Delightful ride the other day on the RT - from Le Touquet de Paris to my new home in Wales - 400 miles exactly from door to door and took just under 8 hours to complete it (adjusted for BST) - the highlight was the tolled A16 from just outside Le Touquet to Calais - beautifully graded and well maintained the road almost hugs the coast giving splendid views, especially in the area of Boulonge - all for a paltry couple of Euros - Bike was in its element and humming in a most un-BMW way at a steady 80, shared the journey with few bikes but plenty of exotica, clearly en-route from Le Mans - including a bullet holed DB9 - nice. Decided to do clockwise M25 to the M40, M42, M6, M54 and A55 boring but certainly less busy than the A14/M11 route I took down....
Had one incident - potentially nasty when my nearside pannier sprang open on the M40 losing shoes and chocs, my own fault on probably poor securing after a stop and not "listening" to the bike "telling" me through an unusual vibe after I set off.....Thanks to the red BMW 3 series driver who drew my attention to it - I thought it was the cops !
Bike returned nearly 58 mpg and gave tank ranges of nearly 320 to 350 miles between top-ups - used no oil (most un-Boxer type behaviour !). Supreme comfort I could have ridden another 400 miles if required. Total mileage for the weekend was 1000miles - Bike does exactly what it says it should......
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Sigh. If only...
Lucky you.
Interestingly, that stretch of the A16 has been discussed on French forums in recent times because of the bad state of the frost-damaged surface following the horrible winter (which doesn't yet seem to be over down here). I guess it's now sorted.
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There was evidence of recent work on it - Talking of which I noticed less frost damage on rural D routes in Picardy than I expected - probably due to less traffic.
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I want a bike :-(
I'll start looking for one in the off season this coming winter...
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ISTR chatter amongst Le Mans bound buddies warning of road works on teh A16 - but they cleared them away for the British invasion.
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Wish I'd been with you, Pugsley.
Haven't had the bike out for a month and I'm straining in the slips.
Never trusted my Kreuser panniers on the last BM I had. A friend doing courier work lost a box with all the customers stuff in it.
I always secured mine with a black ratchet strap, round the frame, through the carry-handle and round the box .
Last time we went over, our trip back was moved from Cherbourg to Le Havre and we went over that monster hump back bridge over the Seine.......wee bit scary on a bike !
Had a couple of hours to kill in Le Havre and all the others wanted was a Big Mac.........Philistines !
Ted
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I've done that bit several times on the Blackbird. Three of us did a France day trip from London a few years back and took our swimmers with us to stop in the pool in Le Touquet as a half way stop. Marvellous way to ease the aches and pains by sitting in the Jacuzzi for half an hour.
Trouble was all the young mums and their kids staring at the three big hairy men and wondering if we were about to steal a child..or that's what it felt like...although the Continentals are usually more appreciative of bikers aren't they.
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Yes - not a negative look from any of the locals I met, after that trip I'm in danger of becoming a Francophile again.
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On the way back from the Ardennes one year, the 6 of us pulled into a filling station way out in the country. We'd stopped there before and we were dying for a coffee.
Just as we pulled on the forecourt, the girl was locking up. After much pleading, teasing and gentle bullying she opened up because ' I like ze Inglish bikers '
Enjoyed our stop and bought cakes and ice-creams too. Must have been quite lucrative for her. Of course, we all told her she was Tres jolie and proposed. She was too !
Memories like that certainly stick with you !
Ted
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The Ride of my life......well almost. - Mike Hannon
