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Touring Tips
Visor Bug Removal
On long trips the suicidal bug population can start to impair
visibility as they splatter themselves on your visor.
A couple of solutions by list members are:-
-
Baby-Wipes - these can be kept in the underseat tray and one
baby-wipe is good for 2 to 3 visors so you can help your mates out too.
-
A Vileda (or similar) sponge cloth or artificial chamois
soaked in water and kept in a zip-up plastic envelope (Viking Direct
G25-PW381 10" x 7" - 79p each or 69p if you buy 25)
NB personal experience on my last trip - Vileda (or equivalent)
cloth very wet followed by artificial chamois well wrung out works extremely
well.
Ferries
-
Different ferry companies have different requirements of bikers. The
safest position is on the side stand, in gear, nevertheless some require the
bike to be on the centre-stand. If the latter rule is required then a
strap from the centre-stand to the front wheel would seem sensible. In any
case ratchet tie-downs are desirable, these are available from M&P (order
code 500 852) and other dealers. I also had handlebar support
straps (M&P order code 500 303) and ordinary tie-downs (M&P order code
500 546).
-
Now not so sure about the need for ratchet tie-downs since
they take up a lot of space and reckon they could be substituted for another
pair of ordinary tie-downs provided that they were longer than the M&P
ones.
-
Most important - if you need to have a pannier bag
"wanted on voyage" then make sure it is the right pannier.
If you are secured to the left bulkhead (wall) you are not going to be able
to open your left pannier. If you are secured to the right bulkhead,
as the bike is on the side stand there is still room to open the right pannier.
Clothing
Leathers vs Textiles
- I don't think there is a lot to chose between them except that past
experience has shown that whilst I have been wearing textiles and my
companions have been wearing leathers I was less
effected by the extremes of temperature and, when it rained, I was better off
and didn't have to don an extra layer of waterproofs
- Maybe some good well perforated leathers would be better but whatever
you wear be prepared for heat and humidity in the south of France. and Spain
- In my trip to Spain in 2002 where the weather was inclement Susie and I wore textiles
(IXS) with the winter linings out. Susie has
a Klan electrically heated fleece which has the advantage that it has heating
elements at the top of the arms. It can also be worn as a normal fleece
off the bike if it gets a little cool in the evenings, I had a Klan heated
waistcoat which I found gave sufficient heat to keep my core warm.
Dehydration
- It is very easy to get dehydrated in hot weather. 1 litre of water per 3 hours riding
is a minimum. If you are not seeking relief at every stop then you are not
drinking enough.
Luggage
- Although the idea of a soft bag on the luggage rack seems aesthetically more pleasing
on a sports bike, in retrospect I would put a top-box (spit) on there and put up
with the weave at high speed. It does actually mean you are not so
concerned about security, otherwise you have to lug a heavy bag around with you
whenever you leave the bike - ergo, given the choice between the hard and soft
luggage on the ST the former is infinitely more practical if you want to leave
your bike to do the tourist bit before you check into a hotel.
- When you board the ferry have your luggage previously arranged so that you
only have to take one bag with you to your cabin - there are a lot of stairs to
have to walk up! (See above - Ferries 3)
Hotels
- In France - Most of my trips have been done "out of season" therefore prior booking was not
essential. In high season you would be advised to book ahead. Be
aware that the French seem to judge the quality of their hotels on the standard
of the cuisine not on the accommodation which can sometimes be fairly basic (but
clean) in 2 star hotels (cost about 240FF per night for single occupancy).
There are very few 'luxury hotels' in the countryside so if you want opulent
splendour you will need to go to the larger hotels in the cities.
- In Spain 2002 - This trip was done at the end of May and although in the smaller hotels prior
booking would not appear to be essential, in the Paradores it would appear that
it is better to book in advance. I am told that if you book them through
Brittany Ferries you get an additional discount. I booked directly with
the Paradores by email having tried to do it through the central Madrid office
which was very slow to respond. I also booked by email though the other
hotels. You will need to send your credit card details by fax to confirm
and hold the booking.
- Note from Susie: You don't need a hairdryer if you are just staying in
the Paradores as they are provided, but you do need one for the other
hotels. (Not a problem for me!)
ScottOilers
- In a nutshell, as the temperature increases the viscosity of the oil will
decrease thus you need to reduce the flow rate on a ScottOiler. The
presence of a little puddle of oil under my bike was observed by one French
biker who noted that my bike was a Triumph and it leaked oil - he seemed
comforted by that!!!
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