Planning a Road trip on a touring Motorbike - Have you experienced it?

[Reddo]

Hey all,

I am currently in the progress of planning a bit of a road trip for early october. The reason for this is that me and my partner did have a holiday booked for november to Germany - But unfortunatly it turned out to be a huge scam - Don't buy anything through Gr8 Studios!

Soooo - Anyway, the holiday was a birthday present and instead we have decided to do something we have always liked the idea of - Hire a touring bike and go on a road trip.

We will be hiring a Honda Deauville 700 for Maybe 5-7 days. We are leaving from nr Bridport, Dorset and end destination is Kent. (and then back to exeter to drop off bike) Now I was wondering if anyone knew of any good places along the way to visit that are good for photography? (Animal Photography) So far we have picked out The New Forest Wildlife park in Southampton, then onto http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/index.asp, ( now this place looks GREAT for photography - they do demonstrations throughout the day), This is in Hampsire - and then onto Port Lympne Zoo.

Does anyone know of any other good places along the way? Also has anyone been to the Hawk Conservancy before?

I will also be hiring a Canon EF 100 - 400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens - as unfortunatly I am not really equipped for the Bird photography - Hoping this lens will help! That is also being hired for a week.

We will be camping in a tiny 2 man tent along the way (not much room on the bike - I'm sure this will be a different experience to our 5m ultamite bell tent!)

So if anyone could help with extra photography destinations or campsites that would be great, or even share some experiences of touring with a bike we would appreciate it as this will be our first time!

Thanks

Zoe

 

[martsim73]

Thought about popping up to Marwell Zoo? You can get some great photos there! As regards to touring I did the states 11 years ago on a Honda Blackbird.... Awesome fun and a memory never forgotten! If you're only popping across to Kent, take lots of quick breaks as it is so easy to just keep riding! Three hours from Bridport and you're already there! LOL.

Check the hire bike over first and foremost! Check and note any scratches bumps and previous damage in front of the guy handing the bike over... You don't want to have your memories of a great road-trip ruined when handing the bike back and being told you've got to cough up for a paint job due to a dent or scratches etc that weren't recorded at the start. Some companies can be buggers for that. Share the photos as otherwise there is only one of you recorded on the trip... Have fun!

 

[Reddo]

Thought about popping up to Marwell Zoo? You can get some great photos there! As regards to touring I did the states 11 years ago on a Honda Blackbird.... Awesome fun and a memory never forgotten! If you're only popping across to Kent, take lots of quick breaks as it is so easy to just keep riding! Three hours from Bridport and you're already there! LOL.

Check the hire bike over first and foremost! Check and note any scratches bumps and previous damage in front of the guy handing the bike over... You don't want to have your memories of a great road-trip ruined when handing the bike back and being told you've got to cough up for a paint job due to a dent or scratches etc that weren't recorded at the start. Some companies can be buggers for that. Share the photos as otherwise there is only one of you recorded on the trip... Have fun!

Thanks - Ive thought about Marwell and have been before - nice place but the entry is abit pricey for 2 people in october, unfortunatly. Yea we were originally thinking of going to scotland, but due to the hire prices of bikes and lens and feul,camping,eating etc its soon adding up, not to mention the weather would probably be terrible there! So we decided to visit more places and stay close to home.

Thanks for the advise about the bike - I remember the hassle of going through all the checks when previously hiring a car or van! The thing that makes me uneasy is leaving the car and keys as a deposit!

I believe the bike we are hiring only has 3 storage boxes - Would you say you can fit a reasonable amount in there?

Oh and there will be photos!

 

[martsim73]

You can get quite a bit in these if you pack carefully. Practice run on a small backpack (similar volume about 20 litres) each packing what you think you need. Then adjust to keep the essentials and ditch the excess.

Keep one side for your stuff and the other your partners. The third case for kit like the camera and lenses... If you find space is still tight get a tank bag.... But ensure it is a combo including straps and magnetic base. This gives a load of extra space for quick snacks, waterproofs and maps etc. They usually unclip from the base so cam be taken with you... A good idea to keep valuables with you.

