I must admit I do prefer the minimum amount to take. And just enjoy the ride, like every said it is alot more biker friendly then England.:fart:

Hey Tony, firstly I'm sure you'll have a load of fun and no doubt plenty of worries, but also tales to tell.
I did my first continental trip last year on my Guzzi V11 with a mate on his 1150RS. We caught the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, a good choice as it meant we were up at a reasonable time, but could also have a few cheeky vimtos the night before. The ferry guys strapped the bikes down with their own straps. With something like the Tenere, see if you can get them to strap round the rear pillion pegs, or through the pillion peg loop. Saves damaging the seat. Mine's been across to Eire and back, and on several smaller ferries around the Western Isles and hasn't fallen over.
We'd got a rough route in mind and were heading to Millau where my mate's dad would meet us, having ridden up from Faro.
We made better time than we thought we would and had already decided to just stop where we fancied rather than pre booking. There are loads of campsites in France and that was our intended way of sleeping.

We were in Millau in two days, and on the third day, in a huge storm my worst fear was realised and the Guzzi broke down with an electrical fault (reg/rec). I limped it to a bodyshop who were open and were kind enough to let me strip the bike and diagnose the fault, despite me not speaking even basic french. As said, a phrase book goes a long way, and every person I met in France was genuinely helpful and pleasant. I'd got breakdown cover before I left so it ended up with the bike being taken to the nearest (!) Guzzi dealer in Toulouse whilst I stayed in Albi, the breakdown cover paid for the hotel, a hire car, and the transport of the bike. I headed to Carcassonne to catch up with my riding mates for a day off, then whilst I shuttled back and forth between Carcassonne and Toulouse they headed off and we agreed to meet in northern Spain.

I got the bike back and managed to get down to St Gaudens for the night and the hotel propietor was kind enough to let me park up under his front canopy so he could keep an eye on the bike. Hotels in france are graded by what they provide so you may find a 1* is nicer than a 3*, this was certainly the case with the Albi hotel (3*) versus the 1* B&B in Carcassonne.

Anyway, take time to eat on the road; those early morning boulangerie breakfasts of croissant jambon et fromage with an orange juice take some beating, and with lunch being the main meal of the day you can give yourself a good feed in the littler village by looking for a bar/restaraunt and going for the menu du jour (menu of the day). My best meals were in the old cite in Carcassonne, and between Toulouse and Carcassonne in Villenouvelle have menu du jour. a couple of hours well spent.

I took way too much stuff; due to the terrible weather I didn't need my hood jeans, and we only ended up camping for one night.

I could've done the whole trip with only a fistful of euros and the clothes on my back if I'd wanted, but we had plans, and even the best plans go awry.

Once you've packed your bike, take it for a run to find out how it feels, and if you've got anything loose.

Fuel was no problem, and Spain was definitely cheaper than France. We sailed back from Bilbao, which is a horrible place.

Enjoy it, bet you are excited already.

Oh maps, I bought one of the indestructible biker maps from Motrax and just noted a few towns/villages on a scrap of paper on my tank bag. As long as you go roughly the right way you'll end up there. We only used the Autoroutes twice; once to leave Le Havre for a short distance, and once to make some time up past Limoges. aside from that it was all little roads.

Sorry if any offence was caused. Not intended.

Wet wipes

France and Spain can be done with the clothes on your back, passport & credit card, your never far from home and/or civilization if something happens to go wrong.

That being said obviously taking some basic things with you will make life easier and a lot cheaper.

Last time I went over the water for a week I took the following:

On me
Clothes & Bike Gear ofc
Ear Plugs if not using Headphones
Oxford Comfy neck warmer thingy
Summer Gloves

Tankbag
Rugged Map - A5 map that is water and rip proof - fits nicely in map pocket
Phone & Charger
Waterproofs
Mp3 Player
Passport
Wallet (Credit Cards, Cash, Driving License)
Winter Gloves

Backpack
2 pairs of jeans
2 Casual Shirts
2 T-shirts
5 Boxers/Socks
Travel Towel
Mini tube of toothpaste & showergel

Done.

Everywhere I stayed was either on a friends sofa (people I met when over in Australia) or Youth Hostels ( www.hostelworld.com is your friend long as you don't mind sharing with people)

Cheap as chips and not bogged down with useless stuff.

edit: Traveling light is something you just get used to, 1st time you go out you take everything including the kitchen sink. After a couple days or when the journey is over you think WTF?! why did I bring that or why didn't i take that?! and you learn for next time :)

Thanks DickYC

c'mon group hug. We're all in this for the love of bikes.

:grouphug5:

Accepted.

capt'n - we need a 'sarcasm' font! (I'm having a wild stab in the dark and guessing it was sarcasm ?)

For me or the trip ? :pjrlaugh_61OD3G:

For the trip

Again guys this is all good stuff. Just to tackle the many posts already gone, the reason for my original post is to get oppinions. GULGO is clearly a thorough and methodical person. That is what I am like much to my annoyance if I am honest. As the Capt says I am only going to Spain and I agree I like the idea in his post about B&B etc.

After due consideration I can see my first edition list is overkill and to be honest I have pretty much decided to B&B/motel it as I dont have to gear up with camp stuff and lug it about. This trip may only be a one off, it is something I feel I need to do and have the opportunity to do next year.

I want to consider all the options and then take a view and plan accordingly to what I am happy with. I am starting to get a picture of what I am going to do. I am starting to realise that its not exactly 3rd world places I am going so I am going to put faith in the XT to deliver me to my destination with a minimum of fuss and kit. That said there are a few things I will most certainly want to take.

I truly value all your oppinions. Thank you.

Anyone offering any odds on that ? A small wager perhaps ?