Preparing for the ride

Having the idea is one thing, making it happen is another.  The idea is simple; “I would like to ride from A to B.” putting it into practice quickly becomes complicated; “I need to cross a sea with a motorbike.  What paperwork do I need in Eastern Europe?  What happens if the bike breaks down or I get sick? How many pairs of pants do I need?” The questions are almost never ending.  Everyone will approach is problem in their own way.  There are those who say it doesn’t matter as long as I have a tooth brush and a credit card I’ll be fine.  Others, like me, like to do a bit of planning.  Here’s how I go about it.

The Ride

From Jordan back to the UK in my case.  Not straight forward but really not difficult.  The first thing to do is look at the route and work out costs and time needed.  It’s immediately clear that I cannot go overland the whole way; Syria is out of bounds (FCO advice and common sense) and I don’t look good in orange boiler suits.  Egypt is another option but the Carnet costs are high and onward transport to Europe too expensive and unpredictable (ADVRider.com forum advice).  How about Israel?  I shouldn’t have too much trouble getting over the boarder and onward transport to Greece is reasonably reliable and not too expensive.  A friend of mine used this route recently and gave me all the info I need for a shipping company.  A quick search for advice on ADVRider.com led me to an Israeli FB page, the guys on there where very helpful and answered my questions about bringing a UK bike into Israel.

So now I know how I’m getting the bike and me into Europe.  From there it’s a simple case of working out how much time I’ve got and what route I should take.  I used a mix of technology and paper maps.  First I used AA Route Planner to find the quickest route from Greece to the UK via the countries I want to visit and marked it on a paper map of Europe.  Then I used bestbikingroads.com and overlaid those routes on a paper map of the country in question.  Finally I joined up the great biking roads and places I want to see to create a route.  Once I had this marked up on the paper maps I loaded all the information into my Garmin GPS using Garmin Basecamp, both the GPS and maps will come with me.

For planning purposes, I set my riding limit at 5 hours per day.  I didn’t use distance as 5 hours riding on mountain roads will not get me as far as riding 5 hours on the Autobahn.  5 hours also allows me time for a good lunch and to take photos.  Here are a few of my considerations for the ride:

Get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

Get a Green Card from insurance company

Buy travel insurance

The rest of the jobs revolved around booking hotels and transport

The bike

The bottom line is that I don’t want to worry about the bike during the ride so it’s up to me to make sure that she is in the best nick possible before we leave.  Because my bike has been set up for off-road riding in desert conditions I had a lot to do to get her road riding ready.  Here are some of my considerations:

Re-fit the fog lights, large screen and rubber foot grips

Add a new GB sticker

Get some red reflective tape and stick a warning triangle to the back of one of the panniers (not required but useful and easy).

Add wind deflectors to the hand guards

Change oil and filter

Check air filter (clean if needed)

Replace chain and sprockets

Check and replace fairing bolts

Check tools in my tool kit

Check all the lights are working

Adjust suspension for full load

Adjust the headlight for Europe

Check tyre tread

Luggage

What to take and how to pack it are the most common questions seen on adventure/touring forums.  There are so many options that there isn’t a right or wrong answer.  I use a soft bag for my “hotel kit”, a tank bag for my “need it now kit” hard panniers for “leave it on the bike kit” and a small backpack for “everyday riding” kit.  Very important items like my passport, EHIC card and Green Card never leave my body.  I also carry an extra gallon of fuel.  Let me break it down for you, a full packing list will be at the bottom of the page.

Hotel kit – soft grip

Imagine you decide that you want to stop at a hotel or that you’ve been invited to stay with someone.  You don’t want to have to go through all your panniers and bags to find the stuff you need to take in to the hotel.  Instead I just take off the bag put my tank bag inside and walk into the hotel.  Everything else is secure and safe on the bike and I don’t have to worry.  Here’s what’s in the hotel bag:

Clothes including shoes, flip flops, swimming trunks, a smart shirt etc..

Wash kit

Universal bath plug

Tripod (I wont fit in a pannier & I don’t want extra kit strapped on the back)

Pac Safe (wire mesh net that the bag fits inside & is locked with a padlock)

Need it now kit– tank bag

It’s right in front of me and therefore the best place to keep the sort of stuff I want to get to quickly.  Things like:

DSLR Camera + SD cards

GPS

Video camera + mounts etc

Ear plugs

Random snacks

Everyday riding kit – back pack

Not entirely necessary but it makes carrying water easy and there’s space for some extras.  Don’t underestimate the effect of dehydration, a very small drop in hydration can lead to a large drop in your ability to ride at your best.  Here’s what’s inside.

2l of water that I can drink while I ride

SPOT tracker

Visor cleaner

Spare goggles

Baseball cap
Hi-Viz vest - In France you must be able to reach this without dismounting of face a 50 Euro fine.
Wind proof top
Neck warmer
2 x Large Zip ties

Leave it on the bike kit - Panniers

One side is for camping.  The other is for queipment I don’t need very often and spares for the bike.  It’s a good idea to keep heavy items as low as you can to help the bikes handling.

Large pannier.

Sleeping kit including 2 man tent, sleeping bag & roll mat etc

Kitchen: MSR stove, pans, plate, knife fork & spoon, washing bowl, mug etc

Small pannier.

A funny one this because some of the kit in here is everyday use.  However, I don’t want to keep heavy metal disk locks in the same bag as my camera and I want the extra security of the metal pannier for the laptop.  Here’s the small pannier kit list:

Maps, guide book, break pads, fuel syphon tube, disk locks (not pictured), chain (not pictured), thermal liners (from riding jacket and trousers), spare gloves, laptop bag including most of my important documents.

My Riding kit.
Dainese jacket
Alpinestars trousers
Arai helmet
Alpinestars GP summer gloves and 365 GoreTex winter gloves
Forcefield back protector
Leatt neck brace
TCX Pro enduro boots
North Face "Gulper" day sack with 2l water capacity

Full kit list

Wash kit

Boxers x 3

Socks x 3 

Jeans x 1

Trousers x 1

Shorts x 1

Shirts x 3

T-Shirts x 2

Warm top x 1

Shoes (Deck shoes - smart and comfortable to walk in all day)

Flip Flops

Swim Trunks

Travel Towel

Thermal top

Thermal L’johns

Warm hat

Mosi Net

Water proof phone bag

Universal bath plug

Mosi Rep

DSLR

Tripod

GPS

Video camera

Laptop

Power Monkey

Spare batteries

Tent

Sleeping bag

Roll mat

Stove (MSR)

Cooking pans (MSR)

KFS

Wash bowl

Washing up liquid + sponge

Plate

Mug

Lamp

Sleeping bag liner

Head torch

Salt & Pepper

Tea

Coffee

Cyalumes x 3

Puri tabs

Tool roll

Leatherman

Brake pads

Security Chain

Disk Locks x 2

Pac Safe

Padlock and loop

Extra jubilee clips

Tyre levers

Puncture repair kit inc pump

ROK straps x 2

Tie downs x 2 for the ferry

Feel syphon pipe

Chain lube x 2

Visor cleaner x 2

Large zip ties x 2

SPOT tracker

V5                

UK insurance

Green Card

Carnet De Passage

Passport

Maps

Lonely Planet

Helmet

Ear protection x 7

Neck Brace

Back Protector

Jacket

Trousers

Thermal liners

Gloves (Summer)

Gloves (Winter)

Boots

Sunglasses

Spare glasses/goggles

Baseball cap

Neck warmer

Wind Proof

Hi-Viz vest