TRIPS


What kind of trip?

There are many ways to organise a mobylette trip.
In this section several examples with a different character.
Travelling to a meeting point by car or plane is a piece of cake.
But....we consider it as a waste of time, because it can be a bit boring.
Riding all the way on your mobylette is more adventurous and your holiday starts at the moment when you start your mobylette.


Solo trips by mobylette.

According to diehards is riding with camping stuff the right way.
The other options, where a delivery van or car is involved, are all less.
The top level is making a long solo trip with camping stuff. Making such a solo trip - many kilometres from home - would be a real nightmare for most mobylette-owners!
It is demanding and failure is quite likely, when your preparations are moderate.
So, let us highlight this exciting way of travelling!
Arnhem -Paris v.v.

1999: trip Arnhem-Paris v.v.
On the way back a luggage car with spare mobylettes was available.
Camping in St-Quentin.

12 recommendations for a long solo trip by mobylette

  • Plan sufficient time for your trip; there are often setbacks.
  • Wear strong motor cycle clothes, including kevlar reinforced jeans.
  • Put in your luggage an extra rain coat and rain trousers.
  • Take a strong mobylette with: a variator and strong brakes.
  • Bring your mobylette in perfect condition.
  • Adjust an excellent saddle or a standard buddy seat with extension.
  • Use a TOM-TOM Rider with a spare power bank.
  • Collect knowledge about your mobylette and train repair skills.
  • Put a special set of lightweight tools and spares in your luggage.
  • Provide your mobylette with a petrol container (5 litres).
  • Keep your luggage as limited as possible.
  • Think about standby procedures in case of complicated problems.

  • In our section PARTS you can find more details about saddle and buddy seat extention.

    The ultimate mobylette trip: riding and camping in France.
    Camping means: camping stuff, but a B&B or hotel is not forbidden!

    Luggage the eternal problem....

    Since we ride long distance runs with camping stuff, it has become a kind of sport to lower the weight and volume of our luggage systematically. Every time again we discover new possibilities and riding becomes easier with less luggage.

    Examples:
  • You need tools, but light multi-tools can replace several others.

  • All kind of supplies (grease, tea, salt, pepper, gaskets et cetera) can be put in plastic zip lock bags.

  • Using special bags for tent, sleeping bag and clothes, which allow you to squeezed most air out of the bag and so its volume will shrink substantially.

  • Old tool set. A weight reduction of 50% is still possible!

    Special trips and events deserve extra attention afterwards.

    In the past we published: a lot of cds, DVDs, magazine articles, websites articles and photobooks.
    One of the first photobooks was the jubilee book "mobylette 60 years!"
    Later several books appeared about runs.
    Today it has become standard procedure for every amazing (long) trip.

    In our trip photo books there is always a special topic such as:

  • General safety and motorbike clothing.
  • Luggage tips to keep volume and weight acceptable.
  • Smart cooking.
  • Composition of a light tool set.
  • Composition of a light spare parts set.
  • Navigation tools.

  • 60 years mobylette

    All important events and runs of this jubilee year



        E X A M P L E S

    2004: trip to Wales.

    In 2004 five members of the Dutch RHC, drove in cars from the Netherlands to Wales.
    Of course we had to take a boat to cross the Strait of Dover. The contacts with the members of the British Club NACC, find their origin in the yearly events of the Rando Cyclos in Sars Poteries(France).

    We stayed at a simple camping site near Newton. As guests of the British NACC we enjoyed a nice run and we went also to the cycle museum in Llandrindod Wells In 2021 we will probably compile a video about this event.

    Montgomery Hills Run

    2004 Wales: Montgomery Hills Run.

    2005: trip to Sauerland - Germany.

    In 2005 a group of 16 participants, drove from the Netherlands to Brilon in the region Sauerland.
    Here you will many hills and in wintertime there is often a lot of snow.
    This year it was again a variator trip.
    We stayed at hotel Eulenhof in Alme-Brilon for 4 nights. All day trips were made from the hotel. A DVD was made short after the trip.
    Peter Langemeijer had organised this trip and before we returned home, he had organised a final meeting with coffee and patisserie.
    It is important to end a trip-event properly.

    Brillon

    2005: Germany Brilon drink stop at the Saloon

    2006: trip to Luxemburg by car and several runs.

    Because of the steep hills a variator on this "Rendez-vous 50cc" was obliged.
    This image shows just eleven of the 14 participants. We slept at a hotel in Beaufort (L) Transport to Luxemburg and back home was by car.

    2006: Luxemburg, a variator event with a large group.

    2015: a long trip to the south of France.

    With three participants and a delivery van we made a trip to France.
    We stayed at several B&B`s, but in hotels, too.
    We made a stop in the Beaujolais area and rode the famous ¨Route de Beaujolais¨.
    Afterwards we went to Grignan and made several trips in the Vaucluse and Drȏme. Riding to the top of Mont Ventoux was certainly a highlight. Officially the road was not open, but from cyclists we heard that it was no problem for two-wheelers.

    It was in the first week of May and on the top there was snow. It was safe to ride.

    It was the last event of our great friend Dick Kievits. A photo book of this special trip was made in 2019 .


    2015: trip to Grignan and greeting Mont Ventoux.
    This picture was taken at a spot above 1500m sea level. It is much colder above 1500m , so the engines run better.

    2015: a trip to the Rando Cyclos event in Sars Poteries(F).

