The diary of the Manhoc ride to Perpignon. As seen by Alan & Norma

 

The idea was that 14 bikes would travel down to Perpignan in Southern France, have a week on a caravan site and then make our individual way back home.

Norma and I would meet up with the others in France since we had to work and didn’t feel like travelling overnight (as the others were doing).

 

 Day 1. Travel from Rochdale to Watford

  

We (Norma and I) decided that we would travel down to Watford on the Monday, work Tuesday and then catch the ferry Tuesday evening.

 

So, Monday dawns to news of torrential rain and gale force winds. That’s OK. Looking at the forecast, it should have stopped by the time we were going to set off (around 7:00 pm). So, we worked and lazed and packed. I got the bikes ready. And we waited for the rains to stop. And waited. And waited. Finally, we knew we would have to brave it out.

 

So, 7:30, we set off, got some petrol and headed for the motorway. Took one look at the M62 eastbound and decided that the M6 would be easier. I have never seen such black clouds.

 

First stop was at Keele services. Norma needed to wire up her heated clothing. The connector was under the seat. The seat had a big tail pack on it. Not the best thing to try and get in the pouring rain. But we managed.

 

Next stop was 2 services later – the necessary loo break. Not wet inside but I really did not want to take my gloves off. But needs must!

 

All the way down the M6, the rain was bucketing down. As we got onto the M1, it started to ease and once past Watford Gap and a refuel, it was almost dry. Good stuff, now we can motor on. So we did. Got to the hotel in record time.

 

Day 2. Watford to Calais.

 

Tuesday was really a work day so we had to pretend we were working until it was time to leave. The plan was to go down to the bikes at 2:30, pack up, get changed and leave by 3:00. Then ride round the M25 and M20 to catch the 6:15 ferry.

 

The day dawned bright; a complete contrast to yesterday. Blue skies everywhere. A wonderful travelling day. And this continued all day.

 

Our plan was followed to the letter apart from the timing…… We set off 30 minutes late and soon got embroiled in the M25 traffic. But once on the M20, the roads opened out and we could “make progress” as they say in the police force. Got to the ferry at about 6:00 and was ushered straight onto the boat. Civilised or what!

 

Food was the order of the day and I must say the quality was excellent (thank you P&O). The crossing was smooth and we were soon safely ensconced in our little hotel room. I rang Gary to find out what was going on and they were just setting off.

 

Day 3. Calais to Troyes.

 

The day dawned cloudy. We tottered off for a continental breakfast before setting off to find the rest of our party. At 9:30 they were about 100 miles in front of us – about 60 miles from Reims. So, we hit the motorway and began the catch up process. Both bikes were very comfortable cruising at 3 figure speeds. The only issue was that the Vtec kept cutting in and speeding me up (honest, officer!). I had changed the display over to KPH and it was exciting to see 160+ speeds. I did try for 200 just once to see how stable the bike was fully loaded – of course, being a VFR, it was no problem.

 

As we came off the Peage, we stopped and I phoned again to find they had just stopped at services about 40 miles away. That was their lunch time break and we arranged to meet them there. So, off we zoomed again and finally the whole party was together.

 

After a brief lunch and a chat about the traumas suffered by the group (Geoff’s story) we set off for Troyes. Ahh, the joys of 14 bikes travelling in convoy. I stayed at the back and kept out of the way while they all enjoyed the motorway and associated lorries. I almost felt sorry for the faster car drivers as they got stuck in the middle of our snaking line.

 

Troyes soon upon us and it was off to find the Formula 1 hotel that everyone else was going to use. Not us – we wanted a room with private bathroom. So, once everyone was settled, we toddled off to find the local Campanile. We arranged to meet up at 6:00 and go for some food.

 

Once we had checked in, we decided to go for a ride along the Champagne Route. Very picturesque but all the champagne houses were closed to visitors. The roads were a bit greasy and, with all the luggage on, the wheels slid sideways a couple of times.

