Route Planning

  • Ensure you have up-to-date maps.
  • Ensure you have local area maps as well as large scale ones.
  • If you are camping - ensure your maps show where the campsites are. Ours didn't and we had a lot of problems finding somewhere to camp - not what you want after a full days riding.
  • Make a list of the towns, villages and road numbers you plan to go through and use this to navigate rather than trying to read the map on the go.
  • As mentioned above, ensure you know the names of the towns and villages, not just the road numbers, as many signs will only list the place.

Luggage

  • I would really recommend using a tank bag, and pack it with anything you need instant access to - spare gloves, waterproofs, camera, etc.
  • Try to keep anything heavy in your side boxes/bags.
  • Always ensure both side boxes/bags weigh the same.
  • Spare gloves are a must.
  • Sunglasses or a dark visor are also a must.
  • Ensure you always carry at least one meal - you never know if there is going to be anywhere to eat when you stop.

Toll Roads

The roads in Germany are generally toll free. In Switzerland you pay once on the way in (40 euros) and thats it - which I like. In Italy, Greece and we were told France there are a lot of toll rodes. We came across two types:

  1. Pay and go - you pay to get on the toll road and that covers you for that section. As you aproach the toll booths, check the signs above, as some are HGV only, cash only, credit card only and pre-pay card only. It is usually pretty obvious from the pictures as to which is which. The easiest way we found through these on a bike was to use a credit card as you are not messing with change then.
  2. Pay at the end - when you join the toll rode you take a card out of a machine - ENSURE YOU KEEP THIS. You will then give this card at the pay booth when you leave the toll rode and you will be charged for the distance you have travelled.

I am also told that some toll roads time you between check-points and if your average speed is greater than the speed limit you will be fined. We never came across this, but it's worth baring in mind.

Ferries

  • Ferries from the UK are generally very good. Well organised and they provide good points to secure your bike and tie-downs to secure them with.
  • Ferries from Italy and Greece on the other hand are not so good. They put us on the HGV deck and, if we were lucky, provided oily rope for us to tie our bikes to whatever we could find. At one point I had to tie mine to a fire hose! Therefore ensure you pack tie dows for these ferries and that you can easily get to them.
  • Put everything you need overnight into your tank bag and topbox. That way you can take these two off and leave the rest of your luggage on the bike. You will not be able to return to your bike once the ferry is at sea.
  • Take care getting on and off the ferries. The ramps are metal and generally wet. I tried to wait at the top or bottom of a ramp until it was totally clear as stopping on a wet metal ramp really isn't much fun at all. Ride on the ridges rather than the smooth part of the ramps as this will give you more grip.