Holidays & Touring

Touring » Holidays & Touring
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This Page is for general Motorcycle Touring Information, equipment, pannier systems, books, reference sites for information...

See separate pages for 'Motorcycle Tour Operators in the UK', 'Tour Operators in Europe' and 'Motorcycle Tour Operators in the rest of the World'.

Getting wired? Here's articles on SatNav using a PDA and Installing a Camera System on a motorcycle.

Best Biking Roads in Europe. Start dreaming of this year's motorcycle touring now.

Found what looks like a good selection of maps at Maps International. Waterproof road maps of Europe, for example. Pocket city maps.

And here is an article what we wrote as a First Timers guide to Motorcycle Touring if you have never done it before.

NEW REGULATIONS

Despite rumours on some sites, you do not need to carry a flourescent safety vest in case of breakdown in Belgium and France. In a car, you do, and you must wear it if you break down by the roadside. But it doesn't apply to motorcycles. We are still checking the situation in Belgium.
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Auto Europe ( actually the whole World )
Car hire. Yep, you need to get from the airport to the wherever you are going. Its a bugger to find who hires cars in Utter BeyondLand. Solution - isn't the internet wonderful :) - these guys cover lots of the world, and can book you a hire car through loads of local and international operators. Just tell them where you are going, and when, and they'll book it....
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Essentials 4 Travel
Good for stuff like 13A plug adapters, so you can plug your shaver into French wall-sockets. Big travel wallets, Road Atlases, ... not specifically a motorbike site, but has some useful stuff hard to get elsewhere.
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Garmin Mobile
You maybe don't want a full SatNav device on your handlebars, you are carrying your smartphone anyway... Garmin are proper GPS suppliers - and they now offer their software to work on your smartphone or Blackberry. Even if your phone doesn't do GPS, if it does Bluetooth, Garmin's dongle gives it proper GPS.
They also do full motorcycle-spec GPS units as well, of course, which you can get to from that link.
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Gear-Zone
Good for Outdoor Kit. Tents, sleeping bags, torches, plates and wee stoves. Waterproofs, stuff sacks and dri-bags.
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Wall Maps
Specialist in Wall Maps. Maps of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, ...all EU countries. Or define your own area and they'll print it. Various world wall maps. All Printed, laminated, or with hanging-it-up things,... Perfect for hanging on the wall and dreaming about travelling :)
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2 Ride The World
Simon & Lisa Thomas riding round the world.
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Adventure Motorcycle
US based magazine.
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Adventure Motorcycle
Dedicated to overland travel by motorbike. Travel stories, touring news, bike reviews, forum.....
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Adventure Rider
Bulletin board / Forum for ...Adventure Riders.
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Adventurers Workshop
Big range of Adventure Touring stuff, mostly for newer bikes, BMW GS, KTM Adventurer, etc. US based, but will ship.
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Alex's BMW
...Motorcycle & Global Touring Page. Guy who likes touring the Alps on a BMW. Top man.
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Alpentourer
Excellent site about Alpine Touring. Passes, hotels, places, ... Good information (some in German).
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AlpineRoads
Alpine Passes listed, wee maps to locate them, places of interest, etc. Also Dolomites. List of where the nearest dealer is for when you break down. Top Pass recommendations. A must-read if you are going to the Alps.
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Alpiraid
Italian bikers who like the Alps. Good information on less well-known and off-road routes.
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AndyStrapz
Expedition Panniers. Soft-luggage alternative to overlanding metal boxes. Also seat-bags, bar-bags, etc. And the webbing straps are way cool. As recommended by Ted Simon, no less.
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Anke & Jan
Homepage reporting about around the world trip which started in Germany 04.08.1999 and finishes in Germany in 200x on two BMW R1100GS.
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Arold Reinders
Arold's trip from The Netherlands to South Africa on an old Yamaha XT500
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Baja GPS Guidebook
Want to ride the Baja Peninsula, with a full set of GPS waypoints and routes. Here it is.
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Bangkok Riders Club
Site for a Motorcycle Club in Bangkok - has a big list of links to stuff about riding in Thailand.
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Bente Bråthen & Dag Jenssen
Married couple from Norway, dedicated to travelling. Most of Spain, a lot of Norway, and North and South America. Also photo galleries from other destinations.
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Bernd Tesch