 

On the way back I got a text message (oh yes, I forgot to say that my phone is hooked up to the intercom so I can receive calls). This meant finding somewhere to stop and reading it. A phone call would have been easier since it was Lyn asking us to get there earlier. Zoom……

 

The convoy (less the sensible ones who had gone to the supermarket and bought food and beer) wandered off to find a restaurant. After about 45 minutes we ended up in a Carrefour car park – turned out to be the wrong one with no eating houses. This led to a revolt and we all piled into Troyes as quickly as possible – found a very nice café near the station and sat down to eat. At this point, we realised that no one could read the menu. Much hilarity followed caused mainly by Steve who insisted on acting “the white man” and ordering food very loudly.

 

After that, off home to bed. But first a phone call to my friendly mechanic – our bikes have developed problems. Norma has an oil leak and I have a drive whine. We think it’s the oil filter which needs tightening and my chain which needs oiling and loosening. So, that’s the first business tomorrow.

 

After that, it’s catch up time again. The rest of the party want to set off at 8:30 and get all the way to Chamonix. We, after looking at a map and using Autoroute, think it’s a 4 hour journey and will be leaving sometime after 10:00. So, we have agreed to meet them there somewhere.

 

Day 4. Troyes to Chamonix.

 

First job – fix the bikes. Norma’s was easy. I managed to turn the oil filter another ¼ turn and that stopped the leak. Mine, I loosened and oiled the chain. It has seemed to do the trick but there seems to be very little left on the rear brake shoes, so that will need further investigation when I am back in the UK.

 

After that, breakfast and off. We made very good time; it was motorway all the way. Cruising at 100+ is very easy on the VFR. It seems to be made for that type of journey. As we got up into the mountains, it turned cold – I even had to wear my heated jacket for a while. But as we rode down into the valleys, it warmed up again and I could turn it off.

 

As we approached the end of the Peage, I got a phone call – “Dave’s bike has broken down and can we go to Annecy and meet them”. Slight problem, we were already passed Annecy and it wasn’t easy to turn back. So, we went into the next village after the toll booth and, after a diversion to find a loo, sat in a café while the situation got resolved. It turns out that there is a design defect in the new TDM’s and when they  get hot, they piss water out of the pump rather than a breather pipe. So, no problems, just keep filling it up and all will be well.

 

We then carried on into Chamonix while the others found a hotel in Annecy. We found a very nice 3 star hotel which looked brand new. It had a secure garage which was very handy for the bikes. After unpacking, we went down into the town and, after a walk around, found a very nice Chinese restaurant and had a decent meal and a bottle of wine. Then, off to bed to prepare for the excursions of the next day.

 

Day 5. Around Chamonix.

 

Woke up to find that my phone had stopped displaying anything. It worked, but was obviously no use. Oops – we’ll sort that out later. We had a late breakfast and phoned the others (on Norma’s phone). They were just outside Chamonix having a drink. We arranged to meet them and after much hassling and phone calls, met up at the bottom of the telepherique. The plan was to go up to the Agulie de Midi by cable car. Most of us did it. And what a sight it was – a beautiful day and magnificent views. Steve insisted we didn’t need shirts if we were MEN – the photo tells the story !

 

In the evening, we met up for a very nice meal (after I bought some trainers from a local shop) where Gary was getting a lot of hassle from his wife – who he conveniently forgot to tell that she could join us by aeroplane…

 

Here we made plans for the next days trip – a long motorway run to Perpignan. Steve, Norma and I would be doing this; the rest would be taking two days and stopping over before joining us at the caravan park.

 

Day 6. Chamonix to Perpignan

 

Got to the starting point to find that Jim had decided to join us. But they (Steve and Jim) really wanted a good breakfast and needed Norma to find a café and order it…. No sooner said than done and while they enjoyed the fruits of Norma’s work, we went in search of some shoes for N.

 

All sorted, we set off on the run. A quick stop for petrol turned into an expedition as Steve left his prescription sunglasses on his bag as we set off and we had to stop and watch Steve jog back (in 25 degree sunshine) to retrieve them from the middle of the road.

 

The route took us through some very nice twisty roads and some interesting diversions down very narrow side streets (the fete has priority in France). But we were able to make progress and enjoy the left-right sweeps as we headed down to Albertville and the motorways. (We will ignore the odd car driver who thought that ALL the road was theirs by right)

 

Once on the motorways, we made real progress; cruising at around 110 we made good time. As we stopped for lunch, who should we see but the rest of the party who had set off 3 hours before to go the ‘slow’ route. They had got fed up and were continuing on the motorway for a while.

