France by motorbike

Hi Luca. You might try the Logis de France web site for lodgings on your trip. http://www.logis-de-france.fr/ is their web site. You can book online or you can just stop and ask for a room. They are clean, friendly and they usually have a good restaurant.

Enjoy your trip.

Try http://www.hotel-bb.com they are widely distributed in France, they are clean, cheap & breakfast is reasonably priced. The toll roads & main roads between large towns are very good and usually very smooth. I would advise that you take a good map at least 1:250,000 scale. As you are visiting Northern France the weather may be cool & wet even in August. Enjoy your trip.

Luca: I would avoid the Toll roads and plan a longer time riding. The roads themselves are great and the French are excellent drivers. The problem is the speed. At 150-200 kmh if anything happens it could ruin your day. I find riding my Harley over here in the states to be best at 45-65 mph (appx 70-100kmh) and I avoid the Interstate Highways(the semi-equivalent of the French Autoroutes) with a passion. Besides, on the National and Departmental roads (N’s or D’s) you are more apt to find a nice place to stay and the ride is much more enjoyable. Take good maps. A tip if you have a windshield (and you should) is to put major route decisions on small 3"x5" "Post It Notes" (by 3M) on you windshield. It saves you from stopping to review the map. One other thought is European Motorcycle clubs/associations that may be on the internet. I know BMW has a good Club and many enthusiasts (including the French Gendarmerie.) I would just love to be taking the trip that you are embarking on. By the way, what make of bike are you riding? Donerail

Hi Donerail,
thank you for your answer. But I haven’t understood what the National and Departmental roads (N’s or D’s) is and what I have to look at.
By the way I have a Ducati 800SS and the other friends of mine have Ducati 750SS and 749 (W Ducati:-)). I don’t know the exact period of the trip due to our job however I’ll tell you.
Thank you for your advice.
Luca

N and D roads are National and Departmental roads. They are listed on the map as N7 or D99. The A roads are Autoroutes (like the German Autobahn) and are listed on the map as A11. These are nearly all toll roads except in Brittany. There are E roads that are usually 4 lane roads listed on the map as E76 and they are very good roads that I don’t think have tolls. I’m not sure about that because we usually use the N and D roads. They are more picturesque and go through the little villages and gorgeous countryside.

You will also find C roads but they are tiny and not on most maps. For your information, I use the Michelin Tourist and Motoring Atlas.

Testing . . .

SalB: Testing appears. Donerail

Again, I can get "testing" via the "Today’s" menu, but it does not appear under "Travel Help" in the regular Forum. I’ve given up until Monday. I haven’t changed my settings and we haven’t done anything to our computer (I quizzed my husband because I was gone for a week and he and the computer have a definite love-hate relationship.) It’s all a bit perplexing.

hello,

A friend and I are planning a trip on scooters down through the Central Vineyards of the Loire Valley and Northern Burgundy, probably catching train to Dijon or Beaune and starting from there.

Does anyone know where we can hire classic Vespas or Lambrettas in that region? Despite internet implying that scooters can be hired really easily in most towns, all we can find is one place in Beaune renting out modern Yamahas.

Also, what the law is re bike-riding in France..? We both have full UK driving licences.

thanks,

Al