Hi everyone,

So I'm a total newbie at long distance travelling, and have only been riding for about a year (have close to 10'000km under my belt). I currently live in Paris, where I mostly commute daily, and have done a few trips around the countryside and mountains with a group of friends. I think my maximum in a day was around 300-400km. I'm planning a trip early next month from Paris to Frankfurt, to visit a friend of mine who lives there. I'm hoping to add a small ride or two around on of the forests on the way back. The trip should be about 550-600 km average each way.

If that doesn't sound crazy enough (I'm sure it's nothing to you guys ), I'm also seeing if I can squeeze in a trip from Paris to Milan at the very beginning of November. As some of you might know, the EICMA motorcycle show takes place there in the first week of November. Since it's also my birthday around that time, I thought I'd ride down there both to celebrate my 25th and to make one more big outing before winter hits. It'd be somewhere between 800-900km each way, and i'd also see if there are any alpine routes worth checking out, or if the weather is too bad, some of the routes closer to the coast.

So, before I share these plans with my family, I thought I'd ask here first - am I totally crazy to even think of doing this? I have this burning desire to get out there and go, and figured why wait until i'm 50? However, I also realise I might be too green for the trip, and maybe I should be patient. How long did you all wait until taking the plunge?