Eifel/Luxembourg 2023

[Pie man]

I think its very laudable of the OP to put it out there, for anyone to join their trip that is. 

 

I once organised a trip through the BMW club, it was about twenty years ago, I put a little advert in their monthly magazine, I got 3 replies. We all met up about 4 months prior at the Air Balloon pub on the Birdlip Roundabout IIRC. We had a good afternoon, agreed dates and travel arrangements, swapped phone numbers and then had the best two weeks touring France, Germany & Austria. It was so good we repeated the getaway for the next 10 years. 

 

 

[S-Westerly]

Sadly the Air Balloon is soon to be no more. Being demolished so they can improve the junction. 

[Copycat73]

16 hours ago, Gerontious said:

 

you obviously can't read.. or deliberately ignored my reasoning. here is a reminder.

 

 

you're obviously just trolling, so off to the ignore section with you. TTFN.

i have  indeed read your post .. however it is evident that for whatever "excuses" you choose to give you are not to be relied upon ..  so it is best to organise things oneself ..  easy to dismiss uncomfortable truths by decrying troll ...  and its of to the FWOT. section for you.

[KiwiBob]

37 minutes ago, Copycat73 said:

i have  indeed read your post .. however it is evident that for whatever "excuses" you choose to give you are not to be relied upon ..  so it is best to organise things oneself ..  easy to dismiss uncomfortable truths by decrying troll ...  and its of to the FWOT. section for you.

Is there some "history" between you two? .. If so, can you take it else where as I'm sure their are plenty of people that would like someone to organize/help/guide them on a foreign jolly!

[Bender]

6 hours ago, KiwiBob said:

Is there some "history" between you two? .. If so, can you take it else where as I'm sure their are plenty of people that would like someone to organize/help/guide them on a foreign jolly!

Well said. 

 

Not everyone on here is going to like everyone else but bickering over nothing is pointless. 

 

If you don't like something someone else is arranging and it's not illegal or likely to cause death then the simple thing to do is move to the next thread. 

[fullscreenaging]

18 hours ago, Gerontious said:

Its not just about people who didn't know each other, aside from names on a forum.

We've had people come who only recently passed their full test and were still nervous riders. people  who had nobody local to them to ride with, no biker mates. people who had been thinking about going to Europe but never got past the thinking stage due to being nervous about going on their own, or their mates weren't interested. or they couldn't afford to pay for an organised tour or were nervous about the itinerary. or sharing a room with a stranger. (their own room is guaranteed and relatively inexpensive). of course once we arrive then they are free to do what they want. I ride every day, but we have had people who joined in a few times and broke that up with a bit of solo tourism. visiting the local city. or just having a day off walking round the village or countryside. Im not going to argue with that, its their holiday after all.

All the rides are geared around the 'weakest' rider.. and I'm not being patronising. we've had people along with very small fuel tanks so I keep them in mind so they don't get stressed about running out. or people who just aren't used to fast riding, (or riding on the right) or as part of a group. I usually ask one of the regulars to keep an eye on them when I can't do so myself. I don't worry about the regulars at all.. they know what they are doing by now and what to do if things go pear shaped.

We all get on like a house on fire. there are no strangers. Ive been away with these guys as a group.. and as individuals. because Ive come to like and respect them. last year I went to the Dolomites with one of them...  he came away with us for the first time, maybe 10 years ago or so. he has a nasty habit of breaking down and managed to do it twice on one trip.. but, no drama. The only drama we ever get is when a drama queen comes along. there have been a couple.

 

But, this lad (smallfrowne) had a request, he wanted to go to Slovenia. and so we did last June. and he managed to break down just once. no drama.

You paint a pretty picture. 
 

This was not my experience when I went in 2015 my first trip abroad. 
You claimed you were not ‘organising’ the trip but you’d done it a few times and if anyone wanted to come along then sort the bookings etc yourself. Absolutely no problem with that. 
 

The issue I had is that you seemed to relish pretending to play the pied piper. 
I wasn’t enjoying the erratic riding and certainly didn’t enjoy the instance when you decided to force the group to make an illegal U turn on a German Motorway because you didn’t want to create a detour on your sat nav.

