95 replies to this topic

[beemerdons]

<a href="http://www.uem-onlin...ex-map.php?nr=" target="_blank">http://www.uem-onlin...map.php?nr=</a> und <a href="http://www.bikecam.ch/liste.php" target="_blank">http://www.bikecam.c...h/liste.php</a> The text is all in German.

I am always planning my next trips to the Alps and the Pyrenees and I came across these great sites.

The ADAC site lets you print their maps on a single or multiple page format. BikeCam shows you a video of the route ridden and lets you plot your course on Google maps. Es sehr gut, mein freund!!!

The 2 videos of Stilfser Joch-Passo di Stelvio gave me a woody. Man, do I ever love riding that one!!

[sandmann]

I believe you were impressed !!
Stilfser Joch is very famous here in Europe..but so its look like when you`re there. I`ve been there and you couldn`t even walk up because of the traffic jam. And when you are in bad luck you´ve got all the way up cars and busses in front of you, sometimes !!!! But if you are there its great !! Thats true !! A "Must See" for Biker !!!
I`ve been in Saalbach/Austria this Summer, and took it as Starting point for many trips into the Alps ! Great area, Gross Glockner and more. really interesting and fantastic riding !!
Next Year i want to go the "Route de Napoleon" and "Grandes route de Alpes" it will be over 2100km and starts in Dornbirn near Bregenz / Bodensee.
Do you have a Garmin-Zumo or a TomTom - Navigation system ??
Greets from Germany

[beemerdons]

sandmann: I lived in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany in 1969 and 1970; I was stationed there in the US Army. I got my first BMW in March of 1969 and both Timmelsjoch and Stilfser Joch were an easy day ride from my base. I got to ride them back when there was hardly anyone riding them. Now, when I visit the Alps I plan the BIG passes on the weekdays only.

You will really enjoy "Route de Napoleon" und "Grandes route de Alpes"! I wish I could join you in the Alps this year, but my big trip this year is to Ecuador and Galapagos Islands. Being sixty, I have never used GPS! I just rely on my old maps.

[sandmann]

Hello
Till 2004 I never used a Navi before...but now I won`t miss it !! Its really easy to plan and to ride without a map (ICE I have one in my pocket ) but it`s really super when you can concentrate on the road and not on the map..
I had a BMW GS 100 before my Yamaha..this was a good bike, too. But after 12 years it became a little bit "boring"..so I changed to the FJR...what a step ...
Ecuador, Galapagos..sounds good and interesting !!!! But..too far away for me and my bike

[beemerdons]

http://www.knopftour...Site/Hello.html For those of you our FJR Forum planning a trip; this is the rental outfit I use.

[wheatonFJR]

http://www.knopftour...Site/Hello.html For those of you our FJR Forum planning a trip; this is the rental outfit I use.

Thanks beemerdon!

This is my dream...of travelling SOME DAY with wifey nach deutschland!

[bikesniffer]

http://www.knopftour...Site/Hello.html For those of you our FJR Forum planning a trip; this is the rental outfit I use.

Thanks beemerdon!

This is my dream...of travelling SOME DAY with wifey nach deutschland!

if there is an American group touring the Alps they're all invited for a BBQ at my place...with advance notice of course

Alfredo

[beemerdons]

http://www.fjrforum....howtopic=105188 Alfredo, thank you for the invite and I will take you up on it!

One of our group that rode the Pyrenees on the fantastic trip led by Teerex51 - Stef, Dr. Bob Flanders, will be staying in Bolzano, Italy for a week in June. I will let him know your invitation, we actually rode through your village in May of 2007.


wheatonFJR: What is your riding dance card looking like for you und dir Ehefrau in the next couple of years? This year Son Seth and I fly to Dublin, Ireland on March 7; but just one riding day over a ten day trip. June 13, 2009 Seth and I head towards Nakusp, British Columbia to meet up with you, dcarver, madmike2, Fairlaner, barb and the rest of our FJR whackos.

On July 11 Seth and I ride back to Johnson City, Tennessee for a BMWMOA International Rally and to ride Dragon/Smokies.

Next year's a month long ride to Guatemala and back attending BMW Clubs of Mexico International Rally in Chiapas Estado.

Wheatie: If you want me to start organizing an FJR Forum European Ride for 2 weeks in Summer of 2011, I'm "Yer Maun!"

This would be a ride that my BMW Club MOA #89 would also be attending, they've been harping on me to lead another one!


FOOTNOTE: Are you aware that our "Italian Stallion" Stefano is leading a ride from Milano, IT to Istanbul, Turkey in 2010.

If I didn't already have five compadres signed up to ride to Guatemala with me, I would be heading to Turkey with Teerex.

If there is interest in an FJR Forum Euro Ride 2011, I will naturally coordinate with Stef, Hook and Mek of Italian FJR Forum!

