1st trip abroad...
Discussion
Me and a mate were looking at going abroad some time this year on our cbbr600rr's. Neither of us have been abroad before on the bikes and were looking for some advice.
Were do people reccommend? I'd personally like Italy although i'd be more than happy going to somewhere very scenic with plenty of bends!!! Even the Nurburgring for a look :happy:
We'll be travelling from Scotland so wheres the best place to Ferry from?? Rosyth?? Or would it be worth while travelling 'down south' to Ferry?
Also, what kind of costs are we talking about? We dont want to be away any longer than a week and were not looking to stay in evry 5 star Hotel, ye know apart from fuel, what sort of daily budget are we looking at?
Sorry for all the Questions but here seems the best place to ask!!
Thanx in advance, Ian:happy:
Were do people reccommend? I'd personally like Italy although i'd be more than happy going to somewhere very scenic with plenty of bends!!! Even the Nurburgring for a look :happy:
We'll be travelling from Scotland so wheres the best place to Ferry from?? Rosyth?? Or would it be worth while travelling 'down south' to Ferry?
Also, what kind of costs are we talking about? We dont want to be away any longer than a week and were not looking to stay in evry 5 star Hotel, ye know apart from fuel, what sort of daily budget are we looking at?
Sorry for all the Questions but here seems the best place to ask!!
Thanx in advance, Ian:happy:
Hi, there are lots of threads on here for touring. Just search on 'alps' and you'll see.
I did this last summer. I started off from London, but my mate came down from Banchory to join me. He did that in the one go - but on a KTM Adventure - not a CBR!! I was on a Hornet.
I can't advise you on taking the bike through the UK, but there are some great A roads running alongside the highways. On a CBR you're looking at 2 days to get to Dover for a ferry/tunnel crossing. If you're in the south of the UK, you could do it in a day. I've often driven London to Edinburgh/Inverness, and you're looking at 6/9 hours if you're fairly sensible. I'd take a morning ferry from Dover, so you can get well into france/germany by evening. My route was (basically) Eastern France down to the Alps, skirting Italy to Nice. Up into Italy via the Northern Lakes (Garda, etc) into Switzerland, stayed at Interlaken then into France and home. Would skip Switzerland next time and go up via Germany. And would spend more time in Italy.
Don't get white line fever, stop often, enjoy the views and the people.
As for the bike, oil the chain each mid morning stop (it'll be warm), carry spare bulbs, proof of ownership, license - both parts. If there are two of you then you don't need much else for spares - you can always just go get anything on the other bike. Anyway, Hondas don't break...
If you've crappy t-shirts from painting the house take them, and chuck them as you go. Same for old socks. I find girls pants are good and small, so easy to pack...
350 miles a day is a good number, but we just stopped where it felt right or the light was going - don't venture out on the roads in europe at night - not worth the risk.
Always have 100 Euros in your pocket in case you get stopped. More likely than you may think.
Don't book hotels. In france and italy you're looking at 30 - 40 Euros a night for a motorway hotel or even sometimes a good little private 'Allo', 'Allo' style place.
Talk to the ladies in italy, they are a whole lot friendlier than they may look, and they look pretty friendly.
Err, that's about it. Western Europe is full of bikers, all are friendly in my experience, and the car drivers are a lot more aware of bikes than in the UK.
Use this site, it's an extraordinary tool. You'll see there's nothing to worry about, just get going!!
And don't forget your toothbrush.
I did this last summer. I started off from London, but my mate came down from Banchory to join me. He did that in the one go - but on a KTM Adventure - not a CBR!! I was on a Hornet.
I can't advise you on taking the bike through the UK, but there are some great A roads running alongside the highways. On a CBR you're looking at 2 days to get to Dover for a ferry/tunnel crossing. If you're in the south of the UK, you could do it in a day. I've often driven London to Edinburgh/Inverness, and you're looking at 6/9 hours if you're fairly sensible. I'd take a morning ferry from Dover, so you can get well into france/germany by evening. My route was (basically) Eastern France down to the Alps, skirting Italy to Nice. Up into Italy via the Northern Lakes (Garda, etc) into Switzerland, stayed at Interlaken then into France and home. Would skip Switzerland next time and go up via Germany. And would spend more time in Italy.
Don't get white line fever, stop often, enjoy the views and the people.