Professional Motorcycle Adventurer, Motorcycle-Travel-Expert, author, publisher, journalist und survival-trainer. Site sells serious expedition boxes, racks, large fuel tanks, etc.
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Best Biking Roads
Hundreds of the best biking roads in Europe - and some in the US. Posted and reviewed by members.
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Biking in Bangkok
Information about riding in Bangkok. Licences, buying a bike, ...
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Brittany Ferries
Ferries to France from the South Coast: Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth. Also Cork to Roscoff and Plymouth to Santander in Spain.
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Caja Sahel
Adventure touring metal panniers, mounting frames, and accessories.
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Caravan Bargain
Campervans and motorhomes for sale. Only useful if you can get a bike in the back, of course :)
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Caravan Breakers Parts Request
Yet another Parts Request Site. But this one is for Caravan Parts, useful if you are converting a van into a camper.
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Caribou Cases
Tough motorcycle luggage from the US. Tougher than original equipment, but less in-yer-face than ally boxes.
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Carla King - Motorcycle Misadventures
A motorcycle travel writer's writings, readings, journeys, gear, and recommendations. Particularly about motorcycle touring in China.
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Chris Addison
15 month odyssey from Europe, through Asia Minor, the Subcontinent, South East Asia, South Africa to the Middle East, and finally Eastern and Western Europe. Total distance 70,000 km, on a KTM 640 Adventure. June 2000 - September 2001.
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Chris Jones & Spice Griffith
Around The World 101 : No Prequisites Required. Chris and Spice check out the world for a couple years on KLR 650s.
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Chris Scott - Adventure Motorcycling
Web site mentioned in the book. THE book. Adventure Motorcycling Handbook
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Claus Possberg
Serious Adventure Tourer and Photographer.
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Cliff and Jenny
UK to NZ. Two BMW F650s
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Condor Ferries
Ferry company serving Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo and Western France.
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Currency Converter
Dollars to Pounds to Euros, etc.
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CycoActive
US-based. Serious accessories for hardcore offroad adventure touring.
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Dale Borgeson
Motorcycle Touring information for beginners. What to pack, discussin of hard-cases, soft-cases, what tools you need. From a laid back dude with the right attitude.
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Dave & Helen
Rode an Enfield Bullet from India to the UK.
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Dave Barr RTW
RTW on a 1972 Harley-Davidson with two prosthetic legs. Respect.
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David Lambeth
Overland bike preparation expert. Big tanks, bash plates, uprated shocks, luggage racks built, water storage systems, GPS, ....
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Doug DeBen
From Seattle to Tierra Del Fuego, journal and lots of pictures.
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eBookers
Flights, hotels, packages,... Good for the independant traveller to sort out your own hotels and stuff.
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Erin & Chris Ratay
Around-the-World tour, a motorcycle adventure on two BMW bikes that took more than four years (1999-2003)
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European Health Insurance card (EHIC)
About the E111 card. Which isn't a card, and isn't called E111 any more. Its about how to get basic health care abroad.
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Eurotunnel
The Channel Tunnel.
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Expedia
Flights and hotels finder.
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Expedition Support
Over four decades of experience in running and supporting expeditions, small and large, with contacts all over the world. Contact if you are planning a trip and are looking for support or assistance.
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Find a Cyber Cafe
Gotta get your email while travelling ? List of thousands of Cyber Cafes world-wide.
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
International Travel Info from from the FCO. Advice is often over-cautious, and areas they say are dodgy for business travellers are often perfectly fine for an overland biker. Well worth reading for the likes of vaccination advice.
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Formule1 Hotels
Basic and cheap hotel chain across Europe. Usually situated handy for motorways.
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French Roads
Information on the Southern Alps, the bit in Provence which is properly called 'Alps-Maritime'. This area includes the excellent Sospel road, Col de Tende, the fantastic Nice-Geneva route, and others.
