European guided tour experiences / suggestions?

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Rheal

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Hello friends,

Well, I am 1 or 2 weeks away from storing the FJR for another season. This has been a great riding summer for me, with my 5000 km Montreal to Front Royal --> Blue Ridge / Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala skyway trip being the highlight. I also did a couple a shorter trips to my birth place in New Brunswick (Canada) for family get togethers. Up until my recent -non-motorcyle- Italian vacation, I figured my next big trip would be Montreal --> Chicago --> Route 66 to LA --> Highway #1 up the coast of California --> Canadian Rockies and return. This would be a 10 or 11k trip taking 3 to 4 weeks. This was tentatively planed for the summer of 2014. But I am starting to think I should keep that trip for after my retirement (end of 2014 perhaps) and do a shorter trip in Europe instead in 2013 or 2014 ... or both! A 2 week trip of that type is easier to manage for a working man than a 1 month trip. And I know the riding in many parts of Europe would be great. I sure did love the Tuscany countryside ... and I've seen lots of other places in Europe that would be great on a bike. But for a trip on another continent, I'd like to be with a guided group!

So the questions:

  1. Does anyone have experience with this type of tour?
  2. Do you have tour operators to recommend?
  3. How well was the bike rental handled?

Merci beaucoup / grazie mille / many thanks!

Rheal

 
Rheal, every 4 years since 1970 when I left Augsburg, Germany I've been leading a moto group to ride The Alps and Dolomites. We of the FJR Forum and AZ Beemers went again last August, feel free to contact me [email protected] or 480-440-4666. https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=141814&st=0 https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=147451&st=0 https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,180.0.html

I am a huge fan of https://www.edelweissbike.com and I have used them for five of those European tours. However, it is just as easy to tour Europe by motorcycle on your own.


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Rheal, I wrote this instructional for publication 5+ years ago and you may find it helpful.

Alpine Pass Bagging 101 or Riding Les Alpes

Do-It-Yourself Style, by Don Stanley

June 2, 2007

The purpose of my report is providing you, an AZ Beemers and FJR Forum member, basic information to plan your own Alps Adventure.

Accompanying my report is another report from my good friend Uri Schumm detailing the cultural, historical and social interactions that our trip encountered.  Think of my narrative as a Clymer’s Shop Manual for the Alps

There are many tour companies providing escorted Motorcycle Tours of the Alps, Beach’s and Edelweiss are two premier companies serving the motorcyclist riding the Alps. You can go to https://www.bmca.com and https://www.edelweissbike.com to see their rates; at a price twice our expenditures.

Our trip consisted of eleven days total, with three of the days being flying days and eight days were aboard the motorcycles.  We used www.expedia.com to purchase our American Airlines budget tickets, but www.cheaptickets.com or www.orbitz.com works fine also.  Buying nine months ahead resulted in flights of $600; you pay more nearer to flying time.

First hand experience is everything and I heartily recommend Knopf Motorradreisen operated by Stefan Knopf in Heidelberg.  His homepage is https://www.Knopftours.com and e-Mail is [email protected] and my use of a 2004 BMW R1150 RT with top case, tank bag, and cell phone-travel service assistance resulted in a fee of $150 a day.  If you like the K75 series, he has a fleet of these and they rent out for $100 a day; they are very well suited to the Alps.  When you arrive at Frankfurt Rhein Main International Airport collect your baggage and walk down stairs to the train terminal.  At the Service Desk are English speaking staff, purchase a ticket for 30 Euros to Kircheim/Rohrbach and Stefan’s shop is 300 yards west of the train station.

