Travel pictures, anyone?

[Anthony_marr]

Riding in the winter reminds me of those fantastic days in the summer, when I was riding down the West Coast from British Columbia to southern California. These pics were taken in the Big Sur segment. In these gray, wet and icy days of winter, I thought they would raise your spirit. Enjoy.

[Alex]

/moved to Pictures area

[Angel-be-Good]

Big Sur is tha business.

[slolane]

Great pics, looking forward to the warm weather.

[Rexbo]

With our old motos in front of the Colosseum (yes the actual one in Rome!)



Outside Grindlewuld and Interlaken in Switzerland:



Over the San Gottardo pass in Switzerland:

[Anthony_marr]

Enviable. Did you guys ship your bikes over? Cost an arm and a leg? What about border crossings? What documentation is needed? I'm thinking about going to the EU maybe next year.

[Rexbo]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Enviable. Did you guys ship your bikes over? Cost an arm and a leg? What about border crossings? What documentation is needed? I'm thinking about going to the EU maybe next year.

It wasn't cheap, bout as much as airfare. Had to ship the bikes by boat out of Galveston, TX to Civitaveccia outside of Rome right as hurricane Gustav was landing. Because all the countries were EU, border crossings were super easy, all we needed to get through customs in Italy was proof of ownership, temporary importation papers, and special travel insurance which covered the entire EU, and your passport with int'l drivers license. Once out of customs, the only thing we dealt with after that was paying a 30 Euro 1-year road use permit to get into Switzerland.

Lots of photo speed traps in Europe which can be thoroughly disregarded because whats the point? Not like they can bill you here

[setasai]

Very sweet. So all in all how much did that whole trip cost you? Fee's and everything?

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by setasai

Very sweet. So all in all how much did that whole trip cost you? Fee's and everything?

... and what about med insurance, roadside assistance... Plus, how much luggage were you carrying? How long the whole trip?

[setasai]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

... and what about med insurance, roadside assistance... Plus, how much luggage were you carrying? How long the whole trip?

Yes more questions... more details please. Allow the rest of us to live through your shoes. Had to, couldnt resist.

[Rexbo]

Originally Posted by setasai

Yes more questions... more details please. Allow the rest of us to live through your shoes. Had to, couldnt resist.

haha the whole trip cost a buttload... we (me and Nope on the forums here) were gone for close to 2 months. I think all in all it was around $7k I'm not totally sure, I'd prefer not to think about it. We rode from Rome to London in that time, stopping through Sienna, Cinque Terre, the Ducati factory in Bologna, Venice, Milan, Lake Como, Interlaken & Grindlewuld (Switzerland), Metz (France), Paris, then finishing up in London where we got totally hosed on selling our bikes. Oh well. Epic trip of a lifetime.

Shipping motos from Galveston to Italy was ~$1400 each I think, then we had to pay ~$300 in taxes/import fees/bribes to the Italians at the other end. Moto insurance for 2 months just to get us around the EU was around $50, and luckily AAA was able to supply int'l drivers licenses for like $25 as well as travelers insurance for about the same, which covered emergency hospital fees and such. This was all about 3 years ago so its kinda fuzzy.

We stayed at hostels/campsites/friends houses the whole time, and usually averaged about 20-25 euros/night. Basically the whole costs of actually being there ended up being about $70/day on average I think, which isnt too bad if you think about how much traveling generally is.

