2,500 mile hike around the Alps & a happy camper

Eunuch

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jan 25, 2004
Messages
599
Reaction score
3
Location
Hampshire, England
Just a quickie to say another pleased WCer after returning 2,650 miles door-to-door from it's first proper outing.

I had around 700 miles on the old girl before disappearing with Horizon Motorcycle Tours http://www.horizonmotorcycletours.co.uk/ on their Mountains All The Way Tour staying in France and Switzerland though we ventured into Italy on some of the passes. 2 night stop overs on the 11 day trip in Reckingen (Switzerland), Menton (France, right on the med close to Italy) and Annecy (France) allowed for a restbite and some medicinal fun see below :bounce1.

The success of these trips is always driven by the bike, roads, weather and people and I lucked in with all 4 though riding in high 30C's in a boil-in-the-bag 2-piece goretex suit wasn't great. The routes they provided were blinders with plenty of roads I've never ridden before and I even went back to ride some of the passes on my own catching up the group later in the day as they were that good.

I had some nagging concerns because of the issues some have suffered with but I needn't have worried as the bike performed faultlessly. The gearbox was fine out of the box but now feels even looser and the suspenders are now very plush. I decided about half way thru the trip I preferred Dynamic power and medium suspension to cater for the average long day across very varied road surfaces. I've toured a bunch of times on GS's and though never found the handling lacking I enjoyed having the additional power on tap. Like most I don't like to hang about unnecessarily and the extra shove was a real bonus when you wanted to play. The WC held it's head high amongst a bunch of varied and capable bikes. Only a mere pup with 3,500 miles on the clock, but nonetheless very pleased with the old girl. She even scrubs up nicely after being around the block a few times :).

i-DWKW9G2-XL.jpg


i-nLfNxwL-XL.jpg


Had a chance to try this in Annecy. Amazing taking off from a mountain and gaining another 1500ft from thermals before coming down across the lake from 4,000ft.

i-ms5fDLW-XL.jpg


And chuffed to bits I finally managed to get here :).

i-wbxdF4P-XL.jpg


i-PvVJhTC-XL.jpg
 
Nice one, and you have the fastest colour!:thumb:D
 
Glad you had a good time and bike behaved. Sounds good, 3 weeks and we will be in the Black Forest on our GS, 1st service next Monday!

Reims circuit, know it well, nice photos
 
Looks like you had a great time ... no panniers ? Was the top box enough for that trip ? .. I like to travel light and that looks good .. nice photos !
 
Looks good two weeks Thursday off on a similar trip down to Milan solo then pick up better half from airport then off to lakes stelvio and Black Forest cannot wait.:bounce1
 
Yep, I'm off next Tuesday down the Route Napoleon and then on to Corsica with MSL Tours. I've taken the Goretex liner out of my BMW jacket since I cooked on the Garmisch trip.
 
Yep, I'm off next Tuesday down the Route Napoleon and then on to Corsica with MSL Tours. I've taken the Goretex liner out of my BMW jacket since I cooked on the Garmisch trip.

Haven't been with Peter and Gloria for a few years now, have fun. Corsica looked good on the Tour de France!
 
sounds like a great trip,, I had a few days around the Black forest,, its a great bike but its the people and places that make it a memorable journey.:thumb2
 
Thanks guys.

The trip was a hoot. Probably one of the best and I've done a bunch over the years. I really do feel for those that have problems with their bikes, but (and I hope it stays that way) mine has been a peach and I wanted to make sure there is balance on ownership feedback and enjoyment.

Looks like you had a great time ... no panniers ? Was the top box enough for that trip ? .. I like to travel light and that looks good .. nice photos !

I've settled on this combo after finding 2 x side panniers a bit too much and bit too heavy. Handles much better without them too. I use the non-expanded topbox for bikey stuff like extra layers, spare gloves, tools first aid, spares along with water and energy providing doughnuts :rolleyes:whilst keeping everything I need for the hotel incl toiletries in a 30 ltr waterproof bag strapped (Rok strapped) on the rear seat. Enough space for a 12 day trip.

Yep, I'm off next Tuesday down the Route Napoleon and then on to Corsica with MSL Tours. I've taken the Goretex liner out of my BMW jacket since I cooked on the Garmisch trip.

We did the majority of the Route Napoleon too from the southern start up to about 30 miles before Grenoble. . Bit of a mecca and has to be done :D. Easy to get carried away on it though ....

Haven't been with Peter and Gloria for a few years now, have fun. Corsica looked good on the Tour de France!

Such a small world, isn't it. I've toured with them a few times too. Had some fun riding with Rex when he was helping out with them too. Again, great trips and a lovely couple.

For those about to go .. have a fab time and don't forget a quick write-up along with some piccies. Also, if anyone wants the routes I took just drop me a PM.
 


Back
Top Bottom