Wanting to attempt my first long-distance ride on a motorcyle...

[Troy]

I'm located in Eastbourne, East Sussex. I do have family and friends stationed in South East London and Kettering. At some point I would like to attempt the bike journey to those places. Usually taking some A roads (A27) then on the M1 and M11 etc.

I have never ridden on a Motorway yet so I'm just curious to know what to expect on such long journeys and what type of "idiots" I can expect to encounter. I'm not a novice to using the roads, just new to using two-wheels on them. Any advice will be helpful.

[rennie]

be warm! stop often and get off bike, don't rush, enjoy

[TimR]

Motorways are just more strict dual carriageways in reality .

Be vigilant .. Use your mirrors and be aware of what is around you and behind you ..ie if you've seen a green car in your mirrors a few seconds ago but it's not ahead of you or behind you its generally beside you .Livesavers .

Dont get drawn into the flow stay at your happy pace BUT be aware large vehicles are physically restricted to 52-56mph but downhill can exceed that but drivers will try to keep it under 58-60 as it throws a warning at them otherwise so either stay below 50mph or around 60 to keep out of their way .

Know which exit you need and try to get into lane 1 between 1mile marker and 1/2 mile marker don't leave it to last minute .

If you need to stop unless in emergency come off motorway either at services or an exit onto a connecting a road rather than the hard shoulder ..Bikes dont stand out on hard shoulders very well .

You will get the standard tailgaters , non observant road users so again be vigilant and use your horn if you need to. Even bikers will attempt to undertake you if your in lane three .(if your aware of them )i tend to move to right of lane and let them go

Use your bikes ability to accelerate and deaccelerate to flow nicely but remember to give some rear warning if your going to slow down dramatically

Watch out for lane dividing areas as they can have some huge craters where studs have dissapeared and been made larger with wear ..

Don't be tempted to filter in high speed traffic ..

(My personal comfort zone is if speed goes above 40mph i do not filter )

Be aware of your fuel status ...

Entering a motorway same as always you sre expected to match your speed to enter live carriageways not making others change theirs or alter direction so plan your way down the slip road but be aware of vehicles behind you just barging out and breaching your safe gap ...

Be seen ... headlights indicators brake lights ... hi vis

Give your self a good gap ESPECIALLY if you see matrix signs with Debris in road as it may be a shredded hgv tyre which can be large chunks of rubber impregnated with sharp wire strands which will damage tyres ..and being to close to car in front and one of these coming into view a few feet away from under that car will require some evasive action .

Take your time and relax and enjoy ..

If your going to make a habit of motorways keep an eye more on your tyres squaring off ( wearing the central section and leaving a noticable ridge when leaning into corners ) and the amount if tread depth in that central area.

Im not trying to teach egg sucking but easier to throw the basics out as well with other information

[NeilM]

Much easier riding on the motorway.

Traffic only going one way

If its head down arse up try and read the road further ahead than normal.

As said wrap up warm.

[Chrissb6]

Hi, if your not experienced this time of the year leave the motorways alone, there horrible dirty places to ride on, your visor and bike will get dirty in a heartbeat, leave them until you know you'll have a clear bright day in front of you to allow you to fully concentrate of the task ahead. This time of the year choose the B roads set your stall out and pick out some points of interests and cafes. You can then stop regularly and relatively easily to take a break have a warm and clean the visor. Daylight is against you at the moment try and get the ride done before darkness. Make sure you keep warm and dry and be sure to have that visor cleaning gear on board. Stay safe enjoy

[Guest]

be warm! stop often and get off bike, don't rush, enjoy

 

^^^ This!

Stop every hour, its not an endurance test.

Your biggest problem on a motorway journey in winter TBH is the weather.

You won't stay warm if you don't stay dry. A once piece oversuit is a good investment, because even mid range textile motorbike gear is not really waterproof after a couple of hours of rain and motorway spray. If it rains don't sit behind trucks in the spray, don't tailgate cars either, give the spray time to settle behind them before you get there, or you'll get really wet really quick.

