Long holiday in the UK - advice...

[Posh Tourer :P]

Ok, so I'm going to be in Europe for 18 months from March 2005, based in the UK, and I'm looking for some advice.

I want to spend some time on a motorbike while I'm there, but I'm travelling on a shoestring. So, what are my options? I have a two year insurance history here with no claims and a licence for 6 years with no major crashes, but I'm 21. If I buy a bike how much is it going to cost me for insurance? Where can I find out?

If I buy a bike, I'd be looking at a 600-750 or so tourer, the R65 is not quite powerful enough with 50Nm and 42Hp. It still goes along pretty well loaded up, but I think something with a little more grunt uphill would be nice.
It doesnt have to be a new bike but it needs to have full luggage, how much would I expect to pay for this? I have had a look at some UK trade-me equivalents, but I still dont really have much of an idea cos I cant see the condition of the bikes :S

Is it better to hire/lease a bike? Who are the cheapest to do so and where can I find out prices etc (I have done a search for some websites but they seem useless)

Are there any good UK motorcycle chat sites to pick up information on?

My other option is to buy a car - cheaper or more expensive than motorbike including insurance? Is there anyone who will do long-term rentals/buy-back deals on either cars or bikes, and what are their prices like? Where can I contact them?

Should I do all this in or outside the UK? is it better to walk/bus around the UK and hire transport in other parts of europe?

I'm sure I'll think or more questions later but thats a good start....

[James Deuce]

I hate to say it, but you will struggle to get insurance. If you do it is about 10 times more expensive in the UK than here. I've seen quotes for 21 year old's reported in Performance Bikes as being around 2-4 thousand quid , that's right, thousand, per annum for a late 90s CBR600. A couple of the Insurance companies contacted refused to insure riders under 25.

Cars on the other hand are cheap as dirt, and the 1000-1300cc range are the most common thing on the road. We were there in '98-99 and our 1100cc Fiat cost about 160 quid a year for comprehensive insurance. Comparable models (1990 Fiat Citivan or Penny as it is over there) were about 1000 quid for a low mileage example. Devaluation is gnarly over there so you can get quite good cars for reasonable money.

Have you considered taking the BM over? It would cost you about $800 to ship, take 6 weeks to get there, and you can ride it for 12 months on foreign plates. You will need to purchase a carnet de passage, kind of like a bond, that will be returned to you when you bring the bike back. See if you can get an Internet based Insurance broker to do a quote for insurance on the BM.

You only give way to the right on roundabouts there, and the people are heaps more polite on the road than NZers.

[Posh Tourer :P]

I have considered taking the BM, considering it is already paid for, but I'm going to be there for 18 months, and I'm subsequently going to South America.I figured it'd be a lot of hassle to get it re-rego'd.....
I'd be looking to spend as little money as possible to get a car/bike that would run reliably - what do ya reckon? It could be as small as - 1L is good. How much would it cost to run? Sadly $3000 is probably a little over the top for me, I'd be looking to spend $2000 - or 700pounds max.

I still havent decided whether its better to lumber myself with a car/bike or have the hassle of having to go only where the busses/trains go.

The attraction of renting is that insurance is taken care of.....

[Yamahamaman]

Ok, so I'm going to be in Europe for 18 months from March 2005, based in the UK, and I'm looking for some advice.

I have heard that the Kombi Van (by VW) keeps it's value. Prolly pick one up from someone finishing there big OE.

Looks like I'm not gonna get that rubber of Bridge after all.

[James Deuce]

I have considered taking the BM, considering it is already paid for, but I'm going to be there for 18 months, and I'm subsequently going to South America.I figured it'd be a lot of hassle to get it re-rego'd.....
I'd be looking to spend as little money as possible to get a car/bike that would run reliably - what do ya reckon? It could be as small as - 1L is good. How much would it cost to run? Sadly $3000 is probably a little over the top for me, I'd be looking to spend $2000 - or 700pounds max.

I still havent decided whether its better to lumber myself with a car/bike or have the hassle of having to go only where the busses/trains go.

The attraction of renting is that insurance is taken care of.....

I'd take the BM and I'd take it to Sth America, and I'd stay on the NZ plates - I think you can apply for a time limit extension, and keep paying NZ rego - a breeze if you are earning pounds. Sadly a 700 quid car will be a high mileage example, with a great deal about ready to go wrong with it. The salt and lime on English roads in winter takes it's toll.

The BM would take about 6 weeks to get to the UK, and about 2-3 weeks to Sth America depending on port of entry. I couldn't think of a better workhorse that you could maintain yourself for a trip like that.

[Kickaha]

Take the BMW and when you're finished in the UK ride it to South America :niceone:

there used to be places that ran buy back schemes,that may be another option worth looking at.

[bluninja]

Motorcycle hire is gonna cost you an arm and a leg
http://www.motorcycle-training.f2s.com/hire.html
http://www.biketours-uk.com/catman/subcat/1/62/index.cms
http://www.bmouthbikehire.cwc.net/frames.html
UKguide a links page for motorcycle hire. (http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Motoring/Motorcycles/Motorcycle_Hire.html)

As for insurance....well suffice to say my bikes inside the garage cos of the cost of insurance and I'm over 40 with now 3 years since my only road bin.

Sadly the cheapest way to tour is going to be an old used car. My volvo 440 at 10 years old and with 60,000 miles cost £1000 from a garage. If you are good mechanically you could find cheaper at auction or private sale.

You don't say where you are basing yourself in the UK. If it's London, forget the car unless you want to be always hunting for a parking space and paying a congestion charge just for driving in London. As for the europe thing....there are a lot of cheap flights around to various places in europe that make UK train and bus fares seem extortionate.

