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Renting in Italy

norvillnh88

Mick-F
I have searched for rental companies, now I think asking everyone who has already done this, is the way to go. We will be flying into northern Italy, late September for 1 to 2 weeks on a rental. Probably fly into Milan from Boston. Recommendations on roads, ( Alps for sure), insurance, lodging, bike rental prices etc.2 up riding so a bike with hard luggage is a must. We have not made any firm plans yet, dates can vary a bit, but we want to go when the tourist season is past.

Thanks, Mick
 
Mick,

There's nothing so good as John Hermann's books to give you a sense of the roads and their surroundings. Mary and I have ridden in the Alps twice, each time reading his book, marking on maps the roads we found most interesting, and then connecting those roads into a route.

The books are not current, but things remain mostly the same from year to year, like everywhere else. Amazon lists a few at stratosphereic prices, but I found this on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORCYCLE-...841?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item1c2ffb22a1
 
I rented in Sicily. IT was pretty straight forward. Hand over my license for a photocopy (US License didn't seem to matter to them), then pay about 65 Euro for the bike for the day with no luggage. I rented a Weestrom.
 
Beach's Motorcycle Adventures has has a rental partner in Milan, and you can deal with a US company so communication and translation is not an issue.

Web link: http://bmca.com/rental/italpric.htm

Mick,

There's nothing so good as John Hermann's books to give you a sense of the roads and their surroundings.
................

Johns book is good, most of his chronicles are fron his 20+ tours with Beach's Motorcycle adventures as well. Michelin regional maps are a great resource too, look for the highlighted scenic roads.
 
Hermanns book

Mick,

There's nothing so good as John Hermann's books to give you a sense of the roads and their surroundings. Mary and I have ridden in the Alps twice, each time reading his book, marking on maps the roads we found most interesting, and then connecting those roads into a route.

The books are not current, but things remain mostly the same from year to year, like everywhere else. Amazon lists a few at stratosphereic prices, but I found this on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORCYCLE-...841?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item1c2ffb22a1

Thanks for the link, I bought the book.

Mick-F
 
My 2 cents: The Alps & the Dolomites are the best riding & my/our fave part of Italy. The cleanest towns,etc., best riding roads, my favorite scenery,so on. I do feel some of the passes are overrated for MC riding as too many 5MPH or less very tight curves(the other part of the Alps makes the passes worthwhile) plus bicycles,buses & tourists in cars to contend with. The Dolemites offer lots of riding much like I get in the Eastern USA with curves & sweepers & elevation changes galore.
 
Probably fly into Milan from Boston.

There is a BMW rental outfit there and if you decide to head out from there, the first days ride can be a short one to Chiavenna, a good home base for a couple of days. Check out Hotel Aurora.

From Chiavenna, you can do a few loops. How many pass roads you take in will depend on your comfort level. Remember, a 400 to 500 km day in the twisties is a long day.

Splugen Pass (not to be missed), San Bernardino Pass, Lukmanier Pass and back over the Splugen Pass.

Maloja, Albula, Julier, Bernina, Ofen, Fluela.


Another great home base is Livigno, a duty free zone with low gas prices. Hotel Francesin is where I stayed.

From there, Gavia, Stelvio, Bernina, Umbrail, Ofen, Mortirolo.


In Arabba, Hotel Olympia with garage parking and great food.

From there and right on your doorstep, you have countless passes and great twisty roads to choose from.

The view from my room at Hotel Olympia...
http://edelweiss.smugmug.com/Motorc...-Motorcycle-Tour/i-7t8krHr/0/L/CIMG0042-L.jpg

TIP: get some good maps before you get there. I prefer the Freytag and Berndt maps with a scale of 1:200 000 or better.
 
Mick,

Check out these ADAC maps that are in PDF format that you can download and save. The ADAC is Germany's car club like your AAA.

They are meant to be used as tour suggestions and not to replace an actual map. They lack that detail.

ADAC Motorradtouren Maps
 
Hi Mick,

I rented a GS 1150 in Milan from a company called Bianco Blu - http://www.biancoblu.com/. They were great - they let me leave my non-riding suitcase in the shop, gave me a full-face helmet (I brought my 3/4), and were easy to work with. The bike was in great shape and had no issues. Prices seemed comparable...not cheap but not outrageous.

+1 on the Dolomites and surrounding areas. The Stelvio is sensational - it's hairpin-heavy so it's not ultra fast, but a must-see anyway. The Gavia is incredible - fast, tight, rideable, and the rifugio at the summit was a fun place for coffee and b.s. with other riders. Val Gardena is lovely...I stayed in Ortisei 2 nights at a great hotel with superb food that wasn't too expensive. The Passo di Pordoi was amazing - great, fast riding, and a fun tram ride to the snowy summit.

I wrote a blog post about riding the area you might find interesting/relevant, esp if you're starting in Milan: http://talesfromthegspot.blogspot.com/2009/07/if-its-tuesday-it-must-be-stelvio.html

Good luck...love to hear about the trip!
Gregg
 
2010 we did 4 nights south of Hinterthal, Austria, 7 nights Arabba, Italy (Dolomites), 3 nights Garmisch, Germany. We could have spent 2 WEEKS in Arabba. Stayed at the Evaldo Hotel, highly recommend!!!
 
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