Motorcycle Touring in Europe - Is the Travellers Time up here?
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- We are Riding our Honda Africa Twins Across Europe on our Home to Rome Tour. We are heading our way back up through Italy towards Lake Como and into the Swiss Alps. But Motorcycle Travel is No longer a cheap way to get around it seems! Since We last did this trip costs seem to be increasing so much that we will be looking to a different direction to travel in the Future. With the Costs of Toll Roads now costing as much as the inflated fuel costs or more we ask ourselves the Question.... Is Touring in Europe Dead?
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Enjoyed your video as usual! Have you thought of touring Eastern Europe?
Thanks, Yes we are thinking of taking a Different direction next time, We would love suggestions please for something new!
Try the Baltics. Lithuania is nice in the summer. Lived there for 12 years and they won't rip you off.
ohhh ok, we havent looked at Lithuania, we will have to look at that on youtube and see wheres good to go! Thanks, any local knowledge or tips to pass on?@@BrokenBackMountains
@@ontheroadadventure Poland used to be a bit cop dodgy with fines but has improved. If you don't want to go through Poland, you can get a ferry from Travemunde. Cheaper to go through Poland though.
Places to go, Vilnius, Kaunas, Nida, Palanga, Druskininkai, Trakai, Zarasai. Roads are pretty straight so may suare off your tyres. If you want windy, the B roads through the forests are good but some of the locals drive like maniacs. There are also still a few dirt roads off the main roads.
If you have the time it is best to do Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and then down Finland, Sweden, Denmark in a loop.
Most folk under 45 will have a bit of English and they genuinely like tourists, especially on bikes.
I would do it but it is a long journey from Ireland unless you stick to motorways. Doing long miles on motorways isn't my cup of tea.
I'm just back from there. Went over to visit the in-laws and have a spa break in Druskininkai.
We have ridden to poland from Devon, England last year, you are right, lots of motorway and the German autobahn is no fun. We came back the scenic route over a couple weeks. The netherlands was unexpectedly great. We are thinking to keep some bikes at Ewas family home in poland and fly to them when we want to travel that way.... can be in Poland in two hours!@@BrokenBackMountains
There's plenty of other roads in Europe than toll roads. I drive 10000 km through Europe and back last summer and didn't pay any tolls.
We get off them for the next Episode, Time Constraints meant that we had to do some to cover the distance we needed in the time allowed. Its not just the tolls though, Everything you have to have just seems to be so much more than last year and the local situations seem to be more desperate too. We noticed in our previous videos that the situation seems bleak in these areas of Europe, So many empty/abandoned buildings, villages and businesses its so sad. Have you done any Eastern Europe? what was your Experiences?
@@ontheroadadventureIsn’t that just bad planning? Or inexperience?
Yep, thats fair, bad planning. We should have had more time, Tubes, Tyre levers and more..... However this was a adventure we set off on, with no more than a hours notice! Check out the first video from this tour and youll see how this all began@@davidmatthews3093
@@ontheroadadventureEverything I need to head off is ready to go. An hour would be more than enough. 🙂
@@davidmatthews3093 We will be more prepared next time 👍
You could always turn the "avoid tolls" setting on your satnav on - you get more interesting roads and fuel is cheaper off the toll roads too. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip 👍
This is what we have always done before this trip, and is exactly what we will do going forwards! Never again will we do the toll roads in Europe. We live, Ride and Learn
Sorry but that's not strictly true
I rarely use motorways and never use tolls but the smaller fuel stations are getting as expensive as the motorway stations ( and a few this year had run out of fuel )
In Spain a coffee in a garage is €1.80
In France it's € 4
Spain fuel on average was €1.98
In France it was €2.42
I got back on Monday of this week
Glad I've travelled as much as I could over the last 20 years as its got to expensive
Going to stick to UK from now on
Really that bad , jaw dropping
@@justincarter2224 It's got ridiculous
There are still cheaper countries out there
SLOVENIA, BOSNIA, MONTENEGRO, ALBANIA but you have to ride through the expensive ones to get to them
This is only my experience
But since covid the whole travel experience has gone mad and Greed has set in
But like most things in life
If its popular
ITS EXPENSIVE
@@justincarter2224 Afraid so, we will be looking to poorer countries from now on
A new subscriber here, i am from Portugal lived in Switzerland 🇨🇭 and did some vacations in Italy. Had the same surprises as you in the restaurants and gas stations. Love the way you show the reality in your videos, things don’t always are fairytales like in others channels. Cheers and keep up the good work ( beautiful images from the drone ).
Thanks so much, yes we want to keep it real, not just the highlight reels. Thanks for joining us 👍
Wow ... felt like slitting my wrists when I watched this 😆 ... I do a couple of Euro trips nearly every year and have done for many years, went and did the Dolomites last Sept on my XT660z and my hotels were reasonable, stayed off he majority of Tolls and found little coffee shops, reasonable fuel stations and the people were fine. Even had to nip into a bike shop as my battery gave up the ghost and the guy insisted on fitting it 😊 ... the in June this year did the Ardennes region and Northern France on my Crosstourer and no issues, just lovely. I ain't giving up on it yet ... try Poland and Northern Germany ... its very reasonable and some great places 👍
We noticed a huge difference in price and attitudes since we came last year, it was shocking. Poland and south seems like a great option form now on.... We have been here and done it now and for us its no longer worth the expense
There’s thousands of amazing routes in Europe, I always avoid toll roads like the plague!
This is the first and last time we will do them too!
Don’t ride toll roads. I stay off the auto routes and enjoy the slower life. I also carry the kit to change a tyre at the road side.
I ride either a royal Enfield 350 classic or a Honda Super Cub 125. Great bikes for touring and actually seeing the sights.
I also speak a bit of French and a little bit of Italian. Self taught using CDs that I listened to for over a year while commuting to work. If I can do it anyone can.
Never had the issues you had, you must be a magnet or perhaps naive travellers?
