DR1

In general the Gendarmes are bike friendly. I’ve never been stopped for speeding on the bike but two or three times Gendarmes have given me slow down hand signals. I’ve been told that all the Gendarmes that you see in road duties have had motorcycle training. With the priorité à droite thing you have to be a bit careful because other road users behind you will know that you’re on the priority road and any slowing down or dithering could result in you being rear ended especially as in France the vehicle behind you is often much closer than you would expect. France is a great country to ride or drive in because with a little bit of planning it’s easy to find roads with very little traffic on them.

A few observations. Reflective stickers are required on your helmet .They are not required if you are a visitor on a foreign registered bike. Speed Camera warning systems on your GPS are illegal. They will check if you're stopped and they see the GPS. You can have "Zone dangereuse" on your GPS in France The dangerous zones are marked on all GPS systems no Gendarme would check if you were still using a very old satnav with the cameras marked In the country, treat every junction and roundabout as “Priorité à droite” regardless of signage. Just slow down a little and be prepared for someone not to stop. PàD is more of a problem in towns than on the open road. France is well signposted and priority roads are marked with a yellow diamond and junctions will be marked either with a priority junction sign like an upright arrow with two short arms or a PàD sign, a large X. Any road entering from the RHS with a white line or a road sign at the junction is a non-priority road. Give way to traffic already on roundabouts which is actually priorité à gauche. If a lorry enters a roundabout indicating left it will probably be going ‘straight on’ not turning off the road, it’s in the Code de la route. Some of the city roads and urban motorways are in urgent need of repair or are cobbled. Keep an eye out for pot holes and bad road surfaces even on Auotroutes . In general the roads are well surfaced, the autoroutes particularly well. Learn and practise "le Leg" - sticking your leg out rather than your hand. This is the way to greet other motorcyclists and to thank other vehicles for moving over etc. Greet motorcyclists coming in the opposite direction with a low wave with your left hand. The right leg is used after overtaking, either to acknowledge another motorcyclist or to thank a car driver for making room. Drivers in France tend to be far more bike aware and bike friendly than drivers in the UK You must wear gloves, the fine for not doing so is €135 As mentioned on another thread the real concern for visitors to France is knowing what the ‘National’ speed limit is. Many départements have reverted to 90kmh on some of their roads while others have kept the 80 limit. If the speed limit is above 80kmh it will be marked by very regular roadside signs unless upon entering the département there is a sign saying that there is a blanket 90. Road signs, in France, are appalling! So use a GPS or have a map in your tank bag. Are they? I must have missed that.

I’m not sure if it is a joke but it made me laugh.

Every time I read about someone who has ‘tuned’ his e-bike so it will do 50mph or whatever I think that falling off at half that speed in a t-shirt and shorts is going to hurt a bit.

The trouble is that when a rider injures themselves it’s not just them who is inconvenienced. If the story about the gloves highlights anything it’s that even the simplest PPE can helps take the strain off the emergency services making them more efficient and saving them money. In an ideal world everyone would take responsibility for their own actions but in the real world people expect others to clear up after them.

As many of you probably know it’s now illegal in France to ride two wheeled powered vehicles without appropriate CE marked gloves. The on the spot fine for not doing so is €135. (I’m fairly sure that visitors are exempt). This resulted from paramedics pointing out how much time they were ‘wasting’ taking care of avoidable hand injuries. The finger was pointed at moped riders as being the majority of the culprits. About 12 years ago I lived in a small town where a young soldier died after a motorcycle accident. He was at the local swimming pool with his girlfriend and popped home to pick up something dressed in his shorts and t-shirt. On the way back he stopped at the traffic lights in front of the pool and was run into by a car coming up behind him. He lost so much skin he died a couple of days later. It’s a thing I remember every hot summer's day when I’m thinking of removing my armoured clothes.

Filtering was run as a fixed time experiment on certain roads. After the experiment was complete it was decided to not change the law. As far as I remember it the hi-viz vest confusion came about because a British source, possibly the RAC or a ferry company, posted incorrect information. It has never been a requirement to wear hi-viz in France. Many of the other laws, like the requirement to have reflective stickers on helmets do not apply to visitors on foreign registered bikes. The really confusing law was the one requiring drivers to carry breathalysers. That was a dodgy decision at Presidential level where a friend of his stood to gain financially from the new law. Although the law was passed the fine for not carrying an in date breathalyser kit was always €0 so nobody took it seriously. The one law that all visitors need to be wary of are the different speed limits on the open road, that can be very confusing even within one département.

