First European adventure on two wheels..

[Burridge01]

Look forward to your exploits up the pass,I'm there in September. All the best with it,have a blast
Don't forget the "Iconic" photo.

 

[Sly]

Look forward to your exploits up the pass,I'm there in September. All the best with it,have a blast
Don't forget the "Iconic" photo.

Haha it was so busy, I didn't get a photo there. But I got a few others and the Calimoto tracking to prove I did it

 

[Sly]

Bright and early. That's what I kept telling myself. Up at 5AM, bike loaded and barking into life at 05:50


Going to be a long day but might as well make the most being this far South. I wasn't planning on doing Stelvio but why not. First stop, food for the bike. Then we get cracking.

My GPS was taking me along a toll road. That's fine, I'll pay it. Except the lady told me the toll was to get onto a train and that I had to go via some pass. If I ever meet her again, I must say thanks. The road leading to the pass was epic in its own right.




Turns out I was on the Umbrail pass. Nice warm up for the main event.

We arrived around 09:30, I think just ahead of the main masses.


Stopped at the top for a quick snap. Wow. I was speechless. I've watched Clarkson, Hammond and May thrash Lamborghini, Porsche and Aston Martins up this hill and now I'm here. A bit sad to be experiencing this on my own but sometimes that's what one needs.



Decided to pull at one of the turns for a nice background photo. Excuse the wana-be Instagram model in front of the bike.


The most strangest thing, this lady asked to have her photo taken with my bike. A bit hesitant (just because I was caught by surprise) but sure.


A nice little jaunt all the way to the bottom


Must say, some proper want to be Marc Marquez on this road.

I ended up going a little bit into Italy and then turned around and headed back up.

After getting to the top, I bought the obligatory sticker and headed back home for a nice sunset drink and chill.

Tomorrow is a rest day (or so I thought!)

 

[Guru Gora]

Good work


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[Northern jock]

Day 3 was a "place to be" day. Slight change of "plans". Alarm set for 3:30AM sharp. This time I heard it. Mostly because I was already awake at 3AM.

Out the hotel room, down to the bike, loaded up and...wait, where are those custom molded earplugs, oh please tell me I haven't lost them, they cost...oh wait, what's that in my pocket. Anywho, business as normal.

The reason for my early departure was to get to some family down in Switzerland, so I decided to get a move on to get there in time for the kids to be awake so we could enjoy a day by the pool and just chilling about. Bit of "work" (riding at 4AM) before holiday mode..

Now, the benefit of leaving 2 hours before sunrise is, less traffic and, I get to test my Lone Rider lights out in the dark.

Low beams
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High beams
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Camera doesn't do it justice but they do light up the road very well (flood lights) and quite some distance down the road (throw/spot lights).

Anyway, plodding along until I noticed the Waze was showing no speed limit..and there were cars coming flying past me. Could this be, the Autobahn? Well, when you're sitting at 150KM/H and a Mercedes E class AMG comes past you as if you had suddenly installed a reverse gear in the bike, yes. Yes it is.
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It was great fun stretching the legs on the bike, legally. Decided 220 was enough for me. The end result of Autobahn results?
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Lots of these...

Anyway, pit stop over and back on the road. Managed to get to the family at a reasonable hour in the morning, just in time for breakfast/lunch/tea/brunch (whatever the youths call it these days)
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Great to see the wider family who reside in Switzerland. Enjoyed an afternoon nap, lounging by the pool, snacks and laughter. Could get used to this...at 32 years of age

We decided to head back to the accommodation where the mother in law, grandmother in law, wife and 2 daughters were staying at.

Now I might be a bit biased here but, this photo I really love. Might get it printed. Just sums up how good this damn bike is. It's carried me and everything I need from the UK, over 1500km, at 124+MPH, with comfort and enough poke for me. Might not be the newest or fanciest bike around but, it has something no other bike has....it's mine. (Well, ours if you ask my 2 year old)
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Now, good nights kip ahead of tomorrows plans. Stelvio pass

Get the photo printed, first big trip, great scenery, your own bike and you’re there under your own steam. Lot of ticks there that deserve a reminder.
Enjoy your trip and I’d suggest make as much up as you can as you go along, don’t be restricted by too tight a plan if you can. Stop when you like somewhere, keep going when you don’t. You won’t go homeless.
But if you have booked everything in advance, you’ll have some peace of mind.
Either way you’ll enjoy it.

 

[Wapping]

Get the photo printed, first big trip,

That’s a very good suggestion.

Apple and others can create some very good books of pictures, at a good price. I have never done it, but wish I had.

I also wish I had pictures from my first trips, but too late now.

 

[Sly]

Get the photo printed, first big trip, great scenery, your own bike and you’re there under your own steam. Lot of ticks there that deserve a reminder.
Enjoy your trip and I’d suggest make as much up as you can as you go along, don’t be restricted by too tight a plan if you can. Stop when you like somewhere, keep going when you don’t. You won’t go homeless.
But if you have booked everything in advance, you’ll have some peace of mind.
Either way you’ll enjoy it.

Thank you mate. I have a photo of my daughter with my bike of that first night in Switzerland, that one is being printed with a few others.

I do enjoy stopping here and there just because I can!

Tonight's accommodation (on the way home) as somehow, put me in the Vosges mountains. Completely by luck, had no clue I booked the hotel in this area