Europe Tour - Taking Bikes in a Van?
Discussion
... Has anybody ever done this? Me and a friend are looking to head to the Alps once again this summer on the bikes. However, last year we found the motorway stint down to Grenoble quite taxing so we were thinking about alternative options for this year and putting both bikes into the back of his van and driving down to a suitable start location seemed like a promising idea. Actually works out cheaper than riding down, with the added bonus of not squaring off the tyres!
My main concern is the security of the van whilst we are away on the bikes (although it is only an old 2003 heap) - I suppose we would be best paying a hotel or similar a nominal sum for he privilege of being able to park the bike for a week or so?
The other option would of course be to just take the twisty route down to wherever we're going but I'm slightly more reluctant to do that as my attitude is generally just get to the good routes as soon as possible! But if there's something I'm missing about the van plan then this would I think be plan B.
Any comments appreciated!
My main concern is the security of the van whilst we are away on the bikes (although it is only an old 2003 heap) - I suppose we would be best paying a hotel or similar a nominal sum for he privilege of being able to park the bike for a week or so?
The other option would of course be to just take the twisty route down to wherever we're going but I'm slightly more reluctant to do that as my attitude is generally just get to the good routes as soon as possible! But if there's something I'm missing about the van plan then this would I think be plan B.
Any comments appreciated!
Obviously dont know where you are in the UK ? but its going to take quite a bit longer to get into central France in a van than on your bikes . Spirit of adventure and all that !
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
We've talked about it but our usual modus operandi is to get the Hull-Rotterdam ferry and write off Day 1 as a motorway thrash.
Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
Charlie Croker mk2 said:
Obviously dont know where you are in the UK ? but its going to take quite a bit longer to get into central France in a van than on your bikes . Spirit of adventure and all that !
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
Wedg1e said:
We've talked about it but our usual modus operandi is to get the Hull-Rotterdam ferry and write off Day 1 as a motorway thrash.
Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
We live around 100 miles from Dover so our approach in the past has been to bomb it down to the port for an early (6-8am) ferry and then do the motorway stint thereafter. Last year we only made it to Dijon before we were absolutely buggered, but I think some of that was to do with the heat (August heatwave, 35 degrees+) on the motorways.Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
I've done plenty of long first day euro drives in the past so reckon the van would be a bit comfier for the boring stint.
The swapping bikes thing isn't a bad idea at all actually, although slightly impractical for us as we are both just under 25 our policies won't cover riding other bikes! Will employ that in future though...
TvrJohn said:
Was only reading about a group called the old gits, here on p heads, which were taking 3 trailers/vans with bikes to similar part of the world as yourselves.
Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
That's really useful, thank you. Will take a look.Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
TvrJohn said:
Was only reading about a group called the old gits, here on p heads, which were taking 3 trailers/vans with bikes to similar part of the world as yourselves.
Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
That would be me!!! Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
The thread for this years trip to Provence is here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=162...We've looked at a number of alternatives to riding miles on the motorway and this year are towing a large flat bed trailer with 4 bikes on it behind my Shogun. We do have the advantage though that our approach is that we book a central hotel for a number of days then explore the area from that hotel. That means that we arrive at the hotel, unload the bikes then the car/trailer are in the hotel car park and we're at that hotel too.
I'm not sure that it will be cheaper for 2 bikes in a van by the time you add in tolls, fuel and channel crossing but it won't be much more expensive. My calculations suggested that the car and trailer approach was about 2.7 times more expensive than a single bike so 3 people/bikes was cheaper by car/trailer and with 4 we're "quids in" (or Euros in!!!)
Interstinginly, of the 26 people on this years trip, only about 9 were in any way interested in using the trailer option, and only about 5 of those were really keen. Most were more than happy to ride to Provence although it's a roughly 50/50 split between those intending on using the motorway and getting there quickly vs those who will take a slower, more scenic route.
As an alternative, you could get the ferry to Spain. The good roads are only about 35 miles away from the Spanish ports and the Picos, while not as drmatic as the Alps, are just as much fun. Hotels/food etc. are also a lot cheaper in Spain. Either way, have a great trip.
Bordtea said:
The swapping bikes thing isn't a bad idea at all actually, although slightly impractical for us as we are both just under 25 our policies won't cover riding other bikes! Will employ that in future though...