[Posh Tourer :P]

I have heard that the Kombi Van (by VW) keeps it's value. Prolly pick one up from someone finishing there big OE.

Looks like I'm not gonna get that rubber of Bridge after all.
From weds next I'll be playing with a few others (Uni students) at Auckland Bridge Club Weds 5-7, and then the intermediate pairs night from 7:30 till 10:30.

At least, I hope I'll be able to make it, if I'm not on an island somewhere

Feel free to come along. We play contract not rubber bridge and its quite relaxed....Learning rather than competing

[Posh Tourer :P]

Take the BMW and when you're finished in the UK ride it to South America :niceone:

there used to be places that ran buy back schemes,that may be another option worth looking at.

I was thinking about buy-back schemes, but I couldnt find any by search on the web. The problem with taking the BM is the cost of fuel to get places, and I've gotta put it somewhere if I want to go "hiking".

[Posh Tourer :P]

Motorcycle hire is gonna cost you an arm and a leg
http://www.motorcycle-training.f2s.com/hire.html
http://www.biketours-uk.com/catman/subcat/1/62/index.cms
http://www.bmouthbikehire.cwc.net/frames.html
UKguide a links page for motorcycle hire. (http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Motoring/Motorcycles/Motorcycle_Hire.html)

As for insurance....well suffice to say my bikes inside the garage cos of the cost of insurance and I'm over 40 with now 3 years since my only road bin.

Sadly the cheapest way to tour is going to be an old used car. My volvo 440 at 10 years old and with 60,000 miles cost £1000 from a garage. If you are good mechanically you could find cheaper at auction or private sale.

You don't say where you are basing yourself in the UK. If it's London, forget the car unless you want to be always hunting for a parking space and paying a congestion charge just for driving in London. As for the europe thing....there are a lot of cheap flights around to various places in europe that make UK train and bus fares seem extortionate.

I found a few of those sites in my searching..... It looks like M/c hire is out...

I'm not based in London (I hope), I'll be working hopefully on farms or out in some of the parks/reserves around the place.

If I take the beemer, flying is out, but I'm not sure what the relative cost of biking compared to public transport is... If I'm tenting, perhaps its better to have that flexibility if the campgrounds are off the public transport routes...

My other worry is security - How safe would bike luggage be, cos I'd want to go and visit places etc and leave the bike loaded up (Probably take off my pack with the most valuable stuff in it).

[Motu]

I knew a couple of (BIG,very BIG) guys who did Europe on mopeds,depends on your expectations.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Thats true...

Though if I was to do that sorta thing I'd just bicycle (which was another of my options)

[Blakamin]

PT, that sounds like the trip of a lifetime...:2thumbsup
dont over-plan stuff...

wish I hadda done somefin like that

[James Deuce]

wish I hadda done somefin like that

You still can. Stop putting the brakes on before you get anywhere.

[Posh Tourer :P]

PT, that sounds like the trip of a lifetime...:2thumbsup
dont over-plan stuff...

wish I hadda done somefin like that

I've as yet got no idea how I'm going to structure my travel, and I dont plan to have anytime soon either....

I have 18months to visit, in rough order of priority: The UK, Germany, Spain, Holland, Greece, Turkey (only a bit), France, Andorra (duty free motorcycle shops :D), Italy, Austria/Hungary, Crete, Scandanavia, "Yugoslavia" (as a region not a country), Eastern bloc (for a short time)

Unfortunately that gives me less than 2 months in each country and I doubt I'll see all of the bits I want to. I'm just gonna take it as it comes and if I like a place, spend more time there etc.

I still gotta work so that cuts into my time even more, but with 18 months I guess it gives me a little more freedom to hang out somewhere if I really like it/have to see something.....

[Joni]

You still can. Stop putting the brakes on before you get anywhere.

Thanks so much for that Jim, I know it was not even remotely directed at me, but I kinda needed to read that as well... :2thumbsup so a sincere thank you.

[Hammer]

Howdy mate,

I am in the UK now and had a shit of a time getting insurance on an Oz or international licence - it aint cheap. If you do get through that hassle I would suggest buying and then dumping the bike. Big hassle and cost shipping a bike.

I have done all of Ireland, a fair bit of the UK and a big tour down in Austria/Italy and Switzerland - do not leave the latter out. Here are some links that might help:

http://www.alpineroads.com/
http://bikesource.co.uk/
http://www.bikersbeds.com/
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/
http://www.bikerland.co.uk
http://www.bmf.co.uk/home-page/index-0401.html
http://www.first4gear.com/
http://www.bikersweb.co.uk/menu.htm
http://www.motorbike-pals.com/index.html

Travel safely and good luck. I am off out of here in three weeks and bound for NZ so look me up when you get back from your epic adventure.

John

[James Deuce]

Thanks so much for that Jim, I know it was not even remotely directed at me, but I kinda needed to read that as well... :2thumbsup so a sincere thank you.

You're welcome :).

[Posh Tourer :P]

Thanks for that Hammer, how much did you pay in the end?

I'll have a good look at all those links soon too :)

[James Deuce]

Howdy mate,

I am in the UK now and had a shit of a time getting insurance on an Oz or international licence - it aint cheap. If you do get through that hassle I would suggest buying and then dumping the bike. Big hassle and cost shipping a bike.



I disagree. It was easy and required only a couple of days research to find what you needed legally and who you had to pay what and when. We shipped our car back from the UK absolutley packed with stuff for 300 pounds. A bike with it's wheels off and packed in a crate should be MUCH cheaper than that.

Insurance took half a day to two brokers and we were sorted.