Couple of questions from a touring newbie

Beware;

Just passed through Portsmouth (Sunday) on return from France, I have a BMW Carbon 7 Flip which clearly shows my face, was asked in a aggressive tone to remove my helmet. questioned why and was told again in a aggressive tone ... Quote "If you don't remove your Helmet you will be detained and denied entry to UK" I complied and muttered something like bloody jobsworth, they held my passport for a minute photographed it and told me I was to reported for abusing a Border Force Officer.

Big sign as you approach the passport office says please remove your helmet, they are just doing their job….
 
You have asked two or more questions in one post, OP.

1. Tank bag or something else

Everyone will have their own favourite idea and / or ‘must do’. You’ve decided that you don’t want to use a tank bag, so don’t use one. By the time you get to Berlin and back, you’ll know if you were right or wrong. Then, when you come to your next jaunt, you’ll know what (if anything) to maybe change.

2. Helmet

It’s your head, not mine or someone else’s. Just because there is a picture of several bods with flip front helmets, doesn’t mean that you have to have one, too. Find a helmet that fits and is comfortable on YOUR head. If that is a full face ‘sports’ type helmet, an open face or an ‘adventure’ thing with a peak or a flip front or one with an integral dark visor or one with integrated Bluetooth or some other combination of parts, it matters not.

Use the BMW jaunt (it will probably be really well organised, catering for all sorts of experience, skills and social abilities) to find out what works for you. You’ll then know for next time.
 
I always choose my helmet purely basing my entire decision over the 10 seconds that it takes to remove the helmet while at the border control two or three times a year.
Everything else is irrelevant :D
 
Maybe it’s just Portsmouth Border Force that insist on it, certainly not been asked in France or Spain.

Police officers aren’t engineers ;)

No they are not, but you would hope the people signing off on kit know what they are doing. Please don't get me wrong, I don't give a flying what helmet anyone wears, its personal choice.
 
I always choose my helmet purely basing my entire decision over the 10 seconds that it takes to remove the helmet while at the border control two or three times a year.

Having cracked the 10 second barrier for helmet removal, now start working on the five minutes it takes to put it back on, preferably the right way round :D

:beerjug:
 
Beware;

Just passed through Portsmouth (Sunday) on return from France, I have a BMW Carbon 7 Flip which clearly shows my face, was asked in a aggressive tone to remove my helmet. questioned why and was told again in a aggressive tone ... Quote "If you don't remove your Helmet you will be detained and denied entry to UK" I complied and muttered something like bloody jobsworth, they held my passport for a minute photographed it and told me I was to reported for abusing a Border Force Officer.
Why not just do as they ask? I dare say if you’d asked a few hundred bikers to remove their helmets so you could check to photo and got some sort of snotty response from each of them you’d be a little bit annoyed as well. I use a flip front & have arrived in Portsmouth from Spain many times. Sometimes opening the front is sufficient, other times need to remove the helmet. I’ve done as asked each time and the Border Force officers have been very pleasant every time and wished me a safe journey home. Different folks different strokes.
 
Not a big deal removing helmet, but have found it unnecessary most of the time. I do have a flip front (Schuberth C4Pro) which is not homologated to ride in open position, unlike previous Shark Evo which I really liked and could afford some decent warm-weather-pootling.

I use a tank bag and if using overnight ferry, make sure I have all over-night kit in it so it is the only thing that needs to leave to bike. (some guy on recent Rotterdam-Hull took all three ali panniers with him to the cabin!! - wtf!) Same could be done using just the topbox bag...

Navigate simply with the satnag but I did carry maps which remained unused.

As far as riding in groups, the hassle and frustration rises exponentially with the number in the group, last tour was four of us. BUT we are used to each other and understand how each of us ride, I might struggle with even that number of unknowns (but then I can be an awkward twat!)
Most importantly, ride your own ride, don't be pulled to go faster than you want, and personally, I nearly fall asleep if the pace isn't what I'm accustomed to.

Have a great time
 


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