[beemerdons]

http://www.fjrforum....howtopic=113297 wheatonFJR: My apologies! I went back and double checked the dates of Stef's Istanbul Raid. Italianos are going in year 2009 from May 16 through 24. Just a month before you and I ride to Nakusp, Canada. Italian FJR Forum website maintained by Teerex51 is very interesting and I look at it quite often.


Guten Morgen bikesniffer: Alfred, I went back to my maps of our AZ Beemers Alps Trip 2007 and we indeed went through Schleitheim west of Lake Constance, CH-8226; an absolutely gorgeous area! I remember the Canton of Schaffhausen for three reasons: 1) Your canton is unique because it is wrapped on three sides by Germany; North, West and South. 2) The Rhine Falls are located in your canton and I have a picture of them somewhere in my photo collections. 3) Our 8th Army Air Corps mistakenly bombed the neutral City of Schaffhausen; they had made an accidental navigation snafu and thought they were bombing Deutschland. Oops! I always rent my BMW's from Stefan Knopf in Kircheim and you're straight south.

[bikesniffer]

http://www.fjrforum....howtopic=113297 wheatonFJR: My apologies! I went back and double checked the dates of Stef's Istanbul Raid. Italianos are going in year 2009 from May 16 through 24. Just a month before you and I ride to Nakusp, Canada. Italian FJR Forum website maintained by Teerex51 is very interesting and I look at it quite often.


Guten Morgen bikesniffer: Alfred, I went back to my maps of our AZ Beemers Alps Trip 2007 and we indeed went through Schleitheim west of Lake Constance, CH-8226; an absolutely gorgeous area! I remember the Canton of Schaffhausen for three reasons: 1) Your canton is unique because it is wrapped on three sides by Germany; North, West and South. 2) The Rhine Falls are located in your canton and I have a picture of them somewhere in my photo collections. 3) Our 8th Army Air Corps mistakenly bombed the neutral City of Schaffhausen; they had made an accidental navigation snafu and thought they were bombing Deutschland. Oops! I always rent my BMW's from Stefan Knopf in Kircheim and you're straight south.

Ja genauso wie Du sagst Beemer, man hat Schaffhausen versehentlich gebombt, there are however rumors that the bombing was not so accidental since Schaffhausen was and is the location of IVS (Internationale Verbandstoff Fabrik Schaffhausen) the company produces medical gauze, bandages, steril patches and the like and used to supply the Wehrmacht with those goodies.
The Rheinfall is 20 min. from my place. Quite a few vinyards around here as well. Love the landscape because it changes colors frequently from the different crops such as wheat, canola, sugar beets, barley, oats even a tobacco field here and there.

In May I am going to Istanbul with Stefano....

[beemerdons]

Alfred, that is fantastic news that you're going to Istanbul with Stef. I hope Hook and Mek are also going; really great guys!!

[teerex51]

Alfred and I hooked up today in Ascona, Switzerland.
The morning started kind of chilly (just above freezing), but it became a lot milder around midday.
A friend and I rode into Switzerland late this AM, we RV'd with Alfred and the three of us had lunch on the lakeside. By 1PM the temperature had climbed to the upper 60s and it was hard to believe this was mid-February and we stood just a few miles away from snow-capped mountains.



The main topic of our conversation was, of course, our Istanbul Raid. Dates are set (May 16 to 24) and our hotel rooms in Turkey are booked.
The countdown has already started..

Stef

[beemerdons]

Ah, beautiful Lago Maggiore! Thank you Stef for the text and pictures, great to place a picture with a face, meeting Alfredo.

I've a three part question for you teerex51: 1) Has the Italian FJR Forum ever ridden as a group to the Isle of Man TT race?

2) If not, does the Italian FJR Forum have any future thoughts, perhaps 2011/2012, of going to the TT or Ulster Grand Prix?

On the thread I started here on our FJR Forum to gain information for The Stanley Boys trip to Ireland on March 7, both Old Michael and ShinyPartsUp - two fine fellow Irish lads, brought up their desire to some day attend the Isle of Man TT Races.

WheatonFJR has also brought up his desire to tour Europe by motorcycle on various threads here. Just kicking tires here at the moment, but if I heard that your Italian FJR Forum was planning on attending either of these two racing venues I would be extremely interested. 3) Are there any other racing events that Italian FJR Forum attends on a yearly group ride basis?

[teerex51]

Don, we actually never attend racing events as a group.
A few of us go to the races in Monza, Mugello etc. and others do the Tourist Trophy but always on an individual basis.

Apart from the odd weekend rally (where we can easily scare up 15-20 bikes), we never exceed 6 or 7 bikes for longer tours (see the Pyrenees Tour or the Istanbul Raid). This is no policy carved in stone, it's just the way we prefer to operate...

Stef

[bikesniffer]

Ah, beautiful Lago Maggiore! Thank you Stef for the text and pictures, great to place a picture with a face, meeting Alfredo.

I've a three part question for you teerex51: 1) Has the Italian FJR Forum ever ridden as a group to the Isle of Man TT race?

