Black Forest in mid to late September - leaves

[johnboy]

Hi

First this is a genuine question.

I am organising a trip to the Black Forest this year and was due to go in September. A colleague told me last night that this was a bad idea because the roads would be covered in wet slippery fallen leaves. he said the clue was in the name of where I was going - a forest!

I would really appreciate if this is a genuine matter of concern.

Thanks.

Johnboy

 

[wessie]

So, are on a wind up or are you just gullible?

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Yeah, here's the Schwarzwald B500 in late October............

 

[bladerunner]

Relax and enjoy - it will look lovely.
Don't forget Les Vosgues (routes des cretes) on the other side of the Rhine.

 

[Rasher]

Been there a couple of times early September, the leaves seemed to mainly be on trees.

By the way, do you put your bike away on August the 31st to avoid wet slippy leaves in the UK?

 

[johnboy]

Thanks for the responses.

So, are on a wind up or are you just gullible?

I feel stupid as well as gullible but the chap seemed genuine!!

Been there a couple of times early September, the leaves seemed to mainly be on trees.

By the way, do you put your bike away on August the 31st to avoid wet slippy leaves in the UK?

All year round biker and have only been stopped once this year which was 3 inches of snow about 2 days ago.

I will now confidently go back to my planning which indeed includes a route through the Vosges - I will have to admit to borrowing the routes prepared by Mr Wapping of this parish - many thanks for your help sir.

 

[Farmer Palmer]

You can pop into Touratech at Neidereschach, Rottweill in the Black Forest and get some cheap kit(or at least 30% cheaper than the UK)

Also I'm not sure which way you are going but if you are anywhere near Buillon in southern Belgium a stay at the Hotel De La Poste is very worthwhile and the missus and I loved it especially the coffee with a chocolate and liquer...............That was a UKGSer recommendation I'd recommend!

Just watch out for those slippy b*stard leaves............You'll notice I've got TKC80's on my GS just in case!

 

[patzx12]

In late September he will need knobolies.

 

[Mongolian Explorer]

I would take chains just in case of snow ....

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Stay at home, you really won't like it

Nothing to see......nada...zilch

 

[Farmer Palmer]

Whenever I go to the Black Forest and Alsace I keep meeting folk and the bloody French in Alsace are the worst what with that 'Are you a farrrmerrr?

Making me fix their machines and drive their tractors while they sit on their arses drinking beer all day..................Bad enough having to ride a tractor without having to drive one aswell!

Don't bother going............You'll hate it and their beers pish aswell!

 

[Farmer Palmer]

I don't want to hijack your thread but this is how bad the Black Forest is............The missus and I were touring around in our Landrover(I was worried about leaves so took the farm 4x4 instead of the GS) minding our own business enjoying the late autumn weather as you do and when we were in that Cuckooclock hell called Treberg this GS riding Omani called Amer Alberwani comes up and starts pestering the sh*t out of us and makes me get on his beaten up old F800GS that he'd ridden all the way from Oman including Libya(that boy needs to buy a map)

He then has the gall to assure us he's the first Omani ever to ride a motorbike all the way to Europe..........Lightweight!

Anyway he forces me to talk GS's all afternoon when I could have been perusing the fridge magnet emporiums of cuckooclockdom and then insists I take his sh*tty old GS for a ride around town wearing his helmet.............I mean we were on holiday FFS...........Fair spoiled our trip that did!

Black Forest...........Best Avoided if you ask me!

 

[Tinytim]

That shirt of Amers fits you well.

 

[Tinytim]

Read the first half of this post this afternoon and had to put the laptop down and go get the mop. Only just dare revisit.


Watch out for acorns too.

 

[paul08]

We were there in early October 2014 on the last "Wapping's Wander" to the Black Forest and the Vosges. The weather varied from sun and glorious blue skies to absolutely torrential rain. In the rain, it was a little slippy under the trees and there were some places where leaves were lying. But you just moderate your speed in such situations and still enjoy the roads.

Go and enjoy it

 

[Smug]

If the leaves get too slippery pop down to see the Schlumpf Collection at Mulhouse.

http://www.schlumpf-collection.com/3-page-schlumpf-collection.html

 

[Rasher]

But you just moderate your speed in such situations and still enjoy the roads.

So that will be double the ridiculously low speed limits they have set on most of the B500 in the last 6-7 years

I reckon I could ride that stretch with slicks on black ice and still find the posted limits a bit low for the conditions, luckily the plod only turn up to catch the naughty weekend bikers.

Typical resonse though, people ride at 200 kph in a 100kph zone so they lower the limit to 60kph, I am not sure if they think these people who are happy riding at double the 100 limit will decide to obey the 60kph one, or that they will just double that and now only do 120kph instead of 200?

Either way it has ruined a fantastic road for anyone who does not wish to take the mickey, or has a fear settling the Greek debt with a single speeding ticket.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.........................this GS riding Omani called Amer Alberwani comes up and starts pestering the sh*t out of us and makes me get on his beaten up old F800GS that he'd ridden all the way from Oman including Libya(that boy needs to buy a map)

.......................

Best pannier sticker EVER!

Andres

 

[paul08]

So that will be double the ridiculously low speed limits they have set on most of the B500 in the last 6-7 years

I reckon I could ride that stretch with slicks on black ice and still find the posted limits a bit low for the conditions, luckily the plod only turn up to catch the naughty weekend bikers.

Typical resonse though, people ride at 200 kph in a 100kph zone so they lower the limit to 60kph, I am not sure if they think these people who are happy riding at double the 100 limit will decide to obey the 60kph one, or that they will just double that and now only do 120kph instead of 200?

Either way it has ruined a fantastic road for anyone who does not wish to take the mickey, or has a fear settling the Greek debt with a single speeding ticket.

Parts of the Black Forest, the Harz Mountains, and the Eifel are so popular with the weekend sports bike fraternity that the police and local authorities have mobilised to try to stop the carnage. I was in the Harz last year and during weekdays, the riding was fantastic. Saturday and Sunday was a completely different story: kamikaze sportsbikes throwing themselves through every bend they could find. In a days riding I saw 6 bikes that had been stuffed into the armco. It was carnage! As a result, the speed limits come in and in some cases motorbikes are banned from using certain roads at weekends. And the police descend in force with mobile speed cameras. So try and enjoy yourselves during the week, rather than the weekends.

 

[Rasher]

So try and enjoy yourselves during the week, rather than the weekends.

And while your at it try not to upset the natives or throw your own bike into the barriers.

As always it is the small minority who ruin it for the rest, despite what the UK bike press tell you the B500 is not a free version of the Ring, it has lots of other people using it, most want to travel far slower than even an a steady bloke on an ADV bike wants to go.

I try not to rub my front tyre against their bumper, pass too close or make lots of noise to show my disgust at their slow progress, as well as avoiding hitting the wildlife / scenery / walkers and keeping my speed below double the speed limit - sounds simple, and if everyone could manage it we would not have these problems.