If you have a pinlock make sure it's fitted and sealed properly, if you don't have one buy some anti-fog treatment for your visor, clean and apply before you go. Muc-off do a good one available in Halfords. Nothing worse on a motorway than it starts raining and you can't see, but of you open the visor to clear it water gets on the inside then you can see even less.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorcycling/motorcycle-cleaning-products/muc-off-motorcycle--visor-lens-cleaning-kit

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorcycling/motorcycle-cleaning-products/muc-off-motorcycle-premium-anti-fog-treatment-35ml

If you are used to motorways in the car, you'll have no problem with the traffic on a bike, just remember your lifesavers before changing lane as you can't see as well in bike mirrors as in car mirrors.

Other than that, just do it!

[Guest]

B roads will be more pleasant for sure, but they bring their own navigational challenges and with the road surfaces the way they are, especially with the hard frosts at the moment, he's way more likely to have an accident. M25 is by far the easiest way to get from South to North London.

[toad]

Grr, if it were decent weather it'd be a ride and a half with the South Downs, North Downs and the Chiltern Hills in the way.

I'd take the M11 rather than the M1 'cos it is not likely to be so busy but then again my info is old, ancient, primal...

All the important things have been said. Stay dry, stay warm and relax. Don't stress yourself. A decent cup of coffee every now and then to warm up again and always look forward to that well earned pint at the end of it all!

[Hoggs]

I think it's all been covered but I'd just add be aware of where cars blind spots are and don't get stuck in them. if there's not room ahead to clear the blindspot or you don't have enough speed to clear it quickly I'd advise dropping back because people don't look properly and will squish you.

[Throttled]

I ride in what I call the "safety bubble". That is where you are no where near any other driver. Many cars and lorries seem to gather in packs and drive together for some reason. I avoid that and go for the gaps in between them.

[Guest]

...taking into consideration temperature of the roads and weather I would just have to agree with some advice you got from wise bikers on here to taking it easy, get some rests, stay warm and similar safety things. But when roads become dry and warm in the summer time then just go for it mate ride, up to the speed limit...of your bike

[Mawsley]

Kettering is rubbish, go south to Béziers.

[Guest]

Kettering is rubbish, go south to Béziers.

It can be mildly amusing watching some lad in jogging pants and hoodie walking down the high street with his cousin on his arm thinking he's got a bit of fresh blood.

First time I went out in Kettering we went into this disco (it'd be an exaggeration to call it a night club) and came out thinking we'd spent the evening in the Mos Eisley Cantina Bar.

That said Beziers is probably the Languedoc equivalent to Kettering only it's African immigrants in jogging pants and hoodies hanging on every Street corner. Head to Perpignan, Carcassonne or Montpellier instead.

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[Gerontious]

That said Beziers is probably the Languedoc equivalent to Kettering only it's African immigrants in jogging pants and hoodies hanging on every Street corner.

 

You can easily check... the place has been extensively photographed by the google streetview car. most recently.. last summer.

[Guest]

That said Beziers is probably the Languedoc equivalent to Kettering only it's African immigrants in jogging pants and hoodies hanging on every Street corner.

 

You can easily check... the place has been extensively photographed by the google streetview car. most recently.. last summer.

I checked in person, though that was about 10 years ago.

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[Mawsley]

First time I went out in Kettering we went into this disco (it'd be an exaggeration to call it a night club) and came out thinking we'd spent the evening in the Mos Eisley Cantina Bar.

No idea what the Jubilee Arcade is now called, but there used to be a club above it. It was always great to go unwind there with a fight after the fight at the Market Tavern, the one outside the Royal and the scrap in the KFC.

Ahhh. The 80s were wonderful.

[onesea]

If you have the option choose the days you travel. Ie weather looking cold but dry this weekend, Thursday how ever they are forecasting "Thundersnow" (wtf daily mirror for you), so I would think is not a good day to travel.

As for routing is only 3-4 hours, make a day of it. For me I would leave after rush hour. Take a break just before or on M25 circumnavigate London, pick an a road north and take a break. Then enjoy the ride up stopping as and when you want as your nearly there then.

Google Maps can be a great help in this as you can drag the route around seeing which road is quicker and how long a journey will take...

[danny]

went to cardiff once in summer just with a light jacket and T shirt. Was an amazing day..Now I think sometimes it was just a dream.