Perhaps I am sensitive but perhaps you worded your response in a negative way. You seemed to be questioning my post rather than thanking me for informing you. Perhaps that’s your style. If so don’t expect me to like it or be impressed. The bike was tested because it was deemed to be too loud. It was. The rider was not allowed to continue until a suitable exhaust was fitted. I always found the German police to be very fair, I lived there for 26 years and had a couple of roadside meetings with them but only one that cost me money. I wasn’t stopped because I gave them the middle finger, I was stopped that time because I was driving at over 50kmh when I entered a 50kmh limit. The German aftermarket is well organised, replacement components, including exhausts are themselves TüV tested and may be fitted to replace the OE. The stranded motorcyclist was stopped at an autobahn Restplatz where the police had a mobile testing station. That was just one of many examples given.

https://actu.fr/societe/radar-anti-bruit-des-amendes-pour-les-motards-a-partir-de-2022_43744952.html

It’s nice to see that my word is questioned yet again. Sorry but you don’t listen carefully enough.

It’s been on the cards for a long time. Like the law enforcing the wearing of gloves it had come from a need to control moped riders more than motorcyclists.

I used to live north of Aachen and often ride down to the Eifel for days out. Even 15 years ago there were stretches of road there which bikes were banned from on Sundays and holidays and other places where there were long sections of twisty road where there was a 70kmh speed limit for bikes only. At weekends there was always a police presence.

There were stories in the British press about British motorcyclists stranded in Germany after the police had done roadside https://www.morebikes.co.uk/news/67958/official-campaign-against-loud-motorcycles-goes-from-1-area-to-81-areas-in-germany/

Germany and Austria have been doing it for years.

Over 40 years I didn’t buy a racing bike that I really loved because it had tubular tyres that were bonded onto the rims, there was no way to repair them out on the road. I needed a bike for transport, I needed to be able to repair punctures.

While you’re having your history lesson try a lesson on spelling as well.

I suggest you have a history lesson.

I learned to drive in a Citröen GS, that was a lovely car, my parents had two of them and we did a lot of European trips in them. They later had a Peugeot 1.6 GTi which was simply brilliant and I later had a Peugeot 405 which also impressed me. Along the way the family also had 2CVs, à Renault 5 and a Renault 11. The Renault 11 was solid but soulless. That’s probably not a crime, most people drive boring cars. The good French cars were good but, GTI apart, we’re not as memorable as those from Italy. Despite living in Germany since 1986 I bought my first German car in 2003, an Audi A4 Cabriolet 2.5 TDI V6. I hated it. The German car I replaced it with was so much better as was the German hot hatch that has been my everyday car since 2006. These days it’s hard to find a bad car, bland? Possibly. Boring? Quite likely but most do their job really well. My next car will quite likely be French and it will be electric. if I had to buy one tomorrow there are only three on the shortlist, a VW ID3, a Renault Zoe or a Peugeot 208. The VW looks a bit bland and boring to me, the Zoe is a great package that meets my needs but I would probably go for the Peugeot, it’s not perfect but that’s where I would spend my money.

I was trying to think of the French cars that had featured in my life and I’d forgotten about my 2CV. It was the setting fire to itself that reminded me.

I use a pump for oil changes on my lawnmowers. It’s very efficient.

Where shall we start on the catastrophe of errors found on the vehicles that used to roll on the production lines in the U.K.?

Lovely warm weather, great empty roads, chateaux in the sunshine, 200 miles of bliss.

If this is winter, I like it.

My winter plan for tomorrow will be a ride down to the Dordogne and back. With 17° and sunshine forecast it would madness not to. I might as well start 2022 as I mean to go on. 🏍

I’ve got two cars which I bought new. I didn’t test drive either of them. I bought the first in 2004 and the second in 2006. The younger is my everyday transport and the other comes out for special trips. I don’t think that test driving either of them would have made any difference.