#4 From Saint Tropez to the Harley Dome Cologne
Part 4
After the Euro Festival we went back to Germany. I started in Saint Tropez early in the morning at 5 a.m. The weather was nice the whole day. That has now changed, it has become cold and wet.
First you go to the gas station with the Road Glide Ultra. In France it is often the case that you have to go to the gas station first and pay in advance.
Anyone who speaks French in France has a clear advantage
And early in the morning I caught an unfriendly gas station attendant who was even grumpier than I was at that time. Linguistically, it's really bad if you can't speak French, because many people here only speak their national language and he was one of them.
1300 kilometers want to be eaten
No matter, the tank is full and we continue on the motorway towards Lyon.
My odometer reading is now at 4,039 kilometers and I have decided to drive the 1,300-kilometer route to Cologne.
Only 5 liters per 100
After the first 300 kilometers I take the first fuel stop in Pont-de-l'Isère and fill up with 15 liters of petrol. That's a simple calculation, 300 kilometers in 3 hours and 5 liters per hundred.
Stupid highway driving in France
The advantage of the French motorways is that they are quite empty, but this strict speed limit makes you tired even though you are fully rested.
But the worst thing are the toll booths, either with a card or you throw money into the machine, which is really annoying and also costs money.
The BoomBox Navigation shows me the way
The navigation does a good job as usual, and the entire infotainment unit is a benefit for the driver, especially on long tours. The traffic information always keeps me up to date. At times the music plays while the cruise control maintains the speed.
Shortly before Lyon it rains and the dark clouds have already appeared on the horizon. but I still made it 270 kilometers to Gevrey-Chambertin to refuel and take a break.
If I'm good now, the Road Glide will take me to Luxembourg without refueling.
The weather turns to rain
It's a strenuous ride, the weather just doesn't cooperate and now the advantages of a large tourer come into their own. The large lens offers me enough protection in this weather. The fairing on the side also pays off. When the weather is so bad, you're lucky if your legs are protected.
I stop along the route at the Rastätte motorway to warm up with coffee and keep fit.
It's 350 kilometers from the last stop to Luxembourg. I travel very economically. Even though the Road Glide is fully packed, the luggage doesn't affect fuel consumption.
Refuel cheaply in Luxembourg
When I arrived at the crossing in Roeser, the on-board computer showed me a remaining range of 48 kilometers.
I refueled with 19 liters and that's fine. I think with a capacity of 22.7 liters including reserve it fits well into today's times.
Final spurt, it's now 4:15 p.m., they're waiting for me in Cologne. I help organize the bike show and the preparations have to be made.
Cologne, here Cologne!
That was the last 240 kilometers for today, it took me 3 hours from Luxembourg to Cologne.
In total, I spent 14 hours on the Harley-Davidson long-distance tourer today. Now grab a nightcap at the Hard Rock Cafe and then it's time for the event over the weekend.
I'll take care of the Harley Dome Cologne Facebook page a little bit so that all the information and photos are online and on Monday I'll go back home to the far north.
That's another little over 500 kilometers, then the Road Glide Ultra will have around 5700 kilometers on it.
The tour to Saint Tropez and back home was 4200 kilometers. This was the first really big tour with the new 107 Milwaukee-Eight engine.
So far the Road Glide Ultra has been very impressive and has all the features of a touring machine.
The special characteristics that have shown me so far are its economy and the refined running of the engine; in hot traffic jams, the engine is noticeably cooler than its predecessors.
