2012 Europe Sausagefest & Gelato Tour

[beemerdons]

Mi Hermano Guillermo, the AZB comment below is from my long time Mexico riding Amigo Senor Brian Boles. Like you Bill, BB is queerer than a three dollar bill over GPS. You know my thoughts about GPS, anyone who would use GPS on a motorcycle adventure could not have had much of a Mother! jes' sayin' and nuff' said!

Don, you might suggest to Bill that he translate his tracks to .kml files for google earth. That way, you don't need a Garmin Europe map to see them. Also, you can "ride" the route in Google Earth.

 

[yamafitter]

Mi Hermano Guillermo, the AZB comment below is from my long time Mexico riding Amigo Senor Brian Boles. Like you Bill, BB is queerer than a three dollar bill over GPS. You know my thoughts about GPS, anyone who would use GPS on a motorcycle adventure could not have had much of a Mother! jes' sayin' and nuff' said!

Don, you might suggest to Bill that he translate his tracks to .kml files for google earth. That way, you don't need a Garmin Europe map to see them. Also, you can "ride" the route in Google Earth.

On my way to Timmy's for my morning coffee but I don't know if I can do this with my Mac. GPSBabel is a Windows based utility program that can 'translate' gps formats such as Garmin gdb files to kml. My old laptop is on the fritz right now and I'm not sure if my old desktop even works but I'll try later today.

 

[yamafitter]

For those who want to play with Google Earth I have placed the kmz files for each day in my Dropbox sub-folder for you folks to open using Google Earth ....

Google Earth kmz files

Open each file using Google Earth (a free download if you don't have it).

Once Google Earth opens click on the arrow beside 'Temporary Places' until you can see the file name as shown here (using Day 6.kmz as an example)

Highlight the 'Path" file and then click on the 'Path" symbol in the small toolbar below and Google Earth should start to "fly" the path.

Have fun!

 

[beemerdons]

From Gary "Mudslide" Miller of https://www.azbeemers.org

Day 5 of our ride. First day in the Dolomites. Gorgeous scenery, big buses, ballsy bicycle riders, oblivious pedestrians, pokey drivers & crazy moto-riders. What more could you ask for, all on one stretch?! Me following Dr. Bob & Daniel (at least for a while).

 

[beemerdons]

Two of the nicest people I know (even though they are Canadians!), Pam and Tom!

Sadly, that poor FJR bastard on the right never gets to go anywhere!

Exact words from Gary "Mudslide" Miller AZ Beemers Members: "What in the Hell is wrong with these goofy FJR Forum Folks?"

"Sean Connery", also known as "Crazey Davey Cooleyman" of AZ Beemers (Dave Cooley).

Exact words from "Sacramento" Mike Dawson of the FJR Forum": "FJR valve adjustments are highly overrated, don't waste your time with them!"

View of the Berlin Main Train Station from my Ibis Hotel room window.

The high speed Inter City Express train I rode from Berlin to Munich, 440 miles in six hours; first class cabin, beer und schnitzel the whole way!

 

[SacramentoMike]

I already knew we all made it back to our starting point safely, so I suppose I shouldn't have shat myself at the 11:00 point of Gary's vid when it looked like the gray van guy was going to take him out on his pass, but I did anyway. If there had been a center line on that narrow road, he'd have been straddling it. What an idiot!

Good video, though. One more reason I wasted my time taking my own.

 

[Old Michael]

Mike, I'll bet you have dozens of really incredible photos of you and your epic adventure. You should use one of them as your new avatar.

Isn't that a good idea?

 

[SacramentoMike]

Mike, I'll bet you have dozens of really incredible photos of you and your epic adventure. You should use one of them as your new avatar.

Isn't that a good idea?

It's comments like this one (all from you) that force me to hang onto the old one. Unlike some people.

 

[beemerdons]

Mike, I'll bet you have dozens of really incredible photos of you and your epic adventure. You should use one of them as your new avatar.

Isn't that a good idea?

It's comments like this one (all from you) that force me to hang onto the old one. Unlike some people.

Old Michael, here is a nice avatar photo of SacramentoMike using a hand roller to twist up a "fattie" of Turkish brown leaf he scored on the trip!

