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Eifel Mountains 2018


Bungleaio
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I write this with 11 days to go before quite possibly the best way to round off my first year of riding, a week trip to the Eifel Mountains in Germany on my Street Triple.


I put together an introduction thread when I signed up for the site which I updated a few times with my riding story. When I posted about getting the Street Triple at the end of March Gerontious asked if I was going to be putting luggage on the bike, a few messages backwards and forwards later and I had agreed to go on tour with a bunch of strangers. I'd done around 1000 miles since passing my test at this point.


There will be 6 of us going - Igloo, bonio, smallfrowne, Snod Blatter, Gerontious and myself. There were to be others but sadly they can't make it. My mates think I'm crazy for going away with people I've never met before, my Mrs is gutted I'm going on holiday without her and my boss nearly refused to sign my holiday request off so that he could go himself!


From the messages between us, this area is well known to everyone (but me) so I'm sure I'll be in safe hands. I have done a solo four day trip around wales last month, I can also use my bike for work so have covered 6000 miles on my Street Triple, fingers crossed I'm bike fit and prepped for some long (but enjoyable) days in the saddle. My only experience of Germany so far has been a long weekend on the beer in Cologne so I'm lookng forward to seeing the German countryside.


Kit wise I'll be using a Kriega US-30 and two US-10 bags which will be strapped onto my pillion seat. Ultimate Addon's are sending me a prototype phone case for me to test for them. My bike is a standard Street Triple 765 RS apart from the addition of a power bronze screen. The tyres have been swapped out from the very track focused Pirelli Super Corsa SP tyres for Michelin Road 5. Depending on the weather I'll either be in mesh stuff (which I've worn all summer) or RST textiles.


I'll try and add a couple of updates as the trip is underway.

Edited by Bungleaio
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11 days?! :shock: :shock: :shock:


Holy crap I better get thinking about doing something... Like checking the bike is still in the garage around the corner...


Anyway, I'll be seeing one of the miscreants who can't attend this weekend, So i'll suitably rub his face in it :cheers:


But, Minor technicality, It's 10 days till the Saturday and our mandatory dinner date :up:


https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20180908T0730&p0=136&msg=Germany+-+Eiffel+-+2018&font=cursive

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you weren't led astray at all.. that countdown is to the Chunnel train departure on the Sunday. 35 minutes later the fun really starts. :mrgreen:


the ride down is alright.. tedious as only the M1/M25 can be.. for me, the excitement begins when we ride over the Dartford crossing into a foreign country... south of the Thames and on to the M20.. with signs for Dover and the Tunnel to whet the appetite.


to be temporarily sated with beer and a meal at the Ashford Beefeater.

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There will be 6 of us going - Igloo, bonio, smallfrowne, Snod Blatter, Gerontious and myself.

 

Watch out for that Bonio guy.... the quiet ones are the worse :lol:

 

Saint Bonio, to you. :angel12:

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Oh shit. Just a week or so to go. I've hardly ridden. I'm not a biker anymore. I'm ready for some clean beer and a big kebab though.


Looks like me and Snod are doing it 90s style on the trx and 400, which should be fun. I can barely remember the pain of the previous times. Hmm there's still a twinge of something though... Pins and needles... Back... Owww the back.


Roll on the big bridge over the Thames to the holiday lands!

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I'm sure it will be fine.. and very entertaining, especially if I can persuade Bungle that it would be a great idea and a genuine achievement... to chase the lads round the Nurburgring on his Street Triple. :mrgreen:


I mean.. what could go wrong?

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....and be left all alone in the middle of nowhere in the pitch black with not a lot of phone service, waiting for your breakdown company to get back to you....all alone save for a few....a few who sacrificed their meal at the hotel to wait with you....who were stood dithering as the cold night started to set it, which gave one of the few the flu.....the one that wouldn’t leave anybody alone anywhere.