Absolutely agree with you, toll roads are not our first choice.
Maybe we were just unlucky but it was all part of the expierience, last minute trip and not enough research and time perhaps!
We love the small Honda Cubs! are you travelling on yours far?
Hi, I won’t bore you with all the motorcycle trips I’ve made. But don’t be a victim, take a tool kit with you…..assume you’re going to get a puncture! Practice removing your wheel and fitting a new inner tube before you set off. Take all the tools and tyre irons and a pump. I also take some emergency tyre foam with me.
You really did set yourself up to get shafted!
That is a fair comment! Did you follow this series from the beginning? We decided we were going to ride to Rome less than 24 hours before leaving! It turned into a top gear style challenge just to avoid public transport lol, we did have an adventure though and that’s worth more than money. Hope you enjoy the rest of the videos
Sorry to hear about that experience you had in Italy with that tyre problem,i only got charged 5 Euro for a repair for a tyre at a local garage in Abruzzo.Yes some people take advantage of your situation and think all people from England are rich,i still get that attitude, i have had a holiday home in Italy for 12 years!( they still try it on with high quotes for building works!)Yes the service at the petrol stations in Italy can be expensive if they serve you!I paid the extra because i did not want to get off my bike!The lady told me i was paying extra at least she was honest,i prefer to pay cash and not have to walk into the garage shop to pay.Local petrol stations off the motorways are cheaper for petrol and they take cash more often!I thought Lake Garda is better for motorcycles than Lake Como because the roads are wider,saw alot of German bikers at Lake Garda,alot of British and Dutch prefer Lake Como.
We found lake como very busy in the day time, Garda is probably a better bet. The breakdown company definitely tried to take every euro they could from us but what can you do 🤷♂️
Not trying to be disrespectful but in all honesty what did you expect when doing all that mileage on motorways, we have just done a tour of the Dolomites and found not that much difference in prices from France, but then the only motorway we used was in the UK.
It’s our first and last time doing motorways, we had a time restriction that meant we had to try it this way this time
Looks like quite an adventure! We have been riding through France for 25 years, Peage and N roads as last resort only. D roads are the way to go on a bike, GPX route in the Nav (check out Ride mag routes) some beautiful areas and great roads. Need to be in Rome quickly, fly and hire. last 2-3 years France has become expensive, we now go Santander, top of Spain and central Portugal, amazing roads, cheap and friendly. Ride safe and keep smiling 😁
Yes we love a adventure, we will be taking a different direction for the next one
I have ridden the b-roads and I agree they are the way to go. Much more interesting to ride than the bigger and tolled highways. The issue though remains: professional politicians have done everything in their power to cause inflation in the previous years.
They have stifled the distribution, exploration and production of cheap and abundant energy in fossil fuels, they print money (QEs) like there's no tomorrow, they closed down societies for a virus that mostly affected people at near life expectancy ages, they prolong wars and conflict around the world, what one would expect to happen?
Inflation is the expected outcome and it's here! How convenient for professional central planners that this inflation serves them well in destroying sovereign debt which they have been issuing for decades to fund their parties (literally and metaphorically)!
I'm sorry You need to chill more. Prepare don't despair.
Wasn’t much preparation time on this tour lol, we only decided we were going to ride to Rome a few hours before we left home
I’m sorry guys… but you are victims of your own naivety and complete lack of understanding of how things are done in Italy, and indeed much of europe.
This may be true, but this is also not our first Rodeo.... Things are Dramatically worse this year in this area of Europe. We live and learn in every new mile, but for us, we will be heading in a new direction to get more bang for the buck!
I’m planning a trip to Italy next year travelling from the Uk, a few tips on what to do or not to do would be great and a lot more helpful than a negative comment on a video someone has taken time to film and edit
@@ticthedog6095 Thanks for your comments. Yes we will have a summary video to come at the end of the tour for you. Any questions please do ask us
Yet another amazing video! You make me feel like going on an adventure myself!
Awesome - We love that we inspire you.... Where would you go? Do the costs put you off of France/Italy/Spain/Germany etc
I really hope that you both had a lovely motorcycle holiday. I'm worried that neither of you didn't enjoy the experience by the many comments you both make on this video.
My youngest son and his significant other rode 15,000 miles around Europe, that's 32 countries over four and a bit months in 2022. Both riding Royal Enfield Himalayans, much of it on the TET, the Africa Twin would be a great bike for the TET!
Son and partner rode from the UK, to Europe, as far south as Gibraltar to the northern climes of Finland and most places in between. Ukraine and Belarus being exceptions.
They camped and did their own maintenance/services/tyre changes en route and met some amazing fellow travellers.
Sure, they had some local help. A mechanic in Spain welded up a broken pannier frame on one of the bikes (the one that had hard luggage), but that was the only mechanical problem.
Look for the positives is my motto, even when things go belly-up!
Off to the Netherlands myself via the Hoek next month on my Himalayan. I will be camping and maybe the odd hostel or AirBandB. I've booked my outward ferry from Harwich, not planned my return as yet. I have reserved my first camp near the Hoek on arrival, but basically that's it.
I have seen some interesting places in The Netherlands that I'd like to see, such as the musuem in Arnhem which is a tribute to the young men on all sides who died in the conflict of 1944.
I also intend to visit a weird narrow-gauge railway experience in Germany, which is not really my thing, but I'm doing it anyway. Should be a bit of fun!
I've got a phrase book to learn some basic Dutch language. I know how to order a beer in a bar! That's an important 'in' to being welcomed in another country.
Personally, I'm not into covering lots of miles on motorways/autobahns/autoroutes/autostradas just because I can. I want to be able to stop at a bar, cafe, fresh food market or 'mini-mart' when I feel like it. I'll have a look around that village or town and maybe get to use my extremely basic language 'skills'. I always take a small FM radio so I can tune in to the local stations. No idea what they're talking about, no idea of the song lyrics, but just a lot fun!
