Where have you toured?

[weeksy]

I've been lucky to have had a few exceptional tours, but admit they were all to roughly the same place, ending in Cochem not far from the Ring.

We gave had sone amazing rides, roads, drinks, adventures and days out there though, along with a few disasters like Rsvman/Paulo stacking his MV at the top of eau rouge and one of the lads not seeing a left hand junction and wiping out another guy. To watching Couch wheelie his Superduke Rlije a good un.

The day at Spa when I swapped rubber 4 times and still never got a session until 2pm.


So where have you been, on what and what adventures?

[Yorick]

Toured Europe 20 ish times. Just used to wander about with no set route. Make it up day by day.

Flipped a coin if a group to decide the route and direction.

Furthest Gibraltar and Rome.

[Trinity765]

I've been doing an average of 15k a year for 15 years. 60% Wales, 25% Yorkshire, 10% Scotland, 5% France/Spain. I wouldn't recommend any of them. Stay at home

[Ditchfinder]

Nowhere yet but if I don't get to ride to the massif central this year I might get a bit grumpy*




*And probably go for a shuffle round Wales instead

[KungFooBob]

Biggest one was 2700 miles and 12 countries, in 9 days.

Barnsley to Lake Bled in Slovenia and back.

Took in the Stelvio pass, the B500 and then the Nürburgring. Even watched Germany win the World cup sat in the square in Cologne.

All on the Mighty Honda Varadero!

[The Spin Doctor]

If you don't count the week in 1976 in Devon on my 125 (1000 miles, 8 gallons / £6-worth of petrol) and another trip the following year to Cornwall, my touring started in 1979 by quitting my job and taking a month... France from Brittany to the Pyrenees (with a few days putting the girlfriend's Triumph back together in Andorra), across the Alps into N Italy, then Lichtenstein, Black Forest, back through the Champagne country before the Triumph finally expired at Laon. I towed it back with my 400-F as far as my parents place in Kent where I turned up the drive as she braked to a halt on the road... and crashed! 3000 miles in four weeks. I think we had £200 each to spend. The following year, we took the ferry from Toulon to Corsica and spent ten days on the island. At the time, tourists were almost but not quite unknown - we were usually mistaken for Germans, and the Germans weren't popular on Corsica. When they finally discovered we were English, what a change of attitude!

Since then, there have been very few years I haven't gone to Europe (2020 was one of them) and done at least SOME riding often on the way to a 24 hour bike race. Highlights are probably two tours of the Picos, the old Compuserve group rides particularly to the Pyrenees, the French Alps, the Italian Alps and the Austrian Alps, and a weeklong trip - the only one ever with my two brothers - a few years ago which ended up in the Pyrenees, the only place the sun was shining. We almost got along for the duration.

I've done two week-long rides out of Las Vegas, one east up in to the Rockies, the other west out to California. I've also done a couple of long day rides out of Los Angeles with one of my brothers.

I've also been lucky enough to be employed to ride for 3500 miles around New Zealand... twice That was for the NZTA's Shiny Side Up rider safety initiative in 2018 and 2019. What a stunningly beautiful country to ride in. I'm back there this year in just over a week's time. Unfortunately, I'm going to be delivering the presentations virtually.

[Cousin Jack]

First tour - Belgium and Luxembourg with a bit of France.
Second tour - French Alps around Bonneville (guess what I was riding)
Third tour - Black Forest via France
Fourth tour - Austria (via Switzerland and France)
Fifth tour - Black Forest AND Austria, via France and Germany
Sixth tour - Austria again (with a little Italy and Switzerland too, plus France and Germany on the way)
Seventh tour - Switzerland (plus Luxembourg, France and Germany)
Eighth tour - Norway and Sweden (via Holland, Germany and Denmark)
Ninth tour - TBA, but Spain beckons. Or if I am feeling really flush, the Western USA.

[Bigyin]

Most of the UK in various guises either as a group on sportsbikes back in the Visordown days from big groups on the organised tours or the 3-4 bike invite only fast blast trips. Also done Northern Scotland on my own but yet to get down to Devon and Cornwall as the only place in the UK i havent been on a bike.

