Ride from Norfolk to Monaco via the Alps

[Chris Canning]

Well done Bix at least you haven't dubbed it with some poxy music and we can hear the motor just a shame a few more don't do that.

Oh and re the front tyre!! why I did what I did all those years ago and why I'm having a nightmare trying to sort another bike out as well as way to risky to sell the old Triumph  :icon_wink:

Do we have more photo's.

[ssevy]

Thanks for sharing. Those are roads I'll probably never see in person, so your videos were the next best thing!

[Sin_Tiger]

Ahem "Retirement:  the last chance to eliminate "I should haves" from your vocabulary." there are beds and bikes, so don't let that stop you, can't guarantee the weather though 

[ssevy]

Well, my eldest daughter does live in Dublin now, so maybe someday?

[Bixxer Bob]

Well done Bix at least you haven't dubbed it with some poxy music and we can hear the motor just a shame a few more don't do that.

Oh and re the front tyre!! why I did what I did all those years ago and why I'm having a nightmare trying to sort another bike out as well as way to risky to sell the old Triumph  :icon_wink:

Do we have more photo's.

Thanks Chris.  More than once, as I watched the GS bugger off, I thought, "Chris C and his fettled Tiger would show you....."

Even as lads they were both faster than me so it's no surprise really, but excuses aside, the Tiger was a bloody handful in the 35-40c plus heat.  Every morning with everything cold I could brake into hairpins chuck it on it's side and power out without a worry but in the afternoon heat I couldn't trust it to do anything.

[Bixxer Bob]

Ahem "Retirement:  the last chance to eliminate "I should haves" from your vocabulary." there are beds and bikes, so don't let that stop you, can't guarantee the weather though 

Saw a Tee shirt I need yesterday.  It said, "DON'T WANT TO, DON'T HAVE TO, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME,  I'M RETIRED

[Bixxer Bob]

They have a tendency to modify road signs:

[Chris Canning]

There ain't nothing like riding a bike in the mountains e'h  more photo's please any info with them.

Re the bike we had a mighty set too with a GS a couple of years ago up in the Alps coming out of the corners I couldn't lay a finger on him going in and around was hoot because you could see him think HTF  is he doing that because I could turn inside him and get along side and he gave up in the end because it was too much effort.

We have a serious trip in September and while I consider the Tiger close to cheating to travel on I really want to go on the K and make it earn it's keep but I'm prepping the Tiger just in case  I took the Ohlins into K-Tech yesterday to see what they can do with it.

[John Stenhouse]

Middle photo is Route Napoleon I think. At least I remember coming round a corner and finding a lake like that off to the left. It gets really difficult to ride and view at the same time

[Bixxer Bob]

It was Lac de Serre Pocon near where we were staying John.  I've just checked the map and there isn't a lake within sight of the D4085 / D6085 from Digne Les Bains to Grasse which makes up the Napoleon.

[John Stenhouse]

As ever I will bow to your memory, mine is several years old now. The lake's further up towards Briancon, funny I thought the Napoleon went further up than that.

[Bixxer Bob]

It may well do, but that's the bit we did. 

[blacktiger]

I'm not surprised you had trouble riding that lot because you've got probably the worst tyres I've ever ridden on. Pirelli Scorpion if I'm not mistaken. I couldn't wait to get them off my latest 800. My knobblies are better. 
An awful lot of the 72000 miles I've ridden on my old Girly have been around the Pyrenees and Alps without the issues you describe. So, two things:-
1/ Get some proper tyres. I can recommend Avon Storm. Although I haven't tried the lastest version, I think they call them 3DXM these days.
2/ Use the front brakes all the time. There are two discs for a reason. i.e. most of the weight transfers to the front under braking. The rear is just a steadying brake.

Still, apart from all that it looked lke a nice trip.

[Bixxer Bob]

Really liked the Scorpions up till now H, on my third set and never had a problem with them.  Only ever had them or Anakees and I hated them.   I think it was a combination of the heat and me riding harder than I normally do.  That's not to say it was fast by most people's standards, just by mine; so I was probably overworking them by my own clumsiness (and they'd already done 2k before I set off....)  The GS was on Continentals with a similar tread pattern.

Will give the Avons a try though, always open to new ideas.

Regarding the brakes, perhaps I was a bit misleading; I was gently using the front approaching even the downhill hairpins which were tarmac with a covering of loose gravel, but once turning trailed the back a lot to help get round.  On that day on that particular narrow stretch of road, the hairpins really were full lock so taken slowly anyway.   I don't have any real experience on anything other than good tarmac so was just doing my best.

[blacktiger]

Really liked the Scorpions up till now H, on my third set and never had a problem with them.

I found that although they grip alright they don't steer right without weird pressures in the front and they picked up all the ridges in the road which threw the bike all over the place.