Toll roads are easy to avoid. It's on your satnav. My satnav is also set to 'avoid motorways', in whatever language! Because motorways are boring for me.
Fuel costs are part and parcel of what you are doing, if you are using a motorcycle, you are using an expensive oil -based product. It's pricey in the UK, for heaven's sake. As in the UK, when you are in Europe, check out the local supermarket chains, fuel is much cheaper than the motorway services.
It would be useful to learn how to do your own tyre changes and take the necessary tools and spare parts and tube to facilitate that.
If you both give up motorcycle tours in Europe, there are plenty of great opportunities in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England.
Take care. Ride safe. Love and peace.
Hi, Thanks for your message. I wouldnt say we did not enjoy this tour. I would say that we would never do the toll roads again and will never allow ourselves to be on a time schedule like we were on this trip on the way to rome. Go slow and see more is the way to go. So many lessons learned on this trip. We will be setting off on our next big tour very soon and youll see some Big changes in how we do things this time.
Ride safe bud, and thanks for joining us on the road
Break down on a British motorway and you’ll pay anything up to £250 to be recovered. Fill up with petrol on a British motorway and you’ll pay about 20p+ per litre more than normal.
Mainland Europe is no different than the UK, but perhaps you have learned that the hard way. You have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst (before setting off), get international breakdown cover and also carry the equipment to cover easy mechanical problems that may arise during your trip.
And yes, pizza and pasta does get monotonous in Italy.😉
Yes you are right there, we did have breakdown cover but I pushed the sos button in the tunnel, after that you are at there mercy. It’s all good though and back on the road 👍
I'm glad you got your tyre sorted. I've ridden in Italy and used the small stations in towns with no issues.
Just an observation, but perhaps setting too big a distance goals each day means using toll roads. Isn't it perhaps better to spend more time and perhaps extra cash on accommodation and set routes to avoid tolls. We certainly didn't use the Mont Blanc tunnel. The route around, including the St Bernard Pass, is amazing.
Touring Europe on a motorcycle is still amazing but taking the time to appreciate it is the key.
Yes we completely agree, However in the first video we explain our challenge and why it is we had to do what we did.... For us it was a first experience we have always avoided motorways when touring.... and we wont be doing it again!
200 to 250 miles a day is our limit, avoiding toll roads, we have never used a toll road in all the time we have been touring. Bargains are still around in Europe, just lengthen the time you are away, makes the trip a lot more enjoyable.
@@billh5850 oh yes we agree with all you say, it just wasn’t possible on this trip due to the challenge we set ourselves at the beginning of the
Liked the videos I always carry puncture repair kits with me they take up little space I would carry a spare tube and tyre leavers if I had tubed type wheels it’s only going to probably get used the once if your unlucky like you were because it can spoil the whole trip we tend to keep away from toll roads there are plenty of A roads with no tolls will look forward to your next videos!!
We figured in Europe we will always find a tyre shop, turns out you can even in the small village we landed at! you are right though, Levers and a tube is what i was missing. Upto now, a plug kit and tyre foam was fine but these new Africa twins have taught us a lesson!
Well I must say you have absolutely sold Italy to me... I can't wait to....avoid it. 🤣 Amazing drone footage of Lake Como.... and in all the rest of the video's, you really can fly that little beast. Looking forward to seeing Switzerland.
Ah Thanks so much bud, its amazing how many new skills you pick up doing this UA-cam Malarkey! we love it all though...... The mountains.... wow so worth the ride...
Sure wish I'd have had the mind to see more of Europe before now. Seems like you guys are right, who the hell would go there now? Not me
What we have learnt is you need to pick your direction wisely, Portugal is a great place to go to you may have been following our current moto camping tour there? You can also go the other way towards Poland or Hungary, Romania etc for a different experience
Good preparation in advance always pays off as any information about rip-offs and how to avoid them are easily available.
And the easiest is to avoid toll roads and take the twisty second and third category alpine roads - it's cheaper and more fun.
And lastly it's no secret that a basic understanding of the locally spoken language opens the hearts of the people living there instantly.
All great tips, Hopefully our video and lessons learnt will help someone else
Great video and I will have to go back to the start of the series.
We holiday in Italy a lot ( just package type holidays) we’ve been lucky enough to not have been robbed either by pick pockets or being over charged st restaurants etc, but we met plenty of people who have.
I looking to plan a trip to Italy next year on my bike so I will be following your trip with interest 👍
You really got to check the bill when at restaurants we had that a few times in Rome. Thanks for joining us 👍
Thank you both for sharing your adventures as i am learning a great deal from your adventures. It all about the journey 😃😃
That’s excellent 👌 This is exactly why we highlight the good and bad when travelling, we didn’t know these things before we went, now you have that knowledge before going 👍
Made a small tool roll for my sons 125, willhave to make another when graduates to a bigger bike, you need to travel with a spare tube each, get a 27 mm socket and bar, some short tyre levers for changing on the hoof
Yes we will be ready the next time!
The same happened to me in Cornwall 😂 outrageous prices. Italy and Cornwall must be Twinned.😮
Lol we did Cornwall last year and found that BnB prices are getting a bit silly now especially in the summer
France is still fine but Italy's a tourist trap from top to bottom. Portugal's going the same way with the toll road along the Algarve next to the bombed out airstrip that is the free N125 to villa da bispo (end of the world)
I have to say I think it will be a long time before we return to Italy particularly. There’s so many better options that are far more affordable
I am about to drive from NL to Dordogne while avoiding tolls
Avoiding tolls and motorway if you have time will give you a far more enjoyable ride 👍👍
Hey how times change back in the 90s in Italy I had a prob on a Harley. I needed welding on an aftermarket part. I found a fabrication company and the guy smiled and took the bike into a workshop welded it up and couldn’t be more helpful refused any payment and wished me a safe journey. Cheers Steve
The old school feel seems to be fading out. People are so wrapped up in their own concerns that helping each other is less of a priority. But this isnt always the case, the fella that did change the tyre for me in the end was a bloody hero! anf guess what..... Another Biker... All part of the Journey
Dont give up .. i didnt get scammed at all but i was let
down completrly by the Rac .when my triumph had a fault .. i gave up with them and found a triumph dealer in rimini ... didnt come accross the charge more for fuel scam
Oh no, what happened with the RAC? We havent given up but do feel there are better places now and ways to spend your moto touring pennies
Hang in there guys - you are showing that you’re only human. There are good people and bad people everywhere. Great videos.
Thanks so much, This is exactly what we go for, we are real people showing the whole truth of travelling not just the highlight reel 👍 Thanks for joining us
If you haven’t done your homework prior to your journey, you’ll pay the price.
This is true. Hopefully this will inform someone else before doing this
@@ontheroadadventure surely you can’t avoid everything but you can find alternatives which are more affordable/ suitable
@@franks6617 Everydays a school day
@@ontheroadadventure Thanks! Have to realise I planed my first Motorcycle trip quiet naively, its deffinitely an eye opener! Replaning the whole thing before I get stuck broke in the middle of novehere, keep on forgetting we are in an economic war.
We stopped visiting Italy years ago because we got fed up of being ripped off all the time! It just ruins the holiday.
It’s a real shame, a beautiful place but seems to be going down hill fast
I am making my way down to Harwich tomorrow morning to get the ferry and off for a 6-week motorcycle tour. One pannier is full of tools, emergency starter, spare oil, puncture repair kit and other useful bits. Other pannier has cooking and some food. I am fully loaded up, even a bag on the back seat with clothes.
Have a great trip bud, ride safe and avoid as much motorway as is possible for the time you have.
@@ontheroadadventure; as someone mentioned before, check ‘avoid tolls’ on sat nav. Even the one on the M6 for bikes is expensive.
Yeah we wont be making this mistake again.
Stay clear of Italy and Switzerland! France is a stepping stone, but stay off the Autoroutes!
Sound advice 👍
Can’t wait for your next instalment guys, Switzerland is epic!
Yes we love the Mountains! Not so much the costs though lol but somethings have to be done! We have to admit though..... Its a bit late in the year for mountains! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Cold
You’re right, Switzerland is expensive but at least you won’t get ripped off at petrol stations and toll roads 😆no more bending over and getting shafted here on in 👌🏼
Yes, better to know you stand hey.... At least the Swiss are honest in their robbery! Although i think there living wage is inline with the costs so if you live there its not so bad.... What a place to live too@@B1979.
Is it? I was once told the highway speed is 60km/h! And the locals like to push foreigners to break the speed limit (granted - not so much of an issue for motorcycles). And the scenic mountains are a myth or rare. It's mostly straight fields...
So... if anything, it should be worse. ;"D
Hope I'm wrong though! Would like to see something positive happen to these 2 for once. =)
Having been to Switzerland (amongst other countries) on my motorcycle I can testify that it’s epic for biking. I didn’t have a negative experience at all, not once. Brilliant roads, fantastic mountain passes and friendly people. I highly recommend Curon Venosta,Livigno and Piz Bernina 👍🏽
Beautiful views as usual, I like watching your videos❤❤❤
Thanks so much 😊
i'm really surprised that you don't carry a set of tools especially a tire repair kit.i've seen you doing DIY stuff on your bike before. Another great video
Thanks bud. What happened here was.... This is my first Tubed bike, i had plug kit and foam but i knew neither would have worked as it went down so fast the tube must have blown out. Turned out it had indeed split. It was foolish not to carry spare tubes. We do carry them now, although i attempted to remove the tyre myself by hand and it was near impossible even with the Bead breaker pro tools. But with what i carry now any tyre shop will be able to change the tube if im unable to repair it at the roadside. Another Lesson Learnt
Great channel you have . Lots of similar on youtube but for me this shines a little brighter. Hope it goes from strength to strength. Love and best wishes .
Hi thanks so much, all of these comments are so humbling..... Can i ask what it is that you like about us that sets us apart?
@@ontheroadadventure i watch a few adventure vloggers and enjoy what they do. I founds yours the other week and like what you put out. I think you both come across on screen very well along with the content thats posted. Hope the channel grows for you..... ill be watching.
@@stevehayes3900 Thanks so much, means allot. We put allot of time and effort into our videos and comments like this reassures is it’s worth while. The channel is growing at a rapid rate too 😀
@@ontheroadadventure maybe someday i have my own adventure. Bucket list for me is Morocco 🇲🇦
@@stevehayes3900 We have considered Morocco too, aWe have Africa Twins so feel like we have to ride them to Africa!
The moral of the story is !! Don’t go to Italy, I find them quite an arrogant nation but that’s just me. Keep off the toll roads and do the more scenic routes which I find more relaxed and enjoyable
Sadly we agree, having ticked the box we will have going in a completely different direction this year
Oh wonderful Italy eh... makes you realise how good old blighty is
If only the weather was better here
Next time you go to Germany, near Stuttgardt there is a town, Althutte, really nice biker hotel and gasthaus.
Do you know the name of the hotel? We will save it in our map. Thanks
Just stay off the toll routes, they are boring and nowhere to stop for a coffee and scenery. The villages and pavement cafes are the way to go. Easy enough to select no motorways on a gps.
Absolutely, we will never ride like this again, we refer to this journey on our current tour in Portugal and Spain agreeing the go slow and see more approach is so much better
Do you think that tubeless is better than having an innertube?
Without Doubt. A Plug kit and Tyre foam can will fix most problems. Any bigger than that then it was always a new tyre anyway. We will be looking at tubeless Conversion kits for our Africa twins
Come ride in South Africa…great roads, fabulous weather, genuine people and biker friendly hospitality! 🏍️🍺🇬🇧🇿🇦👍😎
We have considered South Africa actually.... It could happen!