GEAR tips: We had only a tank bag, a rear seat bag & backpacks. Didn't want to go with saddlebags because traffic would have sucked with those on, and we definitely busted through a ton of that. We packed to be as multi-functional as possible, but still brought a lot of extra stuff. I wouldn't recommend bringing motorcycle boots, I'd wear ankle high but comfortable hiking or military style boots for the single reason that if you need to go on hikes or walk around, these will be much more functional and comfortable than moto boots, especially in dirt or mud. This also means that you don't need to pack tennis shoes for walking or hiking. If you're gonna ride in the rain, get one of those rubberized 1-pc shells, and use a lightweight moto jacket underneath. Regular jackets aren't waterproof worth a crap, and our most miserable day was spent riding through 400 miles of near-freezing rain. Instead of my fake 2-pc touring Fieldsheer suit that used a ton of space, I would much rather have packed a lightweight rain suit, and worn a summer jacket and armored jeans underneath, with more layers if cold. This leads to layers, with a summer jacket, super lightweight windbreaker underneath and thermal layers under that will keep you warm in almost anything. Armored kevlar jeans with thermal layers underneath will also be good enough for most any normal riding, and you can also multi-purpose the jeans for every day use. Then come the gloves, we had lightweight summer gloves and leather gauntlets for colder weather. Bad idea. What would have worked better would have been the summer gloves with a ski-style fingered shell over the top of those that are waterproof and windproof. We literally had to ride until we couldnt use the front brakes anymore wiht our fingers, then pull over and warm up before continuing. Bad times.

As for riding there, it was really easy to ride in Italy, if you're not a complete sissy. They have NO fear of anything there, so you need to ride aggressive just to stay up. There would be 14-year old girls on scooters blowing by us while talking on their cell phones with purses balanced on their laps in heavy traffic. We'd also see these funky 3-wheeled Piaggio carts hauling ass down mountain roads taking racing lines and hitting apexes with hay in the back of them. Also the police were pretty useless, but in a good way. We got hassled by some police in Italy and basically their only question they could come up with was "why are you here?" then proceeded to search TQ for weed. Didnt make much sense but they didnt give us much trouble! Didn't have any other run-ins with the law.

TBH there was so much on that trip I'd really need to make a (more) giant posting about it. But it was definitely epic, although not to rain on your parade, because I still haven't ridden big sur yet and I've lived in cali my entire life. How sad is that!

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Rexbo

TBH there was so much on that trip I'd really need to make a (more) giant posting about it. But it was definitely epic, although not to rain on your parade, because I still haven't ridden big sur yet and I've lived in cali my entire life. How sad is that!

Having read what you wrote, I would do 2 things differently: 1. go in a warmer part of the year, and 2. just fly over to Italy, buy a bike there, ride to Britain, sell the bike there, fly back home.

We west coasters should ride the entire west coast. However, here is my own confession. I rode down from Vancouver on April 1, and reached San Diego around April 20, with stops at friends' places along the way. Unfortunately, it was grey, wet and somewhat cold throughout Washington and Oregon, and did not dry and warm up till northern California. The rest was pure pleasure. The expenses were minimal - fuel and food, that's it.

Yes, please do write an epic piece. I'll be the first to lap it up.

[gfloyd2002]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

We west coasters should ride the entire west coast. However, here is my own confession. I rode down from Vancouver on April 1, and reached San Diego around April 20, with stops at friends' places along the way. Unfortunately, it was grey, wet and somewhat cold throughout Washington and Oregon, and did not dry and warm up till northern California. The rest was pure pleasure. The expenses were minimal - fuel and food, that's it.

Too bad you missed enjoying Oregon because of the weather. Some amazing motorcycling roads through there. Eastern Oregon is a wasteland, but the back roads Southwest of Ashland/Medford/Grants Pass can be absolutely stunning. Take 238 or 199 on your next trip through, as a bit of a long cut on the way down into California and you'll be very happy you did.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by gfloyd2002

Too bad you missed enjoying Oregon because of the weather. Some amazing motorcycling roads through there. Eastern Oregon is a wasteland, but the back roads Southwest of Ashland/Medford/Grants Pass can be absolutely stunning. Take 238 or 199 on your next trip through, as a bit of a long cut on the way down into California and you'll be very happy you did.

The entire Oregon coast is gorgeous beyond words, with hundreds of miles of curvy and twisty beach front roads dotted few and far between by towns like Florence, and attractions like the sea lion cave. Once you have reached Ashland/Medford (riding due south), take a break, and follow gfloyd's suggestion - which I haven't tried, but might some time in the future.

