Touring Europe On A Motorcycle - Part 1. Preparation

In this series of articles I'm going to give you some tips, tricks and advice on how to make travelling to Europe on your motorcycle a hassle free and enjoyable experience

First off, let's look at preparation

Planning is key to success, so they say, so before you set off on your adventure you'll want to make a list of items to take with you. Some riders however, prefer to go on a whim, even to the point of not planning a route and just going with the flow but if its your first time abroad it would be foolish to do so.
The usual rule of thumb is whatever think you need or whatever you've planned to take, half it. Most of the kit riders take with them they find they never use.

Keep it simple.
Only pack the bare essentials, Europe is a reasonably modern and up to date where supplies are concerned. So if you forget something you'll sure to able to find it on route.

Try to keep weight to a minimum
Too much weight will make your bike unstable, use more fuel and could cause the tyres and brakes to wear far quicker.