This was when I decided to pay for a sat nav app for my phone. I set the hotel as a favourite so I knew I could get beck there on my own if needed. 
What really opened my eyes was when you refused to provide me the day’s destinations when I asked. What was that all about?!

The reason I decided to travel back on my own is because I knew what was coming….

Although I was nervous about undertaking the trip on my own I knew I only had myself to look after. I was so pleased that another one of the guys said he would come with me. 
As as for you trying to persuade him not to, and you confronting me on the morning of the trip back telling me not leave him as he was slower than me. 
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because 3 days earlier you left one of the guys (smallfrowne) that broke down in the dark, in the middle of a forest, with intermittent service. So you didn’t miss your tea. Who was the first one to say they were not leaving him in the middle of nowhere? Me. (Thanks to the other guys that decided to stay back, I can’t remember who you were)
Good job really as he would have never been picked up by his recovery and it was lucky a guy in a massive 4x4 and big trailer passed us and took him to the nearest bike shop. 
Anyway I never left the guy that decided to travel back with me and said it was a pleasure travelling back. 
it took me 12 hours to my door from leaving and I heard there other group took a hell of a lot longer than that with more break downs and meanderings. 
 

The group of guys I met where great and although I had been out for days out with you over the years before this trip and we got on well, something happened on this trip that put an end all that. 
 

I have not been abroad on the bike since.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by fullscreenaging

[fullscreenaging]

4 minutes ago, fullscreenaging said:

Double post

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by fullscreenaging

[Gerontious]

That’s a very distorted picture you paint.

 

We never use German motorways when we travel to the Eifel, because there aren’t any between Calais and Neuerburg. So. I’m not sure what you are talking about there. Illegal turns? if I did that then I can assure you the other guys would not follow. absolutely no way. they would carry on to the next available stopping place and wait for me.

 

As for Paul’s breakdown. you seem obsessed about that, you love mentioning it, like it was a big deal. He never cared, it was entirely his own fault it happened.

 

He knew that. I knew that.

 

The bike he was originally going to use was broken. A non starter. His 400. And so he decided it was a great idea to use another bike he had in some dusty corner of the garage. BAD IDEA.

 

He should not have used a bike that hadn’t been touched, no maintenance done. Nothing prepared. Not a drop of oil on the chain…, for months and months and months. It snapped. And so did I. He fecked up big time. And should have been left to sort it himself. We weren’t in the middle of a forest… it happened 2 miles from our hotel. On the main road.

it also broke down again a few days later and he ended up stuck in Belgium overnight. Obviously we left him then too.

 

he can be a bit of a prat, sometimes. But I really like him regardless. And so continue to put up with his high jinx… and repetitive breakdowns.

 

He has a reputation... his seat has to come off every time we go away due to some problem or other.  we all make fun of that. Its been mentioned in every trip report. 

 

But, do you really think he would come away with me every year since? that’s him in Slovenia last year!  Obviously he had a breakdown. Again.

 

I had to laugh. And the only reason I didn't leave him there.. was because we had no set destination. we were on our way into France from Italy. If I knew were we were going then I would have left him to it. And waited for him to turn up. It's the best way to deal with him. maybe one day he will use all that money he earns and buy a bike that doesn't break down. fat chance. he's a character.

 

But at least, this time it was not due to riding a completely unsuitable bike with zero maintenance, this time. Just one of those things. And I had nothing to do than waste a day.. grab some sun. watch the bikes go past.

 

 

if I’m so bad why do these people say “YES. I’m in.”  The moment I suggest doing it again, year after year.  This will be the 12th year with only one year nothing happened due to Covid. so I went on my own. got as far as the Czech Republic.

 

I mentioned going to the Eifel in private before my original post and they all said yes. including @Snod Blatter who has been missed.

