I travel to Europe alot and to be honest you don't really need to prepare much differently to what you would do for a stay away trip in the UK. However one thing that you must do is carry your driving licence, log book and insurance with you in case you are stopped by the police (i have been several times and they really do look closely at them!).
Some petrol stations are pay at pump only and only take credit cards. Some 'manned' ones don't open at all on Sundays or bank holidays.
Regarding personal health insurance, some (many) policys DO NOT cover personal injury caused in an accident when you were riding a motorcycle over 125cc. This is detailed in the small print, so you MUST specifically ask if the policy will cover you on your bike. I use Endsleigh who do provide the required level of cover.
Make sure you get all the maps you need before you go and don't rely on the ferry having them all!
HTH
Cheers
Simon
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