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Garmin
GPS units designed for motorcycles, because we need it to be waterproof and tough enough to withstand the vibration.
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Gear Pac
Motorcycle touring gear. Ortlieb bags, tents, stoves, torches....
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Gelert Outdoor Equipment
Camping Equipment manufacturer in Wales. This is the manufacturers own site, useful for browsing stuff. Get the kit in your local or online shop.
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Gites de France
Search for Gites in France. Most will want you to book a week or two, not overnight. Good if you want to base yourself in one area.
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Glen Heggstad
Riding round the world on a 650 BMW.
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Global Bike Travels
Leaving mid-2008, a couple riding round the world, raising money for Motorcycle Outreach. Thats the charity that is carrying on the initiative that Simon Milward helped start in the Phillipines.
BMW
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Go Travel Insurance
They will cover Motorcycle Touring, but not on the standard policy. They have a new policy which definitely does cover us, you may have to ask specifically for it, I'm checking.
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Golden Triangle Rider
Motorcycle touring information in Thailand / Laos / Cambodia. Cross border info, bike rentals & imports. Plus hundreds of trip reports with thousands of photographs on the GT Rider forum.
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gps4touring
Tour Europe on your bike using GPS to find campsites, B&B, gites and great biking roads.
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gps4touring
Motorcycle touring accessories plus GPS coordinates and details of campsites, B&B's, gites and great biking roads throughout Europe.
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Great Divide Ride
Stuff about riding the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico.
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Happy Trails
Specialist dual-sport and adventure touring products. In US, but good for parts you can't get anywhere else. Pivoting bar risers, proper big ally top boxes, one-off pannier racks.
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Horizons Unlimited
Motorcycle Travellers Bulletin Board. One of our favourite bike web sites - if you are a motorcycle traveller or adventure biker in any way, stop in here regularly.
User rating: 10/10 (1 ratings)
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How Far Is It?
Quite cute. Works out the distance between two places in the world. Its as the crow flies, which may not correspond to real life, but it gives you a first approximation. Brussels to Prague is 448 miles.
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International Motorcyclists Tour Club
Club for touring riders. Club nights, meetings throughout UK. Organise groups to go touring together.
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Intl Brotherhood of Motorcycle Campers
Bikers who like camping, mostly in the US.
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Into the Blue
Generic Exciting Stuff. Hangliding days, offroad experiences,.... and classic bike tours
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iSPOG
Nice site about some adventure motorcycle trips.
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Jade Stanley Travel Insurance
They assure me their AXA policy covers Motorcycle Touring.
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Jesse Luggage Systems
Adventure Touring pannier boxes made in USA.
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Jim Rogers
RTW biker, with a rather different view on things. Wrote an excellent book, Investment Biker, highly recommended reading if you understand international trade and commerce.
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JumboGo
Specialist online bookshop for Travel books, maps, phrase books.....
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Kermit Chair
High quality wooden folding chair. Folds to 22''x4''x6''. Expensive, but quality kit. Made in Nashville.
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Khyam Tents
UK Tent manufacturer. Does quick-erect and geadesic types. Sleeping bags, groundsheets and tent carpets. Carpets!
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Kiwi Bikers
New Zealand Biker Scene
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Kiwi Bob
Jesse Luggage Systems, nicely shaped ally panniers for BMWs. And BMW GS exhausts. Based in Germany.
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Lonely Planet
Guidebooks and travel resources. Specific guides to cities/areas can be bought and downloaded online.
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Mono-Trail
Single wheeled touring motorcycle trailer to tow behind your bike.
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Motor Home Hire
Portal for motor-home hiring throughout the world.
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Motorbike Routes
Online resource for motorbike routes and services. Routes in various formats downloadable to your GPS.
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Motorbikes and Parts UK
Luggage Specialists dealing in Givi, Kappa, Hepco&Becker, Shad, Krauser, SW-Motech and others.
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MotorCamping EU
