3400 Mile EU trip YBR125. Experienced tourers?

[Cal89]

Hello all,

I've just got back into riding after 4 years and aquiring my dad's mid-life crisis bike, which he bought on a whim. Since he's become too ill to properly ride it, i taken ownership after he'd managed only 50 miles from new in about 12 months!!! (yep, i'm still having to run the engine in and he also voided the warranty for not taking it in after 6 weeks of owning it).

My plan for next spring is to tour 3400 miles through France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. My question is, besides the obvious: clothes, sleeping kit, rations, medical, breakdown gear, what else should i consider packing? oil change (oil and drip tray?, small container for last resort petrol? a good sat nav? i have my eyes on the tomtom rider 400.

I have a whole year's military experience back from in the "SAS" (Saturday and Sunday army reserves). So my sleeping system for the few nights and cooking plans are well prepared from any nights i'm not in a hotel.

I've contacted GIVI for a luggage sponsor and they would offer their luggage systems and helmet if i follow their requirements as per email:

GIVI sponsors motorcycle journeys being undertaken by private users through the supply of products to equip the vehicle(s) eg soft / hard bags and accessories and helmet(s) for the rider(s), but only after having carefully evaluated the suitability of the proposed project, which must meet the following criteria;
- it must be a journey with a particular route and a duration that can allow thorough testing of the supplied products
- the motorcycle(s) must be fully equipped with GIVI products and must not be equipped with accessories of any other brand and that also includes helmet(s) being worn by the rider(s)
- the project must be able to generate images and video footage of high quality which would be supplied to Givi for use in catalogues and typographically printed brochures and also for insertion into the Givi Explorer portal without any constraints or limitation on use.
- another important requirement are contacts with the media industry, such as magazines or motorcycle blogs


I don't really have experience with blogs, but i'm guessing with websites such as this i could easily document such an adventure?

I've had a couple of family members and friends try to talk me out of such ambition because a YBR "couldn't reach skegness" due to the power and small tyres. Which is obvious, they lack real adventure and don't really understand the correlation between thin, long distance tyres and wider knee down racing tyres.


This is just an ambitious thought, which i hope by April will be in full force and a chance to visit a few Bond locations too:

https://jamesbondlocations.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/monaco-monte-carlo-part-1.html

*Potential route*

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Edwin+St,+Daybrook,+Nottingham/38.5376842,-0.1061918/Milan/Edwin+Street,+Daybrook,+Nottingham+NG5+6AX,+UK/@48.8932008,1.3498627,8.04z/data=!4m71!4m70!1m20!1m1!1s0x4879c0fd670b20bb:0x72ddb956e1d6c1fe!2m2!1d-1.14047!2d52.9979446!3m4!1m2!1d2.2809009!2d48.8786785!3s0x47e66f8ae65911bd:0x451f6acd62ba607f!3m4!1m2!1d2.2940629!2d48.8555769!3s0x47e6701dde6f37fb:0x81f34ff9c6850850!3m4!1m2!1d-3.6697181!2d40.4684343!3s0xd422930cdcaa687:0xb55ed384ddcea320!1m25!3m4!1m2!1d-0.1960045!2d38.6720835!3s0xd61f638480067eb:0xb0071d64c5271e30!3m4!1m2!1d2.1785048!2d41.3761674!3s0x12a4a2511807d20d:0x132006662f411922!3m4!1m2!1d7.1904026!2d43.9453451!3s0x12cdb152c1317e49:0x61882e6dd0008b9!3m4!1m2!1d7.2336834!2d43.7106252!3s0x12cdd02606d45dd3:0x786a587a9fa36723!3m4!1m2!1d7.2790318!2d43.6942221!3s0x12cddabd118f417d:0xa331409d644134b8!1m15!1m1!1s0x4786c1493f1275e7:0x3cffcd13c6740e8d!2m2!1d9.1859243!2d45.4654219!3m4!1m2!1d-0.0713836!2d51.499285!3s0x48760340ad0ffed9:0x9ed964bc68d01f2f!3m4!1m2!1d-0.1198574!2d51.5008008!3s0x487604c71964b199:0x240f5c499fcacce9!1m5!1m1!1s0x4879c0fd670b20bb:0x72ddb956e1d6c1fe!2m2!1d-1.14047!2d52.9979446!3e0?hl=en

I'll look forward to your comments and welcome constructive criticism

Cheers,

Cal

[wots]

Just out of curiosity where are you setting off from, exactly?

