stupid question about touring.
Discussion
Guys I am finaly getting off my ass and going to europe. landing in France riding down to Spain. We have 7-8 days to get there and back. Dont know exactly the route but I intend to get down to the south of france then over the mountains to Andora then down to madrid maybe.
stupid question is do I need to get one of those headligh converter things you put on a car headlight when abroad?
any advise for traveling greatly appreciated.
You will love riding through France. Good smooth roads, far less busy than ours, and bike loving drivers.
Handy Tip - Buy a Baglux tankbag and cover (you can get the covers cheap off ebay). They unclip easily for refueling - which you'll be doing lots - and they have very handy pockets for toll money/tickets etc. They save lots of faffing around unzipping jackets, pockets etc.
Handy Tip - Buy a Baglux tankbag and cover (you can get the covers cheap off ebay). They unclip easily for refueling - which you'll be doing lots - and they have very handy pockets for toll money/tickets etc. They save lots of faffing around unzipping jackets, pockets etc.
Thanks
Already bought a tail pack made by GIVI. and I will take a ruck sack but I dont intend to take much with me.
Just put the tail pack on the bike today to try see how it fits and it seems secure enough.
looking forward to it but it will be a shock to teh system for me I think. we will be riding a lot futher a dya than I have before.
Having said that we have no set plan just stop and find somewhere to stay when we have had enough.
Already bought a tail pack made by GIVI. and I will take a ruck sack but I dont intend to take much with me.
Just put the tail pack on the bike today to try see how it fits and it seems secure enough.
looking forward to it but it will be a shock to teh system for me I think. we will be riding a lot futher a dya than I have before.
Having said that we have no set plan just stop and find somewhere to stay when we have had enough.
France had a very harsh winter this year and it damaged a lot of roads. Some of the smaller (more fun) roads were a lot worse then your typical british roads when I was down in the Limoges region last week.
They're repairing them though, so you may find them nice and smooth again by the time you head South.
Have fun,
Andy.
They're repairing them though, so you may find them nice and smooth again by the time you head South.
Have fun,
Andy.
If you do take to some of the smaller french roads, even when they have been 'resurfaced', be careful of the gravel that they often leave on the road, this is typically in the middle of the road, or spreads out from the side of the road. Bear this in mind when clipping corners.
Also, don't wear the rucksack. Strap it to the bike. You will be a lot more comfortable this way, and should you have an 'incident', you are a lot safer when not accompanied by your luggage!
Also, don't wear the rucksack. Strap it to the bike. You will be a lot more comfortable this way, and should you have an 'incident', you are a lot safer when not accompanied by your luggage!
Ive done that sort of thing several times, so ask anything.
My suggestion is to nail northern france via a motorway, get a good 500+ miles in the first day and head to narbonne area.
andorra is lovely, but traffic congested and relatively small. dont expect to cover many miles.
NICE hotel in La Seu D'Urgell
http://paradores-spain.com/spain/pseurgel.html
with a great selection of routes to the west.
loads more here:
www.paradores-spain.com/
I also recommend Logrono, busy town, but great tapas street night life. (ask the nearest hotel receptionist for directions)
Yesa lake is a good ride, along with anything north of it.
www.hotelciudaddecenicero.com/ is worth a night stop for a huge wine selection and good food. secure parking too.
petrol stops are the key. get on with the mileage, make fillups quick and military efficient. fill,pay,go.
20 mins hanging around take 30 miles off your journey.
My suggestion is to nail northern france via a motorway, get a good 500+ miles in the first day and head to narbonne area.
andorra is lovely, but traffic congested and relatively small. dont expect to cover many miles.
NICE hotel in La Seu D'Urgell
http://paradores-spain.com/spain/pseurgel.html
with a great selection of routes to the west.
loads more here:
www.paradores-spain.com/
I also recommend Logrono, busy town, but great tapas street night life. (ask the nearest hotel receptionist for directions)
Yesa lake is a good ride, along with anything north of it.
www.hotelciudaddecenicero.com/ is worth a night stop for a huge wine selection and good food. secure parking too.
petrol stops are the key. get on with the mileage, make fillups quick and military efficient. fill,pay,go.
20 mins hanging around take 30 miles off your journey.
thanks for the tips
Good point about the rucksack. will have a think about what I can do.
Those hotels look great the map is useful cheers.
getting all excited now
just changed the oil and sorted insureance and breakdown cover.
setting off on the 18th and we don't have to be back until the 29th
Good point about the rucksack. will have a think about what I can do.
Those hotels look great the map is useful cheers.
getting all excited now
just changed the oil and sorted insureance and breakdown cover. setting off on the 18th and we don't have to be back until the 29th
Thumbs up to the suggested Paradores link, although when we were in the Pyrenees last year we tried to get a single night midweek as a 'treat' and all three near(ish) ones were completely booked out - they really are fantastic & very highly recommended but BOOK if you fancy it.
