# First time camping.



## Longwaydown (Oct 22, 2013)

Hello folks.
Thought I would take time to sign up, and hopefully learn lots of tips and tricks.
I've never done this before, but am seriously looking forward to it. I plan on riding my bike from the top of France to the bottom of Italy, spending as little as possible on camp grounds, which I know makes my task even harder, but I love the challenge. If I can get away with spending nothing(on lodging), then I consider this a success. I'm a member on a motorcycle forum and plenty do it, but I'm thinking of doing for 3 or 4 weeks. 
My line of route would be a more direct approach minimising fuel expenditure, but more frequent stops are more plasauble for this very reason. 
I've a lot to do before I set off, such as preparing the bike and my camping equipment, but hopefully some reviews or advice might guide me in the right direction.

I've spotted a few locations via googlemaps, but nothing set in stone. If you know of any locations suitable for a bike or two, most importantly for free....that would be awesome. 

And if you have read this far, I commend you. You've done well. Now go get that well deserved cup of tea!


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## yorkslass (Oct 22, 2013)

hi,:wave::welcome:


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## sapper (Oct 25, 2013)

*Welcome*

Welcome and Which Motorcycle forum are you on fella?


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## GinaRon (Oct 25, 2013)

Hello :wave: and :welcome:


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## Deleted member 21686 (Oct 25, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.


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## Longwaydown (Oct 25, 2013)

Thank you for the welcome!
Bcf forum, 

Can't wait, lol


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## Deleted member 20892 (Oct 25, 2013)

Welcome, me and the Mrs toured France,Spain,Italy, and most other European countries by m/bike a couple of years back. We did just over 4k miles in about 20days, went on camp sites every night, and never paid more than 5euro per night. And well worth it as well, pull up, put tent up, nice shower and food, then a decent nights kip.! Ready for a decently long day in the saddle again. We don't have the bike anymore, as we have a m/home and would't find time to use it. However we are contemplateing doing the same thing again next year, camping every night, but doing it in our Smart car Convertable, roof down of course.!

jt


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## Longwaydown (Oct 28, 2013)

Hey jt, that sounds awesome!

Did you keep track of what you spent on fuel, and tolls? I think these are gonna be killers, but I don't plan on using the motorways if I can help it. 

I just checked my bike documents, and I have the insurance due while I am away, mot due after I am away( I can get this done before ) and will need changing the sport tires to touring ones also. A lot of pre outgoing expenses. :sad:

Still need to buy tent n' stuff.


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## chubadub (Oct 29, 2013)

Welcome to the forum


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## redpoki (Oct 29, 2013)

:welcome:


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## Longwaydown (Nov 1, 2013)

A 2006, zx6r. 
Got the luggage sorted. Thought I'd see the Eifell Tower, and eat some pizza at Pisa.


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## Deleted member 20892 (Nov 2, 2013)

Didnt use any tolls, except the Mont Blonk tunnel on the way back because i needed to get a move on. We had our bike serviced before we went, and when we got back that plus a new back tyre before we went and when we got back was our biggest expence. As we were touring we didn't really keep an eye on what we spent on fuel, as our camp sites were so cheap it sorted of evened it self out. But all in (except for chunnel and ferry home via Rotterdam to Hull) don't think we spent more than £1,400 for food, camp sites and fuel.

Hope that helps

jt


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## Longwaydown (Nov 5, 2013)

£1400  from start (-servicing,tyres,yada,yada,yada) to finish is pretty good!
I plan on buying a return for mont blanc tunnel, but will probably only use one way. 
I have a lot of outgoings like 2 bikes nsurance mot and tax before I go, plus I have to remove my soo tyres and put on touring ones, but damn I'm getting excited. I've got all luggage now, I've still got tents to look at, and bought most of my touring clothes. Was going to do it in my 1pc race leathers, but I think textiles will be more diverse for the mountains and the southern climates. Steel toe work boots for foot ware, as they are comftable and protective.

Still need to make a list though, but I am working on it.


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## Longwaydown (Dec 15, 2013)

Yes it isn't an issue...I used to take the 636 into work in the summer using steelies. I took the gpz500 in in the winter. Again steelies aren't an issue. On the 636 I have rear sets, not pegs, so totally adjustable. I have two pairs of sports boots, and your right they aren't cheap. A £220 pair from TCX, and I just bought a pair of £280 Arlen Ness race boots. Haven't had the chance to wear them yet, as I'll wear them when I have my leathers on. I decided for steelies, as they are magnums, the same as the police boots, and are more comftable and hard wearing for walking in, than trainers, which saves space on packing. My motorcycle boots would take up the panniers if I had to pack them, lol. And I know folk take racing leathers touring, but space is the reason I decided to go textiles. I just wouldn't be able to store them anywhere if I wanted to go walking around Paris. And I wouldn't want to wear them on a walk. 
Update: I bought a tent!! Hoorah! 
Not much to get now. 

Taking the kids to Disneyland by car a month before I set off on my bike trip, so that should give me first experience of driving(/riding) on the right. 

It's so exciting.


