Thanks for the tip

Just a quick ‘thank you’ for a recommendation in an earlier issue, of the Bergland Hotel in Salzburg. I spent a week there in June, riding wonderful roads in fantastic weather. The hotel was great with very helpful staff and, in particular, the secure parking compound was useful. Ray Greenhalgh

Testing times

When growing up, I wanted to get my bike licence before I wanted to drive a car, an idea that was swiftly veto’d by my parents. By my 30th birthday, I finally had the time to pass my bike test with the help of the excellent Ipswich Rider Training.

Thrilled at finally being able to own a bike, I visited a number of motorcycle dealers in the East Anglian area to choose the bike to fulfil this dream. However, I was dismayed to find that at the majority of dealers, I wasn’t able to take a test ride as I hadn’t had my licence for a year, or two years in some cases.

I understand dealers are a business and their insurance premiums are an overhead cost but as a 29-year-old with a clean driving licence and no-claims bonus on the vehicles I am licensed to drive, this seems to be a huge barrier to new riders of all ages in choosing the right motorcycle. In the end, I’m pleased to say I was able to locate a dealer who enabled me to take several bikes on a test ride but I still never rode a number of bikes that I would have loved to try before having to make my decision. Alex Hayes

Guide salute

Thank you for the Guide to Spain and Portugal. I got my subscription copy on the Saturday morning and was already booked on the Santander ferry on the Sunday. A rapid change of plan and we followed your Pyrenees and Picos tour – and it was probably the best trip we’ve done. Some long days, but all of them memorable. Thanks again. David Albany

Keeping its range

I smiled at Martins Fitz-gibbons’ Head-to-head on the Honda VFR 1200 (September issue) and was impressed that it got a positive-enough write-up, except for the normal complaint about the tank range of course.

I have to point out that as an owner of a 2015 VFR, I don’t see it as an issue. I have come from sportsbikes (2006 Suzuki GSX-R750) and still have one in the garage (2014 Honda Fireblade) so don’t ride in a conservative manner and I’m getting 200 miles from the VFR tank. I bought the bike in April and have clocked up 3500 miles touring already.

If I had listened to the conclusions from most reviews, I would have missed out on a fantastic bike. After 200 miles, it’s time to stop and smell the coffee — I just wish reviewers would do the same. Paul Murray

March of progress?

In 1993, when there was no Wi-fi, no smartphones, sat navs or even RIDE magazine, I did the first of what turned out to be my annual European bike tours. With nothing booked, armed only with a couple of Michelin maps, a guidebook to Provençe and the South of France and my schoolboy French, I rolled-up at the Dover Hoverport to get on the first available hovercraft.

To mark the 25th anniversary of that trip, my wife and I decided to go back to the same spot on the Mediterranean coast, Saint-cyr-sur-mer, and stayed in the same hotel. This time, Trip Advisor and various websites meant all the accommodation was booked in advance, the excellent routes in the RIDE Guide to France and the Garmin Zumo meant that we knew exactly where we were going and how far we were travelling each day, and Google translate was on hand to deal with any language problems.

In 1993 my Honda CBR1000F seemed the perfect bike for the job: now the BMW R1200GS TE is just that. It’s all got a lot easier in the past 25 years but it is still the best two biking weeks of the year. Can’t wait to see what the next 25 years bring. David Newlyn

Your co-pilot speaking

I read the recent sat-nav phone app test and standalone sat-nav comparison with interest. I decided a few years ago that Copilot on my phone was the best solution for me.

I paid £50 for Western Europe maps, plus free map updates. You can also get traffic updates (for a fee) with a data connection. If you change your phone or it breaks, you can transfer the maps and app to another for free, even if you change from say Windows to Android. My version will also show speed with other display options.

For me, £50 v £500 is a no-brainer. Copilot on my phone has worked fine for several annual trips to Spain. Jeremy Steele

Exhaustive studies

I wish to add to the exhaust debate and agree with Rupert Mindlesohn’s letter in the September issue.

The majority of loud pipes and small number plates are on sportsbikes, whose riders are four times more likely to be involved in a collision than other rider types. They draw attention so when you put a lairy exhaust on, don’t be surprised or complain when it gets the wrong kind of attention. Stuart Appleton