OP, these posters are selling you shit. Just keep a pound of butter in the fridge.
off to France in a couple of weeks... do our bikes have headlight for LHS driving?
- Thread starter beaver
- Start date
> Pick your destination town for the evening
> Select minor roads to play on (& yes, there are squillions of them)
> Get onto booking.com & select your digs (other hotel booking sites are available)
> Enjoy your trip
Nuff said
Jeez, just to put that into perspective I've ridden with mates over the Alps to the south of France 3 times in the last 3 years including this year. Never been stopped once, dont carry V5 or insurance docs, no reflective stickers on helmet, no breathyliser, no EC rated gloves. Stick vaguely to the speed limits on autoroutes, major roads and in towns. Give it the beans on minor roads and enjoy the scenery, food and wine
Whilst your credentials as a gung-ho, balls out bikermate of the first order are obvious, not having your documents is just foolish. They weigh nothing but if stopped, a failure to produce can often leave you with an on the spot fine, well in excess of the fine (or just a wrist / bum slap) for the offence you were originally stopped for.
The French police sometimes run simple document checks, too. These require no offence to have been committed, just a spot check on the vehicle’s provenance and the driver. Again, a failure to produce can result in a fine and / or a delay to your onward hooning.
The possible consequences of having no documents in the event of an accident abroad involving a third party - and maybe plod - are obvious; though a “Fuck you, mate” might get you out of the problem.... or not.
Whoosh!
+1 Shit does happen, don't make worse. Trying to find someone to find your docs at home, then copy them, then email it to you, then get it printed out somewhere while the police tap their feet is not a good way out of a problem. It is quite likely that it is your mates trying to sort out your mess if you get carted away to a cell/hospital, make it easy for them.
I take high quality copies of the V5. The quality is that good that a year after selling a bike I discovered tthat I had sold it using the copies.
What some bods sometimes fail to appreciate is that France (and many other countries) is not the same as the UK. For example, the French have an identity card, we don’t. Similarly, they have a law that requires the evidence of insurance to be displayed in the windscreen / fork stanchion, we don’t. Not least, the French have a requirement that the vehicle’s ‘papers’ are carried with the vehicle and made available for inspection on demand; we don’t.
Not having the all the papers only confuses French plod and irritates them. It’s no great defence that, “English laws is well different, mate”.
Not having the all the papers only confuses French plod and irritates them. It’s no great defence that, “English laws is well different, mate”.
Well said...I was stopped last year in France; I presented all my documents to the gendarmes, remained polite & respectful & spoke in my best French to them.
Not once did they look around the bike @ VIN number, reg plate....they were more interested in my travel plans, and if I was carrying any weapons/firearms (fortunately none on this trip).
Once they were happy, they bid me bon voyage & I was off.
This incident of course, was highly entertaining to Nutty who was giggling his nutz off, as he tried to make me laugh by way of intercom jokes & animal impressions
#bikermates
If you're going away on a trip on your bike, the best bit of advice i can give is to stop reading posts on here..... because if you dont.......
Your final drive will explode, in the fast lane.
Your Bike will get stolen.
The feds will lock you up, impound your bike and you'll need a mortgage to get it back.
A terrorist will attack you. not just anyone, YOU.
Your TFT will fail. Or get nicked. But then you realise you didn't have TFT,
Att will turn up at your hotel, in the single bed next to you.
Your spokes will all fall out, in the fast lane.
The National police will assault you for not having a sticker on your helmet.
Stop reading at least one month before your trip and all will be fine, apply some common sense.
Enjoy
Your final drive will explode, in the fast lane.
Your Bike will get stolen.
The feds will lock you up, impound your bike and you'll need a mortgage to get it back.
A terrorist will attack you. not just anyone, YOU.
Your TFT will fail. Or get nicked. But then you realise you didn't have TFT,
Att will turn up at your hotel, in the single bed next to you.
Your spokes will all fall out, in the fast lane.
The National police will assault you for not having a sticker on your helmet.
Stop reading at least one month before your trip and all will be fine, apply some common sense.
Enjoy
Well said...I was stopped last year in France; I presented all my documents to the gendarmes, remained polite & respectful & spoke in my best French to them.
Not once did they look around the bike @ VIN number, reg plate....they were more interested in my travel plans, and if I was carrying any weapons/firearms (fortunately none on this trip).
Once they were happy, they bid me bon voyage & I was off.
This incident of course, was highly entertaining to Nutty who was giggling his nutz off, as he tried to make me laugh by way of intercom jokes & animal impressions
#bikermates
That was one of the highlights of last years holibob.
Bendy toy
Registered user
In the rest of Europe they insure the driver not the car. People are also required to carry personal ID.
So carry your papers and be nice to the police. Problem solved.
Don’t forget the roadside recovery for when your fuel strip / final drive / engine falls out. And always carry a spare engine oil can.
So carry your papers and be nice to the police. Problem solved.
Don’t forget the roadside recovery for when your fuel strip / final drive / engine falls out. And always carry a spare engine oil can.
LOL.... question was only about the lights!!
First time ever (because my Son is on the back).. I taken out travel insurance £30 and recovery £33... all the rest of the times I've been, I've just jumped onboard and gone... had my ZZR explode in Spain.. but got back...
Sure it will be fine if the old back holds out!!...
First time ever (because my Son is on the back).. I taken out travel insurance £30 and recovery £33... all the rest of the times I've been, I've just jumped onboard and gone... had my ZZR explode in Spain.. but got back...
Sure it will be fine if the old back holds out!!...
As before, do you make this stuff up?
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As before...yes he does....
In Germany the vehicle is insured. As long as you are qualified to drive it.......all ok.
fred_jb
Registered user
Actually that is how we do insurance in the UK - the driver is insured to drive a particular vehicle which is why you have to add spouse or partner to the policy as a named driver if you want them covered to drive it. Most policies also give you reduced cover, usually basic third party, to drive other vehicles so long as they don't belong to you.
I think that in the rest of Europe, as in Germany, it is more common for the vehicle to be insured rather than a specific driver or drivers.
fred_jb
Registered user
I'm still a little unsure about the acceptability of DRL versus dipped headlight in France as I have read you should only use the latter. I didn't bother changing this when I was in France lately. The bike does automatic switching between DRL and dipped headlight, and switches DRL off and headlight on whenever reduced light is detected either at night or in a tunnel, which I would have thought is enough to keep you legal, though the auto switching can turned off if you want to manually select which light to have on. I would rather leave it in auto.
fred_jb
Registered user
In the setup menu you set DLIGHT to OFF - page 54-55 in my 2017 bike's menu. Once off you toggle between them manually with light switch on the left bar.
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