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There's just too much info on here for me to let go.
Funnily enough, I started doing yoga because I was at my wits end. That has helped massively, which is why I'm able to get on the bike.
Well almost.
Today front tyre done, oil change, final drive oil change (this was painful because the plug where you put oil in had seized).
Tomorrow rear tyre, and if possible, MOT.

Thanks again for your efforts. In appreciation, I tried to go though the "Donate" process yesterday but got a Paypal message saying donations were not currently being accepted. If you can sort it out, or drop me a PM I'll do something. (Don't worry you will not have missed much, I'm a retired man with a dwindling pension pot these days).

Glad you're getting the bike sorted out. I had no problem with my shaft oil last month, but somehow the main oil filer had rounded off and I ended up calling in my brother-in-law who had a chain wrench. Getting to the air filer was also an entertaining afternoon...

Pete.

Well, I made it there and back and of course there were the odd few tough moments where I just wanted to see a hotel receptionist handing me a key, but it was on the whole enjoyable.

Day 1, Home [GB] > Lille-Seclin [F] c.300 miles

As ever, the run down to the English Chanel was an exercise in fighting motorway tedium, interspersed with coffee and cigarette breaks around every 60 miles. I'd decided to take the Chanel Tunnel outbound this year having used ferries for the last four trips – I'd given up on the tunnel as being more expensive and not much quicker but thought I'd give it another chance.

Sure enough, when I rolled into the Folkestone terminal with time to spare, I was confronted at the check-in kiosk with a message saying that services were running approximately 30 minutes late. After kicking around the car park for an hour I finally got the call to the boarding queue. As opposed to the ferries, bikes are last on and last off which felt as if it was dragging the process out even longer. Of course, once finally let loose on the open roads of France I was busting for another smoke, so my progress was further self-impeded. Having got that out of the way, there was a 25-mile ride northward to where I would connect with the A25 for Lille – more or less at the point where I would have disembarked from the Dover-Dunkirk ferry if I had stuck with tradition. I rode most of the way to Lille in uncomfortable heat mentally adding up all the lost time (some admittedly self-inflicted), and the extra cost and concluding that the tunnel is no great shakes.

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If things had gone to plan, I should have brushed the edge of Lille on motorways before joining the A1 where I would exit for Seclin, a suburb to the south. Luck was not on my side though and the A25/A1 link was closed for construction works resulting in some major tailbacks. As you know, I'm not a fan of filtering, especially on the GTR which has something of a fat arse, but I gave it a bit of a go and I have to say that my fellow motorway inmates behaved with good grace and left a decent lane for bikes to progress. I exited into the city centre along with hundreds of other frustrated Frenchmen until I could find somewhere safe to pull over and coax a new route out of the Zumo "avoiding motorways" – if I'd let it just recalculate, I'd have been back at the end of the queue.

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It led me to the Hôtel Première Classe Lille Seclin without any real drama. It was as I had fully expected most definitely a budget hotel, with rooms stacked like rabbit hutches. A man can survive there for a night, but wouldn't take his family for a fortnight.

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After check-in, a shower and a change of clothes I sought out the nearby McDonalds and a bar before bed.
Day one done and dusted, it should get better from here.

Gents, sorry to hear of your health issues I hope that you can work through them and continue to enjoy your bikes.

Asif, thank you for your efforts in tidying up here - I too thought the site was dying a slow death, but I really hope a web-based service can continue. I realise that most people communicate these days with "soshul meeja" but a web site is so much easier to navigate and search.

It would be great if all members could contribute more regularly, even if it is only to report that they have dusted their bike 

Welcome along Owen.

Don't be shy and share a picture of your steed when you can.

Pete.

I hope you didn't get too frustrated about the 80kmh limits on their main roads, and worse the endless 30kmh limits in every town and village. It takes forever to get anywhere in France these days unless you use the Autoroute/Peage.
Look forward to your writeups if you haven't bailed from here like I did.

Hi George, I had a feeling that this place had been abandoned so I wasn't sure about posting a write-up, but it looks like someone has had a tidy-up (thank you), so I'll set about posting something.

It will probably be an even slower process than usual as I'll probably do it at the same time as reviewing and editing my video which takes time.

You are right about the speed limits, they can stifle the joy somewhat as you will see when I start posting.

