Riding through Spain and the law

dommiek

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Planning to ride from Bilbao to southern Spain in March and uncertain of the law and requirement for motorcyclists. I've not ridden in Europe for about five years and unsure if the law has changed?
Do I need to carry any spares i.e. bulbs, of wear a high viz? Anything I should be aware of?
 
This may help :

 

Wife and I went last year, took the usual documents and a tiny fluo jacket apiece...can't recall us taking anything else
 
I’d create a photo album on both your phones with pics of the following

Driv Lic
V5
Ins
MOT
Travel Ins
Breakdown Cover

Redundancy in case you have a flat battery on phone or god forbid lose one.

Take original V5 and Lic well stowed away.

Most important of all ……

Don’t sweat it, it’s a holiday and it’ll be great.


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Spain really is no different to any other European country, in that you are very unlikely to be stopped in any kind of spot check for anything.

As you are on holiday, away from the UK, take with you the originals documents listed above. By all means store copies on your phone or iPad or away in the cloud. Why take the originals? Should you lose them (really, how likely is that) it’s a lot easier for you to explain to someone in the UK that you’d like a fresh V5 or driving licence, than to some rural policeman in the sun (or pouring rain) that you are carrying only a crumpled copy (made on some shonky ink jet printer from Lidl) or while you try to summon up the cloud with no phone signal.

A fluo jacket / tabard. Again, you’ll very probably not need it and you might, in any case, already ride in one anyway. Why? Having having had to mess about in the falling light on a dangerous bend in Luxembourg, summoning an ambulance to help a rider and pillion who had carried on into the barrier, you are very pleased to be as visible as possible to other vehicles.

Headsets / intercoms? Nobody is going to stop and check you. Unless that is you have committed a crime so heinous, that using a headset is the least of your worries.

As to spare bulbs *, tins of sticking plasters, distress beacons, maps of Poland, an entire apothecary’s, eight pairs of trousers, a tartan flask of brew and letters of introduction from your mum? No, unless you feel you really must.


* Good luck replacing the LED light system on the side if the road, without at least a Swiss Army knife and probably more.
 
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I venture over into Spain now and again, as I am only an hour or so away...Sunglasses, that is all I usually take. :D Oh yeah, my phone so I can take photo`s.

None of the stuff that you are advised to take, no room.

The bandidos can make what they want of that, I have no interest in what they think I should do, they can literally fuck off.(y)
 
Thank you everyone for your replies, so I'll just need to pack a small hi viz and be very careful with the speed limits.
I can't believe 20kph (12mph) in urban areas !
 
I can't believe 20kph (12mph) in urban areas !
Some, maybe:
Built-up areas: 50 km/h on urban roads with two lanes per direction. 30 km/h on urban roads with one lane per direction. 20 km/h on urban roads shared with pedestrians.

I can't recall finding it an issue, we just went with the flow of traffic.
 
I can't believe 20kph (12mph) in urban areas !
As davey said above, it’s just some shared roads.

Everything else is pretty much the same as any other country and, unlike the UK, they are not anal with speed cameras. So you can ride relaxed and at speed where it’s possible (non built areas).

Enjoy.
 
I have been stopped by the police numerous times (fined once more last October) and never asked why no hi vis or if I have an intercom (which I do). I was even nicked for crossing white lines in a traffic jam by a helicopter! The main focus has always been on my credit card. (Even police motorcycles carry a credit card machine, as I discovered).
 
Just take care on road Islands, they are treated differently to most countries, the outside (right hand) lane always has priority

Some good advice here, basically as one guy says, treat them as a dual carriage way that’s going round a tight bend


in reality, no different to the UK, as some people stay in the outermost lane even if doing a 360 degree turn, and then there is the risk of encountering a pastis addled French driver with their arbitrary approach to any form of junction
 
in reality, no different to the UK, as some people stay in the outermost lane even if doing a 360 degree turn, and then there is the risk of encountering a pastis addled French driver with their arbitrary approach to any form of junction

Yes, in France you should never indicate, you’ll lose the element of surprise :rob
 
the secret is to only ride furiously in the mountains where there is no 4G signal. Police won't patrol those areas.
This was in the Picos. Correct no signal. We got on the bikes and rode until he found one. No refund on the fuel used...
 
Go to N332 site it tell yer everything anyone needs to know about almost anything regarding Spain..



Dont fall off - Top tip
Have a great trip
 
Oh final thought from me is even if you get caught its only a fine

No points

Bonus
 


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