Advice for riding in France
Confused about riding in France? Don’t be. Here’s everything you need to know
HOW DO I KNOW WHERE I NEED TO GO?
That’s easy - follow us! We have a range of routes covering most areas of France. There are daytrips, four complete tours and cross-country routes to get you from the Channel ports to where you want to be. As the tours all pass through locations where we have daytrips, any one can easily be extended if you want to take more time somewhere.
If you have a sat nav, you can download our routes to guide you, but road signs in France are clear and easy to follow. As long as you know the names of the towns you need to ride through, it should be fairly easy to find your way around. Bigger town and city centres can get a bit more confusing (though our routes avoid these) but again, a sat nav can make the difference between getting where you want to go quickly and going the long way round the houses.
DO I NEED A SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENCE BEFORE RIDING IN FRANCE?
No. Your standard UK licence is all you need to ride in any European country.
WHAT ABOUT INSURANCE?
All UK insurance covers you automatically for the legal minimum in any EU country (usually Third Party only) so legality isn’t an issue, but if you want the same cover as you have at home, you need to check your policy. Most insurers will cover you for riding in Europe for a number of days - anywhere from 30 to 90 days usually. Most require you to inform them of the dates when you’ll be travelling and the countries you’re visiting.
It may be worth getting travel insurance to cover your trip, but check what your home insurance cover is like: if you’re worried about losing something like a camera or luggage, that may be covered on your household policy. Medical cover may be useful, particularly if it includes repatriation, but check that it will cover you for motorcycling - not all holiday medical cover does.
WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO CARRY WITH ME?
You should take your passport, V5C logbook, your driving licence and your insurance certificate. We’d recommend taking colour photocopies of everything as well, so if there is an incident involving the Gendarmerie, you can let them have a copy of your documents. You also need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which replaced the old E111 scheme and shows that you’re entitled to health care in the European Union (not in Switzerland, if you stray over the border). It’s free, as long as you apply online at www.ehic. org.uk - avoid websites that offer to apply for you, as they may then charge for it.
DON’T I HAVE TO WEAR REFLECTIVE KIT AND CARRY A BREATHALYZER IN FRANCE?
No. Those proposals have all been scrapped. Technically your crash helmet is supposed to have reflective patches on it, but we’ve never had a problem riding without them in France.
DO I HAVE TO CARRY A WARNING TRIANGLE, A HI-VIZ VEST AND SPARE BULBS?
No, yes and maybe. You don’t need the triangle, but as of last year, you do have to carry an approved (to EN471 or EN1150) Hi-viz vest, which you must put on if you have to stop on or by the side of the road following a breakdown or accident, or if you’re in a dangerous position. Contrary to myth, it’s not obligatory to carry spare bulbs but if you’re stopped with a duff one, the police can refuse to let you continue until fixed.
I’VE HEARD THAT OLD BIKES ARE BANNED FROM PARIS - IS THAT TRUE?
Sort of. Bikes first registered before June 2000 are excluded from metropolitan Paris (basically the area contained within the Périphérique ring road) between 8am and 8pm on weekdays. All other vehicles must display a Crit’air sticker to prove they comply with the necessary emissions regulations. The sticker is available from the government’s website at a cost of €4.80. (www. certificat-air.gouv.fr)
WHAT’S THIS ‘PRIORITÉ À DROITE’ BUSINESS ABOUT?
It gives drivers pulling out from the right priority over those already on the road. Less common than it used to be but it’s still in force in some towns and rural areas. On main roads, a junction with priorité à droite should be signalled by a triangular sign with a red border and a black cross on a white background. Elsewhere you’ll see a diamond-shaped sign with a white border and yellow centre - this means your road has priority, while if it has a black diagonal line through it, that says your road