 

And why you’re obsessed about something that happened 8 years ago, on a trip that you can’t seem to remember right. A minor event that nobody cares about. Never cared about except as just something to take the piss out of him. Beats me completely. But seems to be eating you. Forget about it. Nobody has complained about it. least of all the man who actually had the breakdown. just you... like it happened to you!! like you are a victim. so odd.

 

never mind eh. Since you came, we’ve been back to the Eifel several times. Black Forest. Austria. Ireland. Italy. South of France/Alps. You were always welcome to come along. I don't bear grudges. never have. never will.

 

These trips have always been a laugh. Every time. Every year. even when things go wrong its a source of hilarity. and we have had much worse things happen than this. himself having yet another mechanical whoopsie is very minor in the scheme of things.. its actually expected. that seat must come off!!!

 

Im assuming he will be coming with us again.. and if he breaks down (again) then we will leave him to it. (again)

 

And finally.. the one thing you never considered, is what would have happened had it been someone else that had broken down. You, or that young lad on his CBR500 or even Anthony on his Silly Shiver or bonio, Then I would have stayed and ordered everyone off.. leave this to me. just GO.   I would have stayed with that person. you. anyone. but not Mr breakdownalot. he does it to himself. every time. self inflicted. and so funny when It happens. never a surprise. Though he outdid himself that year. two breakdowns in 5 days is a record. and ending up missing the tunnel and stuck in Belgium is a first. (and last - hopefully)

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Gerontious

[Pie man]

13 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Sadly the Air Balloon is soon to be no more. Being demolished so they can improve the junction. 

Strangely enough, the reason we chose the Air Balloon pub was because it was roughly equal travel for us all. Travelling from Devon, Hampshire. Lancashire & Denbighshire. 

[Gerontious]

On 20/01/2023 at 18:35, Pie man said:

Strangely enough, the reason we chose the Air Balloon pub was because it was roughly equal travel for us all. Travelling from Devon, Hampshire. Lancashire & Denbighshire. 

 

we meet up near ashford and because we have people coming from all over the country we stay overnight. adds to the expenses a bit but breaks up the journey and it is supposed to be a holiday so no big deal. 

 

Very first time we did one of these trips in 2011, one of the guys had a problem with his bike as we were setting off for the tunnel. and after much faffing about, we were forced to leave him behind. The alternative was everyone losing their crossing and the whole trip possibly ending up a waste of time.

 

Turned out this problem was also self inflicted - he refused to say what he had done to the bike - so the cause was impossible to diagnose. he wouldn't tell us but he told the man from the RAC - who fixed it. and he ended up beating us to the hotel. though that meant him riding the long way round almost all motorway. and he was knackered, so tired he didn’t want to ride the next day!!

 

I don't do it that way... we take it very easy.. and get off the motorway as quickly as we possibly can while still making progress. with frequent breaks, so that nobody gets stressed about fuel. or that sudden need to use the loo. or because their bike isn’t ideal for long distance rides and their wrists or back begins to suffer. but mostly because these guys like to natter. and eat cake!!

 

Get to the nice bits and then slow down, meander across the nice parts of Belgium then across northern Luxembourg and onto our base at Neuerburg.  Same for the return ride at the end of the week. The holiday ends when we join the motorway, but we spend the morning enjoying the local roads, one last time. There's no rush. This is how we have always done it. Its a holiday.  And if I were to change this emphasis... there would be complaints. we don't do the outward journey as fast as possible, same goes for the return. Our return crossing is usually at 17:20 local time. so we should be back in the UK at 5pm.

 

One year I broke this rule and our outward and return to and from the tunnel was over 350 miles of French Autoroute. I will never repeat that mistake.

 

Riding motorways or autoroutes isn't my idea of fun. just a means to an end. and needs to be minimised as much as possible.  If we could do the whole journey in both directions without using any Autoroute then we would... but its just too far and north western France isn't really all that great to be honest. Though every time I do look at alternatives and they turn out to be too slow.

[Bungleaio]

Well I am looking forward to September regardless of what has been said in here. 

