Motorcycling The Backcountry of Europe
Oct 28, 2016, 9:34 am
#1
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Motorcycling The Backcountry of Europe
A couple of years ago, Mr. StartInSanDiego bought a BMW motorcycle that we are storing, year-round, near Munich. This, combined with the bonanza of miles and points earnings, has allowed us to enjoy wonderful travels in the back country of Europe. Other than hitting the highlights of an area, we travel primarily on the back roads and away from the tourist areas. We tend to plan our trips around the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We frequently find ourselves in areas that cater more to local tourism than foreign tourism. We try to balance the trips to include a bit of each.
Since he is actually the only motorcycle enthusiast of the 2 of us, we have had to think of creative methods where I travel less on the back of the bike than he does. For instance, I fly to Vienna or Venice, he meets me there after getting his bike in Munich. I do enjoy the riding, but in far more limited doses than he does. About 2 hours is my limit. He is also traveling more frequently than I am, and had 3 trips this year, without me. I'm not sad, though, because I have trips without him, too!
I'd like to cover some of the interesting places we've traveled through and people that we've met, as well as the logistics of getting there for anybody who would like to plan something similar. This will not include much about lounge food or lie-flat beds, although we love those perks and I wish each of my trips included them! Sometimes we are squashed in coach because it's the only way to get there on the schedule we have available.
Besides our love of travel adventure and my husband's love of riding the back country, inspiration for the trips have come from documentaries such as "Long Way 'Round" & "Long Way Down," with Ian McGregor and Charlie Boorman; the AdventureRiders.com web site, various people on the Facebook Motorcycle rider groups, the IronButt Association (yep, there really is such a thing!), etc. The Alps are well covered in the book: Motorcycle Journeys in the Alps and Beyond,[/URL] by John Hermann. My boss and his wife did 2 trips where they purchased a motorcycle from the BMW factory and went on a group tour sponsored by BMW, then shipped the bike to the USA after the trip. This program is now discontinued. Tour companies such as Edelweiss are great for itinerary suggestions. FYI- Motorcycle rental is now widely available throughout Europe, as the manufacturers are offering new bikes for rent through the dealerships.
We use National Geographic Maps, which show the UNESCO sites and other points of interest that tend to be our kind of places. We plan a route using Google maps in advance, and use a GPS while traveling.
The trips so far have included:
Fall 2014: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary*
Spring 2015: Munich & Austria
Summer 2015: *
Fall 2015: The Dolomites, Venice, Italian Lakes District
Spring 2016: Switzerland and the Black Forest
Summer 2016-I: Mr. SD goes to John O'Groats in Scotland/Iron Butt through 4 or 5 countries, meets up with our bicycling "gap year" son.*
Summer 2016- II: Alpine passes and forests*
Fall 2016: Italy
Upcoming:
Spring 2017: Eastern Europe to Copenhagen*
Summer 2017-I: Copenhagen to Nordkap Norway*
Summer 2017-II: *
Fall 2017: Croatia
This trip is the Fall, 2016 edition, Italy, since it's still fresh in my mind.
*= Yours truly not aboard
Since he is actually the only motorcycle enthusiast of the 2 of us, we have had to think of creative methods where I travel less on the back of the bike than he does. For instance, I fly to Vienna or Venice, he meets me there after getting his bike in Munich. I do enjoy the riding, but in far more limited doses than he does. About 2 hours is my limit. He is also traveling more frequently than I am, and had 3 trips this year, without me. I'm not sad, though, because I have trips without him, too!
I'd like to cover some of the interesting places we've traveled through and people that we've met, as well as the logistics of getting there for anybody who would like to plan something similar. This will not include much about lounge food or lie-flat beds, although we love those perks and I wish each of my trips included them! Sometimes we are squashed in coach because it's the only way to get there on the schedule we have available.
Besides our love of travel adventure and my husband's love of riding the back country, inspiration for the trips have come from documentaries such as "Long Way 'Round" & "Long Way Down," with Ian McGregor and Charlie Boorman; the AdventureRiders.com web site, various people on the Facebook Motorcycle rider groups, the IronButt Association (yep, there really is such a thing!), etc. The Alps are well covered in the book: Motorcycle Journeys in the Alps and Beyond,[/URL] by John Hermann. My boss and his wife did 2 trips where they purchased a motorcycle from the BMW factory and went on a group tour sponsored by BMW, then shipped the bike to the USA after the trip. This program is now discontinued. Tour companies such as Edelweiss are great for itinerary suggestions. FYI- Motorcycle rental is now widely available throughout Europe, as the manufacturers are offering new bikes for rent through the dealerships.
We use National Geographic Maps, which show the UNESCO sites and other points of interest that tend to be our kind of places. We plan a route using Google maps in advance, and use a GPS while traveling.