Sorry to hear about your experience, but I’ve being touring Europe every year since 2006 and never had a problem. I avoid toll roads 90% of the time. Even my 3 week, 5000 mile trip to Norway was very reasonable because I was camping.
Hi mark, We agree with the toll roads, never again will we do that! We are also planning to try moto camping as we tour this year. How did you like Norway?
@@ontheroadadventure Norway is a amazing country, you just need a bit of luck with the weather. It can rain a lot but I was lucky.😀 Petrol prices are about the same as the Uk, but food/drink is expensive. I normally always travel the first few weeks in July to avoid the school holidays etc. If you do more touring try to finish riding about 4-5 pm so you can relax a bit more before bedtime. There are amazing rides & things to see in Europe, just do a rough plan beforehand.
@@marksimpson5218 Yeah we have definitely come to realise it’s much better to go slow and see more 👍
240 euro..Damn that is freaking robbery..
This was a costly tour all round! But still great overall
What a lot of rip offs……I guess you won’t be returning to Italy any time soon.
Many years ago we toured Italy and experienced the motorway service area restaurants….crazy, first we queued to look at food to decide what we wanted, then moved to another queue to pay, than back to the first queue to get our food……then sometimes queued for a table!
Hopefully this ‘system’ has improved nowadays!
All the best for the rest of your tour🤞
No, we came across this system too!
I'll tell you what for a Polish lass you've Narth got the phrases down. Lol
She picks up the best slang from me! I’m sure ewa learns a new saying or slang from me every day lol In return I’m attempting to learn Polish!
And if engine uses oil that's bad something wrong, mine from 2016 dct , did last year 12500km to Kazakhstan and back oil level was the same !!! 10w30 motul
Yep you are right, we found that it had a leak on the front of the engine, apparently common on these, Honda sorted it under warranty 👍
I agree that the tow truck mechanic wasn't the most honest, but like you said there are bad people willing to fleece you in your moment of need pretty much everywhere, luckily the majority are people willing to help.
When it comes to tolls and fuel costs though I believe it is the traveller's responsibility to be informed. The fact that France and Italy have tolls is not news and one can find the cost for their fares on the internet before setting off. As for petrol, if you pick the pump where it says 'service' (hence no queue) you can't then blame the native for trying to rip you off.
These are all fair comments. Lack of knowledge was our issue, this is why we like to share these experiences. We had no idea the tolls would be so relentless or costly having never done motorway or toll roads when touring before, its usually our rule to avoid motorway but time was a issue on this tour so we had to try something new.... Something we will not be repeating! All in all though, we are having a adventure, going into the unknown and having a journey..., It cant be all good everyday.
Europe is certainly on the decline and that's due to local and collective (EU) government stupidity (?). Citizens aren't innocent either. Economic literacy and citizen actions are, perhaps, at a historical minimum. The Americans, even with their now inflated fuel prices, are enjoying per/liter prices that are about half what the Europeans pay (it used to be 1/3rd).
What is the cause for this madness?
Taxes, "climate crisis", ESG, diminishing CAPEX in the oil sector (for many many years), hundreds of bankruptcies in the E&P sector (more than 500 since 2015 and that's only for the US!), QEs and money printing by governments, how they handled COVID and how they prolong wars and conflict around the globe, the whole shebang. They have pulled all the available levers to cause inflation.
From the governments' perspective the inflation caused by all these agendas and seemingly counterintuitive actions, are a sinister way to destroy sovereign debt.
That's why they do it, in my opinion. and to get a more secure hold for future socieoconomics since the blockchain and BTC in particular, is seen as a huge threat for them. They need to take more control in fear of losing it and citizens aren't as active anymore to react. Hopefully a critical percentage of us citizens sees what's happening and will do the work for the rest.
Corruption and evil can't travel far.
P.S. Your conclusion "most people are good in this world" is right but NOT because they are willing to help YOU. I could be a really great person overall and still deny to help you when I have no time to do so.
Sounds like you have been giving this allot of thought 💭
We found some parts of Italy great and others not so good. We always carry a spare front tube, aerosol to pump up the tyre, and all the tools to work on our bike.
We will too now eh! Thanks for joining us on the road
What a great team you two are. Love and best wishes to you both on the rest of this adventure. 🍻👍
Thanks so much, we do have a laugh! That is what its all about for us, ok todays felt like a bit of a moan but we are not about the Glamourising of all things.... we tell the true story of how it is for us, in our own way..... when its Ugly, we will say so. If all was great all the time, no-one would appreciate the good
@@ontheroadadventure that's why your UA-cam vids are so refreshing..just honest chat, good filming and great to watch you both. 👍
Thanks so much, we are so set on being ourselves and keeping it real, we know it wont please everyone but thats fine too@@FREE_PUREBLOOD333
@@ontheroadadventure you are both great and sharing your travels and lives with us all....thankyou from an old guy who can't travel much any longer due to health issues and physical pain..but I still get away and ride when I can...with a bag of meds..😁🍻👍
Fair play to you for riding when you can, much respect 🫡 Glad we can offer some entertainment for you
I like the looks of that new style givi top box you're using. 👍
You mean the flatter looking one on Ewas bike? We have been having issues with it not wanting to lock shut, seems more when its been raining, we think its something to do with the seal around the inside of the box.
@@ontheroadadventure yes the one Ewas got on her bike looks cool...bet that will look good with some LEDs fitting in it..I've got an old givi maxis 55 litre..had it years..fitted a rack on lid for lightweight bits like bike cover...n put a 9v battery inside powering some LEDs for extra taillights.
Yes Givi do a light kit for it, she had that on the last bike too. Will probably get round to fitting it soon. Was the rack you had frm Givi too?@@FREE_PUREBLOOD333
I’m not sure why you are taking toll roads,I’ve travelled all over Italy on my motorcycle and you can avoid them most times.
