I seek your valued advice lads & ladettes...

A group of my mates have arranged a 4 day tour of Northern France in May this year (2011). Nothing too fancy just a few days touring using hotels/B&B's.

At the moment all I have in terms of transport is my car and my Yamaha XT600E (1999). My XBR is in bits at the moment (not that it is any more capable than my XT in this respect (it's middleweight Jap single). My finances (thanks to New Labour/Tory anti-British traitor governments) don't allow me to procure another bike. Like many others here in the UK I'm hurting bad.

Here lies the problem -

All my mates are riding sports tourers namely:

1. Triumph Tiger 955
2. Suzuki 1250 Bandit
3. Buell 1200 (adventure thingy)?
4. Kawasaki GPZ 1100

All of the above are multi-cylinder sports bikes capable of blistering speeds.

My mates have just invited me along with my XT6! They insist that road speeds will be no more than 70 mph and that 60MPH is about the right cruising speed. They tell me I will always be in the front dictating speeds.

I have thoughts of seeing ALL the above bikes leaving me behind. I also don't want to push my XT6 to levels where it will get damaged. I don't want to mess their tour by insisting on slow speeds.

Obviously the XT6 is one of the worlds alltime great RTW bikes but it's not exactly sporting performance.

I'd say my bike (and my backside) is happy doing no more than about 60 MPH for 3 hours tops. In one day 200 miles is comfortable at a push 300 is possible (with a knackered back like mine). That's another problem, my mates will be very comfortable in almost every respect while on tarmac.

The only place the XT will whip ALL the above is when the going gets rough. The proposed tour is ALL tarmac.

I don't want to spoil the tour for the others.

Do I risk it or not? Common sense tells me to sit this one out (at home).

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

NO WAY are you mates going to keep their speed down. If they're anything like my mates, they will for a few hours but the tempation to open the thottle on lovely European roads will be too much for them.. It would be for me too..

That shouldnt stop you taking the XT, caus i'm sure they'l wait for you now and again..I know myself the XT is only really good upto 70mph and even then its overdoing it but it's still fun until then. Maybe try to keep them to the twisty, slower roads...

Still, better than the car which will be BORING unless you take a different approach and just do your own thing in the car and then meet at agreed meeting points such as campsites, retaurants etc..

You could also fill your car full of their luggage too and be the trip hero

And, don't forget all that cheap plonk you can fill your boot up with...

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Yeah very good advice....

The car will probably be a bit expensive on the ferry (chanel Tunnel) compared to the bike.

Thanks.

__________________
Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

I would go.

I did something similar when I was down to one bike for a short period, a Harley Sportster. I organised a trip for six round the Normandy beaches. I just agreed some RV points along the route, museums, monuments etc and finally the hotels we were going to stay in. I got left behind quite a few times, but we always met up sooner or later. When we were riding the coastal roads and small roads inland they didn't have a great advantage over me, so we all stayed together; however on the duals they were gone.
I think a lot depends on who you go with and how they ride.. I never asked or expected anyone to wait for me, I was just happy to be away on my bike. The important thing was we went.
Perhaps the most ideal thing would be if you could persuade someone else to go who rides a similar bike, then you would have a buddy to stick with.

Go.

Charlie

BTW, if that trip doesn't come off have you thought of going to the XT owners camping weekend at Hay on Wye in May? No big bikes to leave you behind on ride outs there.

Charlie

Youre friends want you on that trip, join them.

If you want, regear the bike a bit.

Do it, and take pictures!

If your insured for their bikes (3rd party..?) then maybe each guy can take a day turn at driving the car and you get some fun or at least a ride on their bike..?

Chucking all the gear in the car is a great thing and maybe each guy will only do 1 day in the car.

2 penneth for what it's worth

__________________
Geoffshing

'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'

i travelled quite a lot of europe with my xt600e and a friend with his cb500 he would blow me away on the open road and wait somewhere for me ,great fun all the same just go and enjoy youre self or you could just sit at home and be bored

I would take the XT!

When I had my XT600 I went on a trip to Scotland with mates on bigger/faster bikes, I began to think that taking my ZZR was a better idea until we set off on one particular leg (I was last leaving) and when we got to the end point I was not the last there by any means!

There is plenty of fun embassaring bigger so called faster bikes on the right roads ie. back roads and also demonstrating your riding ability for planning and roadcraft. Bigger bikes/big horspower sometimes makes riders lazy/poor at reading the road.

You cannot kill an XT600 if its in good mechanical condition with good oil.... I tried and failed!

It may be the start of your enlightenment into the fun of smaller bikes. The skills you will learn riding a smaller/slower bike will be infinity better for your riding long term than your mates, they will have learnt nothing.

Seek out the backroads - much more fun!

I'm still doing the same now with my mates on blades etc and me on my 640 and 990 Adventures! It gives you a nice glow inside.