European Bike Tour
I've ridden motorcycles all my life, but have never ridden abroad and at 50 years of age, was wondering if I ever would. However, some months ago a group of friends got together and invited me to join a motorcycle tour from England, through France Andorra and Spain, returning back to the UK by ferry from Santander, in Spain.
A couple of months before the trip, I had bought a Triumph Rocket 3 Classic. Despite only having covered 370 miles on it prior to the trip, I was confident that this machine would do the job and do it well. Its massive 2.3 litre engine should provide more than enough torque for the mountain passes, not to mention speed on the more open roads.
I left home early in the morning and rode into the dawn sun to meet the rest of the group at Dover for 7.30am. The weather was fine, if a little chilly, so I was grateful for the heated grips.
After just over an hour on the ferry, we arrived at Calais, France, and having filled up with fuel in Dover immediately set about blasting our way to leMans for our first stopover.
I had only bought Rocket a few weeks previously and was a tiny bit apprehensive about the two thousand two hundred mile journey ahead, having covered just 370 miles on it before this trip! However, this first day, although a 270 odd mile stretch from Calais to leMans was to be on fast dual carriageway roads. And fast it was!
With very little traffic on the French roads we were able to keep going at a steady rate, somewhere over the speed limit! The Rocket is so big you can physically move around, so cramp or stiffness was not an issue.
The Rocket surprised me in that there was, at times, a brisk cross wind. I was following a BMW GS1200 at times and could see the rider struggling with it a little to, yet the heavy Rocket just sat and didn't wobble at all!
The one lesson I did learn however, was how easy this bike can be to drop, and I wasn't even on it! I had filled up with fuel, and rather than delay the next person wanting to fill up, I decided to simply push the bike off the pump. Big mistake! As a "precaution" I left the side stand down (reasoning that if I dropped it, it would simply rest on the stand, or so I thought), and the promptly tripped on it!!!! I just, but only just, managed to keep the bike upright, but after that decided that there would be no more pushing!
Reflecting on the day's events later in the evening, I realised it had been fairly unchallenging day in that we were on main roads all the time, (something I was to appreciate later in the trip), but the bike had been superb for blasting from Calais to get to our first hotel stop. The power has been exhilarating, but unlike, say, my previous machine, a Honda Blackbird, I never felt the bike urging me on and on, the Rocket feels settled at any speed , but if you do open the throttle, it responds in a similar way!
I emailed home that the bike had been outstanding.
At least that's how I felt at the end of the first day!
Although riding a Rocket 3 on this tour, Zac also owns a Harley Davidson Motorcycle and protects it with Harley Davidson motorcycle covers. It is so important to take care of your bike, and Harley Davidson motorcycle covers are excellent quality and do the job,
categories: Motorcycle,motorcycling,Triumph Rocket 3,Biking,Touring Europe,France,automotive,travel
