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!  unhttp://foc-u.co.uk/Smileys/efocicon/sun.gif
(20-03-14, 10:33 PM)adeejaysdelight link Wrote: 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.
(21-03-14, 12:41 AM)Dead Eye link Wrote: [quote author=downey link=topic=12223.msg135870#msg135870 date=1395350604]
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!
[/quote]
and all this time I've been thinking it just me
Women have chocolate men have bikes.....
including ones who like chocolate.... 
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 un ......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
please god let the sun keep shining
22-03-14, 09:57 AM
(This post was last modified: 22-03-14, 09:58 AM by slimwilly.)
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.
An ageing test pilot for home grown widgets that may fail at anytime.
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 . (22-03-14, 04:27 PM)wutangbuzz link Wrote: 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.
Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
If I had a brain I would be dangerous
(21-03-14, 08:57 AM)Simon.Pieman link Wrote: 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...ours/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.
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....
(27-03-14, 03:13 PM)Deswilson link Wrote: [quote author=Simon.Pieman link=topic=12223.msg135976#msg135976 date=1395388661]
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...ours/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.
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.
[/quote]
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.
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