old - Fazer Owners Club - old
General => General => Topic started by: downey on 20 March 2014, 09:23:24 pm
-
am i the only one thats sick of mates coming up with reasons why they cant head off touring cuz of families/money/women ? theres always something stopping them at this rate ill be a pensioner by the time i get a few of my mates ready to go "all at the same time " ,,be half tempted some days to fuck off on me todd sounds a bit "billy no mates" ................ anybody have any experience with their trips or opinions on traveling alone ? madness/boring/sad ???....
-
I choose to travel alone, stop when I want to, slow down when I want to, eat when I want to, stay longer if I want to.....struggling to find the negatives!
you do need to be content with your own company though!
-
Your mates are all pussys. But that's ok, because your not :thumbup
And don't worry, most of my mates are pussys too. It took me to very nearly die before I got my bestie to come to the Nurburgring with me. I do not recommend such extreme action, but it sure gets results.
As to the solo-touring. I am just back from the lakes and dales, solo. I have toured the coast of Scotland (1200 miles on a 125cc), solo. And I try to go to the isle of Skye once a year with my tent and bike and do a couple of laps, erm, I mean coast round the island at legal speeds. Solo.
Touring with your mates is ace. But touring on your own is better than sitting at home pissed off reading about other people out there doing it.
GO FOR IT :)
-
I choose to travel alone, stop when I want to, slow down when I want to, eat when I want to, stay longer if I want to.....struggling to find the negatives!
you do need to be content with your own company though!
Same boat as you Downey and have that same "i'm off" thought many a time. Reckon this go it alone approach would suit me! Any ideas for a first time solo welcomed - haven't toured in 20 yrs!
-
my first tour was up the east side, round the top of, and home by the west coast of Scotland. done over five days, one ,man and a tent. since then done south west (cornwall/devon) and wales....no bad memories yet!
-
Well I've never been touring out of this country but I have recently discovered the enjoyment of riding more than a 100 mile bimble. Its simple for me as I don't have any mates so I always go alone and I can please myself :\
-
brittany and normandy have been suggested for a first solo trip,but how cud ya stop with spain only down the road ha at least the chances of good weather is better there than scotland although in the right weather scotland is supposed to be class as well
-
don't underestimate distances on the continent...france is a big country.....I would try uk tour first....try and go at short notice when the weather look settled, it's about enjoying the trip, not enduring it.
-
Plus one for dickturpin. I dont plan to much so i love the freedom of going where and when i choose.
-
am i the only one thats sick of mates coming up with reasons why they cant head off touring cuz of families/money/women ?
I'm lucky if I can get my mates to meet up for a drink / food / movie let alone a tour!
-
Use to go to Magny[/color][/size]-[/color][/size]Cours for the last WSB race on my own ,just a long weekend was difficult to get anyone to go so late in the year.[/color][/size]Can't[/color][/size] travel solo now for health reasons damn pills [/color][/b] :'(
-
my first ever tour was on my own,
flew easy jet to Madrid, had a pre booked bike for 5 days,rode to Valecia,b and b, moto gp, fanastic on your own,,Madrid is awesome nightlife on your own,the locals so freindly.
do it
-
Do Vietnam. Seriously, I've done a few miles in that wonderfull country and it's both facinating and loadsa fun -and very easy going. North of Hanoi in the mountain areas around the Laos and Chinese borders is the pick of the tours. You can do it on your own no problem or use a guide with these people.
http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/ (http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/)
Cost for a ten day trip inclusive of everything (flight, hotels, food, motorcycle hire) comes to just under £1000.
Trip of a lifetime, but you'll go back the next year for sure and your mates will want to come too.
-
Go for it on your own , your mates are making excuses and your excuse is your mates , I did my first tour last year on my own to Scotland 1700 miles , I was worried a bit about being by myself as I have been with my wife nearly 30 years , but she let me off for good behaviour ( she was probably glad to see the back of me ) but I found people would come and have a chat anyway and were genuinely interested in what you were doing .
I would definitely go touring on my own , and in the next couple of years hope to do a Euro tour , and eventually Route 66 .
-
Go for it. I'm in the same boat. My mates all want to go flat out close to home. I'd rather get some miles on the clock and explore on the bike. Only mate that wants to come touring is making excuses fir not doing his test so it'll be on ma Todd this year up to Scotland. Plus like said above I also like winging it so would probably suit me more.
