My European Tour. HELP!

Hi guys,

this is my first post on SV650. I Have an SV650 SK6 fully faired with tail tidy. I am planning a 3 - 5 day trip to France with my girlfriend riding pillion. I need some advice on what luggage system to use and also the sort of things that are really handy when touring, but i don't know about yet!

I bought myself a Hein Gericke tank bag recently wich is a good size for all the odds and sods that i will be carrying such as over jacket, GPS, wallet, etc. But currently have no luggage system for clothing. I dont plan on camping at all on my first trip.

Also any advice on clothing or helpful tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Jake

Portsmouth, UK

well were do you start list can go on and on lol.. how far you planing on riding??

to be honest not really sure. at the moment thinking about going to Caen, riding to the Normandy beaches, then maybe down to spain, then back up through France. does that help?

Originally Posted by JakeUK

to be honest not really sure. at the moment thinking about going to Caen, riding to the Normandy beaches, then maybe down to spain, then back up through France. does that help?

I've done Normandy beaches, and down thru France & Spain. Unless you want to do an Iron Butt experience, forget going south to Spain and back, as well as the rest, in 5 days. Aim to do about 200 miles per day if it's your first time abroad.. Luggage for 3-5 days for you and a pillion? I took a double tank bag and big topbox which was ok for 10 days down thru France and Spain (and it rained on 8!). Don't take the throw over bags, they are a real pain. If you have to get panniers get the proper clip on stuff.

John

I've done my fair share of touring two up on my old curvy. Was also planning to go to France after taking a boat to Genoa, Italy and taking off from there. I live in Malta by the way. But having been hit by a car from a junction ruined my plans for this year it seems.

I've always used throw over bags and a tank bag. I like to stick some protective vinyl to the rear plastics as some protection from bags rubbing against them. We always slept at B&B's or hostels so never took tents or cooking material. We both carry a pair of comfy jeans, tennis shoes, 5 t-shirts, 3 underwear, a zipper top, extra gloves, waterproof overs and 3 pairs of socks. Also toothbrush & paste, shampoo/shower-gel & facecloth, small towel, an artificial chamois cloth to clean our stuff/bike with, chain lube, anti-theft chain and disc-lock, bike tools that come with the bike, first aid kit, LED torch, camera, mobile, GPS, video-cam, wallet, visa, ID, driving licence, insurance papers, pen and a small notebook, and money. The wife adds make-up things, brush and other womanly stuff.

We like to throw everything into a garbage bag first so that everything keeps from getting wet. We used to cover the textile bags in their plastic covers at first but found these to blow away inconveniently normally in the most dangerous of places such as in motorways so we're not using them anymore on saddlebags. we use the tank-bag plastic cover though.

A good idea for your first time travel is to make your daily destinations about 200miles apart or less. This way you can start your travels at around 9ish which is a nice time to do so as you'll avoid the rush hour madness and you'll arrive at your destination in the daylight. We even did this without planning and just went to the village information centre and had plenty of time to check and search our night logging this way.

Also a good idea is to book a good location where there are plenty of places you can ride to and back. This way you can ride there in your first day and then travel using only the tank bag. That way it's more liberating for riding and convenient knowing you don't need to hassle finding a new place to sleep every night.

Hope this helps mate. Good luck!

Nice post Zunkus - love the name!!.. My gripe about throwovers is twofold: They always seemed to mark my plastic however much care I took and you can't leave them locked on the bike.

Italy is a place I would love to bike to. Dunno if it's really on the cards now - as next year will see my 70th,, Damn!! Time surely does fly when you are having fun.. ;o)

John

Mine are still without a scratch. I use the thick felt sticky sheets they use to cover speaker boxes. Super though. I layer two on top of each other for added protection
Italy is easier for us Maltese, where France is easier for you. I think that France has better roads and has more civilized drivers. Southern Italy is a nightmare especially in cities. It's common for vehicles not stopping for pedestrians even to red lights or zebra crossings and filtering from scooters is impressive and very dangerous to everybody. Nothing comes close to the madness, not even playstation games. Couriers in London? Gentleman compared to these nutters.

sorry to hear about your run in at a junction zunkus.

thanks for all the tips. i am having trouble with the throw over panniers that were given to me ans they are quite square and bulky. they seem hard to position and due to the fact that i have a tail tidy, they seem to sit on my indicators. this makes the indicators difficult to see from the sides.

does anyone have any recommendations for throw over panniers? and any recommendations for bits of kit or clothing would be appreciated.

i have a pair of hein gericke textile touring trousers (weather proof), an alpinestars summer jacket (not weather proof), summer gloves (leather), arlen ness race style boots and an arai corsair helmet.

my girlfriend has hein gericke textile trousers (weather proof), hein gericke jacket (weather proof), textile gloves (weather proof) and a helmet. looking at investing in a better helmet and good boots.

thanks guys and girls

I solved the indicator issue by fitting Buell Firebolt items which are smaller and cheap. Your gear seems ok for summer touring, I'd buy plastic rain overs though just the same. These have the added benefit of protection from wind chill. Friends who don't use winter gloves wear surgical gloves underneat. I've recently bought plastic rain covers for my boots and they're great. Keeps my feet warm and dry. I forgot to mention that we have the habit of washing our underwear as soon as we arrive at our destination and leave them to dry over the bathroom heater overnight.

i have a hein gericke full one piece oversuit which i have used a number of times, its very comfortable. i like the idea of washing clothes as soon as you arrive, v sensible.

what panniers do you have? and what was the best way to secure them? also are there any tools that you take? thanks for your patience in answering my questions. i appreciate it.