Home

Despite my best intentions to get there and back it was not to be, and it was with some regret that we got the taxi along the cast this morning in what looked like glorious riding conditions - still its great to be home.

You can only get to grips with a bike when you really put some miles on it and we actually covered about a 1000 in all, and for a hand built bike with no modern suspension that was some going.  The most surprising thing was how comfortable the bike was, the hard saddle and springs took all the strain from the hardtail drive - the bag tied to the front leaf spring gave it some stability as well.  I only had one small problem which was the barrel that holds the ignition key came loose and I couldn't switch the bike on and off, but despite this i made it down, and on site I met a great guy Paul Lusty who had all the tools (a 9/64ths Allen key) and the time to help me sort it out.

Paul was again able to help me out on the Saturday as he has a business shipping Harley stuff around and had three huge articulated lorries (all HD branded) and was able to ship our bikes back with any hesitation at all.  So with rain predicted for Sunday and Monday (and no front mudguard) it was an easy choice to join Steve on the plane.

Anyway this is the last post  - i hope you enjoyed it, and get ready for the next one which is our tour to Virginia and Tennessee in June - can't wait. 

End of the road

Well steves bike is a mess and he can't ride home.
Following the never leave your wingman rule I have arranged to get
both our bikes shipped back to the UK for next week . This leaves
just time for one last night out and then an early flight back tomorrow.

Some big dogs at steves hotel

Unfortunately Steve fell off on the rideout - he is ok but his bike is
a bit messed up.
Not sure what we will do now but he is safe which is the main thing.

Colombieres

Halfway round one guy fell off but is ok - great ride and fantastic
svenery

Chelsea and Fulham rideout

We are here in Gassin ready for three hours of tight hairpin bends not
sure I am up for this but I will have a go.

Friday night in st tropez

Must be at least 2000 bikes along the harbourside

No win today

Because my bike does not have a Harley engine the only catergory it
could go in was radical and unfortunately it's not that radical!
Still it had huge amounts of attention and loads of photos taken so I
am very pleased. Possibly I should have cleaned it first as 800
miles of bugs and grime do not look good.

Had a late lunch in grimaud and had an entertaining half hour watching
an irate Frenchman trying to get passed some parked harleys in his
clio - it was so funny.

Tonight we are out for some drinks with the guys from C and F HOG in
St Tropez and then back for a quiet night.

Good day all round.

Bikeshow

I have entered the bike in the drive in bike show - radical section

Prime people watching position

The drink is a monaco it's beer lemonade and grenadine
It's disgusting

Drawing a crowd in St Tropez

At the rally

Full of noisy harleys

Is having a well deserved beer

By the pool in a very nice hotel in St tropez

It's bug's life here on the road

Lancon

We are just past Salon at Lancon which is near where I spent a month
on hols last year

Goodbye David

At fuelstop 19 in the cote d'azur at last - we are having some lunch
and it's time for David to go off to Arles and me and Steve head off
to St Tropez - it must be 80 out.

Scorchio

We are 300 I'm south of beaune and the weather is gorgeous a you can
see we are at fuelstop ..... Lost count must be nearly 20

Halfway there

Well we made it to Beaune to the very nice hotel le cep - I was last
here in 2005 and had a nice drinking session with Iain and Andy mostly
drinking Marc de Bourgogne the local brandy.

We met David and he rode with us here and we are going out for dinner
with him his wife and son tonight.

Bike is going well and I have done 8 fuel stops so far!

Fuelstop number 3

And it's all going well

An early start

Here I am at 5:15 am at Tunneidge Wells ready to meet Steve

No getting out of it

Just fully loaded up the bike with a full saddlebag and a big holdall strapped to the front leaf spring suspension - did a quick 10 miles and nothing fell off or grounded out so I guess it will all be OK for the next 1800 or so miles.  

I did a photo shoot for BSH back in January and told the editor I would be riding it to St Tropez, well he kindly published that in the current issue, so I have to take this bike now come what may - despite how easy it would be on the Streetglide, with its CD player, hard luggage, comfy seat and 200 mile range between fill ups.

Ian's got a brand new bag

Dianne from Chaos Custom has made me a matching bag to go on the trip
with - it will hold all my junk and help with those sharp left hand
bends!

Not riding solo anymore.....

A mate who rode Route 66 with me (Steve Butler) is also coming along on his Rocker C which is good - haven't told him about the fuel capacity of my bike yet.  He is local to me in East Sussex.

When we get south of Rheims and enter Burgundy we are meeting another friend from the Route 66 tour, David, who has a farm near

Dijon with his wife Christelle (who also came on the tour).

David is going to ride with us to Beaune and have some dinner at Le Cep and the next day he will ride with us as far as Arles to see his family.  He will be riding a Fatboy.

The Route

View Larger Map

This is the route I will be taking, departing on the 6th May and the first stop will be at Beaune where I will be staying at Hotel le Cep the next day its a ride down to St Tropez where I will be staying at Hotel les Capucines for three nights while I attend the Harley Euro Rally and I will meet with some of the guys from Chelsea and Fulham Harley Owners Group its about 800 miles or so each way.