Not sure What else to advise as if you ride, you probably know all this anyway. Sadly I gave up riding as I decided to have a family and monies had to be spent else where.... Ride safe and enjoy the memories you create.

Martin

 

[Reddo]

Thanks I will have to ask the hiring company if they have the tank bags - I think we may need it for the tent! I don't ride myself and have never even sat on a motorbike so this is going to be my first time - My partner used to own a bike a while back but its been a while for him so hes looking forward to getting back out on a bike again.

This will be our first trip away together alone - We have two 30-40kilo dogs and a 4 year old daughter, but my partners parents have bravely offered to look after them all when we go! So the hounds, child and reno scenic are staying behind

Thanks martin!

 

[martsim73]

Don't worry about never having been on the back of a bike... My girlfriend then (now wife) on our tour of the USA was in exactly the same position having never even sat on a bike. She was the best pillion I ever had! She just relaxed and let me do the work .... Nothing changes!

A pleasure being able to help.

Martin

 

[Bushcraftsman]

She just relaxed and let me do the work

Brilliant!


ANYWAY

this sounds like a great idea! something I have always thought about doing! I'm hoping to do this for my dads 50th. Me him and my 3 uncles but round europe. How much did it cost you to hire the bike for the week if you dont mind me asking? Wish you all the best on your trip and hope you get a good night sleep in that two man tent!

 

[Reddo]

Brilliant!


ANYWAY

this sounds like a great idea! something I have always thought about doing! I'm hoping to do this for my dads 50th. Me him and my 3 uncles but round europe. How much did it cost you to hire the bike for the week if you dont mind me asking? Wish you all the best on your trip and hope you get a good night sleep in that two man tent!

The bike is as follows:

2 days: £110
3 £160
4 £220
5 £270
6 £310
7 £350 Prices are for the Honda deauville 700 model - you can hire smaller bikes at lower costs and they even have a trike on there also!

You can hire them for longer also - the hire place is based in exeter. Leaving car or ur own bike and keys as deposit.
(Not sure if there is a mileage limit though - this is something I will have check up on, as our trip so far is a round trip of 588 miles)
Its something we've always thought would be nice - a car can become pretty dull after a while! Thanks - I'm sure the sleeping abilities will be dreadful - as they always are in a two man tent.. plus we can not bring much in terms of blankets ect! I must admit I'm a little concerned about my camera being bashed around in the storage area - may have to bring the bubble wrap!

 

[markie*mark0]

How much experience do you have on a bike?

 

[Reddo]

Me - none, my partner will be driving - Hes had plenty

 

[cbr6fs]

I disagree with the advice on having a pannier each.
It's FAR more important to have a decent weight distribution otherwise it'll be a nightmare to ride.

There is absolutely no way i'd be leaving my car and keys as a deposit, that sounds VERY dodgy to me.

I've hired bikes out all over the world and not only have a not ever experienced any company making that request, i've never even heard of it.
What happens if the bike breaks down, or if it falls over?

If the hire company have a decent insurance policy then it shouldn't matter what you leave as a deposit.


Also worth noting that once you have handed your keys over, your car insurance policy is void from hat second onwards.
If they steal it you will get absolutely nothing in insurance pay out.
If they crash it you get absolutely nothing.

What makes it worth is, if they use your car while your away you are 100% responsible for any damage, or offences the car has done.
Speeding fines, congestion charge the whole lot will come down on you.


It's not as though the bike is tempting, the Deauville in biking circles is called the Dullville as it's THAT boring a ride.
2 up, loaded with a weeks worth of kit it's going to be a real struggle to get up those mountain passes and the brakes are really going to suffer down the other side.

So it's absolutely imperative the bike is in 100% condition.