[gfloyd2002]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

The entire Oregon coast is gorgeous beyond words, with hundreds of miles of curvy and twisty beach front roads dotted few and far between by towns like Florence, and attractions like the sea lion cave. Once you have reached Ashland/Medford (riding due south), take a break, and follow gfloyd's suggestion - which I haven't tried, but might some time in the future.

I took the 101 through Florence/Yachats/Newport in 06 (or was it 07? Man, I'm getting old), kept on south into California on 101 into Redwood National Forest. Among my favorite trips ever. Last time through took the inland route on 5, and then into the hilly fun of 238/199 (which also dumps into NoCal), also a joy. Just tons of great roads in Western Oregon. Good times.

[Rexbo]

Ok so you guys got me thinking last night, so I uploaded a bunch of higher-res photos of the moto trip to photobucket.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y62...view=slideshow

I'll work more on the album tomorrow because I had some uploading problems, but here are some highlight photos.

Tuscany:




Florence:


Cinque Terre:




Ducati Factory in Bologna:


Venice:


Switzerland:





France/Paris:




London:




You guys are killing me. Now all I wanna do is go on another trip!

[Anthony_marr]

Effing awesome, gents! Keep the good stuff coming!

Switzerland reminds me a lot of British Columbia. You guys should come up here for a ride. The summer here is cool and dry, perfect for what we have in mind, and much less expensive than Europe.

[scotty]

Steve, those are some nice pictures!! I just checked out all them on your photobucket. Awsome! makes me wish I could do something like that!

[setasai]

DUDE! That is Ridcccculous... Extremely sweet. Some of those tips on gear work well here in general too and interesting idea on buying a bike and then selling it before you leave. Gah, I gotta find time to take a few days off and just go off somewhere. You guys have given me an itchy butt to ride.

On that note. I live in cali for the past 8+ years and still havent ridden big sur either. Granted i've only had a bike/M1 license for a year. I have driven it and man was it fun. Would love to take the bike there sometime.

My bucket list is getting longer and longer by the day thanks to this forum.

[Rexbo]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Having read what you wrote, I would do 2 things differently: 1. go in a warmer part of the year, and 2. just fly over to Italy, buy a bike there, ride to Britain, sell the bike there, fly back home.

Yes, please do write an epic piece. I'll be the first to lap it up.

We definitely thought about both of those things. The reason we went at the time we did was financially as well as timing in terms of other things. I had summer school for college until the end of august, and the only ship leaving Galveston in a time frame that didn't put us into late November left at the end of August, meaning the bikes would get to Italy mid September. So we did that.

As for number two, there were a few variables. Neither of us wanted to try to sell off our bikes super fast and then buy one there, because the exchange rate wasn't very good at the time we went. Also, we wanted to be sure that our bikes would be in good enough condition to handle the 2800 mile trip without problems, and basically shipping them was insurance that we weren't going to have mechanical problems. We really didn't trust buying bikes from random Italians, because you really never know what you're getting. This allowed us to plan the trip around avoiding major mechanical breakdowns, which simplified things. Crashing, though, was always on top of our "lets not do that" list. Judging how expensive everything was in Italy, and how super expensive larger motorcycles are there, we probably did the right thing.

I'll work on uploading more/better pictures and doing a full write up.

He and I are attempting to go on a South America trip later this year depending on money/vacation... but this time it will most likely be more of an adventure experience than a road trip!

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Rexbo

As for number two, there were a few variables. Neither of us wanted to try to sell off our bikes super fast and then buy one there, because the exchange rate wasn't very good at the time we went. Also, we wanted to be sure that our bikes would be in good enough condition to handle the 2800 mile trip without problems, and basically shipping them was insurance that we weren't going to have mechanical problems. We really didn't trust buying bikes from random Italians, because you really never know what you're getting. This allowed us to plan the trip around avoiding major mechanical breakdowns, which simplified things. Crashing, though, was always on top of our "lets not do that" list. Judging how expensive everything was in Italy, and how super expensive larger motorcycles are there, we probably did the right thing...

