The home of automatic scootering

Three wheels on my wagon

Let me give you some background to this trip made with my 25-year-old daughter in May 2009. I’m a mother of two, happily married and have a passion for two wheels - something which is not shared by my long suffering husband. I’ve had my motorcycle licence for 25 years, had most types of bikes, but never considered a Piaggio MP3. I took an MP3 250 out for a test ride and wasn’t sure what to make of it. I had a Vespa GTS250 and could see little reason to change.

However, after borrowing the demonstrator from The Scooter Shop, Cleethorpes and taking it for a longer ride, I changed my mind. Comfort was superb, the ride was relaxing and once you get used to the extra front end weight, you forget about having two front wheels. I originally bought the 250 version, but have since purchased the MP3 400. At start-off it’s more delayed than the 250, but after that it’s a meaty, trustworthy workhorse which does pretty much all that’s asked of it, with plenty of midrange pull.

After the suggestion about touring France, I sorted out accommodation, booked the ferry and rode to Bath (250 miles away) to pick Rosie up. Trip preparations had been routine. The rear tyre had plenty of tread, although having done 2500 miles (the MP3 250 rear was bald at that mileage) I wasn’t sure how many miles we’d clock up and had a new one put on. Then everything was checked and the luggage was loaded into my 42 litre Givi scooter panniers which came with rain covers and bungees to stop them flapping.

To protect the scooter’s paintwork, I covered each side with clear plastic (it peeled off without leaving marks afterwards and scuff marks). I did a test run to see how they lasted, which was just as well, because the bungees I’d used chewed through and were dangling down, useless. These were replaced with longer bones going round the front, above the petrol filler and around the back, above the number plate. This held the bags in place brilliantly. To fasten them across the bike there’s one thin long strap with a plastic buckle and two wider straps with Velcro on. Because of the width of the seat, one strap went underneath, fastened loosely (otherwise the seat wouldn’t catch) and the other stretched over the seat top. It was a fiddle to get right, but the seat catch and the rear strap are right in each other’s way otherwise. The cavernous Piaggio MP3 topbox held an overnight bag plus any waterproofs, etc, (stuff we might need in a hurry).

The journey down was mostly dry but windy, which made it interesting! Rosie was still working when I arrived, but our Portsmouth crossing was at 11.30pm, so she didn’t need to take a day off, since it’s only an hour-and-a-half from her house to the port. I packed the bike with the bags she’d left and waited for her, putting something under the seat that wouldn’t go in the side panniers. Closing the seat, I looked for the key - now safely locked under the seat!

Panic set in, so I called Glyn at The Scooter Shop (Piaggio dealers extraordinaire!), who also happens to be a good friend. I told him not to laugh and asked him what I could do? He asked if I had the spare with me: “Yes”, I said. “Under the seat!” After much head scratching, panic plus a sore arm and hand, I eventually got access. We got to Portsmouth in good time, even though we got lost and backtracked - and that was with sat nav! There weren’t many people onboard plus about eight bikes in total. The MP3 caused much discussion.

Arriving in France, we were second off the ferry. I’d read that Caen’s ring road was one of the three most dangerous roads and roundabout routes in France. This bothered me a little but among traffic, I didn’t know what the fuss was about? Avoiding the peage, we headed south through Le Mans and Tours, where I hoped to detour along the Loire before cutting south. I’d anticipated all forms of weather - except fog, which didn’t improve until Le Mans, where we filled up.

The bike holds 12 litres and under normal usage averages around 68mpg. The bike has an onboard computer display with two trip meters, so I used Trip A for miles between fill-ups and Trip B for measuring long trips, like this one. The Le Mans petrol station took UK credit cards (a point to watch for). At this point the sun made an appearance and things seriously heated up. We got to Tours OK, but taking the scenic route along the north side of the Loire towards Amboise, life became unbearably hot and we stopped to make serious clothing adjustments. Several layers and many miles later we arrived at our overnight stop in Bonnilly near Argenton-Sur-Creuse. The welcome received was lovely and the accommodation is recommended. Hosts Malcolm and Edward were friendly with great cooking skills and made their home feel like ours.

After a good night’s rest we left for our destination in the Auvergne. The roads were small and the journey wasn’t as quick as we’d thought, although we were in no hurry. We eventually needed fuel and the culture difference became evident when we found the petrol station closed for a lengthy lunch. The out of hours credit/debit card option wasn’t one we enjoyed, since the machine only accepted French bank cards. With no option, we limped along to a larger town. It was a close call.

