Focused Events Euro Trip, help please...

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JoePeps

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I know there's plenty of people on here who have gone with them so wondered if anyone can help a little?

Got the paperwork through for my trip in March and didn't realise they never had stillages and they are loaded up and strapped down, anyone experienced any damage and hints / tips for protection if needed?

Also I'm a bit worried about my helmet, anyone got any good tips to protect or have carried one as hand luggage on the plane?! Thought about strapping it securely to the top yokes / tank but not sure if that's going to be in the way when they are strapping / loading / unloading? I'm nervous as just bought an X Spirit 3 so ?700 worth and I've not even had chance to wear it yet!

Do they load, strap and unload with you and your bike, or are they just left to it?
 
Oh, also when filling out the form for tools & equipment, do I need to itemise every single thing I'm taking? Or can I be generic with 'sockets, ratchet, spanners'?
Not taking loads but even so it soon mounts up with a few small bits and pieces.
 
Take the helmet with you on the plane. They can't make you stow it either as it's PPE.

Been with FE a few times, bike has been strapped every time. I'm not running a show pony, they get the odd scuff etc from being ridden, the tie down system straps across the seat, with a race seat it doesn't matter cause it's hard/foam. If you want to protect yours take some bubble wrap. You can cover the bike up but remember it must be easy to manoeuvre, controls etc must be free. I don't bother, but this is the beauty of chinese fairings or track fairings...the OEM's are in the garage.

FE are getting Stillages, so you could be one of the first to use them.

Re the form, stick to broad terms. And name anything expensive for insurance purposes.
 
Take the helmet with you on the plane. They can't make you stow it either as it's PPE.

Been with FE a few times, bike has been strapped every time. I'm not running a show pony, they get the odd scuff etc from being ridden, the tie down system straps across the seat, with a race seat it doesn't matter cause it's hard/foam. If you want to protect yours take some bubble wrap. You can cover the bike up but remember it must be easy to manoeuvre, controls etc must be free. I don't bother, but this is the beauty of chinese fairings or track fairings...the OEM's are in the garage.

FE are getting Stillages, so you could be one of the first to use them.

Re the form, stick to broad terms. And name anything expensive for insurance purposes.

Thanks mate, as always appreciate the help.

Mine is a road bike and want to be selling it this year so minimal damage would be helpful, especially as I'm currently having a few panels painted as we speak to freshen them up. Will get some bubble wrap on to try and minimise.

What do you do with the helmet on the plane, just sit it on your lap? Planning on having a carry on case as well with a few bits in.

I have seen emails from them about the stillages but according to the paperwork it won't be using them, unless they've stuck with the generic form and I'm surprised when we arrive.
 
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this is what we did with ours. no damage at all. there fairly carefull. we laid old towels over the seats as this was one of the strap down point and bubbled wrapped fairings and seat. i didnt hear of anyone on our trip with any damage.
p.s. i think the jazz hands was due to excitement.lol

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you dont need to list all tools, just boxes and lock or tape them up. helmet on plain if your really worried but we just put ours in the helmet bags and sent with the bikes. dont put anything on the seat apart from protection.
 
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I stick it on the floor in front of my feet on the plane. In the bag it comes with. There are nicer little carriers.
Half the time your hand luggage gets shoved in the hold so you'll only have the bash hat to carry...with that in mind have any electronic in a bag within you hand luggage to extract quickly at the gate.



- Alex
 
Im dropping off my motorbike on Feb 9 for Almeria. I will make some pics. Going first time with these guys.
 
We bought helmet cases and shove them in the locker on the plane. I quite often just stick it with my bike and gear on a stillage with other track companies but I have taken big boxes with FE in the past that I could put my helmet in. You sometimes pay a little extra but its worth doing. FE get a bit of stick for charges but the prices are low to begin with so the whole point presumably is that you can be budget if needed or pay the extra if you want lots of gear. I don't particularly like not having stillages but we have not had any problems other than the odd bit of gear such as a chair and a pin for my paddock stand go missing which they did manage to find on the truck for me later.
 
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That's great thanks mate, will keep an eye out for them.

Forgot to mention, I always take helmet with me on airplane. I have been frequent to Lake Como/Dolomites and always fly with Easyjet. With them you can take a helmet and a backpack free of charge as a cabin luggage.
I'm planning to do the same when I go to Almeria.

What I'm planning to drop off at FE:

- motorbike wrapper in bubble wrap as per above photo
- paddock stands
- warmers
- racing suit and boots
- toolbox
- 2 x spare wheels
- folding chair

I bought a set of Dunlop KR slicks at FE as they seem to have a good deal if you count in free fitment.
 
Sounds odd but, some mates had horse rugs that they put over the bikes to protect them. Worked a treat with a little modification. Probably only worth the effort though if you plan on doing a few a year.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
we send everything with bikes , never had probs , yeh sometimes dirt marks etc also never cover bikes as there track bikes and if they go down there pretty flooked anyway, F/E better than no limits in transport
This doesn't make sense with respect. At least 50% of the bikes with FE in particular are shiny road bikes since they make a point of promoting themselves as novice friendly on track whereas others such as NL dont mind a bit more agressive passing tactics as long as you are safe. We've never had any issues with FE, including the awesome Italian GP the year before last, but the fact that everyone else uses stillages makes the NL arrangement much better and a lot safer for shiny bikes in particular. Bikes are much less likely to get marked or damaged when using a stillage and I always try to cover either with a blanket and/or with a clingfilm roll, especially if it was with FE where they are all being loaded together onto a wagon.
 
Getting the bike on the stillage is a bit fraught I agree. Had to get help when I did it for my Jerez trip.
But once it's in I think it's at least up to you how things are packed and secured so you're more in control of the damage potential.
 
ps my bike came back from a stillage last year with a dented can, scuffed tank, and chipped screen out of a stillage and was a brand new 17k race bike


did you load the biike yourself, or with someone you didn't know?
 
Thats a crappy situation getting it back at night in the rain; not something they would have control over unfortunately. I usually remove my screen before putting the bike on a stillage these days, BMW double bubbles are particularly high.
 
I prefer the stillages but NL have quite a few different types...the new red ones I saw needed the bikes putting in at an angle.
 
Maybe that's the case which led them to tell everyone to remove them going forwards...

- Alex
 
loaded it with my mate at cartagena, when it got dropped off it was 5 hours late, pissing down with rain, pitch black, put it in the back of the van and noticed it the next morning when unloading it,, called N/L they said should have pointed out to driver a said i would have if it turned up on time and didnt have to sit in my van 5 hours because of your floook up, so a thought flook you dont get no more of my hard earned cash,

can't see how it was damaged then (screen i can if it was a high one) as once on stillage nothing else goes into it.was it on with shaun preston or 1 of the hathaways wagons you was on?

either way,stillages are far more protective than just strapping it up against the side of a wagon.stillages do vary in size though with NL.
 
info from last year my brother went to almeria in november and they advised if you had expensive helmet take it yourself, so he tightly wrapped his in the leathers and put in kit bag to go with bike all was ok.
 
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