site where you can find all biker-friendly camp-sites, hotels and B&B inside Europe.
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MotorTouring.com
Roadbooks and GPS routes. Site in Dutch only.
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Nick and Lesley Poole
Round the world trip, regular report/updates
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Nutt Travel
Ireland / UK Ferry crossing specialists.
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Off Road Skills
Ride around the world like Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Simon Pavey is the guy who taught them off-road skills in South Wales. He can teach you to survive the Dakar as well.
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OnBikeScotland
Selling on-bike DVDs of The Best Biking Roads of Scotland.
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Overland Solutions
Rally and Touring Equipment and Bike preparation. Jerry Cans, Zega Boxes, Mondo Enduro DVDs.
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P&O Ferries
Dover-Calais; Hull-Rotterdam; Hull-Zeebrugge; Portsmouth-Bilbao.
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Pottertons Cases
Long established British company make various containers & cases - including nice waterproof Aluminium Boxes which work great as a top-box. That and a set of soft panniers, you are good to go. Based Leicester.
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Revpack
Tough and stylish throwover bags for touring.
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Rohan
Functional travel clothing. Lightweight, non-iron, roll up small stuff that will fit in your panniers easy, and look smart when you go out. Or do you want to live in the sweaty leathers you have been riding in all day?
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Rough Guides
Travel Guides, site has some information online.
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Round Britain Rally
Touring and photographic event
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SMILEYs Links
Thailand Motorcycle Touring Information.
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Smoky Mountain Connection
They live to bring riders to the Smoky Mountains. Free maps, rides, roads, where to stay and what to do, have it all.
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South American Explorers
Information on Travelling in South America. Not specifically motorbike-related, but loads of good information on the countries, visa requirements, etc, etc.
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SpeedFerries
Fast Ferry from Dover - Boulogne
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Steam Packet
The Ferry company that goes to the Isle of Man.
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Teambuctou
Andrea Mayer Reisen
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Ted Simon - Jupitalia
The seminal Jupiter's Travels author does it again.
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Thailand Riding Information
About motorcycling in Thailand - by Lawrence Wheeler
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Tour Europe Organisation
Contemplating a trip into Europe. Generic info, but covers bikes too.
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Touratech
Proper adventure touring kit. Ally boxes, stuff sacks, GPS, ....
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Tourist Offices
Partial, but useful, list of national Tourist Offices. Lists the ones that have offices in the UK. French tourist office, German Tourist Office, Japan Tourist Office, .....
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Trans-Atlantic Bikeshare
Club whose members are willing make their bikes avaiable to other club members - worldwide.
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Transworld Surplus
Ex-army surplus. Very useful, rugged quality, and incredibly cheap, stuff for camping.
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Travel by GPS
GPS Maps for on and off road sightseeing, free downloads of waypoints and stuff. Mostly for kikers and backpackers.
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Travel-Dri
Waterproof roll bags, torches, all sorts of cool touring stuff.
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Trophy Tec
Ruggedized navigation and comms equipment for serious off-road and overlanding.
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TWin's & TWige's TW Site
Site of two YAMAHA TW Trailway fans who went on holidays with it: Tips, Routes, Road-book, Pictures,...
Yamaha
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Ultra Blade
Motorcycle Touring Tips for France & Spain
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US Govt International Travel Info
Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets from the US Govt.
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Vector Maps
In German, has online some large images of maps of various bits of Europe. Not detailed enough to take with you, but good enough for a quick printout.
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VIP Pole Position Travel
Specialists in VIP travel to MotoGP events world wide - individual, corporate, groups.
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Wolfman
Soft luggage for motorcycles and recreational vehicles. Looking for a UK distributor.
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Yahoo Motorcycle Adventure Touring Group
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