We tried to not spend over 100 Euros a night on average for lodging for two people and we easily met our goals.  Here’s our easily obtainable routing from Heidelberg that provides a rider with 300 kilometers a day and up to 400 kilometers if you bag extra passes.  Augsburg, 2 nights each in Merano and Lake Como, Landeck and Titisee-Neustadt for last night.  Here’s some great M/C links for your use: www.alpineroads.com and www.bmwmoa.org

Day One: From Heidelberg to Ausgburg was a nice blend of high speed autobahn running and cruising the famous two lane Romantische Strasse, the old post road of Rome’s Legionnaires in their far flung colony of Germania. 

Autobahn M/C Notes: Never stay in the far left lane except to pass!  You’ll either by cited by the Polizei or you’ll wind up as a hood ornament on a Maserati going 250 kilometers an hour.  There are speed limits on the Autobahn, but only at intersections of multiple routes or where there’s successive on/off ramps where you are reduced to 100 kph.  Construction zones on the autobahn can be reduced to even 50 kph, but typically they are posted for 80.  Other than these examples, run that BMW flat freaking out.

Secondary Roads: Euro authorities are lenient on your speed in rural areas, but they will cite you in a second and fine you 100 Euro on the spot if you speed through their towns and villages.  Save the blast for the countryside.

Day Two: We rode the Romantische Strasse south to Merano, Italy today and start bagging our first passes.  On the way we stopped to check out Bavaria’s Mad King Ludwig’s twin castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohen Schwangau.  Here are the passes we nailed on our way to Sunny Italia. 

1. Fern Pass, 1209 meters.  3. Piller Hohe, 1558 meters; Note: Piller Hohe is a nice pass because it has hundreds of very tight turns and the road is only 2 meters wide, you have to let another moto squeeze past when you encounter one.  4. Reschen Pass, 1504 meters.  We got to ride them in the rain!

Day Three: Using Merano as our base Camp we did some serious Big Boy pass bagging:  1. Timmels Joch, 2509 meters.  Note: This is one of the Disneyland E-Ticket pass rides in the Alps and the only one better is Passo di Stelvio, but unfortunately Stilfser Joch was still covered in snow.  2. Jaufen Pass, 2094 meters.  3. Penser Joch, 2214 meters.  Last two hours of this day trip were on the Jenesian trail that runs from Bozen to Merano along a track just like Piller running through the villages of Moltina and Avelengo.

Day Four: We had many miles ahead of us to get to Lake Como and some amazing passes to Conquer!  1.  Gampen Joch, 1518 meters.  2. Passo dello Tonale, 1884 meters.  3. Passo dello Aprica, 1176 meters.  Technical riding!

Day Five: Using Abbadio del Lario as our base we explored Lake Como and the mountains above.  We put our bikes on the car ferry at Varenna and were transported to Menaggio.  At Carlazzo, next to Lago di Plano, we saw on our maps a twisty little road up to the Village of Cavargna.  This road made the Piller and Jenesian tracks look like the Autobahn.  Our arms were tired for the rest of the trip after negotiating this incredibly twisty route.  We turned back when it turned into a GS track at Saint Nazzaro and returned via ferry to Mandello del Lario to tour the now historical Moto-Guzzi M/C factory.

Notes on Vignettes: To ride the Autobahns in Switzerland and Austria you will need to pre purchase a sticker that you display on your windshield.  We avoided the autobahns because Austria charges 7.5 Euros for a ten-day vignette and Switzerland makes you buy a pro rated vignette at four Euros a month per year.  Since we were in the fifth month we’d have had to pay 32E. 

Day Six: Lake Como and through San Moritz to our day’s nightly destination of Landeck, Austria.  Only significant pass today was Maloja at 1815 meters, the road followed the Inn River and it was beautiful; and rainy!

Day Seven:  Pass City on our ride back into Germany to spend the night at Titisee-Neustadt.  1. St. Anton Pass, 1284 meters.  2. Arlbergpass, 1793 meters.  Flexenpass, 1773 meters.  3.  Hochtannberg Pass, 1679 meters.  We then rode along the Northern Shore of Lake Constance through Switzerland.

