2013 Euro Tour - Beginnings of another Experience of a Lifetime

Dude.......2 Weeks.......are you serious??? Now I'm so jealous.

Did anyone else from the org team up on this?
Chris (Doinitmyway) and I did a tour last month......I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great to have a travel companion.
I also enjoyed the days I did on my own.
Either way, I was on a bike riding on some amazing roads!

Enjoy and please keep posting!

Wow nice one Ronnie looking good !!!!

This thread is a complete fail. Not because nothing happened (very far from it). But because I was too crushed to update.

One day I will tell the true full story of what happened in France, in this year July 2013, but right now all I will say is my bike never made never made it back to the UK ...

[Geodude]

I wondered why there was no end of each day update, doesnt sound good fella.

Originally Posted by Runako

This thread is a complete fail. Not because nothing happened (very far from it). But because I was too crushed to update.

One day I will tell the true full story of what happened in France, in this year July 2013, but right now all I will say is my bike never made never made it back to the UK ...

Oooops.......sorry to hear that man! Hope you're good mate?

Yeah I'm good. Wondering if I should start my story with 'The Fire and Rescue', 'Sleeping Rough In Limoges', 'The Puncture', 'How To Spend 100Euro in 5 Minutes (ala Barcelona)' or 'The Delayed Eurostar & Victoria Coach Station'.

I even have video, which I still can't bring myself to watch, but promise I'll eventually post it up without any sympathetic editing so you can all judge for yourselves.

OK mate, I'll stay tuned.

[Doinitmyway]

Sorry to hear it didn't go as planned. As long as you have all your extremities intact and attached, it can all be tried again in the future, count yourself that lucky mate.

I'm taking it you have sent the script/video to Tarentino for another upcoming blockbuster

Chin up, GWS and all that

Chris

So, here's the last part - the bit that prematurely ended my journey back:

Had two days to get to Caen in the North to catch my return ferry. I was riding along the D12 just outside the French Town of Rodez, located here - http://goo.gl/maps/AOCeJ.

After stopping for Petrol, I continued along the D12 towards Rodez but I didn't intend to stop there. The traffic on the road was very light and I believed the speed limit was 90kph. A few Kilometres outside Rodez I was stopped by a Gendarme. I was informed that I had exceeded the speed limit and would need to pay an on the spot fine.

Eventually it was explained to me that the fine I must pay was Eu750. I asked the officer to explain why and he stated that his colleague witnessed me travelling at 154kph (95mph), more than 50kph over the speed limit.

I objected and stated that I was not travelling at this speed, but admitted that as the road conditions were good and there was no traffic I was travelling between 100 - 110kph. However, the officer did not accept this.

I explained that I was at the end of my holiday and so did not have 750Eu in the bank to pay the fine. I offered to make a part payment at that time and make arrangements to pay the balance although I made it clear that I intended to dispute the fine, but this was refused.

The officer asked to see my license and I handed over my photocard. He then informed me that he would be seizing my license and as a result I would not be able to ride the bike whilst in France in any circumstance until the length of my ban was determined.

I was in a state of shock but eventually gathered my thoughts and asked for evidence of the speed. When it became clear I wouldn't/couldn't pay the fine, they decided to complete the official paperwork and I was told to make a brief statement. I had to ask for them to explain the form so that I was not admitting to something to which I didn't agree.

I made a statement and signed the form. It stated that an officer recorded me at a speed of 146kph! I was also shown no evidence of achieving this speed and I was later told they didn't need to provide any evidence and that if the officer says I was going at this speed, then this what the judge will accept.

I then had to relinquish the key to the bike and make my way from Rodez back to Cardiff. This was extremely difficult and distressing as I had little money left for accommodation or travel and I also had to take several bags of luggage which were being carried on the bike. A further two days and over 350Eu later, I finally arrived in Cardiff.

I researched the law and found that I was entitled to a an appeal but would have to make an application within 14 days and attend a hearing, and was yet to receive paperwork as promised from the Gendarme. I sent a further detailed statement informing them of my intention to appeal the fine and requesting the paperwork and return of my license.

My license was eventually returned 10 days later and I was informed by the Gendarme that I was banned for 4 months. I've never received any official paperwork apart from an initial copy of the speeding notice and my statement.