For anyone who just wants to cut to the photos, about half of the trip is now on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/72177720327399136

Tomorrow I will be filing the panniers ready for an early start 10/07/25 for this year's trip.

I've given the GTR an oil change, new oil and air filters and swapped out the shaft oil – I'm wondering if not doing the plugs will come back to bite me, but I chickened out. It's also had a new Angel GT on the back, I think there's enough meat left on the front.

The map shows an approximation of what I hope to achieve, although the Bing map has calculated on motorways, which I will largely be avoiding. The true route will be more direct in some places and decidedly more wiggly in others.

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If I survive it I'll let you know how I get on when I'm back.

Hiya Pete...sorry for the late response, I haven't been on this forum for a while and have been suffering some health problems....consequently a ride to meet would be beyond my current ability

I hope others will take you up on your suggestion and that you have a great time

Cheers...Rog     

Sorry to hear you are struggling at the moment, I hope things improve for you soon.

It's looking like just me out for a ride at the moment, but I'll keep looking in to see if anyone else responds.

Pete.

Welcome to the forum. Sadly, there's not much activity on here these days, but if you have questions it is worth a post - someone may come along who can help.

Pirelli Angel GTs are worth considering when you come to change your tyres. The suit me, but I'm more of a long distance rider rather than someone who is throwing it into corners at high speed. They are a very personal choice, other people may beg to differ and who is to argue!

I'm based on the other side of the midlands, about 50 miles away but I sometimes take a run out to or through Northamptonshire, so if you fancy arranging a mug of tea somewhere, let me know.

Pete.

Sorry Pete, but I won't make it. Hope it's a fun ride.   

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply George.

Maybe later in the year if you have a free day I could take a ride over to your patch and stand you a coffee somewhere.

I feel like I have exhausted all of the local routes within a day's ride from home and am staring to think more and more about booking the odd hotel away so that I can get some new tarmac under my tyres.

Pete.

Under a previous topic I had suggested that anyone interested should pencil in 7-8 June for a get together and short ride.

I haven't exactly been inundated with replies, but I have been keeping the dates free so I thought I should throw out another post as the date is getting close.

If there is any interest, I will put together a firm plan, but in outline it would be meeting up around Bridgnorth or Stourbridge late morning (to allow time for people to get here) followed by a couple of hours around one of my favourite loops where I know there will be enjoyable roads.

It can be Saturday or Sunday (depending on any response) or both if anyone fancies finding a hotel for the night in the area.

Pete.

Hi all, just bought a 2016 gtr, love it, I love the seat cowl, any for sale?

Welcome to the forum, where are you from?

A picture of your bike would be welcome when you have time.

Pete.

[(c. 200 miles)]

Day 9 Rursee [D] > Kortrjk (c. 200 miles)


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In my call home to my other half the previous evening I'd expressed a bit of regret that I hadn't added an extra day to the trip. As it was my final day on the continent was going to involve a lot of motorway work if I was going to fit in the two visits I wanted to do. An extra day would have allowed some nicer rural roads, but the die had been cast and I had to get on with it.

After an acceptable breakfast I hauled the GTR off the little car park at the Hotel am Obersee. It all started well enough with a run through the German Eifel under blue skies and in less than half an hour I'd busted through the border into Belgium. Some running through the same range of hills but now known as the Ardennes brought me into Eupen and after a bit of urban riding though the city centre I was coughed out onto the motorway network. I use every one of the permitted kph of the speed limit, but constantly watch my mirrors, it seems that a lot of Belgians regard speed limits as optional and can come up behind very quickly. It's safe enough as long as you have your wits about you...

A quick slingshot around Liège on the motorway brought me to my exit and a short ride to the Chateau of Jehay where I found a pitch on the free car park and set about exploring. I'd have been happy around the grounds and gardens, but the lady on the entrance desk seemed that excited to have a visitor I felt a sense of obligation to wander round the museum with its "cabinets of curiosities" as she had suggested and trying to work out what the hell I was looking at where there were no labels in English. Back in the sunshine I did my tour of the grounds and bagged the photos I wanted and finished my visit with a seat on some garden furniture in the courtyard with an alcohol-free Jupiler from the kiosk and a cigar from the tin. These moments really make the trip.