Day Eight: We rode through the Schwarzwald-Black Forest today.  Took the secondary passes through Munstertal to the A5 Autobahn, our route back to Heidelberg.  Took everyone into France to show them the Rhine River and the river barges going through the canal locks.  Afternoon rained like crazy!

We had a fantastic trip with great friends and great scenery to enjoy throughout.  The roads are incredible and every turn brought a smile to our faces.  Stefan Knopf provided us with motorraden that performed flawlessly. 

We did hit a little bit of rain, but all in all we were very fortunate that the longest duration was two hours and mostly it rained at night while sleeping. 

Only thing I’d do differently next time is to make use of renting one of Knopf Motorrad Reisen’s K75’s.  Solo that’s all you’d need for Alps riding.

If you’ve any questions about Alps Riding, please call Don at 480-440-4666 or email him at [email protected] 
 
And here is the companion Alps and Dolomites Motorcycle Touring article written by my best European Riding Buddy Uri Schumm:

Alps Riders Group Completes Kick-Ass Euro Trip

by Beemerguy

On May 18, 2007 five AZ Beemers took off on a long-anticipated motorcycle trip through southern Germany and the Alps. Don Stanley (Beemerdons) was the guiding force in planning this adventure, laying out the route, selecting mountain passes and ultimately being the ride leader. Uri Schumm (Beemerguy) located and reserved rooms in hotels, communicated with the BMW rental company and acted as translator in the German speaking areas. Sylvia Schumm (Beemergal,) Bob Flanders and Dave Cooley completed our little gang adding their company and good humor. We had a blast!

In this report I’ll share our trip story with you, what we saw, the people we met, the food we ate and a bit about my personal reconnecting with family. Join us on our incredible journey.

Following my narrative be sure to read Beemerdons’ report on Don's Alps Pass Bagging 101 - Do It Yourself (DIY)! Learn all about planning such a trip, routes, maps, motorcycle rental, planning for weather contingencies and anticipating challenges on the road. You’ll find his report to be a treasure trove of information.

After we completed an Edelweiss tour of Andalucia Province in Spain in February, 2006 Don and I started talking about organizing our own trip to Europe. Don suggested the Alps with their challenging passes and incredible beauty. I was easily convinced. In January, 2007 we planned the dates, May 18 through 28, reserved our bikes from Knopf Motorrad Reisen in Heidelberg, Germany, and bought our airline tickets from www.expedia.com. The five members of our Alps Riders Group (ARG) e mailed and spoke on the phone often. We also had a couple of planning meetings. Before long we were on our way!

Fourteen and a half hours of air travel time plus a nine hour time change, followed by a couple of hours of train travel to Heidelberg added up to a very long day. We were welcomed by Stefan Knopf with the first of many delicious German beers on this trip. Stefan has been renting BMWs to overseas ridersfor 15 years. He has four kids ages 5 through 12 and runs the business out of his home. Tragically, Stefan lost his wife to cancer on December 15, 2006. He also has some guest rooms that he rents out. Stefan’s children help in a modest way with this part of the business.

Stefan took us over to his shop/bike storage where we met our motorcycles. Don, Sylvia and I rode R1150RTs. Bob rode an R1100RT. Dave’s bike was an R1150GS. All had about 30,000 to 40,000 kilometers on their clocks. The bikes including saddle bags and top cases, were well tuned. Mine had brand new tires. We had absolutely no trouble with our equipment throughout a journey that really tested the motorcycles.

We spent the night at the 157 year old Zum Baeren Hotel where we had dinner, and fell into bed after 31 hours of being awake. Our hotel fee included a buffet breakfast. Then we took off for Augsburg, the ancestral home of my mother’s family. We can trace our genealogy back to 1754. My forebears were winemakers in the area for many generations. On this trip we made a determined commitment to avoid high speed Autobahns and Autostradas whenever possible. The thrill of riding at speeds well in excess of 100 MPH soon wears thin, not to mention the scenery is little more than blur.