It's ok, found your address, thanks
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[Mawsley]

[wots]

Have you painted those shutters, since Google went past?

https://goo.gl/maps/ZjNxsgLHYLD2
____________________
Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[Cal89]

[Cal89]

[waffles]

Dont bother packing any servicing things like oil and drip trays, its Europe not outer Mongolia. You'll find bike shops all over the place. Make use of free wifi wherever you go to check locations nearby if you need anything. Whatever you pack you need to take out, halve it and then repack.

Just out of curiosity, why do you feel that you need sponsorship from a company?
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[JonWal]

What bike licence do you have for starters?

I will be doing a similar trip to this soon, but maybe adding Belgium in, so intrigued to how you get on.

I'm a fan of movie locations too so tying up your route to take in filming locations is a great idea IMO.

One tip from reading past threads, it doesn't end well for people promoting for their own gain. Unfortunately your first post stinks of it.

That being said, wish you luck on your journey.
____________________
- Yamaha YBR 125 - Swansea, UK
- Triumph Street Triple
A Licence Passed 25.09.2015

[Moo.]

This may interest you...

Long distance adventures round the world on two YBR 125's

https://re-moto.com/index.php?lang=eng
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A2 Passed 18/6/10

[woo]

go for it!
if someones willing to sponsor you and give you stuff take it lol!

I was meant to do a tour of scotland from london on my honda grom this year but i chickened out and took the R1 instead

but next year im taking the honda grom to scotland
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Elen sila lummen omentielvo!

[Cal89]

[stevew]

If your YBR is in reasonable nick it WILL do it. Just change the oil as the book says.
Good luck.

Givi sound generous but the down side is you will have an "obligation" and that can stifle spontaneity.
Worth considering

Also have a look at Horizons unlimited forum. Lots of travel info there.
____________________
Maxsym 400i 2013, Sterling 125 2017, Honda Wave110i 2014,
Orpington
The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity. Robert Anthony

[grr666]

[Ste]

You can document your trip in the Show and Tell forum. https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewforum.php?f=50

Getting free kit from GIVI sounds cool but be careful that your holiday / trip doesn't turn into something dictated by GIVI where the objective of the trip is to thoroughly test their products and generate enough high quality images and videos to keep them happy.

Having to take off all accessories of any other brand could also be a PITA.

Magazines aren't going to be interested in hearing about you doing a few thousand miles across Europe.

IMO forget all about contacts with the media industry and about being sponsored by GIVI. Instead, go and have fun going where you want to go on your tour, doing what you want to do, taking whatever route you want and not have to take lots of hires pics of the GIVI kit.

Or you could just take the free kit, fuck whatever it is GIV are wanting you to do and on return just tell them your camera got nicked.

[G]

I did similar.

You can do ok on a 65mph 125, but I'd prefer a bit more go.
I did similar on a KTM690.

Sure you can find something to do an oil change on the go. Consider a petrol stove - then you can use the container for that as your spare petrol... or if you run out of that, use it from your bike.

These days I'd just use a phone for Sat nav.

Give wants you to promote their products. If you get to keep and sell the stuff on, may be worth it. Otherwise I'd tell them where to go. I'm not sure they'll like the 125.

Oh and I used to have a 6 mile commute... mostly 40s and 30s (maybe quarter of a mile of less of delimited dual carriageway and that's it.) I tried a variety of bikes and settled on a 4 year old GSXR1000 as the most suitable .

[chickenstrip]

Cal, have you ever done long bike trips before?
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[garth]

Ybr will be up to it no problem. I rode a Chinese c90 copy over the Pyrenees and then after that took it through the Sahara desert to the Gambia, just change the oil regularly. I didn't use a Sat Nav, wouldn't worry me too much.

I'd not bother trying for any sort of sponsorship. Do it because you want to.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[pepperami]

I`ll just leave these here for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGyaj_HeLhw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpsU4Tc_krc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGyaj_HeLhw


Yamaha YBR 125 no problem!
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Cal89]

[chickenstrip]

[Cal89]

[Cal89]

[Cal89]

[G]

Do you need Givi panniers and bracket?

Lots of cheaper ways to achieve the same result.

Soft throw-over panniers and a big topbox should do nicely - fit heavier stuff that doesn't go in the panniers on the pillion seat infront of the topbox.
Should be able to do it for maybe £80 or so? Not limited to just Givi stuff, nor all the faff involved.

Certainly ask what the expect and if you get to keep the stuff.
I suspect they will be put off by a YBR125 as while it makes a nice storey, is fairly niche for their catalogue.

[Cal89]