Holidays to me usually mean only one thing..... Motorcycle touring in France....
Anywhere below Orleans is good as the north, to me, is still a bit Agincourt....
Been doing it for three decades now and usually go by myself but around the millennium I con.... er.... convinced two friends Ric and Neil to accompany me........ Oh the fools....
Neither of them had been abroad on a bike before and they were both looking to me for advice..... Nah..... Not gonna happen..... I,m was just gonna watch them make the same mistakes I did....... And that was pretty much how it went...... And it turned out to be, possibly, the best ever holiday I've had
My usual habit on holiday is to find a little "municipal" campsite well out of the way of anything remotely touristy and simply enjoy the roads 'n' scenery and if I spot something worth looking at I may stop for a gander but never ever plan anything and for the evening meal I would try to find a, simple, out of the way, backstreet, place where the local eat........ So nothing like what most people get up to then........
In truth I used to simply hide away..... Not think about problems, life or work....
So it was a total change for me..... I had to actually think....... Carlsberg........
My bike was a Honda VFR750FJ, owned this for 14 years in total, 5" CBR rear wheel, Ohlin's rear shock, outback seat, and yes that is not a Honda front end its a Yamaha Thundercat. The complete front end is a straight swap. took me an hour and a half to fit and boy what a difference in handling, not to mention the extra breaking power.....
Neil had a very odd Suzuki GS650GT
Nice little bike with strange handling and very frugal fueling. The bike was an American import and was a chain drive whereas the UK GT models were all shaft drive and, as we found out later, had not had the emissions plumming removed properly.
He did burn less fuel than Ric or myself but ended up with burnt out valves, cylinder head etc
Ric rode a Yamaha TDM850. Which I wish i could say that he put so many miles on it the results are shown on the left but the mini bikes are just a later hobby, The TDM's are amazing machines, could not believe the engine braking they have. Ric was also the only one of us who had breakdown cover...... More on that later........Anyway plans were made..... Ric and Neil - Where are we going..... Me - South..... Ric 'n' Neil - Do we book campsites..... Me.... No..... That's the plan done then.....
Ferry,s booked and a meeting time arranged for 6am at Tesco's Copdock Mill and at 6 Ric and I duly arrive........ We wait.... No Neil...... Phone Neil..... errr hmmmm... yes... who..... Neil its 6.15 and were Tesco's...... What!!... Bugger.... Crash..... Be there in 20..... and he was, which was quick as he lives over 12 miles away......
So off we trot to Dover getting faster and faster as we went and arrived at the port just in time to be loaded straight onto the boat.... Literally down the ramp and into the parking lane behind the other, now moving, bikes and straight up onto the boat, don't think we even stopped...
Natural break point here I think folks as Part two starts in Calais....
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