Novice rider - eurotrip

[hrbarakov]

Hello everyone,

I am planning my first big trip and I would like any advice I can get for it. I am riding a Yamaha Virago 250, I understand it is small motorcycle but I am not planing on taking it on the highways, only occasionally for an hour or two. Below is my draft on what I am planing to improve on the motorcycle and new gear that I am planing to buy. Please, feel free to give me indications for the most appropriate gear - I am going to be riding during summer (end of July - beginning of August ).

Initial trip plan -
https://www.google.bg/maps/dir/Ardennes,+Франция/Dijon,+Франция/Grenoble,+Франция/Nice,+Франция/Genova,+Генуа,+Италия/Florence,+Флоренция,+Италия/Rome,+Рим,+Италия/Naples,+Неапол,+Италия/Bari,+Бари,+Италия/Igoumenitsa,+Гърция/@44.2352051,3.3405145,5z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m64!4m63!1m5!1m1!1s0x47ea1160a97f248d:0x30a5fb99a3725f0!2m2!1d4.6285053!2d49.7624642!1m5!1m1!1s0x47f29d8ceffd9675:0x409ce34b31458d0!2m2!1d5.04148!2d47.322047!1m5!1m1!1s0x478af48bd689be6f:0x618c10cd6e995398!2m2!1d5.724524!2d45.188529!1m5!1m1!1s0x12cdd0106a852d31:0x40819a5fd979a70!2m2!1d7.2619532!2d43.7101728!1m5!1m1!1s0x12d34152dcd49aad:0x236a84f11881620a!2m2!1d8.946256!2d44.4056499!1m5!1m1!1s0x132a56a680d2d6ad:0x93d57917efc72a03!2m2!1d11.2558136!2d43.7695604!1m5!1m1!1s0x132f6196f9928ebb:0xb90f770693656e38!2m2!1d12.4963655!2d41.9027835!1m5!1m1!1s0x133b0866db7afaeb:0xd23a43cc658cb87e!2m2!1d14.2681244!2d40.8517746!1m5!1m1!1s0x1347e8f8f3078d6f:0x87254066a3908e1!2m2!1d16.8718715!2d41.1171432!1m5!1m1!1s0x135b7e5b559cf363:0x621a7ebb7b4f5f13!2m2!1d20.2655339!2d39.5061499!2m1!1b1!3e0

Stop every 250 km for a break - stretch and take gas

Motorcycle Improvements
Front sprocket from 16 to 17 teeth and back sprocket from 45 to 42
Mirror extenders
Saddle bags- extended brackets joined at the top that go to the bottom - move the blinkers -
Sissy bar bag -
Windshield
Tachometer -
Phone/GPS stand + GPS + Thick cover for my phone - USB charger - seperate battery
Hands free
Highway bar ?
Muffler modification ?
Improve headlights ?
GoPro camera
Chain Lubricant

Gear/Equipment
3 liters of gas to carry - I need to stop every 250 km
Backpack - to carry documents, money and small stuff
Rainsuit
Summer Jacket
Summer Pants
Summer Boots/Shoes

Thank you in advance for all advice !

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

are you camping? (no pun intended)
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Evil Hans]

[Arfa__]

I see you're starting in the Ardennes, are you from the UK? If not, some of this may not directly apply.

Other stuff you should carry:

Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) - replaces the old EHIC and gives you some medical cover in the EU.

A Starling top-up pre-pay cash card. Offers the best exchange rates and can be used contactless and in any ATM for cheap cash. Just note you have to manually enable the magstrip in the App for some machines, including the many toll booths!

Puncture Repair Kit - Will let you plug most punctures and get you riding again in 15-20 mins to a garage for a proper permanent repair. If you've not used one before, watch some YT vids on how to use them before you go.

Overall, don't overpack and over burden your bikes. Travel light, most stuff you may find you need you can buy on route. Otherwise, don't forget your credit card, some EU breakdown cover, cable ties & duct tape are often handy when thing break and keep up to date with current covid restrictions and rules along your route.
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Beginner Biker Adventures Blog
Yamaha FZ6 S2 2007

[davebike]

[hrbarakov]

Thank you all for the advice.

[pepperami]

[stinkwheel]

A hydration pack. You will not feel yourself becoming dehydrated on longer rides because the air will evaporate the sweat. Put the amount of water you think you will need to have drunk in it before you leave, make sure it's empty when you arrive.

From experience of long term touring on a 350 bullet, about 150 miles a day with a visit en-route is a reasonable target. More than this and you will be exhausted when you arrive and will not see anything worth seeing.

A sheepskin saddle cover and good quality wicking underpants are very useful for your overall comfort.

You will take far too much stuff, have an address in mind you can post half of it back to after the first couple of days once you've decided you don't need it.

With clothing you need one on, one clean and one dirty/drying.

Re: bike modifications. The bike will ride round the world in its totally standard form with just normal servicing. Any mods should be for comfort/practicality.

Headlights... Are you riding in the dark?

Muffler modification? Is there a problem with it?

Gearing... Seems a very steep change. Most bikes are pretty well geared. I'd guess you could pull one more tooth in top gear on most but I'd really only mess with the standard gearing if your normal cruising speed is at an intrusive or awkward part of the rev range.

Your engine bars will probably work as highway pegs.

Tachometer.. You probably don't need one. If you are overrevving a bike like that, you would be losing performance.

I'd go for making sure there is plenty of tread left on the tyres, there is plenty of wear in the chain+sprockets and a service before you leave. Consider taking a spare tube or pre-treating with puncture gloop.

Invest in a cable repair kit.

Take some "emergency rations" with you. Just something to eat and drink in case you land up stuck in bumfuck nowhere with a breakdown/no accommodation and have to stay there for a bit.

Leave early, get the miles in, relax in the lase afternoon/evening and take in the atmosphere/cocktails. Leave super-extra early if you are doing Alpine passes/cols so you miss all the idiots.

A Scottish company called Lomo do a variety of motorcycle luggage. Good price point. Their main business is diving equipment (wet and dry suits) so they understand the meaning of waterproof.
https://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/Motorcycle-Motorbike-Dry-bags-Accessories.html

EDIT: Europeans tend to conform to their stereotypes with the way they drive. Germans are impatient but efficient, Italians are too fast and inattentive. Belgians are fucking inconsiderate and will tailgate you. Dutch are chill as fuck, as you know. French are surprisingly good drivers but are not above driving after an extended and wine-sodden lunch, especially in rural areas. They also don't care much about small bashes in their cars.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[hrbarakov]

Thank you all for the advice and the info. In the end, I will not do any modifications on the bike, just general check-up-oil, brakes, sparks, forks. I will add a sissy bag and a windshield . Thanks again and hopefully soon I will update you on how the tour went.

[ThunderGuts]

Just to clarify, you're suggesting stopping every 250km for a break (as opposed to overnight stops); that's a significant distance! I'd aim to stop based on time rather than distance, plus it'll depend on the weather and roads you're riding. Either way, 250km is a big distance between stops; I'd stop and stretch at half of that if maybe even a third.

Up to you obviously, but touring for me is about the journey itself, not the destination; stop and enjoy the places you're passing through.

P.S. lots of photos and a write up on here would be good too.
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TG.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

With a 5200km round trip, is there enough life left in your tyres, chain and sprockets? If you've the garage space, I'd be tempted to treat it to new items and put the stuff you take off aside for later use. You don't want to be sodding about in a foreign country trying to source replacements if they're nearing their limit.

Otherwise, give the bike an oil change, pack your toothbrush, wet wipes and favourite brand of loo roll and hit the road
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Tdibs]

That is a pretty huge trip, looks awesome!

I second giving the bike a full service and tyres before you go - you want to be riding not spannering in this time.

The first part of the trip I think you can spice up a bit more, either go through swiz(not a option if you are trying to use hotels on a budget) or hit the route napoleon/N85 and is a must do biker road.

I would echo taking it easy in Italy, especially hitting Florence and Rome... Italian driving is pretty wild and aggressive, you have to catch yourself not to get caught up in it, its also holiday season, going to be very busy.

I would also consider going down the Balkan coast line rather than through Italy. This gives you the option of heading south through Germany (b500), lots of choices to pass through the amazing roads in the alps, Slovenia is very nice. Then you can head down Croatia, lots of awesome small islands off the coast to stay/swim and some interesting cities, all the way down to greece. Or do you plan to come back that way?
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[MCN]

Good up to date maps. (Mainly as back-up for satnavs phone apps.)
GPS or at least a map app for a phone.
Satnavs are still better than phone apps IMHO.
Satnavs are more vehicle suited.
Spare fuel container. A spare litre of gas is better than a belief in Jesus when in a bind.
Metal Cutlery. Porcelain Coffee Mug. Creature comforts make a hoor of a difference if it is miserable at times.
Some details of who you are and where you came from where you are heading for. (In case someone finds you and needs to identify your remains.)
Any meds, contact lenses if needed and accoutrements. Spare glasses.
Good torch flashlight and spare batteries.

Consider the weight of all this shite too.
It begins to accumulate.
Bag in Bag all your shite to keep it dry.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[UncleFester]

Googlemaps is as good as a SATNAG.

Make sure you download the offline maps for the areas you're going to - you might not get 4G/3G but you should get basic satellite connection for GPS.

Tbh i'd disable mobile data when out and about unless you need it - marginal mobile signal will kill a phone battery faster than anything else.
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2017 Z1000SX

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[MCN]

[ThunderGuts]

[UncleFester]

Will just have to respectfully disagree with both of you.

Garmin - shite
TomTom - NoNo
Navman - shite

Googlemaps - always up to date. Always up to date on traffic problems.

The only time it goofed for me was in Arizona when some unseasonal rain had washed the road away over night and we were the first ones to try and get through.
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2017 Z1000SX

[ThunderGuts]

I will concede that my TomTom isn't as slick as my iPhone and yes, I do have to do map updates myself. In reality though, that's not that burdensome.
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TG.

[stinkwheel]

Open Street Map has very detailed mapping of places which generally have shitty mapping.

I have an App called OsmAnd which will run on any shitty old android device with GPS ability. You can download offline OSM maps for the areas you want to go to. First few are free, then you need to pay for them (not a huge amount). If you're doing large areas, you may need an SD card if the device is very antiquated. It will also work as a GPS.

I was using mine for cross country mountain biking in Portugal. They gave up on their version of ordanance survey in the 1970's and you simply can't buy good quality maps you could use for actual navigation other than by main roads.

Also has places of interest/accommodation overlays. It was a total godsend when I visited Metz which has to be on my top 5 most difficult towns to navigate by motor vehicle.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[hrbarakov]