From the title of the thread you might be able to guess that I'm planning a trip from London to Berlin for the beginning of August. Can't freakin wait! Couple of questions: i) Can anyone recommend any particular routes worth taking or places worth stopping? ii) Thinking about fitting a GPS of some sort. Any ideas which one to go for, where to mount it, and how to power it? Thanks
Try and avoid France unless you like fines as they treat Brits like portable cash machines. Out of a group of eight going to Spa, three rode through France and were rewarded with €90 fines each. I'd go via Belgium & Luxembourg. It's boring motorway but you'll get to nice German roads and friendly drivers much quicker I use my phone as a GPS in a waterproof case (Ultimate Addons) and an Optimate connector to USB charger. Works a treat and saves carrying loads of gadgets.
That's quite a trek with Berlin being so far East. If your into ww2 lookup the Berlin Underground and visit some of the hidden stuff like the underground motorway and the flak towers buried in the hill etc. They do guided tours Berliner Unterwelten e.V. | Home Depending on where you plan to enter Germany, if it's via Strasbourg, Stuttgart is quite a nice town to visit, nothing special there just nice area.
Sounds like a really great trip. I dont have any serious suggestions, but really look forward to reading about your trip. Are you going to set up a website/blog?
My grandad used to go via Belgium to Berlin but only to avoid the night fighters and Flak batteries, that's the only reason I can see of being any longer than absolutely nessacery in Belgium. Crap roads and ignorant drivers.
Right can help with how to power it. GPS runs of 5.5volts. You can buy a tiny step down transformer, its a waterproof little box about 50mm x 12mm that you just hook up to the battery. you want one with a mini usb plug. I would tell you where I got mine but it came from China and took bloody months to come. Just have a look on the bay for one. Have a good trip Regards Steve
Those were my thoughts until I discovered southern Belgium. Some cracking riding to be had in the south.
May be better down south Fig but every time I've ridden through Belgium I could tell exactly when I've crossed the border because of the shit roads.
They're much better in the south, and the roads are empty. Agree with Kenoir about Colditz; forget the castle, it's a bit boring, get on the 107 and live out your Steve Mcqueen fantasies
Is it possible to hook up directly to the ignition, or will I have to lead it to the battery? I was told that if it goes directly to the battery to be super careful as if there are any loose wires that touch the frame, the whole bike becomes live.
I normally wire them to a switched live such as the rear light or front sidelight. Or you could splice into the sidestand switch, horn, or anywhere the power is cut when the ignition is turned off. That way you can't accidentally leave something plugged in that will drain the battery. But do check first to see if there is already a spare accessory socket in the wiring loom - on my old Multistrada there's a socket down by the battery.
re the last sentence...... As opposed to the silken threads of flawless biking nirvana in this country, and the mega driving gods.... Of the mr average in the UK...
For mounting the satnav there are several cases cheaply available that attach to the bars, but I assume there is no room on your clip-ons. I attached a spare bar end to the other end of my bars (inboard) to attach the case to. Works a treat
for mounting, the other option is small tank bag with a waterproof case for phone on-top. Have a look at the GIVI 4L one as an example.
Dunno if this would be any good, its a bicycle bar mount for lights/gps/data computer. It might look quite good on the barend Acor Single Bracket Carbon Bar Extension - AHB2711 - £19.03 | Dotbike Just a thought, I've got a couple of them on my bicycle and their rock solid John