Our route of choice this day was the Romantische Strasse, a two lane Landstrasse (highway) that winds through towns, villages and farms, many dating back to the middle ages. In some places the houses on either side of the road leave only two really narrow lanes. Frequently during our ride south our noses were graced with the smells of barnyard animals and manure. The predominant color of this route was green. With ample rain, this part of Germany is lush with forests and verdant fields. Each little town has its landmark church. We rode past old forts and castles, stopping for a beer at the well preserved town of Noerdlingen where several of us visited a church built before Columbus’ discovery of the new world.

Don and I had been tracking the weather on the Internet for weeks leading up to our trip. The forecast was for rain most of the time. We felt lucky to have sunny and clear weather on this day. We were prepared for any eventuality, having brought along, rain gear, lots of long johns, sweaters and heavy socks. By early afternoon we made it to Augsburg, the second oldest city in Germany, dating back to the year 15 A.D. We stayed at the Ibis, one of a chain of hotels, similar to our Days Inn. From there we went to a beer garden with my cousin Miriam and her husband Friedhelm. There we enjoyed the traditional Augburg dishes of Weisswurst, Leberkaese with potato salad and of course beer.

My cousins took all of us on a walking tour of the old city, 75% of which had been destroyed by allied bombing during World War II. The Messerschmidt and BMW aircraft factories as well as other strategic targets were carpet bombed into oblivion. Many old structures survived. Others have been restored. For me getting to talk with my cousin whom I had previously met only twice many years ago, gave me a chance to reconnect with some of my family history. For once I did more listening than talking. The day ended with dinner at another beer garden. This outdoor meal featured veal and lamb dishes and the delicious German Pilsner brew.

The following morning Sylvia and I visited Miriam’s Dad, Grandpa Fritz, age 95. We last saw him in 1969 during our R69US tour of Europe. It was great chatting with him. We resumed our ride down the Romantische Strasse, met Bob, Dave and Don at Neuschwanstein Castle and headed into Austria. Our goal this day was to reach Merano Italy in the Tyrolean Alps. As we began to gain in elevation we hit some rain, nothing serious, but riding on two wheels on wet, curvy mountain roads requires real concentration. Entering Austria, we were pleased to see a drop in fuel prices. The super premium juice required by our bikes cost us anywhere from $6.00 to $8.00 a gallon. The best prices were in Austria. My guess is their taxes are lower.

The ride over the Fern Pass and up and down a number of Alpine mountains and valleys was great fun once the rain ceased. The route chosen by Don consisted of countless twisties with occasional switchbacks. Riding in first and second gear was de riguer. The occasional foray into third felt like freeway driving. Along the mountainsides were small villages and isolated farmsteads. Dairy cows and occasional herds of sheep grazed along the steep hillsides. Everything was green with snow-capped peaks above. At each turn I half expected Heidi’s grandpa to come out and greet us.

As we entered the Italian Alps we hit more serious rain. We donned our rain suits and trucked on. Finally at around 8:00 P.M. we made it to our hotel tired and hungry. A late start and some delay due to the rain were to blame. We went to a local restaurant where pizza (delicious!) and beer ended a long day.

Waking up the next morning to a view of an old vineyard with snow-capped mountains in the background was like falling into a picture postcard for me. You may see this view and more at the link above. Our best buffet breakfasts were served at the Eremita Einsiedler hotel in Merano, Italy. The staff there spoke German with a definite Italian lilt. The accommodations were very comfortable and the surrounding countryside was picturesque, characterized by vineyards and old castles. Dave, Bob and Don spent the day riding some passes while Sylvia and I toured the lovely historic town of Merano and partook of their delicious ice cream cones.