:shock: Did I say that aloud

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There was no need at all for him to wait with the bike.. he broke down a little over 2 miles from the hotel. he should have come back to it with us.. and called rescue from there.. eaten his meal and when rescue arrived.. gone and fetched the bike. Or one of us.. would have taken him back to it.


water under the bridge.. that year he broke down twice and ended up spending an extra night in Belgium. And in the process learnt a valuable lesson. don't go abroad on a bike that has not been prepared for a trip. That was a risk he took and it ended up costing him. Not something I think he would ever risk happening again.


And it certainly hasn't dampened his enthusiasm when I invited him along for this years trip.

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Enjoy it all guys!


Bungleaio, think of of as a riding holiday and less sightseeing and you'll really enjoy it. Great roads and you will get the still views for sure.


I love it.


Gutted not to be going but hey ho.


Get used to :cheers: and triple figures en route :mrgreen:

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is he.... is he jamming a tree in a bike? :scratch:

You can't get the carbs out of a V4 without some leverage.. To be fair he did well, we were gone before noon (almost) so we didn't have to pay for another night.


I can't really throw such stones this year though, the TRX is barely tested since its rebuild and it could still use a little work on the brakes yet again. But there is a week yet, loads of time innit? I should buy some very expensive Euros..

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There was no need at all for him to wait with the bike.. he broke down a little over 2 miles from the hotel. he should have come back to it with us.. and called rescue from there.. eaten his meal and when rescue arrived.. gone and fetched the bike. Or one of us.. would have taken him back to it.


water under the bridge.. that year he broke down twice and ended up spending an extra night in Belgium. And in the process learnt a valuable lesson. don't go abroad on a bike that has not been prepared for a trip. That was a risk he took and it ended up costing him. Not something I think he would ever risk happening again.


And it certainly hasn't dampened his enthusiasm when I invited him along for this years trip.

 


Iirc he didn’t want to leave his bike unattended at the location it was at. I don’t think you would have either.


I learned a lesson or two, or shall I say my eyes were opened on that trip....

That although it was stated that it wasn’t an organised trip by anyone in particular, anyone was welcome to come along and be a free spirit, able to tag along on pre planned routes, or go off and do their own thing should they wish.....imagine my surprise when the route and destinations of every days ride was withheld when I requested them. Anyone would think somebody wanted to play at being Pied Piper all week.

And woe betide anyone should they want to be a free spirit and decide to take a different route on the voyage home (along with the other person that is no longer considered a friend and hasn’t been spoken to since the 2015 trip) A route they were so pleased they never took after reading the ride reports.

Yes, I definitely learned a thing or two

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1 That although it was stated that it wasn’t an organised trip by anyone in particular, anyone was welcome to come along and be a free spirit, able to tag along on pre planned routes, or go off and do their own thing should they wish


2 imagine my surprise when the route and destinations of every days ride was withheld when I requested them. Anyone would think somebody wanted to play at being Pied Piper all week.


3 And woe betide anyone should they want to be a free spirit and decide to take a different route on the voyage home (along with the other person that is no longer considered a friend and hasn’t been spoken to since the 2015 trip) A route they were so pleased they never took after reading the ride reports.

 

 

1. Its not.. nor ever has been an 'organised trip' in any traditional sense. Its my holiday and I invite people to tag along... but also people have decided to separate. Its only a pain when they do this "suddenly" - because then I feel the need to try and find them.. its easy to take a wrong turn. or as one guy did.. go shooting off into the distance. he turned up later in the afternoon. with a huge grin on his face. Another year I had a guy turn up without any warning.. we had zero idea that he was coming. he had said absolutely nothing. I did my best to welcome him... but it was clear from the start that he was only joining up to be part of the group at the hotel.. the rest of the time he was largely on his own, riding at his own pace. it turned out that he was terminally ill and that trip was his swan song... he passed away a few months later. At the time.. i tried to involve him as much as i could.. but, that wasn't why he came. aside from a bit of company in the evenings. But then.. I never knew that he was dying. His name was Jankers and his sudden appearance had one other new guy blow his top.. as though Jankers coming was the rudest thing ever and practically an insult to him. It was mainly due to his attitude towards Jankers that I never invited him again. I was shocked that jankers turned up like he did.. but we mostly just accepted it and carried on.


