Im looking to do my 1st trip this summer-Anyone up 4 it?

[Hooky]

Sorry to but- in I have done loads of touring (a few years ago !)
Tips and thoughts
I think you are making a very big mistake to try and do 600 miles in a day.

Always allow plenty of time for riders of different abilitys to ride in a safe manner.

Always take CASH , many service stations still do not take cards (if the link is down, ),Last year we tried six different cards in a un-manned station >none worked, we had to wait over a hour for a local to turn up and put his card in to operate the pumps(yes we did give him the cash

Many Formula 1s do not need to be pre booked , simply enter you card details in a machine, it will then issue you with a entry number and thats it (room usually takes 3-4 people). Always handy if you are delayed on you journey

Can i suggest you learn some very basic French ? ie Can you please help us to find ??????? BLAH .

Most important is go to the post office for a e111 ( unless that has changed as well)

It entitles you to treatment in Hospital in all EU countries (best to be safe- ok)

Travel insurance is around £35.00 for ten days, DO NOT TRAVEL WITHOUT IT !

I am more than happy to help with any other advice or tips if you need it

[niff5855]

Cheers mate, great tips
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[Hooky]

Just a "rough" guide

If you travel @ -90 mph your average distance covered is around 60 miles.

This is a good average when riding in groups.

Every time you stop for fuel (average) tank is 115-125miles, (2 hours ) travel at 100mph+ tank range around 100 miles so therefore if a stop takes 10 miniuts (fag and drink) etc, this works out it is better to ride at slightly slower speed to travel a further distance over time

BTW Le-Luc is a great place with nice roads , the bonus is their is a nice little circuit that is used by many track -day companies why not check that out

Keep all you documents (originals) in a bumb bag (passport/insurance/e111/vehicle reg and mot)

Take photocopies of all of these and lock them under the seat in a plastic bag.

MAKE SURE TO TAKE A SPARE KEY (keep it taped in a secure place on the bike, I keep mine cable tied under the bottom yoke


BIG BIG TIP Sat-nav !!! why not get a Garmin off e-bay , buy it between you (make sure it is loaded with the correct maps) and then sell it when you come back, loss nothing, gain=a massive saving in time and fuel.

Have a designated lead rider (with the sat-nav) .

Have a tail-end-charlie (usually my job ) this person should be the most experienced rider with the bike with the longest tank range.

He/she also acts a the mobile tool carrier(others need not take tools etc but share his luggage).
Essentials are cable ties, nuts and bolts. gaffer tape, tie downs(for towing) Tire gum, chain lube and toilet paper Take a first aid kit containing headache tabs and Imoduim, shit happens

Ok i know this all sounds a bit anal for a 1300 mile trip but bike shops and services are few and far apart in France.

its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it Good luck and all come back in one piece and ride safel, OK

[PsychoHippy]

I've gotta say I don't think trying to do the 600 mile trip back to the ferry in one go is a good idea.
We would need to allow 10 hours to do it, and that won't include any time to get lost. We would also need to be at the ferry terminal for a set time, so any time spent getting lost would be a very bad thing. Also, once over the channel, some of us would have at least another 3 hours ride on this side. So that would be 13 hours in a day to cover well over 800 miles (for me and MrsHippy any way) - I'm afraid that is a very bad idea.

From what I recall, we have the villa from Sunday to Saturday (is that right Niff?) - if so, what I would suggest is travel to Dover(ish) area on the Friday evening and stop at the Travel Lodge (£20 a room or there abouts) for the night, then get an early ferry on the Saturday morning. That would give us a whole day to ride 350 - 400 miles south and to find somewhere to stop (pre booked or not). Then an easy 200 miles or so on the Sunday to try and find the villa. For the trip back, I would suggest leaveing at a 'reasonable' time on the Saturday and doing the 350 - 400 mile stint, then if we book a ferry for early afternoon on the Sunday, it will leave us about the same sort of milage the next day.

We have to remember that this is supposed to be a holiday - I'm sure no one wants to get home and need a week off to recover from it
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I spend all my money on bikes and beer, the rest I simply waste!

[niff5855]

Fair shout,

the villa is from Saturday night to Friday night though psyco. So we have plenty of time to amble back. (Im in South Wales so also have a fair old trc once nack in the UK).

Dont know if people can get the friday off work as that would give us plenty of time to amble doen too. If not we'll have to come up with a plan B

No dramas though eh.
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Live fast - die....erm...well...old !!!

[PsychoHippy]

[BigChris]

[matty8887]

[niff5855]

Im in S.Wales Matty.

i think Mr and Mrs Psyco are near Bath.

As for the travelling, we'll have to set off on the Friday, the only question is what time?? Or rather what time ferry will be catch??
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[matty8887]

Earlier the better, well i would say something around 9/10am, will take me 2/3 hours to get to dover from wolverhampton which is west midlands. Probably a 2/3pm ferry, will only take an hour on the ferry and then a hour or 2 for travelling to a hotel etc
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Test passed october 2005
Cadburys boost yamaha yzf 750r

[PsychoHippy]

Niff is correct, we are just outside Bath, so about an hour from Niff. I think I am off for the 28th, but I'm not sure. If so, I am happy to meet up then.

As for location, four of us are fairly close (within 90 mins), but Illusion is of Peterborough somewhere. I have a spare bed and some floor space if you want to use it, there is also a nice bike meet at The Red Lion in Avebury which we could go to
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I spend all my money on bikes and beer, the rest I simply waste!