Our rooms at this hotel cost 77 Euros for a double, including breakfast buffet. At the exchange rate of $1.40 for a Euro this works out to about $108.00. Other rooms ranged from 55 Euros (no breakfast) in Augsburg to 122 Euros with breakfast at lake Como. Our US dollar did not buy much in Europe. Most meals were about $18.00 plus beverage and tip. Restaurants here do not serve water. They sell you overpriced bottled water. Ice as we consume it in Arizona is unheard of. Our request for ice raised many eyebrows. But as always the beer and in Merano, the Italian wine were excellent.

Don chose some challenging and picturesque passes for our route to Lake Como. By this time we were all accustomed to multiple twisties, ascending and descending hairpins and the occasional buzz of Euro-bikers flying past us. Don’t get me wrong. We usually rode as fast as conditions and our skills permitted. Speed limit signs (except in towns) we purely advisory for us. Just past the Italian town of Sondrio we came upon one of the aforementioned speedsters being removed by ambulance. The black skid marks in the road told us he had overestimated his skill. It was a sobering moment.

Our greatest challenge this day was meeting opposing trucks and buses in the hairpins. These behemoths often hogged 7/8 of the narrow road. We became accustomed to rolling on the throttle when rare passing opportunities presented themselves. Our BMWs never disappointed us. Until this trip I had considered AZ 191, the Devil’s Highway, fun and challenging. I now view this road in a new perspective, not really all that difficult. I look forward to riding it again soon. This was another satisfying day of mountain riding. Though we gobbled up the several hundred kilometers, the heat and finding ourselves stuck behind caravans of slow drivers were tiring. We were glad to arrive at Lake Como

The Park Hotel overlooking lake Como in Abbadia Lariana, Italy had the best room amenities of any place we stayed. It had air conditioning, and in contrast to the typically puny showers, this one allowed one to turn around without one’s butt bumping into the faucet handle and causing an instant ice shower. The staff here as elsewhere was accommodating and friendly. I made ample use of the Internet to check on the weather and touch base with home.

The day after our arrival at Como Dave, Don and Bob bagged some more mountain passes. By the time Sylvia and I met them at the Moto Guzzi factory just three kliks from our hotel they were bushed by the challenging riding and the heat. We were only able to tour the museum portion of Moto Guzzi where we saw several score of Guzzis designed for military, police, motocross, sidecar and even one ski bike! We would all have enjoyed a tour of the production facility. I was unsuccessful in persuading Bob to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Our departure for Austria the next morning was delayed by rain. We rode local highways to Austria with on and off showers, but not enough to impede us. Shortly after entering Switzerland we began to really climb the Alps. At one point we rode a series of about ten steeply ascending switchbacks. These roads as every other Swiss road we ran were the best we encountered with excellent road surfaces and bike friendly banking. The Swiss road signage was the clearest, very much in contrast to the muddled and confusing Italian directional signs.

At St. Moritz we finally hit sweater worthy temperatures. We lunched at a yacht club on the large lake there, and proceeded toward our Austrian destination. This day provided us with some of the most satisfying riding yet. Toward evening we entered Austria and ran into some heavy rain. At the town of Landeck we decided to call it quits some sixty kilometers shy of our destination. We ate and slept at the Schwartzer Adler (Black Eagle) Hotel. The customary great food, beer and a solid buffet breakfast fortified us for the next day’s riding. Don, Bob and Dave headed for the Black Forest in Germany. Sylvia and I opted to spend one more day with our Augsburg cousins.

After an evening enjoying a baroque concert at the historic St. Ulrich Church in Augsburg, Miriam prepared a hearty breakfast, and we were on our way. Once again we cruised up the Romantische Strasse, stopping to enjoy and take pictures of castles. At Creilsam we ate lunch and picked up the Autobahn toward Heidelberg. Some high speed riding in the rain brought us to Stefan’s house by about 3:00 in the afternoon. There we met our Alps Riders Group buddies enjoying our favorite beverage. They had arrived about fifteen minutes earlier via Autobahn from France. Their bikes were shiny and clean after being blasted by rain for two hours. Dave was drying his socks.