2. Its been a running joke since day 1. that I have no idea where we are going. and thats 95% true. I do the routes in the dark days of winter, 7 or 8 months in advance. with no notes at all. just a 'name' on the sat nav. this is so.. on the day, the routes are as much a mystery to me as they are to anyone. Ive always made that perfectly clear. And its been a source of much amusement. Where are we going? I have no idea... but the name of the route is RING.. so we will be passing the Nurburgring at some point.


this year the routes have names like. "Go East" "To the Castle" "Dream Roads" "Luxembourg" "Belgian Loop" "Piesport Ring" what do these titles mean? they mean what they say.. and nothing more. they are all I have to go on. aside from a very dim memory of a night in front of the computer 8 months ago.


3. people have taken a different route... gone off on their own. and thats alright. though its natural for me to try and talk them out of it. Ive had people decide to have a day off from riding with the rest of us and go do their own thing. or.. have a day off completely. potter around the village.. or go off using public transport to the nearest city. Ive never had anyone decide to ride home separately. So.. yes, i tried to talk you out of it. But.. you were determined and off you went. Our ride was only marred by a rainstorm.. which we avoided by having a lunch break. got a little bit damp and then dried off. no problem.

Ive spoken to Anthony a few times on the phone since we got back... but not for a fairly long time now. Brexit (apparently) destroyed his business and also all his plans for a new bike which he ordered and then cancelled. And then a new partner came along and a new baby and so everything changed. And we drifted apart.. because all we have in common is motorbikes and these trips. rare phone calls and forum discussions. He's a friend.. just a few steps up from an acquaintance. But.. by no means a close friend. None of us are actually close friends... we're just a group of like minded individuals that met through an internet forum. But despite that... these are people I can rely on. which I consider rather more important. Than pretending these are close friends of mine.. when the honest truth is that they are not. (though when we are together nobody would know this)


So.. it seems that these trips are not for you. I have never said that they are for everyone. But, I must be doing something right.. because year after year. people have said: YES. and as soon as we get back they are talking about next time. We haven't even gone yet and already... next year is set in stone. because those who cant make it this time round need to know that next year will be happening.


We are all Adults. when Paul broke down the first time. I gave my opinion. was ignored and so went back to the Hotel. with Paul(2) and his wife. and Antony. I saw no reason for all of us to be standing around for however long it was going to take. Paul is a seasoned tourer.. he has been abroad many times. So.. I had no worries about him. My attitude would be totally different if it was someone who had never been abroad before. or this was his first bike trip overseas had no sat nav and no German. Then.. I would be telling the rest to leave us.. and we would sort things out. I would insist on it. if it was cold, then I would leg it to the hotel and grab some extra layers for me and the guy who had broken down. probably some food and drink too.


It was entirely your decision to stand around in the cold and become ill because of it. There was nothing preventing you from riding the 2 or 3 miles to the hotel and grabbing some clothes. nothing at all.. the hotel was basically on the same road.. not even a turn to get there.. straight there and straight back.. in under 10 minutes.


Everything I have said above.. about how these trips pan out has been explained to Bungle in depth with the other guys chipping in their own take on it. either in group messages or in private. if they have moaned about me in private.. then thats fine. Im far from perfect. But that doesn't seem to dampen their enthusiasm. or affect their disappointment when they have to bow out.


and with that.. Im going to walk away from this thread.. as it belongs to Bungleaio. and he will have things to say and i trust.. he will be completely honest and leave his rose tinted glasses off.


If you have anything more to say to me.. then do it in a private message. because Im not going to hijack Bungles thread any further over a complaint that is 3 years old and could have been dealt with back then.


thank you.

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Ha nice bit of tree that. Good thing about that tool is that you generally don't need to take one with you.


Thanks again for waiting for me when the chain snapped. I must've been a bit flustered at the time, wasn't thinking about tea and the international rescue helpline was being useless. Then things got out of hand when I was whisked away by the denim man. Them bloody kebabs afterwards though, oof, always a welcome sight.


Also Gerontium for the official records, make it noted that I made it home that night, didn't need to stop in Belge 8-) (all the hotels were booked out).


Are we in Ashford yet? Not long now, might go out on the bike to celebrate.

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