That's really useful, thank you. Will take a look.
Eh? Call you insurers, since I started riding at 20 I have had cover to ride other bikes even on TPO cover. That's really useful, thank you. Will take a look.
Also I would not be worried at all about riding each others bikes for a couple of hours in a foreign country.
My mates have opted for the van option this year as opposed to catching the overnight ferry to Spain.
I am not going so i'm not sure exactly what they are doing. But they stay in a hotel in San Sebastian ( I think). One of the guys got a good rate in hiring the vans and they have the correct gear inside to fit 3 bikes, so they are taking spare bikes in case the Ducati's break down!
I believe it works out cheaper than riding down and saves them putting mileage on there bikes. But we will see.
I am not going so i'm not sure exactly what they are doing. But they stay in a hotel in San Sebastian ( I think). One of the guys got a good rate in hiring the vans and they have the correct gear inside to fit 3 bikes, so they are taking spare bikes in case the Ducati's break down!
I believe it works out cheaper than riding down and saves them putting mileage on there bikes. But we will see.
Bordtea said:
Charlie Croker mk2 said:
Obviously dont know where you are in the UK ? but its going to take quite a bit longer to get into central France in a van than on your bikes . Spirit of adventure and all that !
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
Seriously what I do from the Manchester area is leave home at mid day , Calais by 6pm and stay overnight at either Saint Quentin or Reims . ( Go accor hotels.com ) and the next day is so easy with a early start you can be in Grenoble or Chambery by mid to late afternoon .
Wedg1e said:
We've talked about it but our usual modus operandi is to get the Hull-Rotterdam ferry and write off Day 1 as a motorway thrash.
Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
We live around 100 miles from Dover so our approach in the past has been to bomb it down to the port for an early (6-8am) ferry and then do the motorway stint thereafter. Last year we only made it to Dijon before we were absolutely buggered, but I think some of that was to do with the heat (August heatwave, 35 degrees+) on the motorways.Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
I've done plenty of long first day euro drives in the past so reckon the van would be a bit comfier for the boring stint.
The swapping bikes thing isn't a bad idea at all actually, although slightly impractical for us as we are both just under 25 our policies won't cover riding other bikes! Will employ that in future though...
TvrJohn said:
Was only reading about a group called the old gits, here on p heads, which were taking 3 trailers/vans with bikes to similar part of the world as yourselves.
Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
That's really useful, thank you. Will take a look.Total number of bikes was 26 i recall
Do a word sarch on here, to track the information
If you want to get to the Alps from Calais in a day, here are some tips:
Firstly, “getting there” as quickly and efficiently as possible is all about average speeds and nothing about top speeds. Stopping should happen only when absolutely necessary and the time stopped should be kept to a minimum.
Only stop when the bike needs fuel. Fill it as quickly as possible and get back on the road as soon as possible.
Make sure you take on plenty of fluid but do you really need to stop and eat? It’s only one day, especially if you have a meal on the ferry (see below) and will eat when you get to your hotel.
Ride at a speed that covers the ground but doesn’t use the fuel too quickly. I find between 85 and 90mph on the French motorways doesn’t use the fuel too quickly and isn’t too fast as to attract unwanted attention.
Use a headset and an MP3 player and .. sing along … loudly!
If you’re going more than 200 miles/3 hours from Calais, use the ferry and have a nice meal and stretch your legs while on the ferry. Fill with fuel near Dover then you’ll be straight off the ferry and won’t need to stop until the tank is empty, with that stop being nothing more than a splash and dash.
Move around on the bike before you start to feel uncomfortable. It’ll delay the onset of discomfort.
If your seat is not up to 10 hour/500 miles days, get an AirHawk seat cushion and fill it correctly according to the instructions.
Give a cheery wave to all the other bikers also on the road. A cheery wave from them will do quite a bit in keeping your spirits up.
When it really does start to become significantly uncomfortable then stop, but be honest, is it really uncomfortable or are you just being a wimp?
Think about the fun you’ve just had/are about to have on those wonderful roads.
Have a great tip!