We spent the night at Stefan’s house, and took a minivan arranged by him to the Frankfurt airport the next morning. The American Airlines flight to Phoenix via Dallas Fort Worth was long and uneventful. This was quite in contrast to too short a vacation with many wonderful times to remember. Please contact me or Don with any comments or questions. If you’re interested in organizing a trip we’d be delighted to chat with you. Be sure to read Don’s Alps 101 tips.
 
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the questions:

  1. Does anyone have experience with this type of tour?
  2. Do you have tour operators to recommend?
  3. How well was the bike rental handled?
1. Yes.

2. Yes (Eidelweiss).

3. Smooth as well-oiled glass. Good selection and several price levels.

You could do it--or something close--cheaper, but our tour was just perfect, the guide was great, the bikes were all in perfect condition, almost new (under 10K kms on my 650GS), and they knew ALL the best roads--the ones you'd miss trying it all on your own (like

one). In our case, the weather was a total lucky bonus. It was perfect too. Read that whole 22 page thread Don linked to
 
the questions:

  1. Does anyone have experience with this type of tour?
  2. Do you have tour operators to recommend?
  3. How well was the bike rental handled?
1. Yes.

2. Yes (Eidelweiss).

3. Smooth as well-oiled glass. Good selection and several price levels.

You could do it--or something close--cheaper, but our tour was just perfect, the guide was great, the bikes were all in perfect condition, almost new (under 10K kms on my 650GS), and they knew ALL the best roads--the ones you'd miss trying it all on your own (like

 
I thought I should add just another word about Eidelweiss, and that's the accommodations. It's nice, coming into an area, to know the hotel is all arranged for and it will be a good one. A very good one. They set up the tours so each day's goal is easily attainable but you get a very good and full day of wonderful riding to get there, and "there" is always a great place with a great dining room. Breakfasts (buffets) and dinners in the hotel dining room were included, and always very nice. By the way, rest/coffee stops and lunch stops were also budgeted into the time calculation, so it was a low-stress, high-fun day.

And frankly, when I travel, I usually economize more than this on things like the room and the meals, but it was awful nice to be pampered like this. And no searching in a strange town for a hotel, hoping for a vacancy, a good rate, and a decent meal.

 
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Beemerdons, SacramentoMike,

Many thanks for the great feedback. I never expected to get such excellent feedback so quickly! I guess that after following this forum for 1 1/2 years, I should know better right?

So if your last Alps trip was this August Beemerdons, then I expect the next one to be in 2016. I may very well be interested ... but I suspect I will do some biking in Europe before then.

Think of me everyone if you are palling something. Cheers!

Rheal

 
Beemerdons, SacramentoMike,

Many thanks for the great feedback. I never expected to get such excellent feedback so quickly! I guess that after following this forum for 1 1/2 years, I should know better right?

So if your last Alps trip was this August Beemerdons, then I expect the next one to be in 2016. I may very well be interested ... but I suspect I will do some biking in Europe before then.

Think of me everyone if you are planning something. Cheers!

Rheal
I'm leading a trip to Baja California with Cabo San Lucas as the final destination this upcoming January 25 through February 4, but unfortunately Rheal that Mexico ride is "Sold Out"!

However, there is a "by invitation only" ride to Mulege over October 26 through November 3 and I could save a spot for you. One of the riders is originally from Manitoba Province.

It'd be nice to travel with someone from Montreal, Quebec. Lately, I've been touring with a pack of Jackwagons from Ontario: You Quebecois know what arseholes those Hosers are!

In 2014 there will be a two part tour of Europe I'll be leading: The first week will be all of Ireland and the second week will be Scotland, optional for those who have the time/money.

I'll once again be riding the Alps and Dolomites in 2016 and you're welcome to join me, I turn 64 on this October 28 and sometimes I can hear the Devil knocking away on my door!