I'm out there soon too, for a week near Auch & will be doing a few routes through the mountains around Lourdes/ Tarbes, this time will be in a car but went last year on the bike - it was fab!
Have fun & watch out for cyclists!!!
x
I'm out there soon too, for a week near Auch & will be doing a few routes through the mountains around Lourdes/ Tarbes, this time will be in a car but went last year on the bike - it was fab!
Have fun & watch out for cyclists!!!
x
i just use a bit of gaffer tape/duct tape whatever you call it over the appropriate part of the headlight lens
as an aside, a roll of this tape is an invaluable touring accessory
:cover bodywork to stop throwovers rubbing, repair splits in bags or broken bodywork, securing bungeed-on things..etc...etc...
as an aside, a roll of this tape is an invaluable touring accessory
:cover bodywork to stop throwovers rubbing, repair splits in bags or broken bodywork, securing bungeed-on things..etc...etc...
Landed in Caen from Portsmouth. Blasted streight down to San sebastien in spain drank plenty of dos cervesas por fa vor. (note to suzuki fit bigger petrol tanks)
No fixed plan we then headed up the coast a little and turned right we did stop in Pamplona for a quick look around. basicaly the idea was to travel across the pyranese in a kind of zig zag taking in some minor roads at the sides
the "major" roads we took were the 240/260/330 these had pretty much everything You could hope for anyway combinations of fast sweepers and more tequnicle stuff. Lots of hairpins.
My favourite was teh 260 towards La Su d urgell we also turned off these every now and again and went down some minor roads some were not on our map so I cant be sure where they were tried one road that s200z recomended. one was a dead end that ended in a big mountain. I did take some pics of some signs aon a particulary good road that was all hairpins but they never came out
From Urgell we then went to Andora but this was a mistake I should have heeded s2ooz advise and missed that out. bad roads too much trafic.
We were then back in France And I had this idea of wizzing through france to Northern italy then the Stelvio pass but time and money was running out so we missed out italy and headed for Lyon and then to Switzerland. spent all day messing about in teh mountains getting lost.
Then my big idea was germany and nurburg ring but we were both pretty fed up of motorways and a bit titsed off we had left spain also weather was turning bad cold and rainy so we headed stright up to amsterdam stayed there for a night and then caught a fastcat from Roterdamn the next day
No fixed plan we then headed up the coast a little and turned right we did stop in Pamplona for a quick look around. basicaly the idea was to travel across the pyranese in a kind of zig zag taking in some minor roads at the sides
the "major" roads we took were the 240/260/330 these had pretty much everything You could hope for anyway combinations of fast sweepers and more tequnicle stuff. Lots of hairpins.
My favourite was teh 260 towards La Su d urgell we also turned off these every now and again and went down some minor roads some were not on our map so I cant be sure where they were tried one road that s200z recomended. one was a dead end that ended in a big mountain. I did take some pics of some signs aon a particulary good road that was all hairpins but they never came out
From Urgell we then went to Andora but this was a mistake I should have heeded s2ooz advise and missed that out. bad roads too much trafic.
We were then back in France And I had this idea of wizzing through france to Northern italy then the Stelvio pass but time and money was running out so we missed out italy and headed for Lyon and then to Switzerland. spent all day messing about in teh mountains getting lost.
Then my big idea was germany and nurburg ring but we were both pretty fed up of motorways and a bit titsed off we had left spain also weather was turning bad cold and rainy so we headed stright up to amsterdam stayed there for a night and then caught a fastcat from Roterdamn the next day
just to add.
Next year we have decided to get the ferry down to Spain and just mess about in Northern Spain so missing out the boring motorway bits.
Nothing like a cold San migell after riding in 40 degrees heat in leathers
when I win the lotery I'm buying a house there oh and Switzerland If Im not banned from driving there
Oh and will always wear my ear plugs not forget to put them in and think oh I cant be arsed to take my helmet off again. Sitting here with very odd pains in my head/ears it feels like someone has poked a big stick in them
>> Edited by pesty on Wednesday 27th July 08:30
Next year we have decided to get the ferry down to Spain and just mess about in Northern Spain so missing out the boring motorway bits.
Nothing like a cold San migell after riding in 40 degrees heat in leathers
when I win the lotery I'm buying a house there oh and Switzerland If Im not banned from driving there
Oh and will always wear my ear plugs not forget to put them in and think oh I cant be arsed to take my helmet off again. Sitting here with very odd pains in my head/ears it feels like someone has poked a big stick in them
>> Edited by pesty on Wednesday 27th July 08:30
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