Returning rider with plans to tour to Turkey

[Jumile]

Hi all,

I posted an introduction post in the New Rider section (as I'm new to the forum and am a returning rider) outlining a plan to tour to Turkey and back around this time next year. Rather than double- or cross-post, here's a pointer to it: Advice for returning rider (with ambition)? I'd appreciate it if anyone with experience, advice, etc, in such matters would have a read and impart some wisdom, please?
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Matt
Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat
The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it. --Epicurus

[Itchy]

The best advice is to take your time, when I tour I gun run (I went to Spain recently) I packed in close to 350 miles a day.

its stressful , tiring and gets very annoying sometimes , a big day here and there isn't bad ie my own 900 miles from France to Manchester or dodger's 1050 miles in one jaunt.

The other advise is to read though other people's tour write ups for an idea of routes , what to expect what to bring etc, you can easily filter them out in the touring section just go to the bottom of the page and select good or excellent rated posts.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Jumile]

Your advice makes sense, thanks. I'm hoping to build up my distances to both get an idea of what such riding will take out of me and to get used doing longer miles when needed. If things go to plan (do they ever?) I'll begin with England and Wales, then a weekend tour of GB and see how that goes, then across to France, and so on.

And I'm poring my way through the Touring sections here and on one or two other sites, and have picked up a Euro atlas and a couple of touring books. Combined they should allow me to piece together what I need, and help with preparation and how to get on with it.

What about touring clubs, particularly any with tolerance for new/returning riders? I've looked around and found a couple on Facebook (a few duly joined) and found the International Motorcycle Touring Club (IMTC), whose secretary seems to live nearby to me. Do they do what they say on the tin, or is it better to do the informal mates/forumite kind of thing?
____________________
Matt
Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat
The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it. --Epicurus