Europe spin - may 2014

[CRM]

Just chucking this out there,
But after 2 years of no euro action 2014 is without doubt when i will be heading away from UK shores in search of smooth tarmac and quiet roads.

Would any other 400 owners be interested in some similar action around early may time for a week or so ?
Ideally suited to owners with a large credit card, keen to ride smooth tarmac, not afraid of 300+ mile days, travel light, stay in hotels (dont do camping and carrying all that shite) and making it up as we go along or following where there weather looks nice and the maps show great twisty roads.

Not welcome are big ego's and lunatic riders or free loaders. Ride to make progress but not take excess risks.

A group or 4 - 6 is perfect.

Anyone ever fancied this or want to get in on the action ? 400's are more than welcome, i have enjoyed riding my NC35 abroad more than any other bike and if everyone one else was on a 400 then that's all the excuse i need.

[rumpoldstilskin]

As I'm a student n don't have a credit card I'm somewhat scupperd for an expensive trip but how much roughly do you spend on your jaunts? I have time off from Uni around then and can save up some £££ and would love to join

[abrmoto]

I will come on one of these one day but need holidays for racing, possibly next year would really love to do one, sounds just what i need when pack in this lark.

[CRM]

As I'm a student n don't have a credit card I'm somewhat scupperd for an expensive trip but how much roughly do you spend on your jaunts? I have time off from Uni around then and can save up some £££ and would love to join

A good question, so this may help. here are some ball park idea's for costs

Firstly - Bike prep
New fresh tyres (they will be scrap when you get back)
Service
Chain and sprockets
Luggage

Getting there
Boat from plymouth / portsmouth, approx 350 for 2 people, so allow £200 each plus food and spends on the boat

When there
you should cater for upto 3 fill ups per day £30 per day in fuel alone.
Hotels vary from £50 - 90 a night shared by 2 people
Food
Spends
Toll roads where applicable.

Coming home
Channel tunnel or ferry from france - £60 - £90 depending on how much notice is given, time travelled.

So assuming you have the bike sorted, attached all your luggage, booked and paid for the boat / trains then you will easily blow through 800 euros in a week
On the upside you will get to ride on roads that are race track smooth, have more grip than anything you have ridden on here, have bugger all traffic using them, and has some fantastic scenery not to mention seeing 2 seasons within the same day going from boiling hot sunshine and dry roads, to just above freezing and snow when heading between spain and france.
Switzerland and Austria have some scenery that will blow you away and has roads that are stunning.
I promise you once you have ridden a bike abroad around places like this (forget france or anywhere built up) its something you will want to do again and again.

Last time Kris and i went on 400's we had all the harley and BMW boys taking the piss out of us and laughing at us on the boat and our "little 400's" only to play cat and mouse with them as soon as we got off the boat and on the motorway and for the next 2 days in europe and carve them up in the mountains
After we all stopped and chatted in southern france they did agree it looked like we were having so much fun and the little 400's were in fact perfect for those mountain passes with all the tight turns and grippy corners.

[BB_158]

Would go back to Austria/Switzerland/Italy on the NC in a heartbeat, mate. It was a blast. But its a feckin long way away! & barely do-able in a week.
My current plan for next summer is trailer 2 bikes to the RC30 club DE meeting near the Nurburgring [mix of track & road riding] which will be almost a week trip. This is in June or July date yet to be confirmed. BTW - you are welcome to join me on this if the one you are planning doesn't come to fruition.

I hope that the GB400 forum will do the classic bike trackday weekend event at Cadwell again. But with several of the guys from last year going racing in 2014 then I won't be surprised to find other priorities get in the way of this. I intend to go & support them at some of their race meetings as well.

Guess I won't know what i'm doing until the Nurburgring date is released, but if my German plans go to shite, then I'd certainly be up for joining you on a 400 trip.

[benny]

I'll do it, on the 400. Replying so I can keep track, I want to go to Europe on the bike before August next year and I'm away in January, any chance getting to the ducati factory tour?

[CRM]

i too would love the Ducati tour again, but honestly it wont happen.
You need to book in advance and it puts too much pressure on getting to a certain point by a certain date and kinda takes the fun out of it.
we went in 2008 and it pissed it down for days on end. so we stopped in france just over the border as a base for 4 days and rode locally when it was dry. but by christ when it rains it proper rains over there.

[benny]

i too would love the Ducati tour again, but honestly it wont happen.
You need to book in advance and it puts too much pressure on getting to a certain point by a certain date and kinda takes the fun out of it.
we went in 2008 and it pissed it down for days on end. so we stopped in france just over the border as a base for 4 days and rode locally when it was dry. but by christ when it rains it proper rains over there.

Ok, well what countries were you thinking? Do you get much problem with loud exhausts form the Europeans? Any recommendations for luggage to fit an nc30?

[CRM]

Spain and france as the bare minimum. More than likely Switzerland, Austria, germany too all depending on time and people feelings and weather.
Loud exhaust ? if UK road legal, the only one it will piss off is you, seriously riding all day every day the last thing you want is a loud pipe - ask me how i know.
luggage, what i did on the RVF was a small magnetic tank bag for waterproofs and tools and bits
then a spare pillion seat with a whoppa bag almost bolted to the seat itself so when at the hotel just unclip the whole seat and take it in.

[benny]

Here's my May calendar so far, when you say early may do you mean before the 9th?



Edit: wasn't meant to sound so awfully rude, just trying to figure out what dates you were thinking so i knew whether i could actually come or not.