, with Thorpe delivering the bikes in person. For RAMP, it means the project has gone from staring down the barrel of closure a few months ago to getting ready to run sessions once again.
RAMP isn’t out of the woods yet and is still pushing its fundraising effort to secure its long-term future. But for now, the bikes are back, and sessions can once again get underway.
To find out more about RAMP and the work it does, head to the official Facebook page.
You can check out the courses on offer at the Honda Adventure Centre on the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
