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The Alps - Five Days to Explore - Images / Videos

So Nice!!!!

Thanks for the vids and memories :heart :thumb Europe is quite small and a lot of territory can be covered in a short time. The only problem with that is there is a TON to see!!. Colorado and Montana are a close match for scenery though, so if one can't get to Europe then the US :usa has some alternatives to offer.
 
Alex:
Thanks for the link to the free maps. I grabbed them all and have been pouring over them for days... which will stretch into weeks as I plan this trip. Your tips and links have been invaluable, a great service.

I have heard an ugly rumor somewhere that in order to rent a decent bike, e.g., a BMW, one must reserve the bike a year in advance. This makes my planning a bit difficult, since I usually plan about as far ahead as my next meal. Has anyone heard anything similar? Just curious. Renting from Knopf is a $300 deposit, of which $100 is all that is refundable for cancellation before 30 days out. And it is already December. I'm thinking that a flight to Frankfurt, rental from Knopf, and traveling the twisties to the Interlaken area would be a great start. Want to see the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau, just because (my last name is Moench) and do as many of the roads as possible, as shown on the ADAC maps, in a week to 10 days

Merry Christmas, by the way.
 
Munchy said:
Alex:
Thanks for the link to the free maps. I grabbed them all and have been pouring over them for days... which will stretch into weeks as I plan this trip. Your tips and links have been invaluable, a great service.

Well for some of us, thats part of the fun that we get by organizing our own tour. I love browsing over maps and dreaming.

BTW, if you get to an ADAC office, and there is one near the Franfurt airport, you can pick up full sized maps of those downloads. I can't say for sure, but being an AAA member might get you privaledges at the ADAC. I believe most auto clubs have agreements.

Munchy said:
I have heard an ugly rumor somewhere that in order to rent a decent bike, e.g., a BMW, one must reserve the bike a year in advance.

Cripes! Its a conspiracy by the organized tour operators. They want you to take one of their overpriced tours.

Munchy said:
Renting from Knopf is a $300 deposit, of which $100 is all that is refundable for cancellation before 30 days out. And it is already December.

I haven't dealt with any of the rental agencies, but I have always heard good things about Knopf and usually recommend them and a few others.

If you're worried about having to cancel for work related reasons, I always get my vacation leave approved before I pay for my airline tickets, etc. If they want to cancel my leave, they're left with the cost of the airline ticket, etc.

Munchy said:
I'm thinking that a flight to Frankfurt, rental from Knopf, and traveling the twisties to the Interlaken area would be a great start. Want to see the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau, just because (my last name is Moench) and do as many of the roads as possible, as shown on the ADAC maps, in a week to 10 days.

For a first time, thats a good plan as its an easy run down the A5 into Switzerland. There is plenty to ride there and since you only have 7 to 10 days, why rush it. Make sure you have a Swiss and/or Austrian autobahn vignette if you are going to take any of them. Rentals will usually have the autobahn vignettes stuck to the bike somewhere. And isn't it spelled M?Ânch?
 
Yes it is spelled with the oomlat but a) I don't know how to make that in a posting and b) somewhere along the line, we changed it to "oe" when my great grandfather emigrated to the US. Weird as it is, my clan pronounces it so it rhymes with "lunch." My Dad tells us that his father was called "pink mink" with the more appropriate German pronunciation. And of course, we have the ruddy complexion so it fits.

My vacation plans have been screwed up several times before, due to the profession I am in where trials, settlement meetings etc., involving many lawyers from all over the country get cast in stone and I'm stuck. :deal I work on the grand tobacco litigation for a state attorney general's office and that's what messed things up last time, though that was several years ago. But the tobacco litigation is rearing its ugly head again. :nra
 
What great memories

I was taken back to so many great rides. Here is a picture of me and my newly purchased R1100RS. I picked up the bike in Munchen and rode the alps for the first time that summer of '00.

Cheers,

Mark
 

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Great snaps and wonderful videos! Makes me want to book a trip now. Many thanks!
 
Motorcycle Zen

Thank you very much Steve. The winter will be more bearable now. I'll just take a ride through the Alps from time to time. Superb.
 
Somehow I'd not yet seen these videos in the sfarson collection. Wow! Great videos. My wife heard the music and came to see what was playing and we ended up watching quite a few of the vidz.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your ride experiences!

Sfarson's taste in music seems similar to mine (at lease insofar as the tracks accompanying the vidz). I'd really like to know the songs / artist / album for the various alps series.
 
You might enjoy this non-motion video; its a bunch of stills in motion. The music is simply wonderful...it suits the scenery so well.

Incredibly well done. In some ways better than a video.

Northern Italy
 
That was great! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Since I am a working Shmuck with my name on my shirt thats probably as close as I am ever going to get to riding in Europe. :thumb
 
robsmoto said:
Somehow I'd not yet seen these videos in the sfarson collection. Wow! Great videos. My wife heard the music and came to see what was playing and we ended up watching quite a few of the vidz.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your ride experiences!

Sfarson's taste in music seems similar to mine (at lease insofar as the tracks accompanying the vidz). I'd really like to know the songs / artist / album for the various alps series.

Thanks much everyone. With this thread back here it is kinda nice to re-live and re-ride... especially with all the snow out the window!

robsmoto... And thanks much as well! The music did kinda match here and there. :) The first two days of videos were from a Norwegian artist "The Secret Garden" A husband/wife piano and violin duet. Various artists the last three days including. If you PM with certain requests I'll look them up. Don't know off the top of my head!
 
Yay for motorcycle travel! I now have a new desktop background...thanks for sharing your story and pictures.
I really hope that I can do something similar someday!

Here's to a safe an happy '07!


:type
 
Fantastic! That sure was nice for this snowbound rider. BTW, what was the music in the first video?
 
Fantastic! That sure was nice for this snowbound rider. BTW, what was the music in the first video?

MrB... Thanks and sorry for the tardy response! The first vid was accompanied by the artist "The Secret Garden" with the song "Lotus".
 
Steve - Best ride report I've seen and really takes me back. I too rented from Ad Mo Tours last summer 2006 in Thun. They were great to work with. I rode eight of the Alp passes, many you highlighted dipping into northern Italy. Videos are great. Working your own itinerary and plan out worked great for me. I only had three week days circuit but rode from Thun to Andermatt to Brig and back to Thun. Attached photo of one of the summit cafes Steve mentioned. Such a motorcycle friendly place...
 
Great pictures and great vids!

I am fortunate enough to have been to the Swiss Alps twice on my old K1200RS. I have ridden Susten, Grimsel, Nufenen etc... They really should be experienced... And I found my riding improved alot!
 
Great pictures and great vids! I found my riding improved alot!

I've put together a video list on the Alps Motorcycle Tours - Priced Right. See post dated 2007-05-02.

Along with links to Steve's Alps videos, I've included links to other videos as well that are very good. Another member included some of their own videos in a subsequent post.

I agree. I picked up more riding skills in the Alps due to my once a year month long tours in the last twelve years than I did anywhere else. How could you not with every possibility thrown at you?
 
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