Riding in Europe
Discussion
Hooli said:
Passport, V5c, licence & insurance cert.
Oh & enjoy yourself
And remember to go anticlockwise around roundabouts.Oh & enjoy yourself
And don't speed when heading towards your return ferry/ tunnel 'cos Les Flics expect Brits to be late and lie in wait for them. 150 Euro on the spot fine puts a big dent in your ferry beer fund
And don't forget to make the 'Black Power' clenched fist sign to Harley riders in Germany, they expect it.
Dog Star said:
Silver993tt said:
Also you will need hi viz vest, first aid kit and some spare bulbs. These are a requirement in France, Belgium, Netherlands and in most other EU countries.
On a bike? I don't think so. Take original documents and both parts to licence. The reflectors on helmets is more for residents and outside of Paris you're unlikely to get pulled up for it.
Silver993tt said:
Never had a problem fitting them under the seat, even on a ZZR1400. You do know that you can get specific kits that are smaller for bikes don't you?
Yes, and they're just as pointless as all other 'first aid' kits.Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
Wedg1e said:
Yes, and they're just as pointless as all other 'first aid' kits.
Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
They are required in some European countries. A few years ago around 7 of us on 7 bikes got turned away from the Swiss border with Italy because we were checked for having a medical kit with us. We didn't, so we had to make a huge detour. It is tiny and weighs nearly nothing, costs around €5 and is a no brainer to carry.Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
Silver993tt said:
Wedg1e said:
Yes, and they're just as pointless as all other 'first aid' kits.
Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
They are required in some European countries. A few years ago around 7 of us on 7 bikes got turned away from the Swiss border with Italy because we were checked for having a medical kit with us. We didn't, so we had to make a huge detour. It is tiny and weighs nearly nothing, costs around €5 and is a no brainer to carry.Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
I carry a couple of these, and one of these in amongst all the useless stuff (which maybe useless when it comes to road-side open heart surgery but turns a miserable trip in to a bearable one by allowing treatment of minor scrapes and bumps that would otherwise become a real distraction.)
Silver993tt said:
Wedg1e said:
Yes, and they're just as pointless as all other 'first aid' kits.
Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
They are required in some European countries. A few years ago around 7 of us on 7 bikes got turned away from the Swiss border with Italy because we were checked for having a medical kit with us. We didn't, so we had to make a huge detour. It is tiny and weighs nearly nothing, costs around €5 and is a no brainer to carry.Ask any nurse, anything in a FA kit can only 'fix' the sort of injuries that won't hurt you if left untreated - basically playground knocks. Unles there's somthing to keep your airway clear it's as useless as... well, an ashtray on a motorbike.
Luck of the draw!
sjtscott said:
Where as on my last trip that involved switzerland (entering on a small road ) I carried a first aid kit for our group 'expecting' to get checked and we all got waved through, not forced to buy a vignette (again expecting to have to argue our case of not using motorways) and no one interested in checking our passports either.
Luck of the draw!
Which is why for the sake of €5 it's worth carrying the firts aid kit as it's no bigger than a large wallet.Luck of the draw!
Crossflow Kid said:
And it's all about what you put in one.
Exactly, but look what's in most of them. I can see how cotton-wool clad office workers who never suffer more than a paper cut might be mollified by a few bits of cotton wool and a plaster but really, if you come off a bike and just get 'minor scrapes' and the bike is rideable then what's the suffering?Sounds like a typical rule initiated by someone who's never lived in the real world (i.e. they're in Brussels).
Next trip we have, I think I'll take along a green first aid box - and fill it with spanners, they'd be more bloody useful in an 'emergency'.
Sorry for the cynicism, must be my OH rubbing off on me: she did 25 years as an A&E nurse so she knows what injuries look like and what you 'need' to treat on the spot. Old habits die hard: in the boot of her car there are scary looking things for ramming down people's throats and clamping off spurting arteries - not a green box in sight. Never needed them yet but if you're going to help you may as well have real 'first aid' kit
Crossflow Kid said:
LordFlathead said:
Don't forget your 4 helmet stickers which is a legal requirement in France 
No it isn't, along with the myth about needing breathalysers:Here
http://www.getgeared.co.uk/reflective_helmet_stick...
Your article responds to the changes in the law regarding the 'then' compulsory retro-reflective areas on jackets on bikes larger than 125cc/ It refers to jackets and not helmets;
AA said:
The requirement was to have been that clothing must have a minimum reflective surface of 150cm2 (approx 23in2) in total, either in one piece or in several pieces, and must be worn between the neck and waist.
This legislation concerns ALL motorcycle helmets worn in France. It further states that the stickers should not be able to be removed without damaging the helmet
Addressed here in detail on UK France Bikers.com
You are WRONG
Either way its a piss poor rule and if you get pulled over for doing 150 plus, I very much doubt that not having a few stickers on your lid is going to help you
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