trip abroad

i'm thinking of a bikeing holiday this summer going from London to Warsaw or Prague.

anybody done a similar trip, any tips on route selection?

Is the SV upto such a trip??

Er...good planning.

Organisation is the key here.

Originally Posted by LondonLad

anybody done a similar trip, any tips on route selection?

Use a routeplanner, such as the RAC Routeplanner - try here http://rp.rac.co.uk/routeplanner

Decide whether you want to go fast & boring (motorways), or whether you want to split the journey, have a few stops en-route & take some slower but more interesting roads

Originally Posted by LondonLad

Is the SV upto such a trip??

Of course it is. The routeplanner gives a distance of 1,024 miles from London to Warsaw, by the most direct/fastest route. So it's a trip in excess of 2,000 miles round trip - are your tyres up to it ? - change them before you go, or plan to change them on route. Also get a Scottoiler if you haven't already got one

I'd plan on doing around 300 miles a day (just personal preference - you can do whatever you are comfortable with - I know someone who did over 1,000 riding up from the south of France on one day ) - your **** will give out before the bike does

Make sure you have proper insurance, both for you and the bike (recovery). Most of the cheapie internet insurance has a getout clause preventing you from riding a bike, or limiting you to only 50cc . I'm living proof that you want decent insurance

[embee]

Some good advice above

Prep the bike as said.
Tyres must be up to it, at leats 1/2 left before you start, otherwise fit new before you set off.
Change the oil+filter, it's just a good precaution. Don't be tempted to overfill it "in case it uses some". Just set it near the max. Oil is available abroad!
If the clutch cable is at all suspect, fit a new one. It's nicer with a new one and it's only a tenner or so.
Definitely fit a Scottoiler if you haven't already. Do it a few weeks before hand so you can check the settings etc.
Don't set the chain too tight!
Check coolant.
Check brakes.
Check the charging and battery are OK. The reg/rectifiers aren't the most reliable.

Make sure you do all this a couple of weeks in advance so you are 100% sure it's all OK before setting off.

Make absolutely sure luggage is secure. Avoid loose single bungees (can drop into wheel if they come unhooked). Fix bungees together with cable ties or knot them together.

It will rain. Make sure your waterproofs are effective!

Fit a fender extender if you haven't already. Riding an Autobahn in pouring rain on one cylinder ain't fun. Apply some silicone grease (or red rubber grease) to the front plug cap boot.

Get bike insurance cover extended for continental use if necessary (std. cover is "legal minimum" only usually).

Get personal travel insurance. Consider annual policy (around £50 or 60 typ) if you might use it again. Make absolutely sure it covers you for riding a bike. I use the Post Office, but lots of competition so shop around.

Make sure you have the new "credit card" type E111 (from Post Office), the older type paper ones aren't valid.

MCN usually gets you some discount on ferries.

I've found some really cheap B&B's in small villages just off Autobahns in Germany, usually set up for business travellers. No real need to book in advance. Don't leave finding your overnight stop too late, I like to find somewhere around 5pm, gives you a couple of hours margin for error.

Don't run out of fuel! If in doubt, top up! Trust me.

You must have spare specs if you wear them.

Take care, some drivers are nutters (e.g. Brussels). On Autobahns, watch mirrors for Mercs/BMW/Posches approaching at 150mph! Keep to the inside lane where possible, lane discipline is much better on the continent. Laws still apply to you.

Have fun

Both geat places but here's a consideration... both (I think) places where you can get cheap flights to. I'm saying that I'm pretty certain that out that way your not going to get the best riding thats available for no greater distance elswhere in europe. Its mostly roads like what we've got, AFAIK.

Just a thought.

If Im wrong and there is some good biking country about mid-east I would like to know myself as was tempted last year but go hooked down in the alps so never headed back up.

Take if you can, spare set of levers. It would be such a shame to have a small off, bike fall over and be stranded just because you can't use the clutch or front brake.

I'd say that it's a long way to go and unless you take a roundabout route may seem a bit on the dull side. If you went through Southern Germany into Austria and then into Cech, you may find it a more entertaining ride.

Come through Bavaria and into Innsbruck, then head East to Vienna. That may be an interesting route....

Brush up on your German though

.

Originally Posted by The Basket

Er...good planning.

Organisation is the key here.

Don't overplan, dont overorganise and tie down.

Freedom is the key here.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by BigApe

Take if you can, spare set of levers. It would be such a shame to have a small off, bike fall over and be stranded just because you can't use the clutch or front brake.

This is good advice. Plus, levers are very small and light- if you have a faired model, you can gaffer tape a complete set of levers and a puncture repair kit inside the fairings. Just make sure they're very secure. This you do at your own risk, you understand- if they were to fall loose they could wedge the steering, so you have to satisfy yourself they're totally safe.

On the curvy model you can also fit stuff like this under the front seat, or down the side of the underseat storage- but stuff can fall out of there, so again, secure it well. A lot of camping shops sell small rolls of Duck Tape- this stuff's really good, it's waterproof, very sticky, and the wee rolls are small enough to carry easily.

Tape is always good to have, you can use it to patch holes in waterproofs, to tape your sleeves to your gloves if it gets really wet, to protect paint, fix damage, fix luggage... Tape is your friend. But electrical tape's not very sticky, and stretches- you don't want to hold a fairing together with it- and gaffer tape's very bulky. The wee rolls of Duck are, IMO, the perfect compromise.

If you carry the toolkit, make sure you can use it. No point in taking a plug spanner if you don't take a spare plug, for instance. Some would say not to bother taking tools if you can't use them, but a couple of times I've stopped for a broken down bike and because they didn't have their tools, I couldn't help them.

Check if there's any legal requirements for where you're going- spare bulbs, that sort of thing. And don't use a massive tank bag, if you're motorway bashing you don't want to be sitting up straight behind a huge supply of clothes you don't nee,d and souveniers nobody wants!

Originally Posted by embee

Make sure you have the new "credit card" type E111 (from Post Office), the older type paper ones aren't valid.

You can apply anytime online for the new E111 aka EHIC - click here.
It's free and takes a few working days to arrive.