IMG_2669.jpg


 
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Beemerdons, SacramentoMike,

Many thanks for the great feedback. I never expected to get such excellent feedback so quickly! I guess that after following this forum for 1 1/2 years, I should know better right?

So if your last Alps trip was this August Beemerdons, then I expect the next one to be in 2016. I may very well be interested ... but I suspect I will do some biking in Europe before then.

Think of me everyone if you are planning something. Cheers!

Rheal
I'm leading a trip to Baja California with Cabo San Lucas as the final destination this upcoming January 25 through February 4, but unfortunately Rheal that Mexico ride is "Sold Out"!

However, there is a "by invitation only" ride to Mulege over October 26 through November 3 and I could save a spot for you. One of the riders is originally from Manitoba Province.

It'd be nice to travel with someone from Montreal, Quebec. Lately, I've been touring with a pack of Jackwagons from Ontario: You Quebecois know what arseholes those Hosers are!

In 2014 there will be a two part tour of Europe I'll be leading: The first week will be all of Ireland and the second week will be Scotland, optional for those who have the time/money.

I'll once again be riding the Alps and Dolomites in 2016 and you're welcome to join me, I turn 64 on this October 28 and sometimes I can hear the Devil knocking away on my door!

IMG_2669.jpg
Where are you travelling in Scotland?

 
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Hello tuggy, I have never ridden North of Liverpool and Kingston-Upon-Hull so this tour will be all uncharted territory for me. The second week will see us ferrying over from Belfast, we will then go back to Belfast in order to return our bikes to Irish Bike hire. https://www.irishbike.com

I'm certainly open to your suggestions, but I was thinking five nights in these 5 cities and in this order: Aberfoyle, Banchory, Inverness, Portree and finally Ballachulish. I was going to save Glasgow and Edinburgh for a following sightseeing trip (no moto!) with my Girlfriend Donna.

highlander-tour-12.JPG


 
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As usual Don delivers great advice!

I spent 2 years in Germany and after reading

Dons post...

+1
Tony, where were you stationed at in Germany? I was US Army stationed at Reese Kaserne at Augsburg, Bavaria in the 5/32nd Artillery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augsburg We fired 105mm towed Howitzers and also had Honest John rockets (nuke warheads when we went on Alert!) in our arsenal, we did all our live fires at Grafenwoehr. Check this out Tony, they are totally upgrading Graf! It was a real Hellhole when I was bivouacked there!

 
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https://www.sport-touring.it Rheal I just thought of another European Motorcycling resource for you to use, the Italian Sport Touring Club based out of Milano. Our FJR Forum Member Stefano Sarao is head of that group, his handle on our Forum is Teerex51.

Stef is always leading tours throughout Europe, Turkey and other exotic locations. Many of we Americans such as Caba and SkooterG have ridden with this group, he has been an excellent and outstanding Host to we Italy and Spain visiting pinche Gringos!

Here are the FJR Forum Members who rode Spain, Andorra and France throughout the Pyrenees with the Italian Sport Touring Group: Top row, left to right - BeemerDonS, Teerex51 and Dr. Bob; bottom, left to right - Orestes and Mik. Send our Stef a P.M.!

PyrenneesgroupatLevicodinner.png


https://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=820236 Here's yamafitter's Adventure Rider Forum report on the FJR Forum Alps and Dolomites Tour of 2012.

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

DSCF0369.jpg


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

DSCF0368.jpg


 
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As usual Don delivers great advice!

I spent 2 years in Germany and after reading

Dons post...

+1
Tony, where were you stationed at in Germany? I was US Army stationed at Reese Kaserne at Augsburg, Bavaria in the 5/32nd Artillery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augsburg We fired 105mm towed Howitzers and also had Honest John rockets (nuke warheads when we went on Alert!) in our arsenal, we did all our live fires at Grafenwoehr. Check this out Tony, they are totally upgrading Graf! It was a real Hellhole when I was bivouacked there!