 

After a leisurely lunch, we continued down the motorway to Perpignan. Through the tolls (why was I the only one to pay ?) and past notable towns such as Montellimar and Nimes. At one point, we overtook the others who were travelling slightly slower than us. After the last toll, we pulled in to look at our final route. Sheer guesswork ! But who should arrive in the nick of time, but Geoff and the other party who knew the way. So, we followed them into the campsite and our very own (for a week) caravan. It’s the first time I have stayed in a caravan and I was (and still am) a bit shocked at the size of it. A whole week sleeping on a 4’ bed in a cupboard. A whole week of cooking food in a corridor. Wow !

 

After unpacking and settling in, we walked down to the restaurant for a quick meal accompanied by the sounds of the over 90’s big band (loud and crap).

 

Day 7. Lazing around.

 

A quiet day today. Rode into Perpignan to look for a towel (mine went astray in a hotel somewhere). Found a flea market where Norma was reluctantly persuaded not to buy the largest cast iron pot I had ever seen. No towels. So we cruised around and ended up at the beach at Canet where we looked at the sea, had an ice cream and some drinks and, yes, bought a beach towel.

 

After that, back to the campsite and lazing by the pool. Then back to a very pleasant evening meal with Steve and Pat.

 

Day 8. Shopping etc.

 

Woke up to the sounds of revving bikes. Everyone else (it seems) was going to the Honda shop in Perpignan. They seemed to forget about Dave who set off with Jim about 5 minutes later. 20 mins and they were back – Dave’s bike was overheating badly now and the only recourse was the RAC. So, the local dealer has come and taken it away to be seen to.

 

We shot off to Carrefour and spent about 90 minutes and far too much money getting some provisions, cheap champagne and a new laptop bag for Norma. At last I have a sponge and can clean the bikes. So, after lunch, that’s what I did.

 

The afternoon was spent wandering over the rocks at Canet. The evening, we had a communal meal. Steve produced a wonderful Spag Bog, we provided champagne and salad dressing and a good time was had by all.

 

Tomorrow, we head for Barcelona to see the sights. Should be fun !

 

Day 9. Barcelona.

 

The plan was to zap down the motorway, find the centre of Barcelona and walk around. I had Pat on my bike and Steve took Dave. Norma had her red bag !

 

No issues on the way down. The weather was glorious. We stopped half way down for a brief rest. Spanish service stations are nowhere near as good as French ones – but the petrol is a lot cheaper. For a while, I drove a bit slower in deference to my passenger – but that didn’t last long and we were soon motoring at our normal 3 digit pace.

 

Got to Barcelona and followed the main drag into the centre. No big deals but they do like traffic lights. I pulled off when I thought we were about there and we did the normal Spanish trick of parking on the pavement. OK – time for a loo stop and some drinks. We walked down the road passing “living statues” – students who posed for hours without moving. Found a nice place to have lunch and I had my first Spanish omelette of the holiday.

 

After that, we carried on down to the port. By this time we were looking for Gaudi’s cathedral. We were told it was nearby. Once we bought a tourist map, we realised it was the other side of the city. Then, Norma had a brainwave – lets use the Metro, get a day pass, and wander around in comfort. So, we did. I’ve never been in an air conditioned underground train before – very refreshing. We easily found the cathedral – it was still being built. Took loads of pictures and wandered around inside for a while.

                     

Next stop – some monument that Norma saw on the map. We got off at the correct station but couldn’t see it. So, we walked around the block and eventually asked someone. They pointed it out – just where we started out ! At this point, my camera told me that it had some bad memory and I had lost all the photos I had just taken. I was not amused. Luckily Norma had also been snapping away so we will have the memories. I put the other memory in and carried on.

 

Last stop was Gaudi’s Park. This was built at the end of the 19^th century as a monument to children. We got off at the tube stop and were faced with a 600m walk – all uphill. But, guess what – someone had provided us with some escalators in the middle of the road to assist us. Very nice. 

 

We had a good walk around the park, took loads more pictures and had some refreshments. Norma bought some nuts and seeds to eat and offered them around. Dave, being game for anything, tried to eat them. No luck, eventually spitting them out….. But the pigeons liked them.

