What kind of bike & riding kit do I need?

Any road bike in good condition from around 600cc upwards will make this journey. Just ensure your bike has been serviced fairly recently, take out some recovery insurance, and check your tyres have enough rubber left for riding up to 2,500 miles on hot Tarmac. For the journey down and back, you’ll need the usual, all-weather riding gear you would use in England. Once in the Alps, although you still need protective riding gear, you’ll be unlikely to need the multiple layers and heavy waterproof clothing that is so important here in England. (July 2003 – it rained for the first three days!!) Most bikes in previous years have ranged from sports 600s like CBRs, general all-rounders (eg Bandits) through to large tourers such as FJRs and BMWs. We’ve even had the odd Cruiser, not the obvious choice for the mountains, but the guy did well, generating sparks on every hairpin. Bear in mind that once we are in Bourg, you can dump your luggage, and ride your bike without the bags on. So you don’t necessarily need a true Touring bike capable of hauling vast amounts of gear day after day. I took my Firestorm in 2002, which was fantastic in the mountains, but its limited tank range was a bit embarrassing on the journey there and back. So I took my trusty old FJ1200 again on the July 2003 trip. Edward, pictured here on his Triumph Sprint RS would be typical I suppose. The Alps just beckons committed sports riders. For the future, I'd like to suggest the first Summer tour be more suited to the harder-edged, highly skilled riders, who know how to "make progress" (if you don't understand this phrase, then perhaps trip one isn't for you), whereas on trip two, I'll make every effort to accommodate those who want to travel at a steadier pace. That doesn't mean the guy on the Aprilia RSV Mille won't enjoy himself, but I'll aim to look after the steadier guys more on trip two.

Went Live : Fri 25th July 2003