Ferry tips please
 

may have been done before but, i'm going to ask you nice people anyway.
Our trip to the Bordeaux area is in a fortnight. Off on the ferry and have heard a few 'oh dear' moments from various peeps. Apart from taping up the front brake to stop my black beauty rolling about, are there any more good tips i need to know about the ferry trip over or about the trip in general?
Never done an oversea's trip on the bike so don't know what its going to be like. 700 miles to destination ( or there abouts) is a mean feat in my personal book, and a sore butt. Hopefully luckpants' gel seat will solve that and all the pies I've been eating lately. apart from the obvious' they drive on the wrong side' all good suggestions welcome
Ta very much

Re: Ferry tips please
 

From experience every ferry company i have ever been on has tied bikes down more than adequately, they have a good method and you need to do nothing.

Europeans are much more bike aware and bike friendly.

Wet metal decks are like ICE

Re: Ferry tips please
 

which ferry?


leave it in gear, & it is then ratched down over the seat with a heavy duty strap, the crew will do it if you are unsure (P&O)

Re: Ferry tips please
 

Norfolk line were brilliant, best ferry company for bikes I've come accross (also cheapest). They have ratchets with cushions on for tieing the bike down, wheel chocks and bike specific parking area so no numpty can open a door on the bike.

If not going norfolk line, leave in gear and set stearing lock.

Re: Ferry tips please
 

P&O also have ratchets with cushions on for tieing the bike down,and bike specific parking area, but no wheel chocks

Re: Ferry tips please
 

Just make sure it's in gear so it can't move and once it's strapped down it'll be fine.

.

Re: Ferry tips please
 

its a P&O. cheers guys, from things i'd heard and read I started to think they had straps made of razor wire that attacked your paintjob like a brillo pad. Any other stuff i need to look out for over the pond?

Ta for the tip about wet decks graeme. I'm not the most stable of people on a bike

Re: Ferry tips please
 

And make sure you rev your engines whilst in the big echoey box that is a ferry, the recent Nurburgring trip proved that this is an unwrittten mandatory rule, especially if you have a Hovis style blade that back fires on the over run.

Ok I'll go and grow up now.

Re: Ferry tips please
 

We couldn't have not done that...I like doing that at any opportunity under bridges, i purposely speed up so I get the rudimentary bwwwwwwwwaaaaooooorrrrrrrgghgghhhhhhwwwwwwwwww on the way through that you get!!!
It would be rude not to on the ferry

Re: Ferry tips please
 

I'd stand by your bike and watch them strap it down as well just to make sure you're happy.

When we came back from Ireland last year, they ran the straps they used on Liz's bike across the fairing and plastics, which would have rubbed all the paint off etc and the crossing was rough.

Take an old cloth or towel and put that over the seat and then you'll find they'll run the strap over that rather than the material of the seat.

I zip tied my front brake lever to the bar and I also bungied the side stand so it wouldnt flick up if the bike did move, but I'm a bit paranoid about this kind of thing...