25th 'Moto Clube Faro' rally - July 2006 - Faro, Portugal

[Nath]

Next summer. Faro, The Algarve, Portugal. One of the biggest bike events in Europe. Sun, sea, sand, cheap beer, and more motorbikes than you can shake yer stick at. So, who's comin'?

Links:
https://www.motoclubefaro.pt/
https://groups.msn.com/MotoClubeFaroRally/
https://www.vmaxchat.co.uk/rideouts/FaroRally2004/Faro2004.htm (don't know the guy, google turned this up)

I'd never heard of this bikeshow before, until a chat with a british biker from Sheffield at a French service station on the road to calais at midnight last month. Apparently it's one of the biggest shows in Europe and next year it will be the 25th anniversary, with over 100,000 bikers in attendance from all over Europe, and the World.

This should be both a bloody good party, and an excuse to sample the fantastic Spanish roads.

I'm not 100% certain that I will go as I need to see how my bank balance looks nearer the time, and also what motorbike(s) I own will play a part as well. However I did a similar ride down through France, and accross Spain over to Portugal only this September and had a fantastic time, and would deffinately be looking to do something similar next year.

So, anyone else thinking they might be up for this?
____________________
Hard livin', hard luck.

[yambabe]

To ride you need to be able to set aside at least a fortnight of your holidays, and budget probably about £1000 in ferries/petrol.

Back Street Heroes magazine do an annual run to Faro with full medical & breakdown support, but it books up very quickly. They didn't even advertise it in the mag last year as they'd had so many enquiries beforehand.

However, Faro airport is, so I'm told, just a short walk from the site and several of the budget airlines fly there. Jet2.com have already released their flight times for those days, and you can fly from Manchester return for about £100.

Hoping to do this one next year myself for the first time, but I know several people who have been before and it is indeed supposed to be excelent.
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Nath]

I'd guess you'd want to give yourself 5days realistically if riding down there through France. You're probably looking at about 2000miles or so as well(each way).

Maybe riding the whole way isn't for everyone's tastes, but if I have the time/money/bike then I shall deffinately be doing it Perhaps as part of a longer tour of Europe(I fancy exploring either the Alps, or going down to Italy).


I shall be posting a writeup and some pictures of my trip across Spain in the Photos section in the next day or two, if anybody is interested in what it's like riding down there. My 3 week trip totalling about 4000miles cost me roughly £1200.
____________________
Hard livin', hard luck.

[Dom]

I'm definitely interested in doing a reasonable amount of riding in Europe next summer, provided I have the cash available. The idea of a few weeks riding with a huge party thrown in the middle is a very nice one.

[CoronaBoner]

OOOh looks cool, ill post some Q's up later when i get more time (damn work) and i will have more time to look at links etc..
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[R4nger]

Depends on bank balance at the time.

[CoronaBoner]

Wow does look like an adventure!

How much money is needed for the trip, how much are you trying to save to cover the costs?
What essential stuff to take? ...money/clothes........
GSXR600 wrong for this kind of trip (meh i don't think so!)
Any special docs required? insurance oversea's - license info etc?

Would be cool if you could shed some more info on any details that may help..... as i am not clued up on this type of thing atall.

If it can be possible for me i would love to go, and don't see that much that would stop me. I would borrow my grandads digicam which is awesome! unlike my 60 quid play.com piece of s**t, so we can get some snappy's of the views and sights.
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Assuming I'm on the GPZ by then I am very interested in tagging along. It could be an excuse to have a month long trip as a matter of fact.

I've got a mate who lives in Lisbon so may be able to get him to take us to the good places/roads.

@CoronaBoner. According to babyyam budget around a grand. Essentials to take are wash bag. Small ten+sleeping bag. Waterproof bike clothing (although I highly doubt you will need it). Some spare tools and afformentioned money. Some tools would be handy as well.