The next four days were spent around the Auvergne with excellent roads, and scenery littered with volcanoes. We went up the Puy de Dome (I think, the largest in the area). The road goes around the outside like a helter skelter with brilliant views and you can look down onto Clermont Ferrand with all the surrounding craters. One afternoon we were accompanied by our friend, Nigel, up to Puy de Sancy (a seasonal ski resort). The morning weather had been OK, but not great, but we went anyway.

Later it started raining and became more persistent, but occasionally stopped, making good photos as steam rose off the roads. Reaching the top, there was plenty of snow about and the temperature dropped sharply. Rosie was frozen on the back, but I had heated grips, giving some relief, although our gloves were wet through. I keep a spare pair under the seat which also meant they were warm, so she had these, but I still felt bad for her. On returning to our base, Sarah (Nigel’s wife) greeted us with how lovely and warm the afternoon had been!

We had a return crossing booked for Monday night. The ferry sailed around 10.30pm local time, so we needed to arrive around 45 minutes before. We left at 8am, getting as many miles under the belt as possible before lunchtime. Although the ride to Mont Lucon was direct and shorter, we opted for the peage at Pontgibaud. This felt further, but quicker. We had two petrol stops, one detour to find petrol (due to a misleading French signpost) and a 40 minute coffee stop before reaching Le Mans.

Overall, the return journey was 420 miles and we reached Caen around 4pm in plenty of time. We stayed off the motorway after Le Mans, but overall averaged 70mph. We ate before heading to the port, where we played cards to pass the time. The evening weather was warm and it was a shame we hadn’t slowed down to enjoy it.

Being the Monday after the Le Mans Moto GP, there were lots of bikes onboard, but the MP3 got the usual interest. The next morning we were off the ferry and two hours later, entered rush hour traffic before arriving back at Rosie’s house. The bike was filthy and we were tired, but we’d had a good holiday. After unpacking Rosie’s stuff, I left, only to be greeted on the M4 by torrential rain and gusting high winds which pretty much summed up my entire journey back.

I’d initially worried whether riding on the right would be a problem? It wasn’t. Would the roads and signs be tricky? They weren’t. Are car drivers friendly? They are. Would it be easy to park your bike? Anywhere really. The roads are great. What hits you most is the amount of money they seem to be spending on new road systems and the good condition of the ones they already have.

Our first bike trip abroad and we’d covered approximately 1800 miles, effortlessly. The MP3 never missed a beat. Fully loaded, I didn’t notice any significant difference in handling, even with the extra passenger weight. Fuel economy averaged 61mpg, which considering the scooter was ridden hard, was good. The MP3 is effortless, comfortable riding. If it’s loaded with luggage it’s much easier for the pillion to get on or off since you can lock off the wheels! I never had to take the weight of it and Rosie never had a problem with the panniers and topbox.

What would I do differently? Not much, except go for longer! Would I recommend the MP3 for touring? Most certainly! I mentioned the speed and fuel economy only because a lot of people don’t appreciate the performance and capability of the scooter - and that’s two-up. The only limit to this scooter’s touring capability is the outlook and confidence of the rider.

DO’S AND DON’TS

DO: - Perform a test run with the bike ‘loaded’ with the gear you’re taking to make sure it works and is balanced properly. Leaving it until the last minute is not a good idea! - Get your bike properly prepared before leaving. Check tyres and get it serviced. - Take spare gloves and over gloves. There’s nothing worse than riding in wet ones! - Plan your trip and pack so that the most important things are accessible. - Put your pannier contents in waterproof bags. I used black rubble bags (having also used vacuum roll bags for the clothes) since these are good, thick bags and you won’t put holes in them. - Fill up in the UK before getting on the ferry. It’s much cheaper here! - Make sure you have a couple of debit/credit cards with you as well as cash for petrol. - You must take spare light bulbs when travelling abroad and some basic tools. A torch is worth taking too, just in case. - If you are taking a pillion think about an intercom. I wouldn’t be without mine on a long trip. - Have a rough idea of petrol stops and large supermarkets (Carrefour, LeClerc etc) which are good for fuel, whether manned or not. - Relax and enjoy the riding. The roads are so much easier than here because of less traffic and the drivers are more aware of bikes. - Allow some recovery time when you get back. It’s fun but exhausting when it’s over! DON’T: - Pack too much stuff - Be put off because you haven’t ridden abroad before. It’s easy. - Lock your key under your seat!        - My gloves are Gore-Tex which is waterproof. However, if you have Gore-Tex apparently you shouldn’t use heated grips when it rains because the holes that let your skin breathe, but don’t let the water through, expand in the extra heat, allowing the rain through.

 

WORDS:  Alison Chatham

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