Killboy said:
Split up the trip to the Alps. We head nearly more fun on the roads to the Alps than in the alps itself. One way hit the B500 and Blackforest runs, and the other a massive B Road boogie through lovely bits of france. Sure, it adds 2 days or so each way, but well well worth it.
You don't by any chance happen to have your route for the france bit do you? I think we'll probably go through the Black Forest on the way there but would be nice to come back through more scenic France.Just to pick up on some other points -
black-k1 thank you for that info. Interestingly next year we were investigating ways to get 4 bikes onto a trailer. Hadn't thought about using a flat bed! Our preference really is Spain this year but annoyingly all the good value ferries have booked up for when we can go so we'd be lookng at a ~£400ish return each. I think it's probably a little too far to ride to but the van could be a way of doing it. I actually don't mind the motorway too much - yes it's a little boring but my bike (Speed Triple) with an Airhawk I actually find pretty comfy. Friend however owns a head down arse up so ends up a cripple quite quickly!
Andybow - thank you so much for your offer, I'll drop you a message once we've got more firm plans in place if that's the route we decide to go down!
CQ8 thank you, I'll take a look at that but at first glance it seems to probably be the most expensive option (if potentially the most convenient!) so I imagine we'll stick to the overland approach.
black-k1 thank you for that info. Interestingly next year we were investigating ways to get 4 bikes onto a trailer. Hadn't thought about using a flat bed! Our preference really is Spain this year but annoyingly all the good value ferries have booked up for when we can go so we'd be lookng at a ~£400ish return each. I think it's probably a little too far to ride to but the van could be a way of doing it. I actually don't mind the motorway too much - yes it's a little boring but my bike (Speed Triple) with an Airhawk I actually find pretty comfy. Friend however owns a head down arse up so ends up a cripple quite quickly!
Andybow - thank you so much for your offer, I'll drop you a message once we've got more firm plans in place if that's the route we decide to go down!
CQ8 thank you, I'll take a look at that but at first glance it seems to probably be the most expensive option (if potentially the most convenient!) so I imagine we'll stick to the overland approach.
Bordtea said:
black-k1 thank you for that info. Interestingly next year we were investigating ways to get 4 bikes onto a trailer. Hadn't thought about using a flat bed!
I've bought a trailer for the purpose and am in the process of modifing it to take 4 of these:
bolted to the floor.
I've also bought some wide ramps and I'm going to fit tie down pints (welded to the frame) down the middle of the trailer.
If you're still interested in the trailer approach next year, let me know and we can discuss the loan of my trailer.
I wouldnt worry about security, from my experience id rather travel around Europe with a van load of bikes than the UK.
After riding around Europe since the 90s, in 2015 we decided to take 4 bikes to the South of France, pros are of course easy to identify(comfort, not getting wet, tyre wear etc etc) but at the end of it, we decided never again, riding bikes is unsurprisingly a million times more exciting than being sat in a van for 1000 miles, especially after the first miles are over and when the weather got warmer, we saved a little in fuel(a fully loaded van likes a drink..) but the toll charges where outrageous, the auto booths measure the height/weight of the vehicle and cost far more than we expected and of course the cost of taking a bike over the water is far cheaper.
Whilst its nice saving wear on your tyres, it doesn't make for much of a crack or any adventure.
After riding around Europe since the 90s, in 2015 we decided to take 4 bikes to the South of France, pros are of course easy to identify(comfort, not getting wet, tyre wear etc etc) but at the end of it, we decided never again, riding bikes is unsurprisingly a million times more exciting than being sat in a van for 1000 miles, especially after the first miles are over and when the weather got warmer, we saved a little in fuel(a fully loaded van likes a drink..) but the toll charges where outrageous, the auto booths measure the height/weight of the vehicle and cost far more than we expected and of course the cost of taking a bike over the water is far cheaper.
Whilst its nice saving wear on your tyres, it doesn't make for much of a crack or any adventure.
Wedg1e said:
We've talked about it but our usual modus operandi is to get the Hull-Rotterdam ferry and write off Day 1 as a motorway thrash.
Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
What were you doing pedalling?Our record for Day 1 was 575 miles.
It's a pain about the tyres (and the fuel of course, most bikes do about 40mpg at best) but you can break the monotony by swapping bikes which gives a different set of muscles a workout (unless you all ride head-down, ar53-up of course).