Your insurance may already cover you for European travel, or you can arrange it. A full bike licence obviously, and assuming you can handle day long rides on it then your GSXR will be fine.
____________________
Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[CoronaBoner]

Thanks for info, I will look into my insurance policy (carole nash) and find out what cover i have or need.
I would just love to get away from everything for awhile so something like this trip could not be better. I will start saving anyway and i will start a list on all the things i will need like the tent & sleeping bag etc, and somehow cram it all into one mega bag which i have yet to find...

thanks again.
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Best thing to take will be a tankbag and some throwover panniers. A ruckasack is a possibility if your used to carrying one about. Otherwise it will get uncomfortable.
____________________
Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[R4nger]

What dates are we looking at (to include travel and meeting etc)?

If we go late in the night on eurostar, it will be ubber cheap but not so good for navigation .Prehaps we could go late, get there and go into a hotel as I guess some people would be travelling in the UK aswell.

Are we going for the 4 days?

[Nath]

Getting there
The cheapest way to get to France is to get an early morning ferry and book a few weeks in advance on one of the cheapo internet booking agents. You will pay less than £50 (including the return journey, even if several weeks later). This is good as you arrive in France at daybreak giving you a whole day(12+ hours) to really push on South - If you get a little sleep before setting off from home it's not too bad.

Luggage
I used throwover panniers and an army kit bag bungeed over the pillion seat to go to Spain - This provided plenty of storage space and was cheap as well. The main disadvantage of this is that every night you will have to cart your stuff from your bike to your room, which is really annoying when you pull into a place late at night feeling tired, and wanting to get an early start in the morning. It is also a bit risky leaving your bike unattended in cities with soft luggage on it(though I did it for several hours at a time without any problems numerous times in France and Spain).

I would not go touring Europe again with soft luggage for the above reasons. Hard panniers are expensive but worth it if you will be using them more than once.

Budget
A grand will be enough, especially if you always camp out or stay in youth hostels. When going far from home, it is always a good idea to have a reserve ontop of what you expect to spend - An overdraft or credit card would be fine for this.


Motorcycle touring is very rewarding, and a great experience. Only having to worry about where you're going next is a great freedom, and the only thing you are obligated to do is ride your bike. If you don't like a place or can't get somewhere to stay, you simply ride on, even if it's the middle of the night.
____________________
Hard livin', hard luck.

[CoronaBoner]

MSN addy anyone?

mine is - corona600@hotmail.co.uk

Maybe a good idea to get the people interested on ya list.
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[R4nger]

Yer. My MSN addy is:

ranger AT ykclan DO.T com

[JonB]

I'm really interested, but I really cannot afford it.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Nath]

One thousand pounds is not really a massive amount to save up, especially considering that there's over six months to do it in. Just put in the overtime or get an extra job, especially over christmas. Hell, I could save up most of that money just by stopping drinking beer for the six months!

Faro 2006 is gonna rock big time, and anyone considering going will probably regret it for years to come should they not make the right decision. Whenever the subject of European touring is brought up there are always scores of people whining "I wish I could do that", yet this will be the perfect opportunity and only a handful of people so far are showing interest!
____________________
Hard livin', hard luck.

[R4nger]

[CoronaBoner]

R4nger why did you write your email add like that??
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken

[R4nger]

Robots crawl the web searching for email addresses to spam to. This stops the robot recogizing the email format and won't spam it. I know that google crawls this forum.

[R4nger]

Also, I want to start on the 15th and finish on the 30th. Obviously it can change if everyone wants to go for a shorter time.

[Klause]

I want to, but it all depends. I'll just follow r4nger .
____________________
Current bikes: 1960 Triumph 5ta x2, TTR600RE, KTM200EXC, Cagiva Elephant 900ie.

[R4nger]

Thought I would post a few interesting links since I am bored.

