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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13th December 2006 14:14
Posts: 2,
Visits: 9
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 Hi new to this, started back to biking two years ago, tried harley now happy with ninja but want to go abroad next spring have heard people mention lake como, thinking about a week or so and do you have to have hotels with garage, where do you find them, any help is wellcome, many thanks.
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 20th April 2007 08:19
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Hi there from one newbie on this site to another.
It all depends on what you want from your trip, and what you are comfortable doing.
5 of us went down to the South of France in June this year. 800 miles to our destination, and taking in the road chosen in Dire magazine as the best biking road in Europe - the Route Napoleon from Grenoble to Grasse. That run down took 3 days! Although the run back took 2 days!!
So..... do you want to ride great roads, or do you want to sightsee? To Lake Como is going to be about 1000 miles from the Channel ports. Do you have a motorcycle you are happy riding for many miles at a time? Are you going on your own? What is your tank range? Do you know how extraordinarily difficult it is finding fuel in France on a Sunday? Many hotels have secure parking. And so on and so on.
For what it's worth,we are doing the same trip to Provence again next year because it proved to be very popular. PM me if you want further info.
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Nobody is perfect. I am nobody.
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 13th December 2006 14:14
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Visits: 9
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| Thanks for the info, i will probaly go from newhaven as i live there abouts, do petrol stations shut on a sunday?
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 20th April 2007 08:19
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Newhaven-Dieppe....good route.
Petrol stations shut on Sundays, but not on motorways. But who wants to travel on motorways.
The filling stations in supermarkets only take credit cards on Sundays. And the only credit cards they take are French ones.....I kid you not.
If you're in Newhaven, you're not a million miles from me. Contact me by PM if you need further info.
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Nobody is perfect. I am nobody.
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Supreme Being
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 15th July 2009 14:41
Posts: 377,
Visits: 2,187
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| The French and their idiosyncratic ways, the fuel and credit card thing is a pain indeed unless you are near the channel ports, they tend to be a bit more accomadating. Last time I went to Italy for the Mugello Moto GP went down on the east side of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany Austria and the Brenner Pass. The Brenner pass is a stunning road, Ik it's motorway, but you can hoover up alot of miles if you're in a hurry, this leads to the 'Lake district' in Italy, not sure if Como is one of them, but the Brenner Pass has always stuck in my mind, worth checking out. I wanna go to Czechko next year for the Brno MotoGP, anybody out there with advice, suggestions, routes. Would be appreciated
Sideways through time
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4th September 2008 09:43
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I can also vouch for the Route Napoleon as being a serious bit of fun. You also could try riding up and over the Pyrenees into Andorra, having a blast across the Dolomites, or riding your luck on the route that takes you way up and over the Gorges du Verdun in southern France (great little tunnels cut through the rock face that beg for a slip of the clutch and a handful of throttle to really appreciate the natural reverb).
In fact, if you want the best roads for visual spectacle, for thrashing about on, or just getting some well-earned fresh air, any of the European mountain ranges will see you satisfied. If you've got carbs rather than an ECU be ready for the progressive loss of power if you go really high up, then feel it all come back again as you come down the other side - it's all to do with variants in atmospheric pressure between sea level and cloud level.
Watch out for caravans, be amazed by the French cyclists pounding away halfway up a mountain and, unless you are supremely good, don't try too hard keep up with the locals - you will probably die.
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I'm only trying to help you, Roland.
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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| Just to add - about the credit card thing. Most French motorway filling stations are fully automatic and these generally do NOT take UK credit cards. Stations where you pay in the kiosk (some on motorways, most in towns and villages) generally DO take them. However, IME all hole-in-the-wall cash machines will take UK cards. I have found the best thing is to use the credit card wherever you can, but always keep at least a full tank's-worth of Euros in cash then wherever you are you can get filled up and on your way. I almost got caught in France last summer, with a fuel gauge reading E, no cash, and the last 3 filling stations automatic only. I was towing a caravan with a Discovery, so getting stranded was a pretty dreadful prospect. Luckily, we were able to pull in to a filling station which DID take CCs, while the Disco was sucking air. I immediately took out €150 from the next cash machine and kept it under the dash for emergencies. Same in Italy, if you are travelling that far. As to the route, I've heard the Millau Bridge is spectacular and a must if you are in the area (Puy de Dome) - the highest road bridge in the world, apparently, and designed by a Brit!
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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