Time was against us on this trip, if you watch the first video you’ll see how this all came about
@@ontheroadadventure Italy is crazily priced now, I had to return to London in October to get the clutch changed on my 02 GSA after getting quotes in Italy from 2000 to 4000 Euros. Your tyre problem is one reason I don't rate tubed tyres.
Tourist prices you were getting I suspect
Always carried a set of tubes and put slime in them never had a puncture! New tyre new tube, I think they have changes to tubeless on the Africa twin now? Plugging the tyre much easier.👍
Yes 2024 will be tubeless tyres, we will look at conversion kits for ours now
Drone shots of Como were awesome and made up for the constant moaning all the way through the video.
Thanks, Stick with us, I promise you'll have a laugh! It cant always be a good day!
I must say you were determined to make the best of it 😂😂. Keep off toll roads and stick to back roads, loads of fun.
Fancy giving you pizza in Italy 😮
Yeah Pizza and pasta everywhere 😂
Avoid highway petrol stations, and the highways are very expensive in Italy
Avoid the highways and tolls completely is the best thing to do, we will not be doing that again in a hurry!
You know, each to his own, yet why on earth do people on motorcycles WASTE their fuel, time and square off tires on toll roads and in Italy? Why? I have toured there. You don’t want their tolls. Too many toll gates. Too many varying speed boards. It’s all a racket.
The only highway worth using in Europe is the German Autobahn. For the rest, you on a bike. Add a day or add a week and get the best bang per kilometer with views, photo stops, food….you were fleeced.
We agree with all you say, up to now we have always done this but the challenge we had explained in the first video meant it had to be done
Why did you choose the most expensive roads to ride on? They're boring, no real good views, and you barely get to see the country.
Time constraints bud, check out the first video of the series and you’ll see how this came about 👍
Looking forward to the Swiss leg! Heading there on my ZZR next June 👍
Switzerland is Amazing, if you go in june though expect lots of people and traffic on the Popular passes. You want to go very early in the day to places like Stelvio or in the Evening. Expect to pay about 3 times everythings value in Switzerland. The French alps are just as good but not nearly as expensive so id spend more time that side
Spanner and tyre levers etc should be first things in your pack. Not much is needed to ensure you won’t be stuck at their mercy. Bit of prep.
Always been tubeless on previous trips, not that I would of messed around in that tunnel if I had the tools to be fair, but would have been easier after. We live, Ride and learn
Great video again. Ignore all the negative comments about 'planning' and 'avoid toll roads', they obviously didnt watch the beginning of this adventure which explains it all. You did well considering the difficulties faced, and as you say, some people are helpful, and some are just out to fleece you. Watch out in Switzerland though, that's very costly. Ride safe guys.
Thanks so much bud, We will be doing the wheel conversion to tubeless and adventuring on!
Your Tour is great but I don't know why you've hit all the Tolls? Did 3100mile last year 9 countries including Swiss,Italian,Austrian Alps all the famous passes.Then down to Croatia back up through Slovenia Austria and Germany again.Stayed at Ski resorts really cheap and didn't touch a Toll road once.On the return through France through loads of pretty villages to Normandy.Only expensive thing was a fancy restaurant meal in Chablis?
We have done all the French villages loads, we were in a tight time schedule so thought we would try out the faster toll road route. We won’t be doing it again!
😢i guess you are right everything is darn too expensive. Till this year we had left Alabania, Kosovo and Romania but even they raised prices of food and accomodation so i guess everything is ending i thought that i noticed that last time i talked with austrian rider he also complained and told me he is serriously thinking of leavin motorcycling for a while since it lost its point when on motorcyle you dont look like a rider but more like ATM 😂
Part of the problem maybe the motorcycles themselves, most of us are now riding around on £15k bikes looking for cheap places to go! We may well look rich to others, reality is most have it on PCP and don’t even own the bike! Our current tour has taken us to Eastern Europe and we are in Poland right now where things are quite good. Join us on the All in tour and you’ll see a whole new direction
I manage to your Europe each year more than once without paying hardly any tolls sometimes non at all.... you need to plan better
This was not down to lack of planning but a lack of time really, but you are right it can definitely be done better. This is the first and last tour we have ever done ukryta has included a motorway route. For us paying tolls and hours of relentless motorway is not worth the time saved
Enjoyed the video. Toll roads, give them a miss. Silverplana is excellent.
Amazing thanks for joining us on the road.... Back to positivity!
Noticed you keep quoting the toll prices in pounds? You’re not choosing to pay in GBP are you? If so they always use a terrible conversion rate 😂
For the puncture you could’ve googled the next nearest mechanic/taken the wheel off and hopped on the other bike to take to fix? Always take out proper international breakdown cover/insurance so you can use as last resort. They’d also pay for the hotel 👍 ps thanks for the hint on the ‘service’ price for fuel… didn’t know that one! And keep your thoughts positive on a trip … you’re out on your bikes in beautiful scenery !! 🤩
Hi, We did have breakdown cover of course, but when you push the SOS button in hte tunnels they have a service to come and get you away much faster as its a dangerous place to be. Those Italian drivers dont pay much attention and drift all over the shop, Even the Rescue truck driver spent more time looking at his phone than the road lol..... These things make up the adventure though. I mean sure we wont be doing the toll roads again in a hurry, but thats what this trip was given the time constraints we had on the way down to Rome. Overall we loved this tour, and we learnt allot
@@ontheroadadventure sounds like you needed to call your rescue to rescue you from the official rescuers*☝️🤣
*once you’d been rescued. Well done though 👍
@@fullthrottle2008 Yeah, we did think about it… did you see the episode on how i sorted it in the end? We will always be carrying spare tubes from now on!
At least Dick Turpin wore a mask....
Fair is Fair !
I'd like to go to Mandello for the moto Guzzi open day...once I get a Guzzi.