2) If not, does the Italian FJR Forum have any future thoughts, perhaps 2011/2012, of going to the TT or Ulster Grand Prix?

On the thread I started here on our FJR Forum to gain information for The Stanley Boys trip to Ireland on March 7, both Old Michael and ShinyPartsUp - two fine fellow Irish lads, brought up their desire to some day attend the Isle of Man TT Races.

WheatonFJR has also brought up his desire to tour Europe by motorcycle on various threads here. Just kicking tires here at the moment, but if I heard that your Italian FJR Forum was planning on attending either of these two racing venues I would be extremely interested. 3) Are there any other racing events that Italian FJR Forum attends on a yearly group ride basis?

I would join for the Isle of Man in a heartbeat; it's been on my mind for years. I do hear though that it's quite a zoo when the event is on and it can be very hard to get accomodation...

[beemerdons]

Stef, Many thanks for your touring thoughts on this. I have heard that the Isle of Man TT is a real zoo and can get on your nerves after a few days. But being sixty and having had a heart attack in October 2005; it is on my "Bucket List" of things that I must do before I croak. I joined the Forum at http://www.iomtt.com so I can gauge for myself how hectic it really is.


Just saw bikesniffer - Alfred post and it's coincidence that he uses the same word "zoo" to describe what goes on at IOM TT.

It is my understanding that 2009 is completely sold out for rooms and space on ferry for bikes; and 2010 is getting booked.

That's why I thought 2011 made sense. I'll do more research on this ride and plan our booking 2011 at this time next year.

[wheatonFJR]

Oh Don of beemersville...I definitely want to tour with you and Stef over in Europe someday. The only thing keeping me away are finances. Can you imagine that.

Quite frankly, I would need to sit down and see some $$ numbers for a typical trip over there...AND convince my dear wife that this is the trip she has always dreamed of. I feel like if I travelled with you guys that I would be in good company and have a much better time than if I was travelling alone.

Having never been over there...it IS one of my dream rides.

[beemerdons]

http://www.azbeemers...php?topic=537.0 Hi Wheatie: We can talk more about this when I see you in B.C., Canada. When I led my AZ Beemers to the Alps in May 2007 it worked out to $3,000- for a ten day trip with 8 days riding.

When I went to the Pyrenees with the "Magnificent Seven" led by Stef it was $3,500+ for ten days with seven days of riding.

Loss of US dollar buying power against the Euro was a large factor; and drinking with 3 Italians and a Brit was a huge factor!

Sadly, because of popularity of the IOM TT Event, the cost of ferries and this being 16 days with 13 days of riding: $5,000+.

But, I still feel you and your wife could do a "Heart of the Alps/Dolomites" trip for under $4,000. 9 days with 6 days riding.

[wheatonFJR]

http://www.azbeemers...php?topic=537.0 Hi Wheatie: We can talk more about this when I see you in B.C., Canada. When I led my AZ Beemers to the Alps in May 2007 it worked out to $3,000- for a ten day trip with 8 days riding.

When I went to the Pyrenees with the "Magnificent Seven" led by Stef it was $3,500+ for ten days with seven days of riding.

Loss of US dollar buying power against the Euro was a large factor; and drinking with 3 Italians and a Brit was a huge factor!

Sadly, because of popularity of the IOM TT Event, the cost of ferries and this being 16 days with 13 days of riding: $5,000+.

But, I still feel you and your wife could do a "Heart of the Alps/Dolomites" trip for under $4,000. 9 days with 6 days riding.

Thanks Don, that is helpful.
Looking forward to seeing you and Seth at CFR.

[beemerdons]

WheatonFJR: What physical size are you and the wife? The reason that I ask this is because one of the best rental deals for motorcycles in central Europe are BMW K75RT's that Stefan Knopf http://knopftours.com rents out at only $665 USD weekly.

I'm physically Triple-Extra-Lard, and my 12 year old son Seth is a big boy too, so we are somewhat forced to use a BMW R1150RT when I rent from Herr Knopf; same exact Beemer that I here ride in Estados Unidos. But if you und dir Frau are of average builds and good at packing you cannot beat the K75RT for Alpine and Dolomites twisty and tight mountain roads!

http://www.edelweiss...om/OUT/HATE.pdf You and the wife could do this 10 day vacation with 7 riding days for less than $4,000 on a self guided basis; after Labor Day when European High Season is over. In September you can count on Passo di Stelvio, Timmelsjoch und Grossglockner to be open and uncrowded on the weekdays for really fun and fantastic riding!

On the Autobahn it's 4 hours / 260 miles from Heidelberg, Germany to Warth, Austria for the first night and 5.5 hours and 355 miles from last night at Lienz, Austria on the last day. Night in Pontresina, Switzerland and two nights in Bolzano, Italy.

Spend your fifth night in gorgeous Cortina d' Ampezzo and bag a dozen passes; including Falzarego, Tre Croci, Pellegrino.....