Deleted account 211025001
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Route Napolean in December
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What's wrong with salted roads?
Oh yeah, I forgot, you ride a WC
Andres
Nothing as long as you can wash the bike after a day's ride in it because no amount of FS365 or ACF50 will ensure that your bike remains corrosion free after weeks of winter riding.
P.S. I have ridden all 3 generations of the 1200GS and I ride them all year round as I don't have a car, so I am well versed in cleaning and salt protection.
I drove over the Alps yesterday and there are green fields and sunshine at the moment, a bit chilly at minus 3 but probably the best December driving weather we have seen in these part for many years. However, condition can change rapidly in these parts, a plan B (hire a van to get the bike out or take a motor rail) could prove to be worthwhile.
Ok I live in the South of France and today has been 13 degrees with clear skies and brilliant sunshine. Normally in December it drops down to 5 degrees at the altitude on the Route Napoleon. It's been a very strange year with a lot of rain from September onwards. I expect snow by month end and temperatures dipping further. I still ride but never before 10am in the morning and after 4pm in the afternoon. 12 years living here and 38 touring or staying around here. You take the chance!
You posed a genuine question and if you look beneath the mild piss taking the answers are there. Nobody knows, but if it were me, I wouldn't be going anywhere near the mountains at this time of year.. If you're traveling with just 1 bike motorail can be expensive as you pay for a car space (2 bikes can share a space).
If you really want good weather South East Coast of Spain will probably be a safer bet, but it's a bloody long way to ride. Fly ride to Malaga? Plenty of companies hire bikes and flights are cheap. Or wrap up warm, stick to the peage, base yourself near the med and see what the weathers like in the mountains before committing to riding up there. That's what I would do (have done)
If you really want good weather South East Coast of Spain will probably be a safer bet, but it's a bloody long way to ride. Fly ride to Malaga? Plenty of companies hire bikes and flights are cheap. Or wrap up warm, stick to the peage, base yourself near the med and see what the weathers like in the mountains before committing to riding up there. That's what I would do (have done)
What's wrong with salted roads?
Oh yeah, I forgot, you ride a WC
Andres
Nothing wrong with salted roads. My problem is roads that aren't salted.
Providing one can find a hose to rinse the bike at end of each day I don't think there's much to worry about even with an LC
My goal is to reach Greece from where I can get a ferry to ultimate destination so renting a bike in Malaga sounds like a good idea it doesn't fit in with my plans.
From the advice given it would appear train from Paris to nice will take the risk out of getting caught out in adverse conditions.
Many thanks to everyone for taking their time to respond and share their knowledge and experience with me.
From the advice given it would appear train from Paris to nice will take the risk out of getting caught out in adverse conditions.
Many thanks to everyone for taking their time to respond and share their knowledge and experience with me.
Just a heads up if you are thinking of going via motorrail from paris to the south of france, there are only a couple of days left in december to travel on, the 19th and 26th, at a cost of 135 euro for bike, and then add in a single passenger fair of 40 euro and thats one way for both, if you want it cheaper you have to book early.
david a hall
Registered user
I've had roads shut due to snow in June and July when a few days earlier it's been mid 20's, so no I have no knowledge of that early in the year, but as average temperatures are so low everywhere up high it will be very cold and the local authorities won't go out of their way to clear the high passes every few days so once they are shut they usually stay that way for some months! If you don't mind missing the higher roads you might make it but they are the reason you do ride these routes (or they are for me)
Good luck if you go for it perhaps with global warming you will make it
having worked for the lord yesterday I thought I'd visit the world of science today.
attached is a windchill calculator, let's suppose as I'm only making a guess your stopping in Northern Italy.
On the forum are plenty 1,000 miles in a day riders, but let's say you are only able to safely do 300 a day. I also met a couple of guys from here who all they do is ride the passes. So you might want to search out some of their write ups, I say might you may have other divine insight mere stupid folk are simply not privy to.
Anyway London down towards Lyon, Grenoble heading for Nice, San Remo direction you could stop in Genova that's about a 1,000 miles so you could do it in a day....
I would suggest a slightly more accurate plan but that's up to you.
the season average temperatures are for Grenoble area charts are attached by link, I couldn't be bothered looking in January / Feb and working out a three month average.
https://weatherspark.com/averages/32103/12/Grenoble-Rhone-Alpes-France
but it suggests -0 on a good day extending to -9 on a bad with lower there's about 8 hours possibly less of day light
which would suggest you need an average speed of 45-55mph around 100Kph
if the windchill chart is right your looking at an effect of anything from -22 to -30, so this has got the classic forum write all over.
I look forward to reading all about it, the more popular trip south. is also an eye opener as there's a point you feel the weather break and that really lifts you up. Sadly that's a trip south and not the direction your going in, The east if your unlucky it just gets colder. watch the weather cos you won't want to be riding into a front that could be rolling in
attached is a windchill calculator, let's suppose as I'm only making a guess your stopping in Northern Italy.
On the forum are plenty 1,000 miles in a day riders, but let's say you are only able to safely do 300 a day. I also met a couple of guys from here who all they do is ride the passes. So you might want to search out some of their write ups, I say might you may have other divine insight mere stupid folk are simply not privy to.
Anyway London down towards Lyon, Grenoble heading for Nice, San Remo direction you could stop in Genova that's about a 1,000 miles so you could do it in a day....
I would suggest a slightly more accurate plan but that's up to you.the season average temperatures are for Grenoble area charts are attached by link, I couldn't be bothered looking in January / Feb and working out a three month average.
https://weatherspark.com/averages/32103/12/Grenoble-Rhone-Alpes-France
but it suggests -0 on a good day extending to -9 on a bad with lower there's about 8 hours possibly less of day light
which would suggest you need an average speed of 45-55mph around 100Kph
if the windchill chart is right your looking at an effect of anything from -22 to -30, so this has got the classic forum write all over.
I look forward to reading all about it, the more popular trip south. is also an eye opener as there's a point you feel the weather break and that really lifts you up. Sadly that's a trip south and not the direction your going in, The east if your unlucky it just gets colder. watch the weather cos you won't want to be riding into a front that could be rolling in
Attachments
Are you gonna fit a Shytebag ??
Could come in useful.
Could come in useful.
I think you should ride it, prove yourself the bigger bloke.
I think you should ride it, prove yourself the bigger bloke.
I'm still tempted to ride it there but the maths suggests otherwise.
£650 to ship it and a couple of hundred max for customs clearance
Riding is going to cost me ferry from Dover plus approx £230 for train to Nice then ferry from Italy to Greece £150 and another €700 from Greece to Haifa plus fuel, tolls and hotels on route.
Unlikely to have a great deal of fun riding in current climate so think shipping makes more sense.
forget the money think of the pain......!
otherwise you give me no option but to call you a big pooofter if you bottle it.......... you gave a devil may care opener and wanted adventure and when your presented with one you bottle out at the first step......... is this the face of a BMW adventure rider, in my opinion it's a poor show mate.... so crack on ride it and write it up....!
otherwise you give me no option but to call you a big pooofter if you bottle it.......... you gave a devil may care opener and wanted adventure and when your presented with one you bottle out at the first step......... is this the face of a BMW adventure rider, in my opinion it's a poor show mate.... so crack on ride it and write it up....!
Road Runner
Registered user
I don't post on here often but I have enjoyed this thread.
This is what we came across in December and that's only half way down.
This is what we came across in December and that's only half way down.
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