-
12 years ago I had several mates who would come out riding at weekends. We were a mixed bunch but all in our early 50s-some with SWIMBOs, kids, most with jobs Mon-Fri. My partner rode with me for the 4 years we were together before she lost her battle with the dreaded cancer. After she died I took early retirement and now I have all the time in the world but, like Les72,mainly find myself riding solo these days. Have ridden Ireland on my own but didn't enjoy as much as riding in company. Have 2 younger friends one 38(female) the other 52(male) both on125s with L plates and their sense of adventure far exceeds the guys I used to ride with who have all either stopped riding or never want to go out unless I can guarantee them wall to wall sunshine!
Have come to believe that a lot of this ageing process is a state of mind-but its best to do things while we still can-thank God for bikes! :lol
-
I've travelled a lot alone but last year did a month away with my best mate.
Pro's and con's with both.
I think I prefer alone as I'm selfish and want to do, what I want to do, when I want to do it.
Travelling with company can be a bit like 'being married' after a few weeks, no matter how good the friend is, you'll be annoying each other by the end unless you both like to travel the same.
Go for it is my advice :)
-
brittany and normandy have been suggested for a first solo trip,but how cud ya stop with spain only down the road
Fukkin long road :lol
-
I don't have many biker mates and the ones that are bikers are sometimes busy which is fair enough. I was getting a bit fed up so decided to see if there was any local bike groups, found one that was not subscription/prospect type, basically guys who like bikes and want to do miles. We are out most Sundays plus any other nice days/nights and we organize trips away. Last year i done my first Euro tour with the guys, i must say i was happy to be with experienced euro riders, its not hard but nice to have just incase. I broke my euro tour cherry and am going away again this year.
I know groups are not for everyone and you can sometimes get some some folk you don't get along with but it has worked for me and i am glad to have done it. Happy to shoot off myself too though.
-
Done both, each has pros and cons, but the more people the more frustrated i seem to get as each person wants to do things differently stop at different times, go at different speeds, will/wont use motorways, etc etc.
As for planning, going on my own down through France, Italy to Malta then back through Italy, Austria, Germany, but as I'm going peak time, last week July first week August, I'm booking most of my hotels. If I was going at other times I'd probably not book and trust to luck.
One Last comment, just fu*"ing do it you wont regret doing it either way but if on your own take lots of photos to piss your mates off when you get home :D
-
I 2nd the comment about not misjudging distance... 1st tour was mate and me on VFR400s. We decided to go to LeMans for the 24 hour race.
Rookie mistake 1. Dover - Calais ferry instead of Portsmouth - Cherbourgh. Mistake 2 - "it doesn't look that far" pointing at the Michelin map of France.
Solo touring is excellent fun. Did the great ocean road in Oz alone, on a Triumph TT. Allowed me the freedom to re do each sweet set of bends as many times as I wanted without worrying about "oh my mate must be worried i'm not in his mirrors!"
-
Im going to focus on Wales this summer as its only an hour to the border from here-Plan to visit lots of lakes,mountain roads & of course the seaside! :sunhttp://foc-u.co.uk/Smileys/efocicon/sun.gif
-
But touring on your own is better than sitting at home pissed off reading about other people out there doing it.
GO FOR IT :)
Totally agree. I did an organised tour last year and whilst it was great sharing the experience with others, at some times it was a pain in the arse.
Since 2007 I've done all my tours solo. Each day checked the weather, and gone where I fancy, following a loose plan. One trip the destination was the Italian Dolomites, but ended up in northern Slovakia where the weather was better. Try doing that with a 'committee'.
A lot of Brits, Dutch and Germans tour on bikes, so there is always the chance of sharing a beer and experiences with another biker at the end of the day. In the past I've stayed mainly at hotels but this year will be camping more. Last weekend I had a bit of a shakedown trip with my new kit and soon ended up chatting with my neighbours. You get that more with camping I think.
-
am i the only one thats sick of mates coming up with reasons why they cant head off touring cuz of families/money/women ?