 

So, back to the bikes and off home. Norma and I changed visors as it was getting towards dusk. Steve didn’t have his, so he swapped lids with Dave. That turned out to be fun once we got onto the motorway. Steve’s hat has ears and the force of the wind was pushing the had off. So, Dave was holding onto the bike with one hand and his head with the other. What we didn’t realise was that Steve also had dark glasses and as it got to night time, all he could see was my lights. So, when I went around a corner and he lost sight of me, it was guesswork all the way….

 

Got back to Canet and had a nice meal in a beachside restaurant. Then home and bed, ready for the trip to Andorra tomorrow.

 

Day 10. Andorra.

 

Everyone else was off at 08:00 but not Steve, Pat, Norma and myself. No, we had a leisurely breakfast and departed at about 10:30. What a wonderful ride. Traffic was light and easily overtaken. The road surface was good and dry and I was able to test out the sides of the tyres. It took us about 2 ½  hours to get there including a stop where we could look back at some of the twisties we had done. As we rode into Andorra, the heavens opened and we headed for a café for lunch. Nice place – views of the hills from the window.

 

We then had about 3 hours wandering around the shops looking for bargains. Found a few trinkets to buy (OK, a new camera for me and a nice MP3 player for Norma) and set off back.

 

Once again, the roads were great. I haven’t ever had so much fun on a bike. This time, I “played” at much higher revs, making sure the Vtec was working properly. The brakes worked too.

 

Had fun with a stupid Scenic who thought a car was better than a bike round the corners and along the straights. Steve nearly got trapped when a car wouldn’t let him in after we overtook him – see, not all French drivers are friendly.

 

Once on the dual carriageway, I had a little zoom to see how stable the bike was with luggage. No problem at 125 (but that’s only 200kph, which I had already seen). We stopped at a nice gorge for a while on the way back.

 

All too soon, we were back at the campsite. Another glorious day on the bikes. Meal, more wine and bed.

 

Day 11. Lazing around again.

 

Some of the lads went off into town to see about getting the bikes fixed (Joe’s mirror and Dave’s water pump). I used my new camera to take a short clip of them setting off. Yep, it works fine !

 

Joe was soon back with his parts and we got them fitted. After that, lazing around, watching Paul moon while cooking breakfast (Yes, I have the evidence - see right) and generally not doing much.

 

Dave got his bike back. They replaced the water pump and it seems OK now.

 

Day 12. Carcasonne

 

Today was the day for another ride. I found a good route to Carcasonne – a famous medieval city and we set off. Dave, Steve & Pat, Jim, Norma and me. I was leading, with Dave second to watch how to ride in a group.

 

After missing the turn out of Perpignan, we set off down a dual carriageway to look for the turn onto the right road. Dave had no lights on so I signalled for him to turn them on (that’s how I know who is behind me). This led to him swerving in front of me and braking heavily – not a manoeuvre I was anticipating. OK, I survived that and we continued on our way. At the first stop I told him about that and explained that there was no way he should do any had braking if there was no reason for it. He seemed to accept this and we continued on.

 

Found some nice twisty roads – kept having to wait for Dave. From what others said, he is still going round corners by braking hard and going round upright. Needs some proper lessons.

 

As we got into Carcasonne, I went past some traffic lights. They started flashing orange as I went through. Next thing I see in the mirror is a bike going down. “Oh god, I hope that’s not Norma” is what I remember. I stopped the bike and ran back. Jim was lying on the ground next to a tree with his bike looking very very battered and Dave’s with a damaged exhaust. The next few minutes were chaotic. A passerby had stopped to assist and called an ambulance. Jim was conscious with a damaged hand and foot. Dave was semi-hysterical. Norma was tending to Jim and Steve was waiting around with me.

