Touring questions ?

A friend and I are planning doing some UK and European touring next year -
is there a website to pick up some tips from the seasoned tourers ?

Eg.....
preparations
what to do / not do
take / not need to take
how far to aim to travel each day (we are "riding" not "sightseeing")
(or how far to plan to ride each day not going much over statutory
limits.)
Overnight bike security ? - bloody great, heavy :-( ,chains between both
bikes and a lamp post ?
Any recommended books of B + Bs for UK and France or any personal
recommendations?

One run will be Land's End to John O' Groats plus a day or two each end to
get there and get back....


Bikes are 1000cc sports tourers, riders only, and we regularly do 200 mile
rides
and tend to cruise at 70 - 80 on appropriate roads with fuel stops / fag /
tea breaks at approx 180 mile intervals....

Thanks,

Nick

 

Are you camping or hoteling?

That depends. I've done anything from 200 miles to 900.

Yes. FOAD locks are a must. Also those tubelss puncture repairkits.
Spare brake lever is a good idea (you can ride without a clutch lever
but not without a front brake). Gaffa tape. Enough toolkit for chain
adjustment.

Michelin. Logis de France is good too.

Wimps ;-)

Rather than stop at a new place every day, it's better to set a
destination, spend a couple of days or more getting there, and spend
maybe a week there, and then a couple of days or more getting back.

That way you can chill out when you get there.

 

The Older Gentleman emerged from their own little world to say

There have been a few other similar threads which I've posted some
weblinks in.

As TOG says, pick somewhere that you can use as a base. A place where it
would be nice to spend a day off the bike. This is my preference. With
your 1 litre touring bikes you should find 400 miles a day easy. You
could get to the Black Forest or Bavaria with 1 overnight stop for
example.

Places I would happily use as a base: Annecy; Baden Baden; Augsburg;
Reims; Trier; Cortina; Riva la Garda; Bled; Briancon; Beaune; Le Puy.
All have nice roads and something else to provide an extra interest.
That will take you a few years.

 

Agreed. However, we've found it's fine to spend a couple of weeks on
the move pretty much all the time, as long as you stay at least two
nights in one place every few nights so that you can wash and dry your
smalls, dry out the kit if you've got really wet and enjoy the odd
ride out unencumbered by luggage.

 

Or take a bike no one wants to nick

Gaffa tape is always handy to hold repair my indicators , they always seem
to break when TOG is around

Nah, a new place every day is a great way to do it

 

A few tales on my website, link below

 

Colin Irvine secured a place in history by writing:

This is all far too fucking nancy. Set yourself a totally unrealistic
itinerary that involves 600mpd minimum and will leave you doing at least
one 900 mile day in wet underwear with the wife comatose on the back from
exposure, so you have to lash her to the swingarm. Spend at least a week
doing this, and expect it to piss down with rain most of the time. Helps
also if you cross some mountains in the worst weather you have ever ridden
in and find some dead bloke hanging out of the window of an ancient Renault
19 with a broken neck. You will chortle when you meet the ambulances
coming up the mountain half an hour later.

Worked for me.

 

http://sportstourer.org

HTH.

 

Wot he says.

Handy tip: bring TOG & Ors with you in the event of your electrics
misbehaving. Oh... breakdown cover is a *must* in the event of TOG and
friends riding past when you're on the phone to the breakdown people.

 

And a clean pair of underpants

 

<Snigger>

 

Take a look at the BMF website touring section and a read of a little known
mag called motorcyclevoyager.

www.motorcyclevoyager.com

RJO

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, The Older

Wot 'e sed.

And remember that books can be downloaded for free, or ordered for only
the P&P from:

http://uk.franceguide.com/commandebrochures/?z1=g6YPuS23

I like France. It has nice roads, nice people, nice food and nice wine.

Oh, and Des. But nowhere's perfect.

--
Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

Hi all,

Just to say thanks to all who have replied - stunned by so many quick
replies and the amount of info to go through - only been following this
group for a couple of days and find it very good and friendly !

Thanks again,

Nick

 

<THUD>

 

If you think this is friendly, wait til you meet Sir.Tony's mum.

 

only been following

I guess there has to be exceptions anywhere - some of the other groups I
read though are sometimes pretty nasty - none of that here !

nick

 

Nick says...

<reaches for popcorn>

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Go on, post a binary.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

Nick wrote

We are always nice to newbies.

And now you are no longer a newbie you can **** off.