Heading south in Europe is getting less appealing in the summer these days. Going in Autumn means Id have crap weather and a crappy stormy crossing until I got to the warmer bits. I prefer Normandy and Brittany myself. I can get by in French, no tolls, good camping and no scams except for Mont Saint Michel...
Sounds like all good choices. Normandy is great, Rich really enjoys the history stuff there
20 years of traveling about Europe has taught me to go by the country routes and avoid the Motorway Network if at all possible. EVERYTHING to do with travelling on the motorway network is an expensive disappointment. Ride safe!
Yes, we agree completely! Did you watch the tour and how it came about or just stumbled on this video? It’s our first and last go on the motorways for sure! We live and learn
I don’t mind spending when travelling. It’s what I’ve saved to do BUT when feel getting ripped off or no value for money just ruins part of the trip
This is exactly how we feel. Just feel like we getting our pants pulled down at every chance here. Not stopping us though, it’s all a learning experience and the journey as a whole is amazing
For God's sake, stop complaining. You choose to sit on boring expensive toll roads and complain about the tolls. You get a puncture and complain because YOU didn't take any tools. Stick to Devon and leave Europe to those that prepare.
Thanks for Joining us on the road. You are right, of course we should of had the tools, but this is an adventure! We are out there doing it, regardless! We are sharing our journey, and yes parts of this journey suck due to the toll roads but time restraints mean thats what we are doing this time..... Its not our First tour by no means but it is our first experience of these toll roads and of course will never repeat it! We learnt lessons and we are sharing them with you all
@@ontheroadadventure 6 P's. Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
@@terrymelia9477 True that!
We always avoid the toll roads as we got stung the first year we went out there.
Yes this is definitely something you only do once isn’t it!
We didnt see anything like that regarding fuel in Italy last September, no issues anywhere to be honest we filled up in 9 countries. Paid 2 tolls in the entire 2700 miles, really easy to set your sat nav to avoid toll roads.
This wasn’t a option for us on this trip. This is how this all began… ua-cam.com/video/aD6AyYpkvR0/v-deo.htmlsi=Y9YCZ63qjA2p5XbU
@ontheroadadventure I see what you mean, we found heading down through France the time difference wasn't huge but definitely faster by peage
@@MrBulli69 We live and learn, we won’t be doing that again lol
@ontheroadadventure we headed west to Reims then South and rode some fantastic roads on the way to Chamonix and the Mt Blanc tunnel. We were a bit disappointed with the other side of the tunnel, felt very Industrial,
@@MrBulli69 Yes we know what you mean, we stopped the Italian side of the tunnel for a photo and found the same. We fancy going a different way next, perhaps towards Albania or around the Black Sea
Can I ask you what cameras you’re using , the quality is superb !
Yes we use Gopro's and DJI
Guys in Devon don't like changing inner tubes too. I took my wheel off and supplied the parts to Irelands in Barnstaple and it cost less than £5. It's not worth their time, really.
We will look at the tubeless conversion kits for ours, tubes are too much hassle
Clicked the video expecting something about ETIAS (delayed to 2025) but no. For me, a bike touring holiday does not involve endless motorways. Get off them. Heck, even back in blighty I avoid motorways and main roads like the plague. Oh yes and "shock horror disaster" clickbait titles are inevitably a downward spiral for a creator.
Thanks for your comments, to understand why we are doing it this way you’ll need to watch the first video. Thanks for joining us on the road
sorry about the break down but a great vid both
Thanks Allan, all is well and back on the bikes 👍
Why did the bike need so much oil?
Yes a strange one that, we are unsure but seems fine now
I seen on one model of Africa twin that there was a basic tool kit under the rear seat but I would say to leave that in the garage at home to reduce the weight slightly then replace with something more suitable including tyre leavers all the kit do a puncture chain maintenance spare spark plugs if iridium I’ve known these to fail and stop my bike
Yes they all have a very basic kit, nothing of much use really
@@ontheroadadventure I’ve not looked for a while but I wonder if there are any dedicated adventure bike tool kits out there for a specific bike something well thought through? Also I’ve been looking at the Ducati desert x with long range tanks this bike looks the part as well as the T7 world raid. And a big adv the Africa twin. No fond of the gs although there are plenty is solid reports. I just don’t like the look of it or not my cup of tea as it were
@@trapdoorspider9211 We are not GS fans either, we will save that for our elderly years 😉
A couple of pommy windges
Sorry you feel that way. Try a video from the new series, things are very different 👌
Europe is over 10 trillion square meters big with over 44 countries. The title of the video is ridiculous tbf. No matter how bad a time you had with a flat tyre. Just for perspective sake.
A Fair Comment. We are speaking of going over to eastern Europe from now on where things are still reasonable. The videos we show are 20 mins of average 12 hour days, i promise you it felt relentless on this trip. So sad to see the economy there struggling so much.... Villages of abandoned buildings, closed businesses and such
It was much better before brexshit I had some wonderful times in europe, it’s the best continent in the world. Some European bikers helped me out I got the bike serviced and repaired for a quarter of the price I would have paid in the uk.
It depends which part you go to, Portugal on our current tour was amazing and they are so friendly and helpful and a coffee is only one euro!
@@ontheroadadventure Spain was lovely, the drivers were really considerate and safe, in Portugal they saw you on a motorcycle and expected you to ride fast and mad.
Probably cheaper to fly to the area you want to base your selves , and hire bikes to ride the mountain passes. Motorways and toll roads are sooo boring . Nice informative video 👍
Your definitely right there but the whole reason we did this tour was because I’d rather ride and have an adventure than take a plane, Check out the videos from the beginning of this tour and you’ll see how this all came about 👍
The behavior in the traffic jam is typical for western Europe, a few idiots that think they are more important than everyone else causes chaos. If everyone would just let folks merge the traffic would flow so much better. I drive to Italy once a month on business and the Tolls on the Autostrada catch a lot of folks off guard...can get expensive fast. During the busy tourist season its sometimes quicker to take the B roads and there is no Toll there. I do hope you guys come back though!! Cheers, GS Jack
We would never do the tolls again, it’s usually B roads for us too but we had a time schedule on this trip so we did it as a first and it will defo be our last! Live and learn!
fully agree, I now add in the time for B roads even if that means cutting back on trip time/length. I loathe competing with Trucks (racing at 80KM/H) and lunatics going 250 KM/H or faster then running up you backside and acting like your offending them in their Porsche @@ontheroadadventure. Great video content, glad I found your channel. I like brutally honest!!