[S-Westerly]

With you on autoroutes. When I went to Munich last year my original plan was to avoid autoroutes altogether but northern France isn't that scenic and the many villages make for ludicrous speed limits. After it took me 2 hours to do barely 100 km and I still had 400 to go it was back on the autoroutes for a thrash. The next day was an early start but no motorway and interesting roads through the Vosges and the Black Forest.

Edited January 22, 2023 by S-Westerly

[Pie man]

None of us like the motorway, I've done 600 mile days when I had too, usually its been first and last day. I would meet one of the lads at Knutsford Services and then we would all meet at either the Ferry Port or Chanel Tunnel and stay in Bethune. Only 370 mile on the first day. I wouldn't want to waste one of my nights sampling the delights that Folkestone has to offer  

 

Sorry for hijacking, I will watch the thread with interest. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Pie man

[Gerontious]

Back on track with everything booked and paid for. 50 days to go.

[Bungleaio]

Only 47 for me as my trip starts on the Wednesday. I can't wait to be away again. 

[Gerontious]

Place I was brought up, we had an expression 'all around the Wrekin" which meant, in simple terms. 'the long way round'.

 

just found this. might need some adjustment for coffee and cake at Esch-sur-Sûre (obviously) maybe hug the border in the north west rather than pass through Wilz.

 

Im working on it.

 

[rennie]

We can see the Wrekin from our house!

haven't heard anyone say that for a good while!

[JRH]

6 hours ago, rennie said:

We can see the Wrekin from our house!

haven't heard anyone say that for a good while!

Been round the Wrekin and up the Wrekin a few times. 

[Gerontious]

10 minutes ago, JRH said:

Been round the Wrekin and up the Wrekin a few times. 

 

If you can see it. rain is coming.

if you can't see it. it's raining.

 

fact.

[Gerontious]

Im now just about ready for this. only item on my exhaustive 'to do' list is Travel insurance and I'll probably go with navigator again for that.

Pick up some euros too, but not many as I'll be using my card for almost everything. petrol. hotel. some meals out. If there's any left by the time we are on our way back then its easy to get rid buying fuel or save for next years trip to the Harz. (or Alps)

 

40 days. tick tock.

 

 

[bonio]

Got some euros when I was in Greece last week.

Got travel insurance for the whole year, so that's still in place.

Just euro breakdown still to get.

[Gerontious]

9 minutes ago, bonio said:

Got some euros when I was in Greece last week.

Got travel insurance for the whole year, so that's still in place.

Just euro breakdown still to get.

 

Before I went away last time, I looked at the big brands and had almost settled on Green Flag. but thought it was a bit steep at well over £100 per year UK and EU.

I went to compeer the meerkat and they had the same policy for £41. only difference is that there is a £40 excess if I call them. not much chance of that, but even if I were to, £40 isn't much. so I went with that. this is only available via that comparison site. 1 year UK and the usual 90 days EU cover.

 

To my mind the most common reason for calling them is a puncture. and I can fix almost any puncture in short order. rather than wait however long for someone to arrive. we can be on our way again in 20 minutes. so long as the puncture is repairable. on a tubeless tyre. and we can actually find it on the tyre. One famous year I couldn't find it as the object was so tiny.. the tyre had a slow leak so I was stopping every 40 miles on the ride home to get some air into it. got home OK. turned out to be a sliver of steel. razor thinned well embedded. air only leaked when the weight was on the tyre. one of those truly rare events getting a puncture like that.

[Bungleaio]

I think my annual travel insurance covers me riding my bike but I need to confirm with Admiral, it needs renewing at the begiing of october so it's not the end of the world If I need a new policy. I also need to get some Euro's but most spending will be on plastic now that the hotel accepts card payment.

 

Really can't wait to get away 

[Gerontious]

Who would send me a message like this? Prizes aren’t available for obvious answers. Because the answer is definitely obvious.

 

Quote

I'm looking forward to it too especially since I've fixed the Yamaha with the lid of a margarine tub.

 

Yamaha being the super suitable for international touring TRX850 with modifications.

[Bungleaio]

That could be the seat removal specialist but I think this is the mark of snod. 

 

I wonder if the trx has given up smoking yet?