Europe advice

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by mico, Jul 14, 2004.

  1. mico

    mico Guest

    Hi guys & gals,

    I'm off to france and possibly further in a couple
    of weeks and I'm getting conflicting info about
    what to carry re:

    legal stuff like Red Triangle/Spare bulbs/IDP etc.

    Any sensible advice?

    Also I seem to be losing about a psi a night on the
    front tyre - any quick fixes/checks?

    thanks - it's been a while,

    mico

    ThunderCat (needs a clean - london sucks)
     
    mico, Jul 14, 2004
    #1
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  2. Don't bother. Documents may be handy if you get a tug, but barring
    insurance I've never bothered.
    Take one of those tubless puncture repair kits.

    Oops - get it fixed.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Jul 14, 2004
    #2
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  3. mico

    wessie Guest

    mico wrote in
    Definitive advice here:
    http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/overseas/europe_advice.html

    The pdf file is a handy download.

    To avoid a pull always ride with your headlight on. Saves having to
    remember which countries it is compulsory. If you are feeling kind,
    cover your beam deflector with insulation tape.

    Bulbs, triangles, first aid kit. Forget it.

    Passport, credit card, health and breakdown insurance are what you want.
    They should cover almost all contingencies.

    You won't need an IDP unless you are leaving the EU. If you have a photo
    licence then take the paper counterpart. Take the vehicle reg. document
    & insurance. Phone the broker to let them know you are going abroad as
    this will give you full policy cover rather than the legal minimum.

    If you have annual travel insurance then check that it covers you for
    motorcycle related injuries. Many policies, like the "free" one included
    with my bank account, do not. Those from www.nationwide.co.uk & the Post
    Office do.
     
    wessie, Jul 14, 2004
    #3
  4. mico

    sweller Guest

    Licence and insurance; beam deflectors (bit of insulating tape, look at
    the cars with proper ones to work which side); err that's it. Although
    when I went to Frankfurt I didn't bother with anything but I did have a
    GB sticker.

    I'll not bother with anything this weekend for Chimay. No, not even the
    GB sticker. Daring huh?

    I'll be taking some tools though.

    Put a bit of spittle over the valve stem, if it bubbles the valve is
    leaking. It's important to have decent dust caps, or at least ones with
    a proper seal. Some of the 'cheap' and nasty ones don't.
     
    sweller, Jul 14, 2004
    #4
  5. mico

    SleeperMan Guest

    sweller typed:
    Could you explain what exactly "beam deflector" is? I'm a bit lost
    here...what do you have to tape ? (i'm not english...sorry)
    Thanks.
     
    SleeperMan, Jul 14, 2004
    #5
  6. mico

    sweller Guest

    Obviously as we ride/drive on the left our headlamps dip to the left. In
    foreign parts this causes a problem.

    It's possible to buy stick on lenses that bend or deflect the headlamps
    beam to the right to save our foreign comrades from the brightness of our
    good upstanding British headlamps.

    Or the older method is to mask off a triangular portion of the headlamp
    to block the effect of the dip. Black insulating tape does the trick
    here.

    This may help
    http://www.aer-net.co.uk/edr/headlampsnf.htm
     
    sweller, Jul 14, 2004
    #6
  7. mico

    wessie Guest

    SleeperMan wrote in
    The beam deflector is part of the headlight lens. A section of the
    patterned glass bit. It deflects the light beam when you use a dipped
    headlamp so that your headlight does not dazzle people. In France, because
    you will be on the other side of the road, rather than deflecting the beam
    into the side of the road the deflector will direct the beam into the
    vision of oncoming vehicles.

    To get around this, you can tape over the small portion of the glass that
    deflects the light beam. The simplest way to do this is to take a roll of
    insulation tape with you to the port and copy what someone else has done
    whilst you are in the queue at the ferry port.
     
    wessie, Jul 14, 2004
    #7
  8. mico

    Suzuki993 Guest

    Don't bother with that. Get an E111 from the Post Office as well as medical
    insurance that does not exclude motorcycling (many policies do, try
    24DrTravel.com). Other than that and normal holiday stuff (passport,
    driving licence, insurance details and credit cards) , just go!
     
    Suzuki993, Jul 15, 2004
    #8
  9. mico

    SleeperMan Guest

    wessie typed:
    Aaaaa...never thought of this...sure - wrong side of the road...
    that figures.
    Thanks a lot!
     
    SleeperMan, Jul 15, 2004
    #9
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