He and I are attempting to go on a South America trip later this year depending on money/vacation... but this time it will most likely be more of an adventure experience than a road trip!

Now I understand #2. MY idea did not including having to sell your own bikes back home if you chose to buy a bike in Europe for the trip, and selling it at the end. Just thinking about saving the $1400 in shipping. Now that you are back home safe and sound and be able to write about it, I'd say that you made the right decision.

Here is a follow-up question. Would you feel more secure buying a bike from the Brits, and riding from the UK to Italy instead, and selling the bike in Italy?

What countries in S. America do you guys want to visit? Do you plan to ship the bikes down, or ride them down through Mexico and Central America? Either way, it promises to be an adventure alright. Just make sure not to get kidnapped for ransom!

[Rexbo]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Here is a follow-up question. Would you feel more secure buying a bike from the Brits, and riding from the UK to Italy instead, and selling the bike in Italy?

What countries in S. America do you guys want to visit? Do you plan to ship the bikes down, or ride them down through Mexico and Central America? Either way, it promises to be an adventure alright. Just make sure not to get kidnapped for ransom!

Maybe, but again, the exchange rate sucks even worse for dollar/pound than dollar/euro.

As for south america, I'm thinkin Lima, Peru to Buenos Aires which is about 3000mi or so in a month, but again, it all depends on what route we take or what we wanna see. I really want to buy motos down there, and go the crazier route of using unknown bikes for super cheap and just seeing where we get. Some of those roads arent much of roads as we know them, and the atacama desert is at 12,000 feet or above, with some of the passes getting close to 16,000 feet. It could be an amazing trip, but the possibility of danger is much higher because of the environment. Though with well thought-out gear (dual sport helmet, better rain gear, glove warmers), a different style of planning (less destination oriented, more journey as the goal) the trip could be amazing. Its definitely poorer, so theft will be more of an issue, so we'll need to be a bit more nazi about that than last time.

But, I'm sure if it works out it could be amazing, and MUCH cheaper (~$4k if all goes well!). South America in every way looks awesome. Watch the Top Gear episode where they have their adventure from Brazil to Chile

[setasai]

Also a good point. Unless you get the chance to really check out the bike, it'll be difficult to completely trust it. All in all i'd say the experience outweighs any cost so you probably made the right decision.

Still though. Talk about a unique vacation. Most people talk about how they went to this place and that place and walked around with a tour bus but man... this is something to really talk about. Gear is always going to be an issue. I often wish I had a Mary Poppins wallet to store everything and anything I want in another dimension until needed. That would be ideal.

[Anthony_marr]

Hey Steve, is this "Death Road" (Yungas Road) the route they took? If not, it's all yours.










Uh oh.

[fenwaynomar45]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Riding in the winter reminds me of those fantastic days in the summer, when I was riding down the West Coast from British Columbia to southern California. These pics were taken in the Big Sur segment. In these gray, wet and icy days of winter, I thought they would raise your spirit. Enjoy.

is that a double visor? if so where did you get it?

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by fenwaynomar45

is that a double visor? if so where did you get it?

That sun visor is built into the helmet. It can be rotated forward when in use, or rotated backward into the helmet. The control is on top of the helmet. I use the visor a lot in the summer.

[fenwaynomar45]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

That sun visor is built into the helmet. It can be rotated forward when in use, or rotated backward into the helmet. The control is on top of the helmet. I use the visor a lot in the summer.

that's awesome wish I had that. when I go somewhere in the summer I always have my dark visor on but if I'm coming Home at night I have to bring my clear one to change into. its a pain
Posted via Mobile Device

[setasai]

I believe Bell might even have a photochromatic visor that darkens during the day. I'd love to get one but scorpion helmets fit me so well and have a very good fog free coating. It's hard to beat.