Two Wheels Behind: Why a Towed Scooter is a Game-Changer for Motorhome Travel in France

One of the great paradoxes of motorhome travel in France is this: your vehicle is perfectly suited to covering large distances across a beautiful country — but France's most beautiful places were built for horses, not modern vehicles. Medieval village lanes, coastal fishing ports, hilltop bastides, vine-covered market towns... if you've ever tried to take a 7-metre motorhome down a Provençal back street, you'll know the problem.

The solution our customer chose? A Honda PCX 125 scooter on a purpose-built trailer, towed behind the motorhome. Park up at the nearest aire, unhitch, and the world opens up on two wheels.

The freedom of two wheels

With a scooter towed behind you, your motorhome becomes your base camp. Drive to the region, park up somewhere sensible, and from there you explore freely. Farmer's markets in village squares, restaurants tucked into harbour fronts, a vineyard down a track too narrow to risk — all of it accessible in minutes, with the motorhome safely parked.

Some of France's most iconic destinations are essentially impractical for a full-size motorhome: the cliff-top village of Rocamadour, the lanes of Saint-Malo's old town, the narrow streets of Gordes in the Luberon. A scooter means you never have to drive past.

Payload — the clever part

Here's something that surprises many motorhome owners: towing a trailer with a scooter does not reduce your motorhome's payload.

Payload is the difference between your motorhome's maximum permitted weight (GVW) and its unladen kerb weight — it's the budget you have for everything you carry inside: people, clothes, water, bikes, food, equipment. A towed trailer, including everything on it, is entirely separate. It doesn't count against your GVW allowance at all.

This matters in France, where payload compliance is taken seriously and where many travellers are already using a significant chunk of their allowance on personal kit. Adding a scooter via a trailer keeps your vehicle fully legal, without sacrificing a single kilogram of your loading budget inside.

The trailer

The trailer shown here is a single-axle motorcycle carrier — galvanised, purpose-built, and designed to be hitched and unhitched by one person. With the scooter loaded, the total overhang is modest and well within France's legal limits for a motorhome-and-trailer combination (18.75m maximum overall length).

The scooter is secured using ratchet straps to anchor points on the diamond-plate aluminium deck. A fitted cover keeps it clean and protected from road spray on motorway runs between regions.

Registered in France, in your own name

For non-residents, owning a scooter in France involves the same process as owning a motorhome: you need a valid French address to register the vehicle, obtain a carte grise, and take out insurance in your name. FMS handled all of this for our customer through the same French address registration structure we use for motorhomes — so the scooter is fully road-legal, insured, and registered to the customer, not a third party.

Is a towed scooter right for you?

• Licence: In France, a 125cc scooter (like the Honda PCX) requires at minimum an A1 category licence, or a B licence held for 2+ years with an additional training module.
• Tow bar: Your motorhome needs an approved tow bar and trailer electrics. Not all motorhomes come with one fitted — we can advise on this.
• Insurance: The trailer and scooter each require their own insurance policies, separate from your motorhome cover.
• Registration: As a non-resident, you'll need a French address to register the scooter. Our address registration service covers this.

If you're considering adding a scooter to your French motorhome setup — whether as part of a new purchase or separately — get in touch and we'll talk through the options.