    Your webmaster and Polle from Geel (Belgium) made this trip on mobylette.
    Moreover they wanted to stay at the camping site in Felleries.
    Two small tents and other camping stuff had to be transported on the mobylettes
    This trip became a turning point, because from 2015 we organised more and more trips, where we left home on our mobylettes.
    Actually going back in time, we travelled as we did as we were youngsters. For some of us the ultimate way.
    Since 2015 we will ride in 7 hours from home to the camping site in Felleries. By car it will take 4 lost hours.....
    Special 50

    2015: Rando Cyclos Sars Poteries, a weekend trip.

    2016: Trip to Arnhem (Rheden).

    A weekend trip to Arnhem: no camping but B&B, so less luggage....
    This time a small group of 3 riders. We slept in the town Rheden and then rode on the way back home along the river Rhine.

    2016: Arnhem weekend trip.
    The river La Meuse near Ravenstein in the Netherlands.

    2017: flight to Spain and ride in Mallorca.

    After the first event in Mallorca in 2013, it was getting time to visit Mallorca and the Mobyletteros again. So in 2017 we took the plane to Mallorca again, where our dear Spanish friends had reserved three mobylettes for us.
    Next time 2021?


    2017: Mallorca: GAC-mobylette model Campera.


    2017: trip to Santiage de Compostele (Spain).

    Two friends from the Netherlands rode to Santiage de Compostele (Spain).
    Brave people do this walking and very brave people trust their mobylettes.
    It was a wonderful trip of more than 2000 km and several weeks. They did not walk back, but took a plane.
    The mobylettes were transported home by a transporter.


    2017: trip to Santiage de Compostele (Spain)
    Orange AV92 and SP98-1966 both from Stan the Man.


    2017: a ride to the source of the river La Meuse.

    The first attempt was in 2016, but failed because our plans were too ambitious, while our experience and equipment were inadequate. Nevertheless the lessons of the first attempt was very useful.
    The second attempt in June 2017 was cancelled, because of the weather forecast. In August 2018 there was a third attempt to ride to the source of the second oldest river on earth!
    The Kaptein AV92 was heavily loaded with camping stuff, tools, clothes et cetera. Nevertheless this solo trip was perfectly organised and an old dream came true.

    La Meuse

    2017: to the source of La Meuse.
    View from a bridge across Canal Du Nord; not far from Verdun.
    La Meuse is flowing parallel to the channel.


    2018: trip to Epinal and via Luxemburg/ Eifel back home again.

    This trip to Epinal (F) was made by our friend Rene Jansen.
    It was quite a distance and he returned home via Luxemburg and Germany.
    Quite a challenge reminding his Kaptein AV42 had no variator.
    We followed his adventure, because he wrote about it regularly on a Dutch forum.
    Your webmaster rode to the middle of the Eifel area in Germany to meet and welcome him.
    Next day we rode together back to the south of the Netherlands, where we both live.
    A nice ride with high temperatures. Our lunch was in the middle of Maastricht at the border of the river La Meuse.
    There is no better place in the Netherlands to have a break than in Maastricht.
    Epinal

    2018: trip to Epinal and back home again.

    2019: Solo trip to Bretagne.

    The yearly rassemblement of MCF was in 2019 far away.... Even many Frenchmen consider Bretagne as a distant corner.
    Your webmaster could not find anybody, who was able to join him for this long trip.
    No problem, because a solo ride is much easier to organise. It took just four days to reach Pluvinier.
    A cup was won, because of the longest distance by mobylette from home to the yearly meeting.
    It was quite an adventure and especially during this yearly event you can meet many interesting people. Actually my beautiful mobylette was my business card.
    People were often amazed to hear that this trip had been realised with a mobylette from 1965.
    A large photobook of more than 80 pages was the result of this impressive journey.
    Rassemblement Pluvignier

    2019: From the Netherlands to Pluvigner and back.

    2020: Solo trip to Burgundy and the Vosges.

    A camping trip across one of the mineral water areas of France, along vineyards and sources of famous French rivers such as: Seine, Aube, La Meuse and Saône. This event lasted 7 days including five camping days. Under section NEWS you can read more about it.

    2020: trip to Burgundy and the Vosges.

    2021: Riding and camping; how it started.

    Winter 2021: Covid-19 and variants are still very present.
    We hope to continu our trips very soon. Vaccination will be a matter of several weeks.
    There is some hope...; nevertheless we could not wait anymore and so we were looking back in time.
    Lately we made a virtual trip around 4 trips from the past, which have founded our later long distance camping trips.
    Surely from time to time a process of trial and error, but all trips were impressing and let us discover the joy of riding and camping.
    There was a need to describe and analyse those trips, because after several years different events within trips were mixed up.
    A new idea for a photo book was born. Of course a lot of topics within these trips were handled perfectly, but we underestimated other issues at those early days.
    Anyway we have learned and improved a lot.

    2021: Riding and camping by mobylette.

    2021: Several rides in the Netherlands, Belgium and a long trip to Burgundy.

    August 2021: Covid-19 and a lot of disturbing causes have delayed our trip to France.
    August is not a perfect month, because the north of France was quite empty. Not so much activity as in June.
    Back in the Ardennes the holiday-feeling came back. Some rain could not change that feeling. Nevertheless we learned a lot from this trip and we crossed many impressing landscapes.

    2021: several rides, including Burgundy.

    2022: Rassemblement at Châtres sur Cher

    End of May, a long ride was started to participate the Rassemblement of Motobécane Club de France.
    Two dutch participants rode from the Netherlands to the middle of France in the beautiful Loire-Cher region.
    In a colourful photobook this long trip and lots of technical details have been described.



    2022: Rassemblement Châtres sur Cher.