The other thing i'd check is the bikes insurance policy.
You need to make absolutely 100% certain you are 100% covered, if you involved in a crash and the local police find you do not have sufficient insurance coverage then you'll be spending most of that week in jail.

My advise is to avoid at all costs leaving your car with them, it's a scam.
Even IF you steal their bike what they going to do with your car, you have all the owners documents so at worst all they can do is hold it hostage.
If your over half doesn't have a lot of bike experience then i'd expect him to have at least one topple over with a fully loaded bike during the week.
If that topple cracks a pannier then will they insist you pay, if so will they hold your car till you do?
Even worse, what happens if the bikes stolen?
We had a party of seven bikers stay in the same hotel as us, but rather than walk the 400 meters to the underground park they chained all the bikes together round the corner.
Next morning all 7 bikes were gone.

It's an absolute minefield that's wide open to exploration by the hire company.



Should also ask, what are you doing for helmets, leathers, waterproofs, gloves etc etc?


Sorry if i'm putting a downer on the trip, i've been touring around Europe on bikes for the past 25 years, we've done Greece to the UK and back several times and visited everywhere from Spain to Eastern Europe and Russia.

My old bike, the Mrs in the Alps.

My Greek CBR parked outside me Mum's house in Nottingham

I've toured on everything from an old RD350LC through to tourers and you have to be MEGA careful
I've had experience with mates bikes being impounded simply because the insurance document didn't have his middle name on.

Another mate spent the weekend in jail because he forgot to zip up his tank bag at a toll station and lost all his documents, passport, drivers license etc.

 

[Robbi]

1300 miles in 10 days, 2 up in the most awful weather you've ever seen go and enjoy every mile of it mate. Stay safe and smile

 

[bronskimac]

Free parking for the car sounds good to me. Although the point about holding your car hostage is worrying. When I looked into hiring a bike in the past the biggest hurdle was the deposit.

I agree, check the bike all over with a magnifying glass! You have a decent camera take close up pictures of the tank, storage boxes and exhaust.

As for the power of the Deauville, it will be fine. I have an ancient (1989) Honda NTV600 Revere (the Deauville engine started as the 600 Revere). Fully loaded it will be fine unless you want to do some "sprinted" riding. I'd plan overtakes carefully.

Check the bike comes with recovery and "onward travel" cover.

Check out how to adjust the shock absorber pre-load and that you have the right tool to adjust it. I would turn it to near the stiffest setting to start of with and turn it up full if it's still feeling bouncy or wallowing in the corners.

Take it easy until you are comfortable with the bike.

Build in some flexibility to your route/plans. If you have a full day on the bike, you might want a day off the following day. If your schedule says ride on day X but the heavens are open and predicted to continue all day, I would try and find something dry to do.

Kit wise, take a look at the lightweight posts on the forum. Most is directly transferable to biking. I am the worst for taking everything bar the kitchen sink (my life will be complete when I finally get that sink strapped on). Good sleeping mats or self inflating mats. Sleeping badly will quickly make you grumpy and ruin your trip.

Depending on the size of your tent you might need to strap it on top of the hard luggage, same applies for your sleeping mats. I have a variety of bungees, single, star, and a couple of cargo nets. I generally attach stuff with singe bungees and then throw a cargo net over the top. It's always better to be carrying too many bungees than too few (you might buy stuff on your travels).

"two man" tents are fine for one person and a few personal items. At a pinch two people for one night. A week, I would expect acts of violence or divorce proceedings. Millets have a good sale at the moment. A three man i more realistic, giving a bit of room to get some of your stuff in the tent.

 

[Andy BB]

I found that removing the top box from its rack, and using waterproof bags etc strapped to the rack instead, gave more carrying capacity and cut down on the "wasted" weight of the top-box. (Unless of course its a Goldwing, Ultraglide or Royal Star Venture, in which case luggage capacity isn't an issue!).

If I remember correctly, the Deauville has two different pannier lid options (big and small) - try to make sure you get the "big" ones! Will make a big difference to carry capacity.