GETTING STARTED

 with Pete Broad - France

What size motorcycle do you need???   It depends what you will be carrying really.  If there’s 2 of you and camping equipment, a 250 is barely powerful enough,  but we did tour Holland in the 1960s on a 250 Ariel Leader.  This was fine, we carried a minimum of clothes, and stayed in Hotels or Motels.  It also depends on how fast you want to travel. European touring has even been done on mopeds by a few that weren’t in a hurry.  Cyclists do it often.  At least you see more of the countryside.

We now go to the other extreme, using a Honda 6 cylinder 1047cc CBX, with the huge Rickman fairing  and panniers, or a 1200 Bandit. We actually prefer the CBX for touring except the seat isn’t the most comfortable. Most important if you are doing long journeys. We don’t think plastic rockets are ideal, they give very little weather protection like a good tourer. When the weather is bad, you are better off with some protection.

This begs the question "What is the best tourer".  Probably the Honda Pan European is near or top of the list, or even the GoldWing. The Yamaha FJR 1300 looks good too. Plenty of protection and panniers.  Slightly less powerful but popular, is the Honda Deauville.  Fine if there’s just you.  

We are reliably informed from several sources, that the French are clamping down on all types of noise including motorcycles.  Some are being turned away from Bike sites                 

Regardless of what you choose, the most important thing is reliability. Shiny 160mph monsters are no use if they break down. Get yours serviced by someone that is really good at their job, not because they have a shiny new showroom.  Main agents should be reliable if they have been in the bike business for a long time. Our personal check list and what to carry is on another page.

Where to go, and how far do you want to travel.  Now that is the real million dollar question. France is the most popular, but maybe partly because it’s the nearest. It’s also one of the largest of the European countries with the most varied areas and scenery. About 900 miles from top to bottom, and 700  from East to West. It used to have the most ferries, but that’s changed a little, but there’s still quite a few to choose from. It also depends on what part of France you want to visit.  Dover-Calais isn’t ideal if you are thinking of North West France, it could mean a 6 – 8 hour ride after leaving the ferry, but ideal for Northern and Eastern France.  Maybe Portsmouth to Le Havre or Poole to Cherbourg would be best if you want Central or North Western areas.

It also depends on times of boats or where you live in the UK (you don’t want to arrive at your destination in the middle of the night) and prices. The Catamaran type crossings are worth a look. They are quicker, but are sometimes cancelled in rougher weather. Our favourite crossing is Portsmouth to St Malo, but is one of the dearest. St Malo is only 65 miles from us. PLAN CAREFULLY WHICHEVER WAY YOU DECIDE, FRANCE IS LARGER THAN MOST REALISE.

Don’t make the mistake of just setting off without some planning, you must know roughly how many miles you would be comfortable doing each day, and where you decide to stay for the night if needed.

We used to treat it like a military invasion, but that maybe OTT to some. The planning to us, was all part of our holiday. We once got to Spain and found the mileage we estimated was out by 5 Kilometres.

Some people love map reading, others guess. I know which one I like. Will enclose one of the route sheets we used later. 

Photos of where you stayed are useful, not just for memories, but to recall some of the places and hotels you are bound to forget.