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At least when I was done it was not straight back on the motorway, I rode a little way further south and picked up the Meuse Valley and followed the river westward to Huy. Not the best motorcycling road, but at least better than the motorway. I followed the river through Huy, past its large church and below its hilltop citadel. I was half tempted to make a stop to get some photos, but it so happened I been there in the car less than three months previously during a bit of a trip for our wedding anniversary, so feeling that I was on a bit of a tight schedule I sailed on.

The followed another 20 mile blue sky ride along the south side of the river, sometimes with cliffs to the side, other times more open, but typically of densely populated Belgium, a constant ribbon of villages along the route meaning that the bike was rarely opened up. I picked my way through the centre of Namur, always a bit of a favourite of mine, but again declined to stop as I had given it a visit during my return from last year's run around the Black Forest on the bike.

From Namur I picked up the River Sambre and began to follow its valley, this was at least a bit of new territory for me. At Floreffe I caved into the bikes increasing demands for refuelling, something I didn't seem to have done much of on this trip – the GTR seemed to be averaging around 50mpg and with the shorter runs I do these days a tank full was comfortably lasting a day with a bit left over. Riding conditions continued in the same manner, a few quick stretches broken up by built-up areas and a lot of dual-carriageway.

Samberville was skirted around and I eventually made my way forward to the R3 Charleroi orbital motorway at which point the Zumo (which had largely been well-behaved during this trip) decided to set me a geography test. It urged me to take a phantom exit, a glace over the Armco barrier at the embankments under construction and a nice new roadstone bed suggested that there may be a road there in 2-3 years time, but today was not the day. Not for the first time in my life I was left with the choice of taking the next available exit and winging it.

It worked out OK, I made my way back into the Sambre valley, crossed the river at Landelies and crossed it twice more plus a canal on a series of little single-track bridges before arriving outside the Abbey of Alune. A handful of Euros was handed over to the lady at the cash desk for an entrance ticket (and to my surprise) a little printed guide in English. This is a monster of a ruin and I really enjoyed investigating those parts that were open, the condition of the masonry in some areas has resulted in them being closed off and slowly reclaimed by nature. Most British abbey ruins are frozen in time around 1536 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in order to stick two fingers up to the pope (and the money from the lead roofs no doubt came in handy for buying cannon balls to fire at the French), but Alune fell into disuse much later, so as well as a medieval core it has architectural features that I would never find in a UK abbey or priory.


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Not only did I enjoy the visit to the abbey, but I found this little backwater village and the countryside laced with the river and canal an enchanting little place and I think it has to go down for a first night stop on some future trip into Europe.

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I'd lingered for about an hour and a half and really needed to press on, so reluctantly moved on in the certain knowledge of motorway tedium to come.  Back around Charleroi, out to the west on the E42 and through sporadic congestion my ride swept me past Mons and Tournai and finally delivered me into Kortrijk's southern suburbs, just a few blocks from the Full House Hotel, my B&B for the night. There was no car park, so the bike was disc-locked on the street whilst I collected the envelope containing my key from the unattended reception counter. My single room was a bit compact, but just big enough to have a shower and get changed.

With the aid of Google Maps on my phone I made it on foot over the railway line and into Kortrijk's centre where a Fritterie and a couple of beers were located before the walk back to my room.
 
It could have benefited from some more rural riding, but it hadn't been a bad day on the whole. Tonight was the last hotel bed, tomorrow there would be a ferry to catch.

Nice to see you have managed to get out on the road despite the rather gloomy start you the year.

You have to grab those days wile you can.

Stay safe.

Pete.

Day 8 Bad Fredeberg > Rursee (c.140 miles)

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After a final breakfast at the Parkhotel Schmallenburg the bike was reloaded with all my worldly possessions for the start of the return trip home. My four nights at this hotel had been ideal, a good room, decent breakfast and good value as well. I was marginally miffed when I went to check out though as my room had already been charged to the card that I had used for a deposit; my intention had been to use my prepaid currency card, so I'd be going home to an unintended bill next month. On the plus side I'd have a surplus of €400 toward next year's trip.