Don

I was stationed in Crying shame (Crailsihiem) not even sure about the spelling. It was a hole between N'burg and Stuttgart

Graf... theres a name I could have lived without hearing again. White dust- Did 4 Grafs. I was infantry and was in every forest

known training. I was lucky enough to attend "French Commando" school also.

Keep me informed on your next ride planning there!

 
https://alps-tours.com/ Moto Charlie (Charlie Newdorff) has the best Alps tours hands down. Small groups, expert guide, great hotels & food and a pay as you go tour. Can save $$ over the other Alps tours and who needs a van to carry your stuff. Real motorcyclists can take everything they need on the bike. And the rental bikes, BMW or Honda, are all new models and the rental process is seamless. Check out the website and email Charlie with questions.
 
https://alps-tours.com/ Moto Charlie (Charlie Newdorff) has the best Alps tours hands down. Small groups, expert guide, great hotels & food and a pay as you go tour. Can save $$ over the other Alps tours and who needs a van to carry your stuff. Real motorcyclists can take everything they need on the bike. And the rental bikes, BMW or Honda, are all new models and the rental process is seamless. Check out the website and email Charlie with questions.
https://www.edelweissbike.com/en/allTours/true/cont/eur/alps-extreme.html Hello jim520, just how long ago did you use Moto Charlie? The reason that I ask is as the "Alps Extreme" Tour Organizer for our FJR Forum/AZ Beemers Alps and Dolomites Tour of August 2012 I did indeed contact Moto Charlie and it was Edelweiss that beat the cost of Moto Charlie hands down!

Edelweiss Bike Tours now runs "Extreme" tours where there is NO support van, we carried all of our own stuff on our own motorcycles. yamafitter even had his hair dryer!

With Edelweiss including all the evening meals they were much cheaper than Moto Charlie, in addition since we had over 10 participants they gave us an additional 5% discount that paid for our fuel. Plus, if we could have had 15 participants (we were just two short) they would have given us an 8% discount. I like Charlie Newdorff and do feel he provides an excellent Euro tour experience, but with the EBT "Extreme" tours he is no longer the most cost effective! We all loved our Tour Guide Manuel Taschner and our hotels and routes were fantastic. Manuel's Father is famous Austrian motorcycle racer Christian Preining, Manuel's also a professional Motocross racer!

resized_8f3b18c585ade0a9534b6d9516c336df.png


https://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/Events/Races.aspx?meet_code=ALL&ride_id=4442 Herr Preining competed for Honda of Austria at the Isle of Man TT Race. Christian on a Motocross course:

ChristianPreining-1.jpg


 
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Hi Rheal, sorry for the delay but I've been checking with my mate Craig (GS rider) on another ship who's ridden every bit of tarmac in Scotland. We reckon this is a good start.

Depends alot how much time you have and what kind of roads you like but the following would make a decent trip without being slowed too much by the roads.

Cairnryan – A75- Dumfries – Moffat A701 –Edinburgh – A90 – Perth – A93 - Blairgowrie – Braemar – Ballater - Banchory - Back to Ballater then A939 –Toumintoul – Carrbridge – A9 – Inverness – Dornoch – Wick – John O’Groats.

From there follow the coast road round the top Tongue – Durness – Ullapool – Garve – Achnasheen – Gairloch – Lochcarron –Inverinate – Invergarry – Fort William – Glencoe – Crianlarich – Tarbet – Dumbarton – Erskine Bridge – Largs – Girvan coast road back to Cairnryan.

3 best riding roads not to miss A835 Ullapool - Garve, A87 Skye – Invergarry, A82 through Glencoe.

Scenery wise stunning loop out round Lochinver on way to Ullapool, also the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, head out towards Mallaig once at Fort William, left at Lochailort and round the coast to the Corran ferry just north of Glencoe.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

Graeme

 
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