Done the Isle of Man as well out of race season so empty roads to play on with no speed limits .....winning

Done France as a yoof to the Bol D Or at Paul Ricard but that was a transit to there and back so didnt see much of the country. For the race meetings i attended early 2000's at Croix near Arras most went by autoroute but i used to ride down the coast route for a few hours then cut inland to see a bit more.

Toured Norway which is like Scotland on steroids and every view is a postcard image ...... went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden to get there and back again. 6500 miles in just over 2 weeks and everything from boring autobahns to get there to mountain gravel roads and rocky trails even the locals didnt use anymore as they had nice new tunnels to go through but we peeled off before the tunnels and went over the mountains instead

[harum-scarum]

Popped my touring cherry with a trip to the south of France in 86 on a Kawa GT550. Since then I've done 20+ euro tours including Spain, Portugal, Andorra, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Lichtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy - and annual trips to Scotland and Wales. Also several jaunts in Ireland. Usually two bike trips with my mate Martin (Europe) or my bro (Wales and Scotland).

I'm definitely of the 'no plan' school of touring, I remember in a hotel in mid-France being lectured at length by a group of Dutch bikers of the irresponsibility of this approach. The following morning we were all due to head south-west, them to their pre-booked hotel. The sky was black in that direction, but they set off grimly into the pissing rain, while Martin and I looked at the clear blue sky south east, waved them bye bye and rode off into the sunshine...

[The Spin Doctor]

I'm definitely of the 'no plan' school of touring, I remember in a hotel in mid-France being lectured at length by a group of Dutch bikers of the irresponsibility of this approach. The following morning we were all due to head south-west, them to their pre-booked hotel. The sky was black in that direction, but they set off grimly into the pissing rain, while Martin and I looked at the clear blue sky south east, waved them bye bye and rode off into the sunshine...

Ditto.

Although when organising a group you tend to have to stick to the plan, if you're on your own or with just one or two people it's rarely a problem to improvise. The 'brotherly love' trip to the Pyrenees was planned to go to the Massif Central, but most of c France was under water. We watched the forecast, the sun was shining in the SW so we did a prompt right turn and rode into some lovely spring weather

I've only once got caught out and been unable to find a room - that was on the way down to Vichy en route to the Bol. We just carried on riding as it was a lovely warm night, spent a couple of hours on a pair of park benches, then got up with the rising sun, did an hour, stopped for croissant and coffee and arrived at the Bol soon after lunch and a day early. That was fine... we got to watch more practice sessions and popped into the Phase One pit.

[GuzziPaul]

Most of France, first trip was in about 1982 on my first Le Mans heading south till it stopped raining, over the Alps to Cannes ending up in St Tropez. Had a rack and top box fitted with a bag on top and a tent lashed to the side. Map in a tank bag and a list of town to drive to. Didn't take too long to realise I should be bypassing the towns, rather than riding through them. Stopping evey few miles to read the map. Going the wrong way round a roundabout just outside the camp site on the first morning. Getting heatstroke from not wearing sun tan lotion and watching forest fires outside Cannes and on the other side of St Tropez bay.
Last trip was two years ago on the current Le Mans to Le Mans, look in the museum ride round the public part of the circuit and ride home 900 miles in three days on a 40 year old bike with no problems.
Done the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Med, backwards and forwards between France and Spain and Back over the Milau bridge (boring to ride over).
Route Napolean a couple of times.
Austria and Italy including a lot of the high Alp mountain passes.
Switerland
Germany several times including around Cochem and the Ring and Black Forest
Luxembourge.
I don't count Belgium because thats just passing through and the roads are terrible.
Wales several times even on the first Le Mans (81 ish) with the same tent and girlfriend a test run for the St Tropez trip the folloing year.
Scotland a couple of times.
North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, seperate trips.
This year planning to go back up to Yorkshire, where I'm from and do all the roads I did as a youth up via Cadwell , Beverley, Driffield, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby and west across the moors Goathland. I've dug out the original rack from the loft that we used going to St Tropez in '82 and made some better brackets and spacers to mount it this time rather than a couple of bits of flat bar. I still have the top box as well but that won't be going on.