There was not a lot of distance to cover today, but I'd allowed for a bit of Autobahn riding to give me time to take in a couple of attractions. The start was of course the usual mixture of Sauerland countryside, villages and small towns mostly on empty roads. Occasionally I would catch up with a bit of traffic and then find myself dropping off the back of it as I slowed down for the built-up areas and they didn't and then go through the cycle of pulling back up to them again. In these circumstances it's a difficult call to overtake knowing that within a couple of kilometres they may well be tailgating you through the next 50kph zone. Still, I'm not riding in any sort of competition, so I'm happy to ride to the limits where I can, and be patient when I can't.

Just under an hour's ride from the previous night's hotel I hooked up with the [45] autobahn for a first short stint in the direction of Dortmund including a brief top at the first rest area for a smoke. I left the motorway near Meinerzhagen and did a bit more enjoyable cross-country riding until I reached Marinheide. My breakfast tea had now worn off, so I parked up the GTR at the roadside and walked on into the town centre where I found "Schmidt's Backstübchen" where euros were exchanged for a coffee.

Back on the road, there were a few more miles of the good stuff before I joined the A4 Autobahn, at first I was able to wind up the bike as much as I wanted without worrying about speed limits, but things slowed to a near halt on the approach to Köln. The motorway eventually spat me out on the east bank of the Rhein where I picked my way to the streets beneath the Köln Triangle. There didn't seem to be any proper motorcycle parking available so it was tucked in somewhere I wasn't entirely comfortable with. Köln Triangle is a 100m high office building opposite the cathedral and for a few euros I took the lift up to the observation deck at the top. There were certainly some far-reaching views over the city although the high glass balustrade around the edge makes getting a decent photo difficult due to the reflections.

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Once I'd had my fill of it, I got back on the bike, crossed the Rhein and threaded my way out of the city. The next stage of the ride was through some rather uninspiring suburban areas with more traffic to contend with than I'd been used to. The landscape did open up here and there tough and before long I found myself squeezing onto the end of the motorcycle bay in Brühl.

I perambulated myself a bit around the gardens and terraces and pools of the rather magnificent palace and did the best I could with the camera. Once again I had been confounded by the scaffolder having arrived before me, but it was worth the stop none the less.

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The bike was extracted and hauled out of town for the last session of the day. At first there was a mundane bit of dual carriageway and a few straight trunk roads, but the journey just kept better as I began the return into the Eifel region. You know it's going to be good when you see so many other bikes around.

At the village of Heimbach I turned into a side-road and began to climb what I was expecting to be a nice twisty hillside run toward my hotel for the night. Unfortunately, after a couple of hundred metres I came across some road signage that lest me mostly confused but finally coming to the conclusion that the road must be closed*.  I U-turned the bike and set about finding an alternative way round.

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Trusting to my sense of direction rather than the Zumo I made my way to Gemünd where I stopped for a quick paper map check and confirmed I could proceed. At this point the Innovv camera decided to have a break and didn't connect for the final run into Rursee, a small hamlet at the southern end of the Obersee, one of many large reservoirs created from the Rur river and makes the area something of a tourist magnet.

I found the Hotel Am Obersee without any difficulty, berthed the bike and checked in. I was told that the bar and restaurant was about to close, so I snagged a quick beer before getting showered and changed. When I was finally in some lighter clothing I set about a walk in the village in search of an evening meal, but drew a blank. The lesson here is to find where the food is located before imbibing your beer - it wasn't worth the risk of getting back on the bike and riding to Rurburg to widen the search and I really couldn't be bothered to get the bike gear back on anyway. Fortunately, I keep a stash of extremely unhealthy snacks in the top box as a contingency against such events.

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It was therefore another early night with a bit of music from the phone and a session with my paperback.
The day had contained elements of motorway and city riding, but there were some nice runs as well, not a bad day all told.

*Having got home, reviewed the video and thought about it a little longer, I may have been OK to carry on. The "vehicles prohibited" sign probably related to the cycle lane – the road may have been converted to a one-way street in favour of the direction I was travelling. See what you think from the video capture...

Brilliant, I've now watched the whole video and am reminded about how beautiful the villages are and how good the road surfaces are too.....

I miss not touring in Europe, I'll have to 'make do' with bumbling around the North U.K these days    

There are some nice enough areas in Nothern England to visit, hopefully I'll get up there myself later this year.

Enjoy what you can do.