Steve398

I’ve had a baffled Remus can on a VFR800 RS Ltd Edition as OEM which made a nice noise, and an aftermarket cheapo raucous thing on a Blackbird that I bought that was just plain horrible and was changed back to stock asap. In general I’ll stay with the standard cans, the extra noise plus the added expense just isn’t worth it… perhaps with the exception of a VFR1200 if I ever bought one, which has the ugliest can in the world! Nowadays quiet does it for me and I’m happy on the burbling RT.

Some years ago I bought my wife a Point2 air vest for her horse riding, my daughter gave me stick saying she’d never use it… 8 months later I sat in A&E for 10.5 hours waiting to find out if my wife would survive being thrown from her horse, and should that be the case would she be in a wheelchair for the rest of her days. Short version is that the horse threw her high into the air and she landed on her head, the major injuries were fractures to her neck, back, and both bones in both wrists. Good news was that the air vest had stabilised her neck and saved her from a far greater injury… needless to say she was back riding horses within 6 months! As a direct result I bought the motorbike versions from Point 2 for us both. Two of my colleagues have the Helite vests, it doesn’t matter much who has what, they do the job!

I’ve always enjoyed France, to the extent that I moved to Vire, Normandy, for a while, though I prefer winding undulating vistas rather than the long straight roads. My wife isn’t a lover of the country, only looking at it as a way to get through as quickly as possible en route to Greece. Whichever countries we pass through tend to be remembered by our experiences travelling through, many people rave about Bulgaria but personally I found nothing there that would entice me back. Re. the Gendarmerie, I have absolutely no problems at all with them, they have a job to do. This may of course be because I spent 30 years doing the same job

Sorry for any inaccuracies DR1, as I said I found the list quite a while ago. I did find the comment on greeting the Gendarme politely a positive, as from experience it can sway the outcome considerably. The gloves rule was a new one to me when I read it in the previous post, but as I always wear them anyway… but a good rule. I tend to go the speed of the other traffic if there is any, and as it’s generally a 2-up tour I get told off if I start getting a bit excitable! Le leg/the peace V sign, nice to see le leg in the UK too. Reflectives go on the helmet, every little helps. I’m a great believer of giving as few reasons to get pulled as possible. It seems to work too , only one stop and that was in the car with kids and Grandma… a document check, salute and away.

I found this list a while ago and other than the ‘filtering’ thing I think it’s still valid. Riding in France is a joy - most of the time. Keep to the speed limits and you don't need to worry about Radar (Speed Cameras) and get where you’re going unruffled and in plenty of time. In France, unless you antagonise the Gendarmes, you'll be OK. If stopped by the Gendarmes the first thing you say is "Bon jour" or in the evening/night "Bon soir". This is a must or you will p#ss him off and, when p#ssed off, he'll check absolutely everything and anything he can think of. You can be stopped without a reason. If you haven't broken the law then it's usually just to check your documents. I find giving your UK Driving Licence first gets you on your way almost immediately (you did say "bon jour" didn't you) You need to carry a spare set of bulbs - headlight, indicator, brake/side light. If you breakdown you and your pillion need to put on a Hi Viz vest and stand on the other side of the armco while awaiting assistance (if there is one). Reflective stickers are required on your helmet but, unless you antagonise the Gendarme (you did say "bon jour" didn't you), he's not going to bother or even care about them. Filtering is illegal. It is practised in the cities and tolerated by the authorities but, do not do it in rural areas. In the cities, most drivers will move over for you and the white lines next to the outside lane is considered the "Moto Lane". You must stop and put your foot on the ground at Stop signs. 90€ on the spot fine if you don't and you're caught. 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 but, this is illegal in a number of European countries so switch it off before crossing the border to, for example, Belgium. Technically the Gendarmes are not allowed to hide when doing mobile speed camera checks. That doesn't stop them from being "creative" in finding places where it's very difficult to see them in plain sight i.e. against a dark background. In cities, Scooterists are complete maniacs with a death wish. Just let them go, don't block them or they'll have you off. 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. This is because the locals haven't realised that they're supposed to stop! 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. Learn and practise "le Leg" - sticking your leg out rather than your hand. This is the way to greet other motorcycle riders (not scooterists) and to thank other vehicles for moving over etc. Road signs, in France, are appalling! So use a GPS or have a map in your tank bag. France is the Moto capital of Europe and very Moto friendly. What I'm basically saying is: ride in a calm and courteous manner, keeping to the French rules of the road and you'll have a great time.