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## mariesnowgoose (Dec 20, 2013)

Hello Longwaydown, welcome to the site :wave:


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## Deleted member 19733 (Dec 20, 2013)

Hi and welcome to the forum, have fun

:have fun::camper::welcome::drive:


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## Longwaydown (Dec 20, 2013)

Thank you mariesnowgoose and loulou, I shall try my best to have fun!


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## Hobbsy (Dec 21, 2013)

my advice would be take the bike on the back of a motorhome 
i love a ride on the bike but thats hardcore


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## GRWXJR (May 19, 2014)

Hi.

Ive ridden a fair bit on the continent, Slovenia being the furthest bit.  Had 2 week limits though cos of work.

My personal tips are expect to average no more than 250m per day.  Youll be able to do more easily if you stick to peage and main roads, but your average will plummet if you go into the smaller roads and Alpine routes (a must!).
Me and a couple or 3 mates used to B&B it as it gave us more road time and less hassle.... just ride till tea time, enter a town and find somewhere.  Sharing rooms and nit expecting thd Ritz kept the cost down, but if course much more than camping.

I used to allow £100 a day for fuel, food and accommodation etc, including an evening meal in a pub or similar, so even with fair miles maybevyou could do it on £60?

Take at least 2 pairs of gloves.  Nothing worse than a cold soggy pair of gloves, so spares are a must.

Pack old t shirts, pants and socks.  Noone cares about your fashion under bike gear.  Then simply throw away the stuff after wearing so you dont have to cart dirty washing, and it gives you room if you later buy something to bring back.

Carry maps even if you have sat nav.  Good backup and much better for planning, spotting good routes/rides and getting some poor French guy to understand where you are trying to get to if you do get lost! 

Be ruthless and cull your gear.  I guarantee youll pack several things you will never use, just carry them around Europe.

Pack all your clothes n stuff in good carrier bags for extra weather protection.  Use several with small amounts of gear in, and dont lump all your pants, socks etc together.  That way uf a rainstorm gets into one of the bags, you wont have all of your undies wringing wet at once.

Wear light wick away base layer type stuff such as ski tops.  They are light and easy to wash in a sink and dried overnight.  Cuts down on the amount if clothes to carry.

Pack all your gear on the bike, a rucksack will soon drive you nuts.  A dry sack bungeed onto the pillion seat is way better, and a tank bag can be a blessing to rest on as well as putting weight away from the tail of the bike.

Soft panniers will do just fine.  Only downside to hard panniers is less security really.  Ive used both, and the best bit about hard boxes is you can just remove a bag with wash kit and clean clothes and lock the rest in place.   But soft luggage is fine as long as it's fixed on really well to stop it moving at speed.

Get a tubeless tyre repair kit - the ones where you plug the tyre.  They are easy to use and will save you hours of grief if you get a puncture.  Cans of tyre goo are a last resort backup but the kit is best.

Your bike has no mainstand?  So if you have no scottoiler lubing the chain daily is a pain.  I used to carry a short length of roof batten when I rode an FZ750.  Put the bije on the side stand, then reach over and pull the backnwheel into theair so the bike is on the front wheel and the tipnof the sidestand.. then use the batten as a prop under the opposite side under the swingarm so the rear wheel is just off the ground supported by the sidestwnd and the batten wedged under the s-arm.  This trick nakes it easy to lube or adjust the chain, or even remove the rear wheel as lomg as yiu are careful!

Oh yes, I cant really recommend Switzerland.  You need a permit for their main roads, and everything is well expensive.  You can dip under Switzerland through France into N. Italy easily and on great roads without bothering the Swiss border.  N. Italy though is fantastic, probably my favourite place to ride a motorcycle.

One problem for you to watch for is that May is well early for the Alpine roads.  Much of the higher stuff can still be closed due to snowfall even in late May, early June.  If you want to ride somewhere fantastic like the Col d'Iseran near Val D'Isere then perhaps you shoukd fl so kn the way home when there us a greater chance of the Pass being 'Ouvert'!  I planned to ride the Col on May 29th 2007 and it was snowed in.

Hope this helps!

G.


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## GRWXJR (May 19, 2014)

*puter, mutter, moan...*

My puter has had an episode.  Showed me this thread as a current? So ivjust posted a load if useless infk a chap no longer needs.

DOH!


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## Stanski (May 28, 2014)

GRWXJR said:


> My puter has had an episode.  Showed me this thread as a current? So ivjust posted a load if useless infk a chap no longer needs. DOH!



Not useless - I just read it and found it to be good sense advice for the future and reminded me of my biking days around europe.

Did I tell you the story of the planned weeks' trip to N France. I worked in London so went via Dover, B-in-Law travelled from Ireland to W France.  I took cooking utensils, he took tent.  He had CBR 600, I had K100LT.  He had never been to Europe before.  Plan was a little risky.

Met up at Caen as planned within 40 minutes of each other - brilliant timing, then decided as it was a warm day to get an ice-cream in Paris, then another in Geneva, and another in Milan, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Holland.
Long journey....... so much happened.... for another day at the bar - sigh.


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