Any advice on touring abroad with monster?

[Spud]

Going to France in 3 weeks time for my first tour. Can anybody offer some advice for a first timer, either universal wisdom or Monster specific.

Route is down through France to Grenoble, hop on the Route Napoleon down to Cannes, then across coast of the med to the Spanish border and back home. Crossing is via Eurotunnel. Going with brother and mates (749, Mille & a Supermoto) who have toured abroad before.

Any advice out there?

[JMo]

Personally I'd plan to travel light, it will make the riding far more enjoyable...

Lay out all the clothes you plan to take with you, then only pack half of them... make sure you have breakdown/accident cover that includes repatriation of you and the bike (just incase) and take a credit card... x

Presuming your bike (S2R) is quite new and in good condition still, check oil is topped up, check tyres (for cuts/damage, and if getting near to the wear limit, change them before you go), check wheel bearings and chain and sprockets... might be worth taking a C-spanner to adjust the chain if doing big miles... and a small can of chain wax, although you can always buy that en route.

btw. when I bought my bike the handbook pack included a worldwide dealer list - if you have an up to date copy, perhaps photocopy the relevant pages for France?

Hope that helps...

xxx

[sadbiker]

Strangly I suggest Breakdown Insurance and make sure you are covered for recovery if involved in an accident.
Make sure you fill up every 100 miles, you never know when the next garage will be.
Euro tunnel takes 35 minutes and is great, but watch out for diesel in Calais, I nearly ended up wiping out my S2R minutes from the terminal as we came off a roundabout onto the Autoroute. My rear end skipped out big style.
As for riding in France you will love it, once out of the towns they give you plenty of room and move over to let you overtake (sometimes nearly off the road). The backroads tend to be wider than our normal A-roads and fairly clear of traffic.

Make sure that between you all you have a puncture kit, chain adjusting kit, Chain Wax etc.

French police like to see your lights on, and so far I have never had any trouble with them, but then I don't take the micky out of them.

Like JMO says limit what clothes you take, I always end up with to much, It may be worth taking less and wash things when you start running out.

So go on enjoy yourself and treat everyone with respect, the French love bikers so you will feel welcome.

[MilesB]

Route is down through France to Grenoble, hop on the Route Napoleon down to Cannes, then across coast of the med to the Spanish border and back home. Crossing is via Eurotunnel. Going with brother and mates (749, Mille & a Supermoto) who have toured abroad before.
OK - that's a long way - I hope you have a comfy saddle (or you are OK with the stock one) as otherwise you are gonna know about it.

We did Calais to Nice (700 miles) via Grenoble and the Route Napoleon (doing the last bit on the N202) in 2 days on Susan's TDM... if going by Monster I think I'd have wanted to do it in three easier days - we were 2up so could share the riding...

Northern France is pretty boring, but once you get to Chambery (north of Grenoble) it gets much better, and the N85 (Route Napoleon) is a hoot.

Keep the fuel tank tooped up - about every 100 miles on the Monster - as sometimes you can go for a very long time without passing a petrol station... also beware that the French have automatic (unmanned) petrol stations that will only accept French plastic :cens: :Furious: :banghead:

Have fun, and watch out for Swiss bikers... if you think you are riding well, they will run rings around you in the mountains :on:

Miles

[JMo]

Good point about the puncture kit Sadbiker - I have one of those little kits with the CO2 bottles under the seat (forgot it was there!) and having used them in the past they certainly seem to do the job - and depending on your schedule, far better than sitting at the roadside waiting for a breakdown van to turn up and take you to the nearest tyre dealer...

xxx

[bigredduke]

Do you have to display a GB sticker on a bike? What about a headlamp converter?

If you haven't already got some, get some vented summer gloves, it gets 'kin hot down there on the south coast.

Put a notice near your clocks or on your tankbag top saying "drive on right" it's easy to forget, especially when you have stopped for a period and are setting off.
Watch your speed on the Autoroutes, they sometimes check your times between toll booths using the time stamped on your ticket.

Notify your insurance company to confirm you will get the same cover abroad - you may need to pay a supplement.

Have a great time! I am taking my bike down on a trailer to the Pyrenees this Summer (family holiday)

[Bodybag]

First off, if you can afford it before you go, get a DP Gel seat. The difference is amazing. £105 including VAT from Daytona. Next, work out how you're going to carry your gear. Sounds like an obvious statement but do you want to carry all your gear in a rucksack on your shoulders when you coud have got a tank bag and tail pack instead? Other options include the Ducati Panniers but not sure what they do about fitting to bikes with stacked pipes. I toured Ireland with Panniers and a tank bag and it was such a relief not to have to carry anything on my back. Plus, a tank bag gives you somewhere to rest your head on long autoroute stretches. :mand:

Hope this helps.

Phil

[MilesB]

First off, if you can afford it before you go, get a DP Gel seat. The difference is amazing. £105 including VAT from Daytona. Next, work out how you're going to carry your gear. Sounds like an obvious statement but do you want to carry all your gear in a rucksack on your shoulders when you coud have got a tank bag and tail pack instead?
Agreed - for that distance you definitely do not want a rucksack, and the DP seat is the best mod I ever did to my monster... trippled my comfort range.

[Emily]

Hiya Spud!

See if you can pick up a cheap Ventura rack on ebay. We used one on Nik's 900SS last year when we went to France. With that, the oxford panniers and the Baglux/Bagster tank bag we had oodles of room - even for a woman who can't possibly go away without 10 pairs of shoes!!! :mand:
Plus neither of us had to carry a rucksack which was a major bonus.

Top Tip No. 47 - If you do find yourself at an unmanned automatic service station that doesn't accept UK credit cards just wait around for the next biker to come in and fill up, shouldn't take too long (in our case less than 5 mins) Get your money out ready and ride over to them while they're filling up. Wave your cash around and point to the petrol tank, if your French isn't that good, and they should soon get the message. Works a treat!

I cannot praise the French enough for the courtesy they show towards bikers - they really do almost drive off the road to let you past. You can spot the British drivers a mile off coz they're the ones who never move out the way.

And finally..............have fun, I know we did :spin:

[spacemonkey]

also beware that the French have automatic (unmanned) petrol stations that will only accept French plastic :cens: :Furious: :banghead:



Ah, but they do take Spanish plastic... :pedro: You do have a Spanish card, don't you?

[Kiwi]

fitted a givi rack and top box both soruced off ebay, makes weekend trips a lot easier

hard luggage is preferable in every way to soft luggage

[geecy1]

Get a Zero Gravity Sports Touring Screen that way you can ride at high speeds longer.

[Spud]

Thank you one and all for all the quality advice - awesome

Will report when back

[sadbiker]

Bon Voyage........

[Spud]

Back from my first tour late on Tuesday night

2265 miles in 6 days, one puncture, a slack chain incident, sore a#*e and my first ride in a thunderstorm!:shocked:

Daisy held her own in the company of bigger and powerful bikes, charged down the autoroute, and carved up the twisties. Awesome roads, awesome weather.

My piece of touring advice to give back - go far and go now!:thumbsup:

[NattyBoy]

Read with interest - im on my first euro jaunt down to the burgundy region (hic) in september..some good hints there..!

Nat

[russ77]

Bit late now, but glad to hear you had a good time. I'm thinking of taking a trip to France next month too. I'm fairly sure you're required to carry a full set of replacement bulbs in France and maybe other countries on the Continent. I know you're meant to have a hi-viz tabard in case of breakdowns in Italy too.

I expect the AA or RAC could give you a list if you're a member or try their websites.