Get a map, draw a straight line from where you are to where you want to go and take all the small roads that are on that line (or do the same with a Tomtom Rider) Enjoy the little villages and farmland you drive through and don't hurry. Stop for a coffee and a snack at a small cafe or truckers restaurant and plan a long time to get where you go to.
I drove that way from Switserland to the Netherlands on an old Honda CB125S (a loooong time ago).

Hi, and Thanks!

Please tell me more about the gel insert. I have some sheepskins, but none that I want to use on long-distance Hawk travel. Actually I don't quite see how they help, but....

As for the breaks, yes, I do. And you are right about the time schedule! On my last trip I went from the Welsh borders to Lincolnshire, not along some boring trunk road in flat countryside where I got cut up by the speeding idiots, but by a big loop southwards through the Cotswolds and then more pretty villages in Northamptonshire and beyond. :scooter:

Afterwards I went to Oxfordshire, again by a scenic route through little villages, and really enjoyed the Cotwolds before heading for the Malvern Hills, through the picturesque Teme Valley and then the Shropshire Hills by the quiet routes. :scooter: :D :D

Ooops!:oops2: I just saw a typo, edited it out, and here I am apparently having to make a new post.... Most of these Internet boards are different in some way....:confused1:

Yes, indeed! I love planning journeys! I'll go over 100 miles by the back roads and little lanes, and write down all the villages en route. Comment from my niece: 'Are you Still Doing That?' Me: 'Why Not? I really enjoy it!'

So then I go everywhere with a route in my pocket, which I often don't need to look at because I remember my way from the planning. Before setting out, I use my piece of string on the road atlas, work out when I would like to arrive, allow a generous amount of time in case of unforseen delays, and know exactly when to set out. :scooter:

I've used this method to travel by unfamilar routes to a B&B over 50 miles away, phoned the landlady to tell her when I would arrive, went at my own speed (never fast) and got there within minutes of the estimated time. Having done the Lincolnshire route a couple of times, it suprised me how few times I had to check my map to travel over 150 miles on back roads and little lanes. :scooter: (I like this smiley... it's even the right colour for Hawk!) :D

And I bet you had fun! :mchappy:

There is one thing that bothers me. I know all about packing light. Having carried my own rucksack to 17,000 feet in the Himalayas, I have definitely learned never to carry anything I don't need. However, as you get older the things you need seem to increase. I go motorbike camping with actually less stuff that I really want and still don't like packing that load on a little C90! :helpsmilie: It's the one thing that really makes me want a car, so I can have more gear, but pack in a fraction of the time!

loads on a C90.....
 

You don't have to worry Rosemary....... have you seen what they will load up on to a C90 (or a 50) in China?????????:eek3:!!!!!

The bike will carry the weight, i suppose the best thing would be a Topbox and throw over panniers (or even solids if you can get a rack to fit) and a big stuffsack as a backrest for clothes & sleepingbag?

Ya know what? the more I read this thread, and think about it, the more I miss my old C90! especially the legshields to keep the wet and crap off....... and the fuel economy.....and the cheap as chips spares........and the fact the damn thing always started nomatter what...... oh and the £40 a year insurance........ tyres lasting longer than marriages......... enclosed chains that didnt wear out or get covered in sand...... WHY DID I EVER GET RID OF IT??????????????:oops2:

Get a little trailer behind your bike. I have even seen bicycles with a trailer so why not ?

Xan, you've started something now. I'm looking for a light bike to go to Iceland on next year. What an adventure it would be to go on a C90 !! I want to explore the interior a bit and it looks like deep black sand and river crossings in places. I bet I could carry a C90 on my shoulders nearly. I don't know what it's like in sand but it would be fun trying.

Long, long ago, when Hawk was a stripling straight from Japan, I had a handbook, long since lost, and it said' 'Thou shalt not tow a trailer!' :nono:

So I've always assumed it would make the bike unstable.

Hmm, a C90 in sand... I know what to do if you step into quicksand, but I wasn't on a C90 at the time!

A C90 on your shoulders in the river... where's the smiley for that?

:funmeterno: ???

If you ever come up behind The Hawk or The Hobbit on my travels, you'll think the Chinese have come over here! :chinese:

Yes, the bike is up to the weight. So I load a big topbox, heaving a sigh of relief if I can shut the lid, because there's always one thing I have to leave out. Then I put the heavy stuff in the panniers. Then the tent and sleeping bag are in a big bag on the back seat. I dislike that bag because it always seems to come too far forward and stops me sitting as comfortably as I do when it's not there. Then...wait for it... a rucksack with the camping mattress, sleeping bag liner, and any other light bulky things are on top of that. People have tried to tell me the bike is overloaded, but they don't realise I can lift that bag with the little finger of one hand. Then my day sac goes on top of that, and, hopefully, it is empty!

See what I mean about the Chinese coming over here?:wacko:

Then I arrive, unpack, and wish I had twice as much stuff! :eek3:

And why do you think I hang onto mine regardless....????:cool3:

Not sure about always starting... One of Hawk's tricks, now he is getting long in the tooth, is to spend 5 minutes kidding me...
Onlookers - :helpsmilie: Me - 'He'll go when he feels like it! :whistling:
In time, Hawk purrs away :angel:

You wonder what he made all the fuss about, except to wind me up! :devil2:

Now The Hobbit is catching the idea and trying it on too...
I sometimes think they must have been talking to this evil computer....:taz:

I’ve started a blog: http://the-hawk-and-the-hobbit.blogspot.com
:mchappy: :mchappy:

Now I'M CONFUSED!!!!!
 

Rosemary, just read your Blog.......very entertaining! but why do you sign yourself Rachel????:confused1::confused1::confused1:

See....I wasn't far off when I said " are you incognito"..:rofl:

Hi Martyn,

Thanks for liking the blog!

I signed myself Rachel because of a bad guy from the past. :devil2:

I have a lovely life now, but he hates me because I stood up for myself about 10 years ago, and more. I got a threatening email not so long ago, but he doesn't know where to find me. I don't think he'll try this forum, because he's no biker, but if I keep that blog up, sooner or later it will contain information that will give away my current whereabouts.

Actually it could upset him a lot to think of me being so happy while all his past sins are catching up with him... But you never know who is reading what you post on the net.

if he disturbs you again ........
 

get either.......
A. an Injunction
B. a Baseball Bat
C. a Boyfriend WITH a Baseball Bat

not that im in favour of violence you understand........ but some people only learn when it hurts.:innocent:

I understand. I think the same too. :hammer:

BTW, I love your signature! Many a time a big bike speeds past Hawk, and I think: ‘You may get there sooner but I’ll live longer!’ :scooter:

Some years ago I had to go 180 miles down the A1 on Hawk. I was apprehensive about this, but after about 100 miles a big bike overtook me. Some way afterwards I pulled into a service station and found myself beside the biker. He said: ‘I know I overtook you, but you’re not that far behind!’ I forget his exact words after that but he was really encouraging. It was good, because the A1 is *Not* my idea of a fun ride! :funmeterno: