Where bikes are concerned, it's a different world across the channel, so much more space, so much less congested and oppressive. I bloody love riding in Europe.
Agreed! I always get a bit depressed when I get home after riding on mainland Europe. Riding in most parts of the UK has had much of the pleasure taken away these days.
There is nothing france does not have . All possible scenery, great history everywhere, great roads and mostly tranquility . Hit a D road and all you see is a tractor every once in a while . And then all goods things on a plate ...
I believe that whole breathalyser nonsense has been put on hold indefinitely.Needless to say it didn't happen until I'd bought a couple of dozen to put in all our company vehicles....
Re So sorry I was slightly tongue in cheek,being half French and done a lot of riding in France .What a fab area you are going to later,some unbelievable roads basically from Pamplona to Andorra is heaven.A few more speed checks and cameras in France now,although most of the cameras are forward facing.My mate who was a couple of hundred yards in front of me got done for speeding ,and if you are 40kph over the posted limit then you face an instant france onlydriving ban,which my mate was given,we were about 250 miles from Calais on our way back to blighty,the cop asked if we were on our way home,and when we said yes,he said ok,the police car will drive down the road,and when we are out of sight get on your bikes and skedaddle up to Calais ,can't see that happening here somehow
You may find that the instant France-only driving ban is postponed in effect for 72 hours to let you get back to Calais (read the small print carefully). Bit awkward if you were on your way outwards at the time.
I don't think so,as the French car drivers who were stopped for the same speeds left their cars in situ and had to call for a lift etc,'twas defo the traffic cop said let me turn away and off you go,he did have a very hot Peugeot 206 with a special engine producing 300 bhp and he normally patrols the autoroute near Calais ,he liked to nick the Brit Porsches and bentleys best,and told of a few who had sped away from him,with a wry smile
My experience of French policing, and indeed policing on roads throughout Europe, is nothing short of exemplary. Unlike Blighty, most still use common sense as a tool, and will give you a bollocking rather than dish out fines. Of course this depends on you doing the decent thing and acting suitably chastised...
I got a bit bollocked by some German fuzz once for overtaking when I shouldn't have (I didn't see the sign, and even if I had seen it, I probably would have ignored it, I suspect (because I couldn't see any reason on a dead straight road for not overtaking...). Young fuzz tried to say my front tyre was bald. It came back to me that my garagiste had told me there was only about 200 kms left in it, and I had just done them. But my sterling efforts at trying to talk German to them mellowed their mood and I was waved on my way with an admonishment to get the front tyre changed ASAP. About 15 miles down the road, I passed a large tyre emporium, and remembering that German tyres are cheaper than Swiss ones, scooted in and had the front changed. A wise move as I then hit torrential thunderstorms on twisty roads. Thank you Hun fuzz.
Two tugs in Germany, the first many years ago. I was barrelling through some town at an unmentionable speed in the early hours, trying to make up ground when I got stopped. Officer Schwartzenegger (or a close relative) was not impressed, but explained to me how he would give me a sticker, and the colour of the sticker defined how many deutshmarks I'd have to hand over. Considering how fast I'd been going, I considered any fine to be a result, cos I thought he was gonna shoot me to start with. The fine? £17, the lowest he could have given. Good man:biggrin: The other pull was in 2006, a bunch of us were 'power filtering' down a congested autobahn; I was awestruck at how eager the German drivers were to get out of my way...until I noticed the blue flashing lights behind us. I couldn't quite make out ther exact words, but apparently 'power filtering' is not the done thing in Germany. The nice police lady was so irate she was actually foaming at the mouth, but she was on a shout, so sped off without further ado. Perhaps following her at speed through the traffic was not the wisest move - her and her passenger were gesticulating wildly at me by this point - but hey, we were on a deadline too. Even so, when the passenger started to climb into the back seat I decided it was maybe time to leave the motorway...
My mate was stopped in Spain for having a tiny numberplate. He is a gobshite and was therefore given an on the spot fine. As Figaro says, act suitably chastised for the given scenario, anything else is just moronic.
That works everywhere. On the day I got an asbo for doing 145mph on the A3 (no points, no fine), a mate of mine got booked for 35 in a 30, the difference being that he gobbed off and I didn't.
france in june to the prynesse not on the old mutly on the zzr is there a road i can do 180 on releitivly safely down there?