I'm lucky if I can get my mates to meet up for a drink / food / movie let alone a tour!
and all this time I've been thinking it just me
-
cheers for all the advice/opinions and replys lads some really great info,,definitly leaning towards going solo now and leaning towards france/spain cuz of scenery/camping facilitys and weather :sun ......wales/scotland and the uk would be nice if you could garrantee the weather but all are similar gray cloudy crap like here in ireland,,,,,,,,,, oh and the potholes ,,,ill prob just organise it and if some mates come they come simple,,but ill be prepared to do it alone,,just me and the voices in me head :lol
-
We have a space, anyone welcome to join us , a trip to Brno,Moto GP 17th August, either side of that date for 7 or 8 days.
One of the lads has lod=st his job,moved back to Belfast, in the shit a bit.
We find that travelling in 4s is cheaper,a few bigger apartments to cater for us.
-
Thatsa great idea kawasutra imI'm hoping fir a trip abroad in the future and not considered leaving anywhere but Dover. I'll be looking round for other options now.
-
There is also the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao , some great scenery and roads in Northern Spain , you could ride from Bilbao down to Lisbon that would be amazing .
Thatsa great idea kawasutra imI'm hoping fir a trip abroad in the future and not considered leaving anywhere but Dover. I'll be looking round for other options now.
-
Do it all the time, great fun always meet nice peeps for a chat, sometimes I go with a friend but often groups can be a problem, though have found max of 4 is fine.
-
Do Vietnam. Seriously, I've done a few miles in that wonderfull country and it's both facinating and loadsa fun -and very easy going. North of Hanoi in the mountain areas around the Laos and Chinese borders is the pick of the tours. You can do it on your own no problem or use a guide with these people.
[url]http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/[/url] ([url]http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/[/url])
Cost for a ten day trip inclusive of everything (flight, hotels, food, motorcycle hire) comes to just under £1000.
Trip of a lifetime, but you'll go back the next year for sure and your mates will want to come too.
Not trying to thread hijack, but how much extra did you spend when you were out there? My and my mate are seriously thinking about Vietnam and this looks ideal.
-
Just do it! When my mates make similar excuses (and I am sure that some are genuine) I go on my own.
Life ain't gonna wait for you to go live it so if you want to do something then go do it. Don't wait for others or it will never happen.
-
a bigger issue is to prep for the trip. You don't want to break down abroad !
Look at luggage etc. Always take good waterproofs cos it does rain over there, and it can be heavy.
Take some sort of internet device so if u R stuck you can find hotel vacancy online. And take a sat nav cos searching for fuel in rural france aint easy !
Also do remember if you are on your own, you need comms in case of a problem.
Read up on other peoples experiences abroad so u don't make newbie mistakes.
AND TAKE FULL BIKE BREAKDOWN AND PERSONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE....
-
Do Vietnam. Seriously, I've done a few miles in that wonderfull country and it's both facinating and loadsa fun -and very easy going. North of Hanoi in the mountain areas around the Laos and Chinese borders is the pick of the tours. You can do it on your own no problem or use a guide with these people.
[url]http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/[/url] ([url]http://www.flamingotravel.com.vn/vietnam-motorcycle-tours/d118/[/url])
Cost for a ten day trip inclusive of everything (flight, hotels, food, motorcycle hire) comes to just under £1000.
Trip of a lifetime, but you'll go back the next year for sure and your mates will want to come too.
Not trying to thread hijack, but how much extra did you spend when you were out there? My and my mate are seriously thinking about Vietnam and this looks ideal.
There's nowhere cheaper I reckon Des and guess what, I happen to be in Hanoi at the moment! I'm heading North to the mountains on monday. I'm staying in posh hotel in the meantime, it's just £18 a night with air con, I spend about £6 or so a day to eat well and real beer is 40p a pint on the street up to £1.50 a pint in the restaurants. Hot here at the moment, 90F and rather humid.
If you want any more info ask as many questions as you like. Don't plan your trip during the monsoon is the first tip, I did that before and it's a real battle. I might start a thread with a few pics - if I can find decent internet.
-
Simon, I'll probably start asking a lot more questions when we fix a time for doing the tour. Hopefully next year but it may get pushed back a year. I'd like to see a thread with pics of your tour.
We are thinking of going in may and doing the 11 day tour on that site you posted the link to.