A friend offered to retrieve the bike so I arranged to pay the fine and also paid for his travel expenses, as the cost of pursuing an appeal would exceed the cost of getting my friend to recover it when considering the cost of me returning to France, getting legal representation, accommodation, attending a hearing and then transporting the bike back to the UK which was likely to be in excess of £1,500.

This is a basic account of what happened but I believe the French police exploited the situation.

The speed trap location was set in a place where there was minimal traffic on a long stretch of clear road on a bright sunny day. No emphasis on safety here. I was never given any evidence of a recorded speed. Whilst I was there I witnessed up to 15 people being stopped. The French nationals were given a ticket or let off. The foreign drivers had to pay cash on the spot and were sent on their way.

I believe I was the only one who didn't (couldn't) pay the fine and as such I believe the Police then had to make it an "official" stop. The Police were incredulous of the fact that I could not pay and repeatedly challenged me on this saying "You must be able to pay. You’re on holiday". This statement and the fact that they insisted on cash convinced me that this was not a legitimate charge. I also later understood that I was accused of doing 146kph as this is just over the 50+kph over the 90kph speed and allowed them to charge me the maximum fine of 750Eu.

I believe that had I initially paid the fine, I would have been allowed to continue and no official ticket recorded. I was totally helpless in the circumstances and there was very little I could do to prevent the bike and my license being seized as I had no support in France and no means of seeking legal advice, nor was any assistance offered in this regard.

I'd read a lot of guidance about the rules of driving in France but it seems that what happened to me was the start of a new initiative by the French Gendarmerie as a result of new powers they were given but had not implemented until then. I saw this article from the BBC the week after I got back, which explains things a little bit - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23619783.

This part of the article was of interest:

Lt Benjamin Dupain runs the operation. "They have to pay on the spot. If they don't have any money on them and they are on their own, they will be driven to the nearest cashpoint machine. If they really have no money at all, then an on-duty judge will be called to decide what to do. But that can mean waiting around for up to three days and the car will not be allowed to move" he says.


In my case, no Judge was called and I was not given this option at the time.

Be very careful my friends. The French police aren't what they used to be.

Here's what happened on Day "0":

Clutch cable was fraying so didn't want it to break whilst in France. Went to my local suzuki dealer and they had none in stock so got a GSXR one as i had the front end anyway and the extra length would stop the fraying from happening again.

Left myself 7hrs to fit. For some reason no matter what I did I couldn't fit it properly. I checked online but no one had seemingly fittted this to the SV and the locknut mechanism is slightly different design.

Missed my 1st Ferry! Massive frustration. Once I reseigned myself to the fact I took a break and came back to it. Sorted it in 5 minutes! Wtf? Won't explain it because I doubt anyone is a) Stupid enough to make the same mistake b) not leave yourself with enough time or a backup plan if things go wrong.

Booked Ferry 2 for the next morning and went to sleep. Woke up, dressed, packed stuff on the bike and with 2hrs to get to Portsmouth Harbour I went to set off.

Bike started - good. Put it in gear - good. Go! ... er, no. Long story short, I'd altered the clutch screw which modulates the biting point in my attempt to fix the cable problems. So the clutch wouldn't engage. Off bike, unpack bags, on paddock stand, take of clutch cover ... 25 mins later I'm ready to go. So I now have 1:35hrs to get to PH and I have to stopp for petrol!

How I did not get stopped I do not know but I admit this is the fastest I've evr been on the bike on the road (but not reckless) over such a long period, as I was determined to get that ferry if I could. Little did I know what Karma had in store for me, and the irony of what happened at the end was not lost on me.

I got to Portsmouth in 1.30mins ... and missed the ferry by 5 mins! The ticket office took pity on me though and re-booked me for free on the next one leaving in 10 minutes (but this one was the slow Ferry). So I was last on board. Phew! I needed the rest anyway and the rest of the journey was without further issue. Except that when i got off the Ferry in France I noticed the bike looked different.

Eventually I worked out that the clutch cover had disappeared. Presumably I hadn't put it back on securely enough and it somehow rattled loose. It could have been a lot worse had it become entangled in the chain or slipped under the rear tyre whilst at speed. The good news is I prefer the look without a Clutch cover anyway

Next instalment ... What to do when your ignition burns out abroad!