As for the bike, oil the chain each mid morning stop (it'll be warm), carry spare bulbs, proof of ownership, license - both parts. If there are two of you then you don't need much else for spares - you can always just go get anything on the other bike. Anyway, Hondas don't break...
If you've crappy t-shirts from painting the house take them, and chuck them as you go. Same for old socks. I find girls pants are good and small, so easy to pack...
350 miles a day is a good number, but we just stopped where it felt right or the light was going - don't venture out on the roads in europe at night - not worth the risk.
Always have 100 Euros in your pocket in case you get stopped. More likely than you may think.
Don't book hotels. In france and italy you're looking at 30 - 40 Euros a night for a motorway hotel or even sometimes a good little private 'Allo', 'Allo' style place.
Talk to the ladies in italy, they are a whole lot friendlier than they may look, and they look pretty friendly.
Err, that's about it. Western Europe is full of bikers, all are friendly in my experience, and the car drivers are a lot more aware of bikes than in the UK.
Use this site, it's an extraordinary tool. You'll see there's nothing to worry about, just get going!!
And don't forget your toothbrush.
As for costs, everything is cheaper just about, except for drinks in bars. You can spend as little or as much as you like. Hotel, fuel and food can be done for 100 Euros each a day. You're on holiday, though, have some fun.
Best advice - talking to people, and smiles, are always free.
Best advice - talking to people, and smiles, are always free.
+1Farky said:
Sorry, forgot to ask. Whats the best port to go from to get to the Nurburgring?? and how long does it take to get there from the Ferry?
The choices from Scotland are rather limited:Rosyth - Zeebrugge
Hull - Zeebrugge
Newcastle - ljmuiden
Check prices with all 3, the Rosyth boat can be bloody expensive (ie twice the price of the others).
A few mates and I are going to the 'Ring in April by car, it's half the price if we go from Hull instead of Rosyth, which more than makes up the extra fuel costs. It'll be our first trip abroad as well and i'm trying to do as much research and planning as possible before hand
It's about 400 KM from Zeebrugge to Nurburg, so easily possible in a couple of fuel stops on the bike. The Hull boat gets in early morning as well (Rosyth boat gets in at lunchtime) which gives you the day to get there and get settled so no need for rushing.
Firstly, these things are so stringy, how do you know the inside from the outside. I only recently realised i had them on backwards...
Secondly, for trip planning www.maps.google.co.uk is superb, especially the "get directions" bit.
And you can spend hours on it when you click on the "aerial view" bit. Genius.
Secondly, for trip planning www.maps.google.co.uk is superb, especially the "get directions" bit.
And you can spend hours on it when you click on the "aerial view" bit. Genius.
I enjoy the chafing...
OK, I'll fess up... Best thing to do is get to some cheap cheap shop and buy some pants you're happy to chuck after one wear (or what you consider to be reasonable). Don't entertain the thought of doing laundry unless you really have to. Take one pair of fairly smart jeans, and a couple of shirts in case you need to entertain a 'laaaydie, you know'. Otherwise just buy what you need, and stick it in the space left when you chuck all your old, mangy stuff.
For security, I found a disc lock was fine, don't take a chain unless you plan going to some real dodgy spots.
When at a hotel, if you can park your bike under your window that's great, as it's extra peace of mind, and you can just chuck your stuff through the window into the room.
GPS is no fun, use maps. If you get lost, it could be the best bit of the trip.
My mate and I had two way radios which were great. They were Cobra something or other, and had push to talk from the handlebar. These are essential for calling fuel stops, pointing out rozzers, and hot tamale at the side of the road. Good for just chatting when you're eating up miles, too.
Unless you're in a real hurry, forget toll roads and highways. And whatever people may say about raods in france in August, they were utterly empty when i was there. It was actually spooky.
I'll go remind myself how to post pics, and get some up.
OK, I'll fess up... Best thing to do is get to some cheap cheap shop and buy some pants you're happy to chuck after one wear (or what you consider to be reasonable). Don't entertain the thought of doing laundry unless you really have to. Take one pair of fairly smart jeans, and a couple of shirts in case you need to entertain a 'laaaydie, you know'. Otherwise just buy what you need, and stick it in the space left when you chuck all your old, mangy stuff.
For security, I found a disc lock was fine, don't take a chain unless you plan going to some real dodgy spots.
When at a hotel, if you can park your bike under your window that's great, as it's extra peace of mind, and you can just chuck your stuff through the window into the room.
GPS is no fun, use maps. If you get lost, it could be the best bit of the trip.