Compressed Storage Bags. Whats that you say? Well... it is a bag that compresses storage
I am sure you have seen the advertisements on TV over and over again, specially on Sky. They were an 'impovement' to vacuum storage bags that use a hover to suck all the air of a bag to make it smaller but a compression storage bag does not use a vacuum to get all of the air out. All you have to do it roll the bag and it will force the air out of a one-way valve. These bags greatly reduce the size of your luggage, make them waterproof and they make it is to sort through your saddlebags.

I have heard rumours of French petrol stations closing on Sunday and only accept credit cards. Now I am not sure whether this is true or not but I wouldn't like to find out the hard way so it maybe a good idea to carry a fuel bottle in your luggage just incase.

Travel Insurance is often hard to get because motorbiking is considered a dangerous sport. Kwik-fit Insurance (yes, the people that do car tyres and exhausts ) does and I got quote for £13 per person. Why would you want travel insurance when you have a E111? The EHIC and holiday insurance are complementary and you are advised to have both. The EHIC does not cover some costs such as repatriation. Some insurance companies require you to have an EHIC and some companies (Kwik-fit will waive the fee) will waive the excess charge if an EHIC has been used. However it is not known as the E111 now as you now get a nice little card to carry around with you that lasts upto 3 to 5 years call an "European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)". You can apply for it online and it will be delivered to you free of charge within 7 working days I believe. Every person will need a EHIC card. I would strongly advise health insurance.

The countries will be visiting at the least (France, Spain, Portugal) will require a spare bulb kit, first aid kit, a spare pair of glasses (if you require them to ride) and a warning triangle. You will also need a EU numberplate or a GB sticker. I would personally get a EU numberplate.

Compression Storage Bags:
https://shop.packmate.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/32

EHIC (E111):
https://www.ehic.org.uk

Kwik-fit Insurance:
https://www.kwik-fitinsurance.com/travel/travel/travel.asp

Fuel Bottle:
https://www.fieldandtrek.com/cat_id/EQUICAMPCAMPFUEL/cid/VOU8GGF2SSZCUQQ6RD92IOMYP9VUO27S/product-MSR-Fuel-Bottle-18534.htm

Spare Bulb Kit:
Hein Gericke sell them. 2 different types so make sure you get the correct one. One is £5.99 and the other £11.99. The brand name is Philips.

Warning Triangle:
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REFLECTIVE-WARNING-TRIANGLE-FREE-P-P_W0QQitemZ8012041208QQcategoryZ9885QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (They look quite compact)

First Aid Kit:
Lots of retailers sell First Aid Kits. Make sure it has more than a box of plasters though.

Useful Driving/Riding Information:
https://www.tridentgarages.co.uk/abroad.htm

A guide to what you should pack:
https://users.pullman.com/viking/CampingList.htm

Checklist Generator:
https://www.micapeak.com/checklists/generic.html

European Campsites:
https://www.venueholidays.co.uk/uk/map_uk/maps_uk2.htm

Spainish Campsites:
https://www.campinguia.com/en/

[Klause]

Personally I don't see those compression bags being much use they look like mini suitcases.

You can go down to your local Army surplus store and grab these bags for about £1 for 10.

In here is jeans, 2x boxers, socks and a t-shirt. As you can see there is room left and there sealable. Best thing about them is you can make them for one day. So I just reach into my bag grab one and thats my clothes for the day. I havn't even compressed it much yet either just an example (TA taught me this) ...

https://img450.imageshack.us/img450/9826/s10100017mb.jpg
____________________
Current bikes: 1960 Triumph 5ta x2, TTR600RE, KTM200EXC, Cagiva Elephant 900ie.

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Nath, count me in as a definate for the rally. I'll sort that out. As mentioned I know someone in Lisbon so may be able to drag some locals from there, for a day anyway.

I am also interested in doing more travelling and your extra trip sounds good. Let us know what your considering doing, do you have MSN? Or send a PM, cheers.
____________________
Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[CoronaBoner]

Damn R4nger, shit hot info there!!
____________________
2004 RSV Factory

Cluck cluck chicken