Bike trip for next year. suggestions?

[Kradmelder]

We are all back from our winter holidays, and had our regular 1 kg steak night.

https://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m270/hvandermerwe62/IMG-20130710-01549_zpsd31411f5.jpg

One ou went to France with his wife for 2 weeks and they hired a Triumph Explorer, but it rained solid the whole time.

So we had a discussion so what is up for next year, our winter your summer. One Ou is the National manager of a big international shipping firm, and he said fark hiring bikes. Let us but our bikes in crates and he will ship them anywhere in the world. takes2-3 weeks, but I have 2 bikes so no problem being without a bike that long. Air freight means removing battery, oils etc. Too much hassle and wasting time prepping your bike. By sea just one terminal to reconnect. we can do it for 30 days on a TIP, and just get local 3rd party insurance. So our next year June-July bike trip is overseas and we tossed around ideas. 3 week trip. We all want to avoid crowded places. Some options:

The coast of Scotland. The disadvantages are weather and lack of dirt roads. Tar is just too boring. What would be the cost for BnBs per person in small towns? We don't want to camp, especially in cold and damp, and want to ride light. It is a holiday, not work and suffer and counting shekels. And the cost of proper meals, not pies and garage food. Meat. steaks, chops etc. White man's food. Would £100 per day be enough, or should we budget more? It also gives us the chance to shock the scots bcfers with totally non-PC saffers

Southern USA. Avoid the NE and California and stick to hillbilly country. Some public dirt roads and head across Georgia, texas, the south west, and back. The USA is cheap, but Ive been there plenty and the plastic looks the same in every town. Not so culturally appealing for me.

Western and Northern Oz, avoiding the SE. Lots of dirt riding opportunity for the Katooms and BMWs. Also maybe a bit devoid of variety and culture.

Northern Namibia and angola tour of the former battlefields where we served. Not a shipping exercise, but a ride there. Would have to be camping, almost all dirst roads but sand. deep sand. This I think is our last choice as absolutely no culture and full of hardship. But a different emotional attraction in a way.

southern England and western Europe are out for the crowds and lack of dirt options.

The USA or Scotland means we need to fit road tyres on our bikes. Oz would be knobblies, but the life span of knobblies would mean tyre changes. For this reason, and the kit we must bring, there has to be a fundamental decision as to whether we will ride mostly tar or dirt.

well we will have a braai to further discuss the options.

Some want just dirt, but Im tolerant of riding tar if there is culture. Tar is also simpler in terms of kit (no MX boots, tubes, levers, compressors, camelbaks, full tools and camp stuff for emergencies). Only dirt roads in effect limits us to Oz and africa. But I don't want crowds on the roads and a village every few km. That is not nature. it is a false tame house cat façade.

A few are also coming up to for the next rugby world cup. Not my kind of thing though. besides, it is already the known the springboks will fark up the poms. why go watch it? like shooting fish in a barrel
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[G]

Unfortunately little official off roading in Scotland, though you may get away with it anyway.
Should be plenty of good road riding on the west coast however (have a look for some of bendy's ride/drive reports.)

Personally, I like the idea of the 'trans america trail' in the US - 'much all off road, but you have the convenience of parts availability and probably 3g signal if it all goes horribly wrong etc. Less adventuresome, but less hassle.

Here's some details, plenty more around: https://www.motorcycle-usa.com/310/917/Motorcycle-Article/Riding-The-Trans-America-Trail.aspx .

[Kradmelder]

[G]

From a post on advrider "Give yourself 4 weeks to comfortably ride the entire trail." - so you could do a good section of it, at least, I'd have thought.

On scotland - it'll vary, but I'd have thought from about £20 per person/night very bottom end, maybe even less if you find particularly small ones that aren't full and you do a deal. More likely maybe £35.

Would have thought £100 a day should do you fine, providing you don't get too exuberant in everything.

[Kradmelder]

[G]

West coast of Scotland none of those languages will help you.
However, technically if you can decipher it, it should mostly directly translate to English .

£5 a pint is London prices - I'd be hoping for £2.50 a pint or less in remote areas, leaving you enough cash for some of said Whiskeys.

Petrol is more expensive in the highlands - at a guess, you could easily be paying £1.50 a litre and stations can be quite scarce.

£20 for food should do you, but no doubt easy to spend more too if you want to 'eat out' more than once a day.