[asmethurst99]

Denmark on my Bros 650 in 2000 - camping and wandering from town to town over a week with a ferry to catch back as our only fixed point.
2 mini tours of Normandy with 2 friends - first one great second one less so - I prefer to go at my own pace .
Did wales on a long weekend and stayed in a Yurt - it pissed down and left to ride home back down the A 40 early on the Monday -we split up and met up at points along the way - one of the best days biking I've had .

[scottyuk]

I've been lucky to have had a few exceptional tours, but admit they were all to roughly the same place, ending in Cochem not far from the Ring.

I've made comments to our group a few times on going known routes/places. I have a preference to tours where you go hotel to hotel as you get further and more variety but I get the issue for those with luggage perched up high on with rucksacks. I've been suggesting Spain but it makes it more challenging as you need more time. All a balance.

Tours for me have been :
Cochem with & without Spa trackday
Black Forest
Wales
Lake District
East Anglia
Scotland - various (Lowlands/Highlands/NC500, etc)
Ireland - various but mainly Northern Ireland and only about 1/3 of the whole coast. Was meant to complete it last Easter but lockdown came

That means there's lots of choices out there. Pico's are high on my list.

[Rockburner]

Did most of the VD Easter and Devon Tours on the ZXR400 and the Mirthcycle respectively.

Before that did the TT and Manx several times, on various bikes, including classic.

Done about 10 visits to Flash, mostly on the Rockster, but first one or two were on the 400.

I keep meaning to take a few weeks and just ride randomly around Europe, but partially scratched that itch with the vanning.

[Beancounter]

Have done the Scotland a few times, always north of the Glasgow/Edinburgh belt. Not quite touring, but have done a bit of mountain biking in the Tweed Valley and Dumfries & Galloway.

Wales, Cornwall, Lakes and Yorkshire Dales courtesy of Abel and Diablo.

A couple of Flash tours, Norway once (though it was ‘only’ the area between Bergen and Alesund) with Nippy, m00c0w and a few others. South of Germany around the Nurburgring.

A couple of trips to Northern France with various mates over the years.

Annoyingly when I was single I lacked imagination and funds. Now that I’m settled down both are a bit less of a concern.

I keep meaning to take a few weeks and just ride randomly around Europe...

Can I follow along?

[Rockburner]

Can I follow along?

Once you have that sinus transplant.

[Beancounter]

Can I follow along?

Once you have that sinus transplant.

I’ll bring you earplugs.

[G.P]

Weekends in North Wales with the GF on a BSA C15 while still at school.Toured Sctoland with My old man on an RD250, he was on a Superdream (1979 I think that was).
Plenty of weekend camping excursions to Race meetings (Transatlantic Trophy, British GP, Brtitsh nationals etc).

Lots of trips around NZ during my 8 years there, Mainly on Suzukis, An '81 GSX750, a '79 GS750 and a mates "modern" GSXF750.
A couple of trips around France, one on a VTR1000 and another on a VFR800 (1500 miles with a 6ft tall pillion on the back!).
Lots of plans to do more, wife won't go on the bike so won't be doing summer holiday trips, just trips with mates as extra getaways. Supposed to be doing the Pyrenees in late June this year, fingers crossed.

Excuse to pull out the Millau Bridge pic:



Firestorm, Street Triple and a 955i

[Asian Boss]

My three biggies (separate occasions) were to Romania, Morocco and Albania. Never again!

[Slenver]

Only done 3 on the bike - all only two weeks each but all were pretty long. Just me and the same mate each time.

India on Enfields to get to the highest road in the world
Delhi - Shimla - Manali - Leh - Khardung La - Cargill - Srinagar - Delhi

USA on Harleys to get to Bonneville Speed Week
LA - Vegas - Grand Canyon - Zion - Bryce - Salt Lake City - Bonneville/Wendover - Yosemite - LA

Morocco on XT660s to see the Sahara (-ish)
Marrakesh - Merzouga - Ouarzazate - Agadir - Essouira - Marrakesh

Did a much bigger one back in the day in cars though, to Nepal and back.