i am planning a run from hook of holland down through belgium, france and spain and back and if I can this year. (To coincide with the time when my kids are at their dads). This is to cover all the miles i did hitchhiking in my younger days after picking the grapes in france (although I did nip to morrocco for a week) Would like to take the same route on my bike... Any advice would be greatfully recieved xxxxs:)

Hi E W, you're braver than I am, I envy your spirit of adventure      Good luck on your travels, bring me back a stick of rock eh? lol   Try this site, there are loads of links to info sites, hope it's of some help   http://www.motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/touring_travel.html                                                                                                                                                                              

thanks rc well I hope its a good thing but spent a lot of my life and time doing stuff for other people so this is gonna be for me :)                                                                                                                                                                             

What with my dodgy hearing and your dodgy eyesight gawd knows where we'd end up if we went touring together    don't forget to take your spectacles E W, I'm Kwak not R C  lol   (((hug)))   Kwak                                                                                                                                                                              

if i had the right type of bike i would join u                                                                                                                                                                               

get the right one then!!                                                                                                                                                                             

It sounds a very nice and interesting run earthwind,would love to do it myself but at the moment funds won`t allow me . You certainly have got a good machine to do it on..........take care xx                                                                                                                                                                             

Hey Earthwind, it doesn't matter what you take cos you wont need it, and all you need will be sitting on the garage floor.....but the one thing i've only ever really needed was european breakdown cover, sounds lame but unless you speak the lingo you're gonna get shafted.hope you never need it and have an awesome trip!, good on ya!

Excellent Earthwind - good for you.

Here is a link that may (or not) be of some help, or at least a little reminder.

Happy planning!

http://www.maxmoto.co.uk/motorcycle_touring.shtml

lol kwak you spotted the floor on my plan already... cant see a dam thing no lol i can and i am so sorry about that because i do have a scatty brain at times. But we could go where the wind takes us and zig zag all the way and if we got lost we would see new things (Its a good cover)   However thanks I have saved all the links, thanks also to errr... martyn js for this i have saved it to favouritesalso i will start a list. Yes whoops i know the one thing you wantwill be left behind and i speak tiny bits of lots of languages lol nothing substantial though so will take phrase books and will get cover (have it already but will double check , once spent two days hitchin across france for a master cylinder for an old motor to Narbonne so i hear that one loud and clear. I am gonna start planning a nd see how i get on would be good to do it before i am fifty lol. I love france and in belgium they speak lots of languages  was in barcelona at xmas but that was in a nice hotel lol. Cheers graham i have started a bike fund (again) would love to do it on a gs or a tiger i think that might be fun Ninja as Thompson diane says lmao i may see if any groips near me are ridind out and maybe meet up somehwere if i crossing their paths. i tried to keep this short lol   thankyou xxxxxxxs                                                                                                                                                                              

dont forget to check your insurance cover, Switzerland and Andorra are not part of the EEC, on some policies you are not covered to ride in those countries.  A call to the insurance company is a lot cheaper than having your bike confiscated!   Was nice to meet you on wednesday EW                                                                                                                                                                               

Thanks for that frag and yes it was nice to meet you too. Hoefully see you again at the piper we always there gabbing lol the company is good and the foods not too bad either .                                                                                                                                                                              

Hi Earthwind, I been travelling Europe and Scandinavia since 73 and love it, France is my fav coz the roads are so good, I`m off to the Pyrenees the last week in june for 2 weeks. Get yourself some good maps, Michelin one`s are really clear and easy to follow, stick to the D roads (yellow ones) if you have the time, there`s no traffic on them but it does take longer to get places, but its worth it, buy a local newspaper to check out the 5 day weather forecast and just head for where the suns going to shine. Are you camping or hotelling it? The reason I ask is there are some excellent biker only campsites in southern France, no cars, no kids, no caravans. On the subject of insurance make sure you got medical cover and at the minimum a european health card, there`s a few sites on the web that specialise in bike medical insurance, most normal medical policys don`t cover motorcycling, there`s no NHS abroad and a tumble can cost a fortune. All the best.                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks for that Ian i will check it all out and put it on my list of stuff to do as well. I dont mind if ir takes me longer I enjoy taking it as it comes expecially when travelling. A good map is worth its weight i gold so will keep that on the top.   here is a lot to think about isnt there   I just sent off for information on the globetrotter stuff 20,000 miles in 2009 because then i will be fifty and think it would be absolutley fantastic to be out on the road doing that trip when i go over the halfway mark (two years to plan and save and see if i am up to the job) This run will hopefuly give me a some idea of how I cope with it all (WE WILL SEE) I may turn back ater the first coffe stop lmao   the pyrenees in june sounds fantastic                                                                                                                                                                              

Ian yes I hoping/will be camping yes not sure if its best to book in advance because that can can be resticting but again on my list, cheers about the roads was thinking of the N roads initially and although i have driven abroad a few times never ridden may take a course of fiding skills stuuf to get me more up to scratch. As my bike is a sports tourer thing i should do at least one long tour on it lol

Hi Earthwind, good on yer, if your camping get yourself a campsite guide as well, in some areas campsites can be a bit thin on the ground, if you`ve ridden for 8 hours and are knackered its nice to know the next campsite isn`t 50 miles away, also if its in a guide you know its not going to be full of gippo caravans, I`ve come across a few of them before. Don`t bother booking in advance, there`s always space for a small tent and it restricts you too much. August can be a bit tricky sometimes as everybody in europe seems to take their hols at this time, I always avoid august myself. N roads are ok if you want to get somewhere quick but the cops tend to lurk around the most on these, also N roads are full of trucks and if your doing a bit of sightseeing its aggravating having a 44 tonner filling your mirrors. If someone comes towards you flashing their lights watch your speed there`s probably a speed trap ahead, the French drivers are particularly good at this. If theres anything you would like to know don`t hesitate, I`m only to happy to help. Ian                                                                                                                                                                             

hiya ian big welcome to bm mate.............welcome to the mad house                                                                                                                                                                              

wat time scale are ya givin ya selve? take ya time.. take some spanners.. fix ya bike wen it breaks down, and plenty of money for petrol!!!! it cost me a small fortune... ya can do france in a day, if ya go for it.. spain is w**k, cus they know ya english, not helpfull at all..  :( holland is brill, an they`ll help in any way poss...                                                                                                                                                                               

hiiya ian welcome to bm, chat gets busy round 9ish so pop in an say hiya to us all, ps im the sane one !! enjoy                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Hi everyone thanks stone cold i will bear that in mind and will have checked my bike overefore i go fuull service etc and carry a decent toolkit.   And Ian that great and i may well take you up on that, good to know this stuff about the N roads its been a long time since i travelled through france and/or spain. The thing about august is I have kids and thats the time they are away with their dad so thats the time I have to go really. I have no choice   but they are getting older and as they do i get more freedom lol which i grab with both hands on the handlebars  i have recieved feedbacxk re training in south wales so will see the cost etc ett and get myself some lol   Thanks again