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Bike in a Van Touring


Pie man
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Yes it sounds stupid. :mrgreen:


It's a mind numbing 5hr journey at best for me to get to either the Chunnel or the Boat that takes you to Euroland. With time being an issue, I want to limit the number of days it would take to get there.

I am thinking of putting the bike in the van and heading to the Vosges, were at a push I could get there in, albeit a long day. I am thinking of staying in one place and plan daily ride outs.


Just asking, is this a stupid idea and/or would I encounter many questions at border control. Been to Euroland many times, both in the van and on the bike, just not with a bike in the back of the day van.

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I'm not sure how it would be quicker to get anywhere in a van rather than on the bike.

 

I've not ridden 800 miles in a day but I have driven more than that. I would take the van and enjoy riding when you get there. I used to tow my Harley behind my camper van in France, it isn’t a problem as long as you have all the paperwork. I had a cover on the bike to protect it on the trailer, nobody ever asked me to take the cover off to check the bike.

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Ah, I see you are working on the theory that you can drive longer than you can ride, got it.

I would prefer to enjoy the ride. I am 250 miles from the tunnel and I can do it in 5 hours with a couple of coffee stops.

Edited by raesewell
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yeah I get that.. I'm thinking less fatigue if travelling in the van, hopefully having the ability to travel further in comfort, thus saving time staying overnight somewhere. Over many years of driving abroad I have found the biggest problem to be here in the UK.


I don't see anything to enjoy riding the M6/M25 etc

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I have a mate who does this from time to time and never been asked or challenged in anyway because of his bike - customs often do a cursory check cos its a van (smuggling)

He often uses the van as a base and rides out from it - sleeps in it at night sometimes - or does cheap hotel or chambres d`hote (B&B) so he has somewhere safe to leave the van.


Myself I have ridden to the Vosges in a day - 2.5 hrs for me to reach Tunnel - then a comfortable days ride on my (CB500x) to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges or Raon-L`Etape as a base - I use booking.com for cheap hotels and have not been disappointed yet.


So its up to you really - But.... consider fuel consumption, cost of dartford crossing not sure your location - Queueing at said crossing (filtering) and Enjoyment of the whole Trip,

Riding is the trip for me so no amount of time in a van can make up for that.


Over to you.

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I used to ride in a group that would take the motorail from Calais to Avignon or Nice. Arriving fresh (or hung over) in the early morning with all the rubber and profile on the rear tyre straight out into the sunshine and great roads. I would recommend it to everyone taking a European bike trip.

Sadly the French stopped the Calais motorail. Now you have to get to Motorail Paris.

One year the guys hired someone to take 4 bikes in a van to the SoF and arrived via Easyjet to pick up.


So yes, taking the van's a great idea, save the bike for the good stuff.

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I think timing would be a critical factor when travelling on UK motorways. Dartford crossing is only £2.50 I think, my van is classed as an MPV and runs on dual fuel. I'm getting roughly the same MPG as I would on the bike, LPG is even more widely available in France than in the UK, or so it seems. I think it would have to be daft O'clock departure from the Northwest (Lancashire) and try to avoid dartford at busy times (if such a thing is possible) or even go M25 anti-clockwise, a disadvantage of the van - I have to use the boat with having LPG, its a no no for the train.

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I can see where you're coming from with this one, I rode to Verbier a couple of years ago, hell of a long ride, and yes, you're right, the worst part was riding through the UK. I spoke to a mate at lunch time, him and his wife have been to Spain a couple of times, they put their bike in the back of the van, its mainly so they can take all there other toys with them for a three week holiday, he said they never have any problems other than a cursory check at the port, they open the back, have a quick look and on they go .... Hope you have a good trip :thumb:

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i do this regular .. 370 miles to the Eurotunnel .. but we stop over in luton .. frankly the cost of tunnel makes it viable .. usually limit the days millage to 250 miles... no hassle at borders but be aware that anything over 2.8t may get stopped .... the ability to take equipment for the bike and clothing is an added bonus .. as is bringing back booz ..

 

I'm not sure how it would be quicker to get anywhere in a van rather than on the bike.

it is absolutely quicker in a van your average speed will be higher longer fuel stops ;450 miles; much less fatigue and carrying your own food and drink greatly helps...

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I have a van and have done just that, can also carry as much as you want in said van and turn up relatively stress free, the journey may mot be as good as it would be on the bike but if the weather is shit it's not as bad as it could be either 😁

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This thread is sparking a few good ideas for me, thanks [mention]Pie man[/mention]. I've driven in Europe a few times but not ridden and I like the idea of taking a light weight dirt bike along either towing or inside a well kitted out van for local sight seeing at places I'd like to visit. I've actually towed a bike on a proper bike trailer before and it's so easy, you have to keep reminding yourself that you're towing one. Cheers :cheers:

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I can see where you're coming from with this one, I rode to Verbier a couple of years ago, hell of a long ride, and yes, you're right, the worst part was riding through the UK. I spoke to a mate at lunch time, him and his wife have been to Spain a couple of times, they put their bike in the back of the van, its mainly so they can take all there other toys with them for a three week holiday, he said they never have any problems other than a cursory check at the port, they open the back, have a quick look and on they go .... Hope you have a good trip :thumb:

yes we do that when we go over for the TT it's cheaper with the bikes in the van plus we can take more stuff :)
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I can see where you're coming from with this one, I rode to Verbier a couple of years ago, hell of a long ride, and yes, you're right, the worst part was riding through the UK. I spoke to a mate at lunch time, him and his wife have been to Spain a couple of times, they put their bike in the back of the van, its mainly so they can take all there other toys with them for a three week holiday, he said they never have any problems other than a cursory check at the port, they open the back, have a quick look and on they go .... Hope you have a good trip :thumb:

yes we do that when we go over for the TT it's cheaper with the bikes in the van plus we can take more stuff :)

 

Yes lots of people doing it now, I used to do it other way when I had a M/X bike, put it in a van and go greenlaning when I got there. You get the best of both worlds and as you say it's much cheaper.

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