 

Within 5 minutes the ambulance and police had arrived. “Where are your papers, Jim ?” “In my tank bag”. “Where is the tank bag ?” “In the caravan”….. So, I called Gary and asked him if he could find them and bring them over. No problems. He would be there in about an hour. Meanwhile Jim was in the ambulance and Pat was going with him with Dave’s phone because Steve and Pat didn’t have theirs. Steve and myself would follow to find out where it was – I would return and Steve would stay there. I went down and returned – the hospital was 2 minutes away. OK, next issue, Jim’s bike. We had to get it moved. The police would stay with it while we found a garage. They knew of a Suzuki dealer nearby so Norma and I went to find it while Dave stayed with his damaged bike. Finding it was easy; explaining what we needed took a little more effort. But we managed and (after a detour the wrong way up the road) were soon back with a large van to get the bike taken away. Easier said than done – the instruments had been pushed back and we couldn’t turn the front wheel. Just then, another van drove up and out came to Kawasaki men. They helped us to get it into the van and we went back to the dealers. Picked up our bikes and went back to sort out Dave.

 

That was the easy bit – he phoned the RAC and the agreed to pick up his bike. So, I went off to the hospital to swap phones and get Dave’s back. As I rode up to the hospital, who should I see but Gary and Andy with Jim’s documents. Perfect timing. I radioed this back to Norma (our intercoms worked perfectly over that range) and went in to swap phones. We looked at Jims documents but couldn’t find the breakdown cover one. No matter, at least we had the E111 form which the hospital wanted. I took the registration stuff since we needed that for the Suzuki dealer and went back to Norma and Dave. As I got there, Dave’s bike was being loaded onto a lorry. We swapped phones, I got Pat’s helmet back (it was in Dave’s top box) and Dave went off with his bike.

 

Norma and Gary and myself went off to the dealers to see the bike and get the docs to them. It cost €30 for the pick up and €2 per day for storage so we were told. We paid the pick up fee and I took some photos of the bike.. Oh yes, Norma found some very nice Alpinestar boots while we were there. Gary and I just put it down to some necessary retail therapy…..[ Gary did see an very nice GSX1200 as well, but resisted temptation]

 

Next stop, McDonalds; it was past 3pm and we had had no lunch. Bought enough for the troops and went back to the hospital to eat it and find out what was up with Jim.

 

Turns out he had a broken right thumb and a broken bone in his left foot. They would pin them tomorrow and then he could go home the day after. So, Norma took all his documents and phoned the accident and insurance people to get things organised. [That’s what she does best]

 

Dave phoned. He would get a taxi back to Perpignan. That was OK and the three bikes set off back on the motorway. As we crested the hill, we saw “La Cité” which was the original purpose of the trip. It looked great. But we were tired and needed to get back to the food we had left in the oven. So, a fast trip back shadowed by some impressive thunder and lightening.

 

The food was great, the mood sombre and mellow and we eventually went to bed. But not to sleep – the crew next door were very loud until around 2:00am. Ho hum, that’s what campsites are all about.

 

Day 13. Carcasonne again

 

Up the next morning. Another lovely day. Geoff and Lynne were off to see Jim. We gave them some books and a CD player for Jim to use. Norma and I just mooching around. About lunchtime, we decided to go over to Carcasonne and get to see the Cité. After that, we would go and see Jim and then come back. Which is what we did. The old city was very touristy on the outside but wonderful in the centre. The weather over there was boiling hot. As we parked the bikes, it clouded over and we could see that it might thunder. Sure enough, as we were wandering around, the heavens opened. We took shelter in a café and watched as hailstones rained down on us and the lightening flashed all around. Great fun. Eventually, it stopped and we carried on being tourists. The inner courtyard was nice and showed off the features of the historical nature of the city.

 

At around 5, we decided it was time to get Lyn and Geoff’s present. We had earlier seen what we wanted in a shop. When we went back, the shop had gone. No sign whatsoever. Very mysterious. We finally concluded that the barn doors near where we were looking were the shop but that the owner had closed early due to the weather. So, off pressy hunting again. Soon found a suitable gift and went back to the bikes to go home (via the hospital).

 

Jim was a bit spaced out so, we chatted for a while, left him a French English dictionary and phrase book and went out to the bikes. Oops – raining buckets. So, on with the wet weather gear and off we go. 80 miles of downpour really tested our clothing. But it all worked well, we didn’t get wet inside. But it wasn’t fun travelling down the motorway with the spray from lorries trying to drown us. It’s the slowest we travelled all holiday. Got good petrol consumption though.

 

Got back to the campsite to find that Steve had moved the table so Norma could get her bike under cover – thanks mate, much appreciated.