[tatters]

Best place for a few weeks pure offroading is Morocco, Easy enough to hire bikes out there from European owned hire company's or have them sent by air which theses days only requires the disconnection of the battery so they arrive pretty much ready to go one you get them out of there crates. James cargo were the bunch l used to get my bike to Canada and it was hassle free, they came recommended by other travellers on horizons unlimited.


There is also company's doing offroad trips on hire dirt bikes from a few days long up to a few weeks in the far east, Vietnam/Cambodia etc which is alot of hard going technical jungle riding.
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[Kradmelder]

[Enduro Numpty]

As a Scot living in Scotland, I would certainly recommend a visit. Not the cheapest of places to come but not really any different to most of Western Europe. The weather is the biggest variable. The last week or so has been glorious but it can turn to wet misery very quickly. As for offroad riding, it's one of the big disappointments! Thousands of miles of wilderness and no real legal access. You could possibly buzz around on forestry tracks but they don't really take you anywhere. The law with regard to speeding is generally fixed and mobile speed cameras so don't imagine they would bother you too much if you're untraceable. Also cops with hand held radar on occasion should you choose to stop and the odd unmarked car (usually big and German). The further from civilisation you get, the less likely that you'll be troubled for enthusiastic riding.

If you are lucky with the weather then the North and West of Scotland offers some spectacular riding in truly awesome landscapes. I've ridden all over Europe for many years and given the right conditions there is nowhere I would rather ride my bike than North West Scotland.

I imagine you're well used to dealing with annoying insects but if you've never been here before then you'll have to deal with the West Highland midge. Don't underestimate them

PS nice steak!

[G]

Lots of beef too; though no amazing 'local dishes' to mind.

Do look up tripe and haggis before consuming!

Probably more appropriate modern 'local cuisine' is the "munchie box" and a deep friend mars bar. Tablet is fudge's poor cousin.

Lots of Cameras in Scotland - I'd be pretty confident you can just ignore them, doubly so as you're not part of the EU.
If you're on the main roads, you may see some cops by the side of the road. Not sure how the UK system works for foreigners - certainly for locals we'd never expect to hand cash over to the police person stopping you.

They can't associate points to you as far as I know.

Not many big places on the West Coast of Scotland anyway.

While you're in the area, might be worth a trip over to the Isle of Mann? Other little islands too.

[Kradmelder]

[G]

Weather has been in the high 20s recently, but quite high humidity means it's a bit sweaty. I haven't had anything more than a long sleeved shirt on at night for some time, though it was a bit nippier last night. That's the exception however and I'm merely in the North of England.
Normally, yes, even in a summer evening you'd go for a jumper etc.

Scotland is pretty high up - Edinburough is actually a little further North than Moscow and you'll be further up than that. However, of course we have the jet stream here, so don't get the sustained cold Russia gets so much.

I would guess you'll be fine without bookings - but it may pay to call ahead as you're not in typical tourist country, so possibly there being less places, they may fill up.

[Enduro Numpty]

It's maybe worth booking a day or so in advance, save you the grief of looking for accomodation when you get there. It equates to more time in the pub

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]

[Bendy]

My 2p on Scotland...

May is the time of year to go. As a general rule, that's the best weather. And before I start getting internet disagreements, this is based on 14 years living on the Isle of Skye.

Given that Scotland isn't very big, if you like riding, you can always look at basing yourself in one spot for a few days and heading out to a different bit each day. When I go riding up there, I just get a cheap room in Inverness knowing I can happily go out and do 300+ miles of fun stuff without carrying all my shit with me and having to find somewhere to sleep that night.

Accommodation can be hard to find at short notice during tourist season.

I see people talking speed cameras... if you're on the Scottish roads that have cameras, you're on the wrong roads. The north west twiddlies and single track stuff has no such nonsense, and that's what you should be heading for on your style of bikes.

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]

[Enduro Numpty]

[Kradmelder]

[Tungtvann]

I think you'd run out of roads, get bored with the Tarmac and be playing Russian roulette with the weather anywhere in the UK. Scotland has some great roads, but for someone like you who has been able to ride hundreds of km without seeing a settlement, I think you'll find it all too small and crowded.

Australia or the US will probably be your best choice.

[Kradmelder]

[G]

[Kradmelder]

[Kradmelder]