[PsychoHippy]

Well, I've finally had my leave approved - I'll be off from 30/08 - 12/09, so I will have a few days spare either end of the trip

The schedule as I see it at the moment is something like:

Evening of Thurs 31st Aug: Meet in the Dover area (Travel Inn or similar?)

Fri 1st Sept: Get early ferry across to Bolonge and ride 350 miles or so, stop the night in some cheep hotel or hostel (to be arranged). Get slightly drunk in the evening.

Sat 2nd Sept: ride remaining 250 miles or so to the villa - getting lost a few times on the way, aiming to be at the villa some time in the evening. Get drunk again

Sun 3rd - Thurs 7th: Do what ever, go where ever - get drunk again

Fri 8th - Hand in keys to Villa and head north. Do about 350 miles taking in some sights and stop somewhere cheep for the night (to be arranged). Get slighty drunk again

Sat 8th - Ride remaining miles to Bologne and get ferry back across to Dover. Those that want to can push on the extra miles to get home, those that don't can stop at the Travel Inn for the night.

Sun 9th - Life returns to normal
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I spend all my money on bikes and beer, the rest I simply waste!

[matty8887]

You have hit it on the head there mate.

That seems like an excellent plan to me, you all agree?

Its all coming together now!!

You still up for meeting end of may sometime?
____________________
Test passed october 2005
Cadburys boost yamaha yzf 750r

[PsychoHippy]

[matty8887]

Right few things i have thought of.

Do we need to have a european style reg plate or a sticker on the bike saying we are from GB?

Should we take any snacks/water or just buy it as we go along? could be expensive?

Best way to attach all luggage? As im on a sportsbike i havent got the most room, would those vacuum bags be any good?

Is it best to take a lot of cash with you or are most places card friendly?


Meet up can be 28/29/30th for me if everyone agrees a date i can sort it.

Who is deffo coming on the trip then, so far confirmed are

me
Niff
Psychohippy and his Mrs
Illusion???
Method???


____________________
Test passed october 2005
Cadburys boost yamaha yzf 750r

[niff5855]

Im up for a meet. Any days good for me as long as I have reasonable notice. - well, a few days hahaha.

Illusion seems to be up for it, and I've pm'd Method to let us know the crack.
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Live fast - die....erm...well...old !!!

[Keen]

so you're going to the riviera! sounds like a cool trip

your uk cards should be accepted everywhere without problems, france was aheads of us with those machines where you pay by entering your pin and they seem to take everything.

One thing I would say is don't expect too much from Marseille, its actually a bit rough, bit of a crime capital of the area, so watch out

Antibes is a really pretty little town with some nice beaches (and great crepe places) that is worth a visit. The roads behind it (around grasse) are amazing as well, as soon as you get away from the coast the roads start climbing steeply into the hills and mountains so they're nice and twisty. Since you're near, you have to head to the Gorge du Verdon (I know I've said this a few times), the roads there are great and the views fantastic

The deep cliffs of the Gorges du Verdon are unique in Europe and are one of the greatest tourist attractions in the Provence. Up to 700 m deep, the 21 km long canyon varies in width between 6 and 100 meters at the bottom and 200 meters to 1500 meters at its rim. The gigantic cliffs of calcareous rock are the result of the erosion of the Le Verdon river.
Although much smaller than Arizona's Grand Canyon, Les Gorges du Verdon are deep, compact, wild and beautiful. From Castellane to the village of Rougons, Le Verdon river flows clear and swift, and the road follows along the banks.

pic below is best I can find of the view when you approach but honestly, doesnt do it justice, when you come round another sharp mountain bend and see that so far below....

not sure how long your trip is, but don't forget ferry's to Corsica are pretty reasonable from Nice, takes 3 hrs if you get the fast one and the roads there are unbelievable.

good luck for the trip
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[niff5855]

cheers mate, looks lush !!!!!
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Live fast - die....erm...well...old !!!

[matty8887]

Looks like a very nice ride!

Think we will just ride out to places but it wont be planned, probably a planned trip the day before lol.

Hoping to see alot of the area and ride on some nice twisties
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Test passed october 2005
Cadburys boost yamaha yzf 750r

[illusion]

Hi all,

Just come back off holiday so catching up with the thread. It all sounds good to me, and I'm still up for it
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My bike

[rockshaven]

There are currently 9 of going to France on the 13th July and plan to be back on the Monday night(17th). We will be riding down to Grenoble then a day down to Monte Carlo and venture back via the Alps.
The more the merrier!!!

[PsychoHippy]

I've been having another poke around for prices to get over there. The cheapest ferries are definitely with the company I posted earlier, but for £10 more we could take the tunnel meaning a reduced crossing time and easier getting on/off. however, this would mean getting an early on over and a late one back - that doesn't worry me, but it might some.
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I spend all my money on bikes and beer, the rest I simply waste!

[Keen]

If you're going over 13th of July, theres a good chance I'll be around. I had an interview for a job down there on friday and it seemed to go well, my girlfriends looking for flats as we speak... so if you fancy let me know nearer the time if/when you're around the Antibes/Nice area and I could try and meet up, maybe show you round some local attractions
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"he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"- Dr. Johnson

[niff5855]

Aye tidy Keen. I think its the 1st week of September we're going, and my geography isnt great, but that sounds good.

Psyco, sounds ok to me mate, I'm up for that.
____________________
Live fast - die....erm...well...old !!!

[PsychoHippy]