 

A quick meal and off to the pub for the handing over of the pressy. Seemed to go down well and we went off to bed.

 

Day 13. The first day’s trip home.

 

Up bright and early and off. Ha ha. Not likely. I got up about 9:00 to watch the others zoom off to Spain for a ride (more video of them setting off). After that, dry all the wet washing, a leisurely pack, lunch and we finally left at about 2:00. We only had 250 miles to go and it was all motorway. As we were going past Carcasonne, we decided to stop at THE junction and watch the traffic lights. They didn’t flash – just steady amber. See, that’s how good my memory is. Took some photos (and a video of the lights changing)  and then onto Brize for our hotel. Which was very nice. Had a wander around Brize, a good meal and an even better nights sleep. What a difference a 5’ bed makes. Wonderful.

 

Day 14. More homeward bound stuff

 

Up at 9:30 – oops, a bit late. Never mind, we are still on holiday. After a leisurely breakfast in the cellar (used to be the wine store, I’m told), we set off at about 11:00 up the A20. No tolls ? What’s up? This is the first French motorway like that. Still, we motored on well. Got on the road to Auxerre (thanks to a friendly French motorcyclist) and continued to our destination – slowly. French back roads are nice, but not if you need to be somewhere. Took us 8 hours to do 310 miles (including stops). The last bit was stressful because we hadn’t seen a petrol station for ages and Norma’s bandit was flashing on the last bar of the gauge. Found one at last and she still had 4 litres left. So, now we know.

 

The hotel was nice and the food good (with local champage because it was our last night). Then off to bed. Only to be woken up 3 times by the alarm on a nearby Bentley going off. Sod it…..

 

Day 15. Home

 

Last day. Woke up and went out to check the bikes over. Bloody ‘ell it’s cold. 7 degrees showing on the thermometer. Time to get the heated jackets out.

 

Set off after another French breakfast – I could get used to Croissants and Chocolate. Onto the A26 and a zoom up to Calais. A slow zoom because it was blowing a gale – sideways. It was fun overtaking lorries. We remembered the one speed trap in France and sailed (ha ha)  through at 130 kph. It gradually warmed up as we got further North.

 

Got to the ferry port and onto the next sailing. I met up with another biker with the same surname as me – how did I know ? It was plastered on his number plate “Sharkeys Toy”. His mate had an old Katana with no oil (the head had lifted when he was testing the top speed and dumped the oil over the back of the bike). But it was still running. Had a good chat with them on the boat – may see them at the NEC.

 

Once into Britain, we hit the motorways. What a difference. Slow, crowded and bad drivers. I want to go back to France please !

 

And that’s it. Holiday over. Back to normality.

 

Summary

 

We did a total of 3,500 miles in 2 weeks. We hit 3 foreign countries and saw more scenery than most would see in 2 years. Apart from Jim’s off, we had a great time and would do it again – but not in a caravan.

 

All the bikes performed perfectly. Gary’s Kawasaki was burning oil. Norma’s used about a pint every 1,000 miles, but that is normal for a Bandit. The VFR did what it was designed to do – tour and scratch with the best of them.

 

The VFR and the Bandit had almost identical fuel consumption. The VFR has a bigger tank and can therefore go further. But we stopped every hour or two anyway so it was never a problem (apart from once). Mileage was around 45 mpg at speeds up to 100 and 40 for higher speeds. That was fully loaded and mainly in top gear.

My VFR has been modified a bit to make it better for long distance work. I have Genmar bar risers and a redesigned seat. These mods mean I can sit on the bike all day, do 500+ miles and still get off at the end and not feel any discomfort. I also have a throttle lock so I can rest my right hand occasionally. I did not need to use it very much.

The bike was most comfortable at speeds over 90. That is where the wind counteracts the ’lean-forward; the best. I cruised at speeds of up to 125 with full luggage and no problems at all. The only issue was with crosswinds when I had a tail pack and all the luggage on.

The intercoms worked well and we could talk at speeds of up to 100. Over that, wind noise was interfering too much.

I checked but never adjusted the chain (once it was set right) or the tyre pressures on either bike. The Scottoiler worked well once it was turned up a bit and I used about ½ the touring reservoir over the 3,500 mileage. Norma’s was empty by the time we got there and the chain needed lubing every two days.