@@gsj-66 Thanks for joining us 👍
you are amazing
Thanks 😊
It Italy, on the motorways, usually on the left hand side, the pumps are service for those too posh to pump. The price is set about 40 cents higher. Even if you do it yourself you'll get charged for that. They can't give it to you for the price of the self-service pumps or it'll look like the attendent is taking money from his employer. So always go to the Self Service pumps. If you can't see it written you can tell because no one comes running out to fill your tank
Good information for anyone going to Italy, we have no idea how often we paid more than we needed too. Knowledge is everything!
@@ontheroadadventureI've been riding in Italy since my first trip abroad in 1989. I have more friends there now than in the UK, most are bikers. I avoid riding in the UK. It doesn't do anything for me now, although I enjoy Scotland. I've spent 30 years learning Italian to almost fluency and that helps a lot on my trips. It is the best country in Western europe for motorcycling in my opinion. I even trailer my bikes there now to get there in comfort and arrive fresh with good tyres. But there are rip-offs in all countries, worsened with a language barrier. I've had amazing help from Italians on my trips. From the French too. The UK is by no means a free ride for europeans. I've been helping an Italian friend whose bike was stolen in Newcastle last summer on the way to Scotland. She never got the bike back obviously but just getting a report from the Police so she can make her insurance claim has needed a lot of help from me. She wasn't getting anywhere and felt the UK Police weren't interested in being helpful to foreigners. She had given up so I took it up for her.
@@AndrewBarry65 UK police aren’t much help to anyone when it comes to bike theft I’m afraid. Sorry to hear of her experience. There’s good and bad everywhere
Hey chap...wheres your UK sticker on your bike?? Naughty...theres another fine on the spot in waiting. Nuce to see Eva has hers on display tho.😁
Lol if you watch the first video you'll see us putting them on but mine flew off on one of the motorways. My bike is ceramic coated so i think thats why it did not stick so well. I was surprised the police did not say anything when they came in the tunnel for the break down.
@@ontheroadadventure ..fingers crossed for you...just tell any police that your sticker has obviously blown off that day...lol
We have video proof lol
Why not tubeless tyre? Get a tyre puncture kit and an electric/hand pump. Saving time and money lol
I’ve always had tubeless upto the Africa twins and had carried a plug and go kit and foam. Both useless on a split tube. Now we have to carry spare tubes. The 2024 AT is now tubeless which is a massive advantage in my opinion
French toll roads arnt so bad, but stay off them in Italy especially for fuel its the most expensive option
We learnt this the hard way this time!
Dear lord... Stay home... Or just be quite about your bad luck....
Quiet? We have gone in another direction for our next much longer tour and things have improved massively 👍
No wonder you took your lass… the probably wouldn’t go with you because they’d have to listen to you complain for the whole tour. Try a bit more planning and a bit more fun 😂👍🏻
Lol You’ll need to watch the first episode of the tour to understand what’s going on here 👍
Costs a fortune now to tour Europe. Toll roads , French police !! Cameras everywhere , it’s hard work cost us a fortune going from Sheffield to Zaragoza, pulled by French cops as soon as they seen English plates they were very hostile towards us, 3kph over and done speeding. £140 in toll roads. That was the negative side of things.
Wow we didn’t have police issues on our travels yet but the tolls and costs are now making us go in another direction
Good job they didn't charge you for the loan of the the funnel for oil top up. 🤣👍
I promise you, we edited out the situation there.... When we asked for a funnel to fill the oil the man took back the oil and tried to insist we bring the bike round the side to the service and cancelled the transaction on the £24 oil..... He wanted to fleece us too for putting in the oil himself! We are not joking, it felt like every chance they got to take more money.......
@@ontheroadadventure and there's no need for it at all..unless ofcourse they think they're just going to keep robbing anyone who isn't Italian .I have some Italian friends who would certainly change their attitudes for them. Roll on your adventures next chapter the pair of you. 🍻👍
I think once your aware of the Attitudes you have your eyes open m ore for the Tourist prices and scams, thats partly why we wanted to highlight this so much here as others will learn from our mistakes in advance of their trips@@FREE_PUREBLOOD333
Did you forget to drive on the right on a few occasions 😉
Yes lol I am terrible for that 😂
@ontheroadadventure to be fair. I'm the same in the UK and I've lived here 30 years lol
@@bruinsma2009 Sometimes il be driving alone and that random thought creeps into my head…. Are you on the right side of the road? Suddenly my brain goes to mush for a few seconds and I no longer know anything at all about driving 😂😂
I feel sorry for you younger generation of travelers expecting everybody to welcome you with open arms truth is its never been like that
Most people are good, but you will always find people who will look to take advantage of
Driving standards in Italy are in a different league to the rest of Europe, except maybe Holland, there a close 2nd
We found the further down Italy you go, the worse it gets. We rode in Catania and Palermo in Sicily and thats the craziest we have seen so far!
I hate to say it, but that's Italy, last time I was outside Milan on a Pan European, it was close to 40 Degrees, stopped at a service station to buy a bottle of water, bloke said straight up, as I was hot and had no choice, the water was €10 for 500ml (normally €1.50), I told him to stick it and rode on to a Supermarket, I only ever found this tricky attitude in Italy, nowhere else in Europe.
Wow, as shocking as that is, we believe you, such a shame they’re attitudes towards visitors are so bad