Steve_M

The Route we took last year was mostly a function of seeking the best weather while finding interesting and scenic roads. I certainly wouldn’t have designed a tour to meander around how we did. We only had one instance of poor weather, on the Col de Rousett where we rode through thick cloud for a mile or two. We did stumble on a few interesting roads that we wouldn’t have encountered had our original plan not been hampered by unseasonably cold weather on the Col de l’Iseran and eastwards from there. We were quite taken with Gorges de Dalius, Col de la Croix de Fer (for the views) and Mont Ventoux. Col de Madeleine deserves a mention, too.

Thanks. Interesting about Machine being only short. Probably not worth heading over that way - we covered a lot of ground last year, including day or so around Vercors region but I failed miserably to remember Combe Laval while we were there. We rode the Route Des Cretes - I mis-referred to it as Gorge du Verdon. I thought that was great fun and not as scary as I anticipated. My good lady pillion, who is scared of heights, thoroughly enjoyed it. Though she wasn’t so keen on the viewing platform … We also rode the road on the southern side of the gorge which gives great views of the gorge and sections of the Route Des Cretes.

We chatted to a couple in a service station in Holland who were returning from Croatia and were full of praise for it. They did seem to have had an itinerary that included cities, which isn’t what we look for, hence my good lady’s response.

Which is what I thought of the Verdon Gorge before I did it (do it if you’re down that way. The views are to die for… an unfortunate choice of words, I know ). Hence the question.

We’ve been debating Croatia as a destination. She’s not keen, I’m ambivalent. Our tours are generally two weeks, as you say, Hull to Rotterdam (or, if we pop in and see the grandson on route, Harwich to Hook of Holland) is our usual approach. Perhaps more reading is needed.

Where to go? We’re probably returning to the French Alps in 2024, taking in some roads we’ve done before (eg. the Coll de la Croix de Fer has already been earmarked) and some new to us. Last year we took in both sides of the Verdon Gorge, which was a revelation, and wondered about including other balcony roads into next year’s trip. Much of the North side of the Verdon Gorge is one-way so any concerns about meeting oncoming traffic on a narrow road with a big drop were allayed. Now wondering if anyone’s ridden other balcony roads and what their experiences were. eg.Balcony roads

I’ve always used Garmin Express for updates, even the new XT, out of a habit really. As we tend to create each day’s route as we go along when touring I have had to carry a laptop, which is somewhat inconvenient and just one more thing to carry. Now I know how to load routes from my iPad via Bluetooth I’ll be doing that.

It worked for me (though we’re shacked up rather than married). Checking a nearby Waitrose was a failure on our part but we have found that they deliver from Hexham, a stroke of luck.

The North Norfolk coast road has been awful for as long as I can remember. It has a few high spots, but is generally to be avoided when on a bike. There are some decent routes but none use the coast road. I used to ride down to Suffolk to find decent roads when I lived in Norwich…

It’s managing expectations… I used to just let my old Zumo 350LM update overnight so never knew exactly how long it too. My new Zumo XT said 5hrs 45Minutes for its 1st update… it took an hour and a half. Much better that way than the interminable MS Windows updates that claim an hour and keeps increasing the estimate for the next hour…

Because they’re ar*eholes of the first order.

I really hope they find out who did this. Sycamore gap vandalism

Thanks for mentioning Glentress. The cafe there looks a nice destination for a ride.

Garmin Zumo XT and bike mount ordered from Sportsbikeshop, There’s an adaptor, made in and sold from Italy, to allow me to mount it on the standard BMW Navigator docking station with no messing about with wiring or ram mounts. A bit pricey but cheaper than asking the local dealer to rewire and mount the new satnav.

Best of luck with the weather. We’re just a few miles south of the Scottish Borders and it’s been hissing down for the last hour or two. You have my sympathy with the drive up this way from Narfolk (we moved from Norwich 4years ago).

Good morning. Today I’m looking forward* to a morning of scything part the garden. *that might not be strictly true.

No 150bhp (or 140, for that matter) bike weighing under 200kg could be defined as a leisurely sports tourer. Sure, some modern bikes have ludicrous power outputs but for everyday road riding … it’s pretty pointless. I agree with the previous comments that you should go test ride a few bikes. Park your prejudices about the various rider aids - the chances are they’re unlikely to intrude on your ride.

Handy info’ there. I tend to develop routes on my iPad using MyRouteApp and, to date, export it to my satnav using my laptop via the usb port. I’m hoping to do away with the need to carry the laptop by exporting using either Bluetooth (AKA a dark art) or Wi-Fi. So far it seems that the Bluetooth is the only option That forum link looks useful. I’ll have a meander around. Many thanks.

I have a pillion that fulfils that function.

Bike booked in for service, MoT, cruise control repair, and… satnav upgrade. I can now blame you lot if doesn’t meet end user requirements

Time to go look at one. If only I lived nearer Sportsbikeshop.

That’s an improvement on the Nav IV … ideally I’d prefer a mute button on the map screen as the 350LM has but I can work with that.

Thanks. I’ve found there are times when a voice prompt reminds me to check the satnav. Usually that’s backed up by my pillion but, for example, the junction and signposting at the end of the San Bernardino pass proved to be less than idiot proof for this idiot. However, I don’t need it on all the time… eg. being reminded to turn sharply left or right on a series of hairpin bends (as my current satnav does) gets a little annoying. I don’t want to have to stop and scroll through menus to find the “shut up” button.

Useful info’ thank you.

Having encountered a few problems with the Motorrad Navigator IV on my bike during our tour I’m looking to replace it with a dedicated satnav (not an app on my phone, that’s not an option). I don’t want anything too complex - most of the features I see on the current crop of satnavs are wasted on me. However, in reading the specifications I haven’t been able to identify two facilities that are key to me. 1. Ability to turn off the voice without having to navigate through menus (my Garmin 350LM has this) 2. Ability to connect to my iPad via Wi-Fi or (last resort) Bluetooth to facilitate downloading of routes from MyRouteApp. I’m wondering if anyone knows of a satnav that has these capabilities.