 

[beemerdons]

From Gary "Mudslide" Miller of AZ Beemers:

I know there hasn't been nearly enough videos yet, so here's another. This is more for the scenery than the riding. Just a short 5 1/2 min. clip.

 

[beemerdons]

https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/kangaroos-escape-from-german-zoo-with-help-from-wild-animals-a-849977.html I know that there have been vicious and false rumors that SacramentoMike broke kangaroos out of a German zoo for sexual escapades! I don't know who started this gossip (it was Duke The Wonder Dog and marcusorelius!), but as an Amigo of SacramentoMiguel I will use a photo collage to prove Mick was not fornicating with kangaroos (sheep, goats, armadillos, manatees and burros are OK and perfectly acceptable!).

Mike's Butt:

Mike's Butt again:

Mike's Butt, once again:

So what else is new, Mike's Butt:

Mike's Face in the middle (actually, the Butt looks better):

SacramentoMike talking about kangaroo sex (completely unrelated to the German zoo escape!):

SacMike asking the Waitress if kangaroos were indigenous to Austria:

And finally SacramentoMike asking the Edelweiss Bike Travel Tour Guide Manuel Taschner when the next organized motorcycle tour of Australia was scheduled for:

 

[SacramentoMike]

https://www.spiegel.d...s-a-849977.html I know that there have been vicious and false rumors that SacramentoMike broke kangaroos out of a German zoo for sexual escapades! I don't know who started this gossip (it was Duke The Wonder Dog and marcusorelius!).

Here's more evidence I'm completely innocent on the kangaroo charges. It's not just kangaroos anyway. NOBODY wants to stay imprisoned in the Berlin zoo.

Indisputable proof.

 

[yamafitter]

More video from Italy. I know Bruce already posted his video of Stelvio but I don't think we can ever have too much video of this fun road. Therefore without further ado .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5PZH5V2_4Y&hd=1

 

[beemerdons]

"Crazey" Davey Cooleyman showing damn fine form on Passo di Stelvio - Stilfserjoch, you would almost think that "The Olde Farte" knew how to ride a motorcycle!

 

[John d]

More video from Italy. I know Bruce already posted his video of Stelvio but I don't think we can ever have too much video of this fun road. Therefore without further ado .....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5PZH5V2_4Y&hd=1

Well that looked like a lot of fun. Wish I could have been there!

Your style of passing or stopping to let the vehicle ahead move up farther sure beats following someone slowly all the way, especially on one of the best roads in the world.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Guess I double-posted while trying to edit, so deleting double post.

 

[SacramentoMike]

OK, admittedly, this video will qualify as "lame ass," but not the road. Or the scenery. Just raw footage, no nice music added yet. Although one of the places we stopped for coffee had a very appropriate yodeling recording playing over the speakers. That would have been nice for this one.

I had the GoPro mounted on my helmet, so every time I turned my head the perspective changes. I wasn't really swerving all over the road. At least not that much. Better vids have definitely been posted, but not this stretch of road, which still strikes me as the most memorable one of all.

The European drivers were pretty considerate of motorcycles overall, with all our passing and lane-splitting. The guy at 4:08 was really one of the very FEW who actually tried to kill me. Around the five minute mark, the road gets a little narrow. :dribble:

To be honest, I'm not sure where the heck we were this day. I just spotted the black FJR--yellow UK plates--at the end of the parking line in the last few seconds--that's Dave, or "Orestes," who joined us in Italy and only spent a couple days, so I've got it narrowed down.

 

[majicmaker]

Hot Damn That was a great ride! Thanks SacMike! :clapping:

 

[marcusorelius]

4:08 Yhea he trid to kill ya Liked the Oh fuck!

 

[beemerdons]

Hot Damn That was a great ride! Thanks SacMike! :clapping:

+1, Gunny; a very nice Ride video SacMike, Thank You! I put your Ride video up over at AZ Beemers and everybody loved it, this post was from Bruce Cain:

Don, be sure to thank Mike for that video. That was a great one! Also, in the photo of Cooley, one can see the incline and decline of the road pretty will for a cameral shot. One can also get somewhat of an idea of the switch back to the grade of the road. Thanks for sharing! bc