My mate and I had two way radios which were great. They were Cobra something or other, and had push to talk from the handlebar. These are essential for calling fuel stops, pointing out rozzers, and hot tamale at the side of the road. Good for just chatting when you're eating up miles, too.
Unless you're in a real hurry, forget toll roads and highways. And whatever people may say about raods in france in August, they were utterly empty when i was there. It was actually spooky.
I'll go remind myself how to post pics, and get some up.
Farky said:
Me and a mate were looking at going abroad some time this year on our cbbr600rr's. Neither of us have been abroad before on the bikes and were looking for some advice.
Were do people reccommend? I'd personally like Italy although i'd be more than happy going to somewhere very scenic with plenty of bends!!! Even the Nurburgring for a look :happy:
We'll be travelling from Scotland so wheres the best place to Ferry from?? Rosyth?? Or would it be worth while travelling 'down south' to Ferry?
Also, what kind of costs are we talking about? We dont want to be away any longer than a week and were not looking to stay in evry 5 star Hotel, ye know apart from fuel, what sort of daily budget are we looking at?
Sorry for all the Questions but here seems the best place to ask!!
Thanx in advance, Ian:happy:
First of all, going abroad on your bike is both very easy and great fun!Were do people reccommend? I'd personally like Italy although i'd be more than happy going to somewhere very scenic with plenty of bends!!! Even the Nurburgring for a look :happy:
We'll be travelling from Scotland so wheres the best place to Ferry from?? Rosyth?? Or would it be worth while travelling 'down south' to Ferry?
Also, what kind of costs are we talking about? We dont want to be away any longer than a week and were not looking to stay in evry 5 star Hotel, ye know apart from fuel, what sort of daily budget are we looking at?
Sorry for all the Questions but here seems the best place to ask!!
Thanx in advance, Ian:happy:
Everyone I have met who does European touring on a bike does is differently so there is no right and wrong way. If it were me I would:
Use the Dover/Calais ferries as they are by far the cheapest, have far more options with regards to departure dates and times and generally I want to go either East or South when I hit France so ferries from ports further to the north offer me no advantage. Also, if, for example, it’s going to take 2 days to get to Northern Spain, I would rather those two days were on my bike than sat on a ferry, even if the bike is sat on a motorway for most of that time.
For a first trip I would look at destinations like the North East of France (Alsace) or the Massif Central. Both can be reached comfortable in a days riding and both offer great roads and good scenery and a number of general ‘touristy’ type things to do.
I like to get to my destination quickly so that I can then drop of all the luggage and enjoy riding the local roads so I often take more luggage than I really need and I do tend to use motorways/major roads to get there as quickly as possible.
I like to book local hotels (generally 2 or 3 star) via the internet, ensuring that the hotels have a bar (essential!) and a restaurant (important) so that there is always somewhere to eat and drink of an evening even if you get back late to the hotel. I expect these hotels to cost around £30 to £50 per night.
I tend to use the likes of Formule 1 or Premier Classe hotels if I need an overnight stop. These are very cheap (around £20 per room per night – up to 3 people per room) and are very good at what they do. Again, booking via the internet is easy.
As has been mentioned, drinks in bars are more expensive (as are coffees etc.) but eating out is generally a fair bit cheaper than the UK. How much you spend depends on what you have but £20 to £25 per evening will get you a good meal and a few beers. I do tend to move for my regular ‘3 square meals a day’ regime to simply having a large breakfast at the hotel (it’s generally included in the price anyway) and a large meal in the evening. It does help slow down the rate at which the leathers stop fitting around the middle.
I hope that helps you in deciding where to go and how to travel. Either way, do it, you’ll have a great time.
soryy but I don't agree about bars being more expensive ( from a German/Austrian/Italian) perspective. A large beer (0.5l) is typically 3 euros (£2.20). If you buy large Becks (again 0.5l) from a supermarket/off license it will be aroung 60 cents (38p 
)
I would recommend Getting into Germany asap after France and then Austria/Italy. Fantasitic roads, great people and such value for money compared to the UK. Also, you'll see loads of small hotels/restaurants off the main roads the say "Welcome Biker" - almost unheard of in teh UK
)I would recommend Getting into Germany asap after France and then Austria/Italy. Fantasitic roads, great people and such value for money compared to the UK. Also, you'll see loads of small hotels/restaurants off the main roads the say "Welcome Biker" - almost unheard of in teh UK
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