The trips so far have included:
Fall 2014: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary*
Spring 2015: Munich & Austria
Summer 2015: *
Fall 2015: The Dolomites, Venice, Italian Lakes District
Spring 2016: Switzerland and the Black Forest
Summer 2016-I: Mr. SD goes to John O'Groats in Scotland/Iron Butt through 4 or 5 countries, meets up with our bicycling "gap year" son.*
Summer 2016- II: Alpine passes and forests*
Fall 2016: Italy
Upcoming:
Spring 2017: Eastern Europe to Copenhagen*
Summer 2017-I: Copenhagen to Nordkap Norway*
Summer 2017-II: *
Fall 2017: Croatia
This trip is the Fall, 2016 edition, Italy, since it's still fresh in my mind.
*= Yours truly not aboard
Last edited by StartinSanDiego; Nov 13, 2016 at 10:02 am
Oct 29, 2016, 9:16 am
#8
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Original Poster
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Val d'Orcia
The UNESCO area of the Val d'Orcia, near Siena, Italy. We had the delightful experience of getting a little bit lost and ended up in some very beautiful and remote areas on dirt roads. It was both pheasant and truffle season, so we saw hunters and truffle hunters. We saw some pheasant... spooked them on purpose. At one point, we ended up in a Medieval village on a hilltop with a population of 67.
Oct 29, 2016, 8:16 pm
#10
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Thank you! This looks like something amazing is going to happen. The fact that you referenced the McGregor / Borman trip really piques my interest, and no, I am no a biker - just a road trip fan.
Safe travels, and waiting for the next episode.^
Safe travels, and waiting for the next episode.^
Oct 31, 2016, 12:23 am
#11
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So what are you guys riding in San Diego and Europe?
Oct 31, 2016, 9:25 am
#12
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Join Date: Aug 2012
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Bmw 1100 rs
That sounds like a wonderful trip, Flight Nurse. What were some of the highlights?
It's a BMW 1100 RS... older model.
I'm kind of amazed at how all the stuff fits into those saddle bags. The contents of an entire 21-22" carry on will fit into one of those saddle bags. We use packing cubes. The overflow goes into the tank bag or trunk.
It's a BMW 1100 RS... older model.
I'm kind of amazed at how all the stuff fits into those saddle bags. The contents of an entire 21-22" carry on will fit into one of those saddle bags. We use packing cubes. The overflow goes into the tank bag or trunk.
Last edited by StartinSanDiego; Oct 31, 2016 at 10:04 am
Oct 31, 2016, 9:46 am
#13
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Parking in the City Centre- Florence
We stayed at the lovely Westin Excelsior hotel in Florence, with an upgrade to a river view room. I took a train from Bologna to Florence, due to the rain. We arrived about 20 minutes apart.
Navigating the city streets is tough... those Italian drivers are very aggressive and not very patient with confused tourists. Passing on the left, right, sidewalk, you name it. We may not return to the big cities because of it. The kids on the scooters... young girls in high heels included, fly by us. Italians are much more polite drivers on the country roads. For the cities, though, the pay off comes at parking time. We are parked literally steps away from the lobby door. We had similar luck throughout the trip. Motorcycle parking is usually free, frequently marked in plentiful, dedicated places, and one can get right to the heart of things without a lot of schlepping around on foot.
Navigating the city streets is tough... those Italian drivers are very aggressive and not very patient with confused tourists. Passing on the left, right, sidewalk, you name it. We may not return to the big cities because of it. The kids on the scooters... young girls in high heels included, fly by us. Italians are much more polite drivers on the country roads. For the cities, though, the pay off comes at parking time. We are parked literally steps away from the lobby door. We had similar luck throughout the trip. Motorcycle parking is usually free, frequently marked in plentiful, dedicated places, and one can get right to the heart of things without a lot of schlepping around on foot.
Last edited by StartinSanDiego; Oct 31, 2016 at 9:54 am
Nov 1, 2016, 2:38 am
#14
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That sounds like a wonderful trip, Flight Nurse. What were some of the highlights?
It's a BMW 1100 RS... older model.
I'm kind of amazed at how all the stuff fits into those saddle bags. The contents of an entire 21-22" carry on will fit into one of those saddle bags. We use packing cubes. The overflow goes into the tank bag or trunk.
It's a BMW 1100 RS... older model.
I'm kind of amazed at how all the stuff fits into those saddle bags. The contents of an entire 21-22" carry on will fit into one of those saddle bags. We use packing cubes. The overflow goes into the tank bag or trunk.
Nov 1, 2016, 5:01 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: PDX-EUG
Posts: 131
Oh, I'm thrilled to see this trip report. Some of the pictures don't seem to be coming through, yet - at least for me.
My husband and I members of our local BMW club, here in Oregon. The only problem is that since I've been riding my own bike, I'm not a very good back-seat rider. If we went overseas (especially the Alps, I've heard), I'd probably need to ride with my husband. Those switch-backs can be quite technical.
Looking forward to more entries!
My husband and I members of our local BMW club, here in Oregon. The only problem is that since I've been riding my own bike, I'm not a very good back-seat rider. If we went overseas (especially the Alps, I've heard), I'd probably need to ride with my husband. Those switch-backs can be quite technical.
Looking forward to more entries!