1384 miles, 25hrs door to door beginning of december via Chunnel, Mt Blanc, Turin, Florence, Perugia to my house near Gualdo Tadino.
Average of 42mpg too with all the panniers loaded on the GS.
The ZZR14 would've been faster and better economy BUT I couldn't have taken the tools I needed to do the repairs after the earthquakes.
The run down in March I don't need to take tools
Joking aside - I've done both over the years - the only real advantage of a van is load capacity and a way back if you have an "incident".
Italy the tolls are the same for a bike or a car. France its is a lot less.
Both are a lot more for a van and more again if there is a trailer as its based not only on size/classification but axles so if there are 4+ then it can work out better but it is close.
podman said:
After riding around Europe since the 90s, in 2015 we decided to take 4 bikes to the South of France, pros are of course easy to identify(comfort, not getting wet, tyre wear etc etc) but at the end of it, we decided never again, riding bikes is unsurprisingly a million times more exciting than being sat in a van for 1000 miles, especially after the first miles are over and when the weather got warmer, we saved a little in fuel(a fully loaded van likes a drink..) but the toll charges where outrageous, the auto booths measure the height/weight of the vehicle and cost far more than we expected and of course the cost of taking a bike over the water is far cheaper.
Whilst its nice saving wear on your tyres, it doesn't make for much of a crack or any adventure.
+1 here. Whilst its nice saving wear on your tyres, it doesn't make for much of a crack or any adventure.
Same sort of time (i.e. 25 years!
) doing Euro trips and on half a dozen trips we've used a van for the bikes for the donkey work and it's not the same - a bike holiday only really starts when you start riding the bikes. Done some where half ride down and half in a van (good for those 'permission to buzz the van' type moments!) and although those in the van are fresher, the riders have way bigger smiles and their beers taste nicer.
I quite like riding from my own garage to the sun / snow / another country or continent. Riding through the late night chill into sunrise, down to the ports, across the boring flatlands of the first bit is just the foreplay. It's generally coming home you want the teleportation device.
If you want just the good bits - endless twisties, thrashing the spuds off it, racing your mates then book a Euro trackday (which I also do) but a bikie road trip needs to have the rubbish as well to be a complete experience - getting lost, soaked, frozen, warned by the Police etc etc
I would say if you need to use the Peages because of time etc and there is a group of you then get slick at them - person at front collects tickets and Visa card's the lot at the end. Funnel through and stop just after the barrier (not at the rest stop 100m to your right) then all take off as one as leader chap has paid. Organise hand signals as to when you're going to stop / fuel light on / just off to test the speed limiter etc. Just takes the mental drain out of what can be a long day.
90mph ish is good for distance, fuel economy and staying out of trouble. The slip roads and where motorways merge is where I utterley nail it - the pale beige tarmac over there is good at showing a mahoosive black line that keeps you giggling for the next cruisey bit and stops the rear tyre squaring off.
Buy a map, an old fashioned £4.99 paper map of the country you are visiting. Use it in addition to SatNavs if you must but your fellow road trippers can visualise stuff better.
Sncf (?) the French railway company do autotrains.
Get to Paris (couple hundred miles from Calais)
Deposit bike.
Get drunk.
Get on passenger train.
Wake up on day two in any one of a dozen or so destinations in southern France.
Perhaps marginally more expensive than the fuel and tyre wear, but much quicker, much boozier, more fun, less hassle. Plus if you do a sleeper train, one less night accom to worry about.
I think we paid around £350 for bikes and people Paris-Narbonne and then a couple of weeks later Biarritz-Paris.
Be aware you will be on a different train than your bike. But I couldn't recommend it enough.
Get to Paris (couple hundred miles from Calais)
Deposit bike.
Get drunk.
Get on passenger train.
Wake up on day two in any one of a dozen or so destinations in southern France.
Perhaps marginally more expensive than the fuel and tyre wear, but much quicker, much boozier, more fun, less hassle. Plus if you do a sleeper train, one less night accom to worry about.
I think we paid around £350 for bikes and people Paris-Narbonne and then a couple of weeks later Biarritz-Paris.
Be aware you will be on a different train than your bike. But I couldn't recommend it enough.
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