I got done in South Island at 44 in a 40 limit. We’d been following two old duffers through the twistiest way below the limit and the came onto a dual carriageway with the 40 limit so I popped past them and immediately dropped to 40 again. Some miles further on I checked the mirror and saw blue lights and flashing headlights way back so I pulled into a lay-by to let him pass, but no, he pulled in behind me. We both got out of our cars, him in his marked-up Traffic car, me in a high mileage Mazda 1300 automatic hire car loaded to the gunnels with a months worth of luggage. His opening words were “You were going for it, it’s taken me 5 miles to catch you!” I looked at our respective vehicles and almost laughed… then he said “You overtook me back there in the 40, I got you at 44” and started writing the ticket. Ridiculous. I was ok to accept that I’d exceeded the limit by 4kph (2.5 mph) but the rest was fiction, as I think I may have noticed overtaking a fully Battenberg marked-up Patrol car. So I though ‘what the hell…’ and flatly denied overtaking him, and as for the alleged ‘going for it’ that was pure fantasy. OK, I was p*ssed off by that time, but he shouldn’t have embroidered the story, so I then added that I had also been a Traffic Bobby in the UK and suggested that if it took him 5 miles to catch a knackered 1300 automatic hire car in his mega-litre patrol car then perhaps it was time for a refresher driving course. I can’t say we parted as friends, and it cost me 60 NZ dollars… which tbh I have no problem with, it was just the fictional add-ons that upset me.

It was a nice bike but about 54kgs heavier than my RT, and this makes SO much difference when moving the bike around.

I had a ST1300 Pan for 11 yrs from new, until Dec last year when I part ex’d it for a BMW 1200RT, and toured extensively on the ST with my wife each year until COVID screwed things for everyone. A superb bike, completely reliable, comfortable for both rider and pillion (once you get better seats) and easy to ride… but damn heavy, and in many ways outdated. Produced in 2002 with minor mods in 2004 it has no cruise control, self cancelling indicators, TPMS, or provision for satnav - you may feel you don’t need or want these but they can be very useful, and talking of useful Honda do build in their own crash bar (and it works!) but ask yourself why, then consider it’s actually 328kgs and they almost take it as a given it’s gonna get dropped. Don’t get me wrong both my wife and I loved the Pan, but for us it had just reached its sell-by-date and the RT suited our needs better. There are lots of decent bikes out there suitable for touring such as the Suzuki 1250 Bandit, Yamaha FJR, Kawasaki Versys, Honda NC750 - the last two are cross tourers but will do the job admirably. Try lots of bikes… as a mate of mine said “So many bikes, so little time!”

+1 I part-ex’d my ST1300 for the 2018 RT and then spent months cleaning and polishing the thing in lockdown. The Pan was getting just too heavy for me as I have rotator cuff injury to both shoulders, and like you I was dreading the idea that I’d got it wrong… but no, it’s actually great fun, light, responsive and a very nice bike. Downsides are of course it’s a BMW with associated costs, and man, does it cost! Looking forward to returning to Italy and Greece on the BM this year

I would agree with the tips given here, but when you’re sitting in front of a map or computer it’s easy to look at the mileage and think “I can do that no problem ” but all depends on the route. Motorway gives you the ability to do the miles but it’s boring and you’ll ache after a short while, this will get worse as you’re sitting in one position for hours, and hours… we once did the Mount Blanc tunnel to the Channel tunnel at Coquelles in 11 hours, all on motorways. It was hellish and I walked like Quasimodo the next day. Lovely, picturesque back roads are great but your speed and mileage will be dramatically reduced. Touring, we try and limit ourselves to a riding time of around 4 hours a day, leaving about 9am and aiming to reach our overnight stay at around 4pm = 7 hours on the road. Stops for fuel, water, comfort, and food take up the other 3 hours (especially with my wife aboard!) and makes for a relaxed day, leaving you ready for the first beer after a shower and an hours kip. Lots of breaks, stay hydrated with water, light meals, and dress to be comfortable.. but most of all - Take it easy and enjoy it, it’s not a race.

I’ve got a Point 2 air vest after my wife was wearing one when she got launched off her horse and landed on her head. Fractured vertebrae in her neck and back, both wrists compressed and fractured, and a damaged nose from her peaked helmet. Sounds bad and it was but the inflated vest stabilised her neck on impact and saved me years of pushing her around in a wheelchair… or worse. The medics cut the vest off her at the scene, and Point 2 replaced it at cost. I sincerely hope never to have it inflate, but I have some reassurance that it’s there. Heavy - yes, but you don’t notice it when you’re riding. Unattractive - yes, but I’m old so I don’t have any street cred anyway. Hot - kind of, but we generally tour around Greece and you get used to it. Incidentally - I get it serviced and tested annually by Point 2 who wash the outer and replace the bladder, I don’t know if the other M manufacturers do this?

Superb boots, bought mine 26 years ago, re-soled 3 times, and 1 new gear change plate… still waterproof but looked a bit worn now.

Fitted a Denali Soundbomb horn to replace the wimpy BMW OEM thing that sounds like it should grace a moped. If I can rouse myself to push the button the noise should at least be noticeable! Apparently German rules say that M/C horns must be of a higher pitch than cars? Bewildering…

Hi Glad to be aboard… Been riding since 1973 and touring since 1989, currently on a BMW RT but had a few bikes over the years with everything from a Zundapp 200S to ZX10. Touring has been contained to Europe, and in the process fell in love with France to the extent that I lived there for a while, it didn’t however improve my language skills much and I was once told I had the abilities of a 6yr old French child, which I took as a compliment! Looking forward to new ideas and suggestions of places to visit.