Brilec

Well that all went wrong then. Why can't I delete a post I have only just made?

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Clearly a bit of an over-reaction on the part of MAG...... [/quote]

So, what's the latest on this? I see MAG in the UK are getting very hot under the collar over the proposals which THEY currently report as bikers to wear dayglow ban on filtering ban on all bikes over 7 years old from all urban areas.

I have heard that this lack of requirement for bikes is to change shortly, anyone know more?

Thanks all, I knew I should have looked further first.

Officially, according to Astra, you need a larger dish for your area. The new freesat channels are on Astra 2D, which has a much smaller footprint on the earth, and it only really covers the UK. The further south you go in France, the larger the dish you need.

There have been rumours that reflective helmet stickers are now required in France. Anyone have the detail, and how it might affect visiting  bikers?

If you plan the route on Mappy www.mappy.fr and set the type of vehicle, it will give you the total tolls for the route.

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"]Surely going at a constant 30mph has to use less fuel than going at a higher speed? The more work something does, the more energy it uses. Basic physics. [/quote] That also depends on which gear you have to use at 30mph/50kph. My car will only run in third gear at best at that speed. It is far more economic to run in 5th at 55mph.

For any with Classic bikes en 2008, "le trofeo rosso" aura lieu les samedi 19 et dimanche 20 juillet, sur le circuit du vigeant au sud de poitiers.

It all changes in the middle of this year as a new Loi Chatel has been passed, which as I understand it, requires the ISP to ask your permission to continue the contract.

Sanef accept UK credit cards on their paper billing account, which costs €2 per month used, but if you want to do it cheaper, and have the electronic billing at €1 per month, then you have to have a French bank account.

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] You can use the Doofah (Télépéage Badge) in whatever car you like.  It's about the size of a mobile phone, just hold it up somewhere in the windscreen as you approach the barrier. Beep and you're through. [/quote] Just be aware that if you are in a car with an athermic windscreen, you have to place the transponder in the black dotted area around the rear view mirror, otherwise it is unlikely to work. These windscreens have a thin metallic layer in them to reflect the heat of the sun, but they also reflect the signal from the payage booths. You can recognise this type of screen by the purple reflections seen in it looking from the outside.

Well, amazingly, today I actually got a reply from SF customer services, actually answering my email. This is a first. Quote:- We are currently experiencing booking errors on-line with regards to Supervouchers charging extra money.  Please call 0870 22 00570 to book your travel dates.  This a temporary error which is currently being looked into.

Well, I can now give an update. After waiting all of 10 minutes to talk to a real person, they admit that there is a problem with their website (yet again). They allowed me to make my booking with the call centre, and graciously waived the call centre fee. I agree I have up to now had few problems with Speedferries, the most common one seems to be with their website. I have been delayed for a couple of hours on a couple of occasions though, and bumped off once when the ferry broke down. (But they refunded the fare and gave me a free return to use whenever I wanted in the next 12 months, so can't really complain).

No it has not expired, it's valid until Dec this year. It is the last of a 10 ticket supervoucher which is valid for two years. Used the previous one a month back with no problems.

I have just tried to use one of my 10 ticket supervouchers to book a return later this month. Guess what, they also want an additional £135 after DEDUCTING the cost of the voucher. I have emailed their customer services, but am not holding my breath for a sensible answer. All I have ever heard from them in the past is that it's not their problem, please cotact bookings on the expensive phone line. So who are the pirates then?

Churchill (you know, give the dog a phone) also extend your UK cover to Europe automatically. I didn't see any small print about max duration. It certainly saved me a few pounds.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] Sat and watched a big wedding party milling around the car park, all in matching beige suits and Clark Griswald white slip-ons, getting their photos taken against the Chateau.  I wouldn't have gone for any of the bridesmaids, but the bride's mum looked a bit tasty.....  [/quote] I picked up an older woman the other day. She said "are you interested in a threesome?" So we went to her house. When inside she called "are you awake mum?"

[quote user="Clarkkent"] It is perfectly legal for you to receive a satellite signal in France, what is not legal (for copyright and territorial rights reasons) is for Sky to send a signal to you in France. It is the responsibility of the broadcaster to prevent you from receiving transmissions, it is not your responsibility not to watch them. [/quote] Don't know if there is the equivalent of the UK wireless telegraphy act in France. But theoretically in the UK it is an offence to make use of any transmission which is not intended for your reception. If the same applied in France then obviously the Sky transmission is not intended to be received in France. OK, I am a pedant.

If going via Eurotunnel, make sure you book in advance, otherwise you will be charged their maximum fare, cost us £162 single last November when our sailing ex Dieppe was cancelled at the last minute.

Add to that, many, if not most bikes these days do not have centre stands, which makes it more difficult for the ferry companies to secure them properly. I understand this is the underlying reason why Speedferries will no longer carry bikes. They have had the odd side stand fail. Even Norfolk Line have now added a surcharge for bikes over 2 m long, which means anything more than a moped really. From my research, Sea France do the best deals for bikes at the moment.   PS, I was trying to work out how you got a bike on Ryanair Vernon, until I realised that you left it at Stanstead.

It all depends on what you really want. Do you have Sky in the UK? If you do, and all you want in France is the normal free to air channels, then all you need to do is cancel your sub, and bring the box over with you. You will probably need a larger 80cm dish, but as long as you leave your old card in the box you will get all the basic channels fine. If you want a complete Sky package of some sort, then you will either need a UK address, or have to see one of the satellite specialists in France who will be able to "arrange" it for you. If you don't have Sky in the UK, then you have to get a box and dish for France. You also have to get a card to go in the box if you want Channel 4 and Five. To get this you will need some UK address, a relation will do. Or talk to the fixer mentioned above. If you are not bothered about Ch 4 & 5, then any digital box will be fine, and the chances are that you will get those channels too in a year or so.

The only response I have ever had from SF customer services is an email telling me that they don't deal with whatever it was, contact sales. Begs the question, what do the customer services personnel actually do?

According to the papers today, the tunnel was designed to withstand an earthquake up to force 7. Still, I don't think I would want to be inside it at the wrong time to check that out.