You are used to touring Europe on your own, booking your own hotels but, I read your post correctly, you now favour joining up with others. I guess the reasons why are twofold:
1. You can take advantage of the tour company having taken the grunt out of it. You’ll have your overnight stops marked out and booked, your day to day routes created for you; just rock up and ride away.
2. You gain some company, either during the day or in the evenings.
Both are easily justifiable, you save time and you spend some money. Whether that’s good or bad value, you’ll find out and decide for yourself.
How about a real alternative?
Why not arrange a tour or jaunt (it doesn’t have to be miles or even tens of days away) of your own but then post an open invitation for bods to join you? I ran perhaps 40 or more of these amateur tours over a 10 year period. These ranged from anything between a day or two out in France, to three weeks lapping Germany. If you haven’t done something similar before, try something simle(ish) with a small group (say four bikes) would be my suggestion, maybe to somewhere you are familiar with or maybe adapt one of the RiDE routes that Simon W has suggested, perhaps? Then, if you enjoy it, run another. They get easier and easier as you go along.
Any hints and tips if you do?
1. Whenever possible, everyone start each day with a full tank of fuel. That way everyone starts off at the same point, so it makes fuel stops easier
2. Many bods do not ride long(ish) distances, so they have no real idea of their bike’s real range. It’s very often much further than they think, so there is no need for some to panic when the fuel meter hits half empty. A good rule of thumb is 10 miles per litre of fuel.... now you’ve got them wondering how large their fuel tank is; many bods do not know but some of them will know the cost of fuel to the fraction of a penny and be certain that the latest Michelin tyres are the dog’s bollocks, way better than the last Dunlop tyres, which they loved. I once asked a fellow (full panniers, loads of stickers, extended screen, the full nine yards) how big his tank was? The answer: “No idea, but I usually put £25 to £27 in, sometimes £15 if I am a bit short”, I kid you not.
3. Start, wheels rolling, by 09:30. It’s a simple truth that one hour in the morning translates to two in the afternoon
4. Aim to have a coffee stop mid-morning (say 30 minutes) a lunch break (90 minutes) and an afternoon tea stop, again of 30 minutes
5. If you have a bod with a small fuel tank (see points 1 and 2) don’t worry. I have lead groups on - amongst other things - an HP4 (17 litres) and on a megamotto at 14 litres. We have all made it round. I simply splashed in fuel each time we stopped
6. Try to finish each day, bikes fuelled up, by between 17:30 and 18:30
7. If you have a GPS, the ‘Miles remaining to final destination’ and ‘Arrival time at final destination’ are both really helpful tools. Get to love them..... as you can watch the day vanish!
8. Make a note of what you do, the distances, time taken etc. Your little diary will be invaluable to you by trips, 5, 10, 20......
9. Distances with a group of say six to 10 bikes? 250 miles in a day on French D roads (no goat tracks and and no innumerable left, right, left, left, right turns.... keep it reasonably simple) 350 if you lob in some motorway, too. 10 bikes can be hard work at cafes and lunchtime restaurants and.......
10. Get a decent map. It will one day help you, trust me on that alone