SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post

L3nny · 23-09-10, 09:53 PM

A couple of weeks ago me and my frind who has a Thundercat went for a quick 2800 mile bimble around Europe.

I spent hours before leaving trying to find a route that would be challenging but not too hard (remember it is a holiday).

I wanted to include the Route Napoleon, Routes des Grandes Alpes the Stelvio Pass a bit of Austria, the Black Forest and the Nurburgring/Eifel park.

We both booked 8 days of work and decided on the following for days 1-5 then booked accomodation for each night. We thought we'd kick it freestyle on the last 3 days. I couldn't be bothered with camping and hotels can be found pretty cheap and you only have to carry half the gear.

The Route

We booked the Etap hotel in Lyon and the fast ferry from Portsmouth to Le Harve, unfortatley the boad developed a large hole and the crossing was cancelled. I didn't fancy the 7 hour crossing on the slow boat so at 5 am Sunday we headed off to Dover to catch a ferry from there.

Here are the bikes loaded up at the services just before Dover. After months of trying to fit a top box on my Fireblade I gave up and went with a tail pack. Was much better than a top box hanging over the rear wheel and messing up the handling. Only problem was I couldn't get my leg over so to sepak so had to jump onto the bike. More on this later.

As soon as we got off the ferry we headed for fuel and my mate noticed my tire was a bit low. I had forgot to check the pressure before we left so stuck in a few bars and made a not to keep an eye on it.

Every time we stopped it was getting low so I had a look and fouund a screw in the rear tire.

I squirted in a tube of emergency puncture repair and after spotting a AIM instructor we carried on.

Had anoter issue at a services just before Lyon, the alarm fob wouldnt work.

After calling the RAC, then the French police I was ready to spend the rest of the week in a hire car like last year's trip. The guy in ther petrol station luckily came to our aid saying the mobile phone mast on the roof messes up the alarm signals and if I push it 100m down the slip road it should start. Luckily he was right and we got to Lyon. 600 miles in one day was an absolute killer, but we got there.

Day 2

Woke up and saw my tire was completly flat. By an amazing stroke of luck there was a tire place opposite the hotel who repaired the tire for 10 euros. The owners reccomendation to stick to 50km/h were strictly adhered to (not).

We headed off to Grenoble and the start of the Route Napoleon. I found a place selling bike tires and was going to buy a new one but they had none in the right size. The guy who ran the place looked at the puncture repair and said he's had one of them in his bike for years without problems so I should be fine. With renewed confidence I headed off up the twisties.

We stopped for lunch and it soon became apparent the route we had planned was a bit much for one day so we took a slightly different way but it was equally good and even came across this lake.

I suppose if we didn't spend so much time taking silly photos then we'd have time but meh

Spot the obvoius wardrobe malfunction.

It was about 8pm by the time we reached Monaco so we didn't have time to look around, we've both been there before it's not that exciting so we headed off to our Hotel in Cap Martin. Stopped and took a few snaps though.

The next day we we planning on going over the Routes Des Grandes Alpes to Bourg Saint Maurice but my mate hadn't programmed the route into his sat nav properly and we eneded up on the motorway heading into Italy.
I was a bit annoyed at first but it was the most amazing motorway I have ever been on, if it wasn't 2 lanes wide it would be called a twisty and the scenery was amazing. Reminded me of Ridge Racer.

We eventually got off the motorway and it started raining. A good chance for me to try out my new waterproofs.

Then it got a bit foggy.

Carried on through the clouds, worst riding ever and came across this.

The ride down the other side was much better, much clearer and drier.

We stayed in the Hotel in Bourg St Maurice reccomended by Daimo and had the worst Pizza I have ever had in a bar while watching the France game.

Day 4

We had now realised our planned routes were way too long and as we had booked a posh hotel in Lake Como that night we decided that we would do one short twisty and then go the rest of the way on the motorway.

The short twisty took us here.

And into Italy

Spotted a glimpse of Mont Blanc on the way down

After a few hours on the Autostrada we arrived at a wet Lake Como. Riding around Lake Como turned out to be a lot less fun that expected. he traffic was terrible and it appears they polish their Zebra corssings and I narrowly avoided a few high siders.

Here was the view from our balcony, we sat there drinking beer till the minibar went dry watching the thunder storm before having a really nice Pizza.

Thankfully the morning brought clear skies.

Day 5 was the best days riding I have ever had. Everything was perfect, weather, views, roads the lot.

I was having so much fun I dodn't stop at the border crossing going into Switzerland and an angry guard jumped out in front of me brandishing a gun!!

A few interesting roadside views.

Then out of the blue, the Stelvio Pass!!!

The Stelvio pass was fun but the bends are too tight and have to be taken in 1st gear.

This pass was much better

We carried on into Austria and our last planned stop.

23-09-10, 09:53 PM	#1
L3nny Member Mega Poster Join Date: May 2008 Location: MK Posts: 2,111	L3nny's Euro Tour A couple of weeks ago me and my frind who has a Thundercat went for a quick 2800 mile bimble around Europe. I spent hours before leaving trying to find a route that would be challenging but not too hard (remember it is a holiday). I wanted to include the Route Napoleon, Routes des Grandes Alpes the Stelvio Pass a bit of Austria, the Black Forest and the Nurburgring/Eifel park. We both booked 8 days of work and decided on the following for days 1-5 then booked accomodation for each night. We thought we'd kick it freestyle on the last 3 days. I couldn't be bothered with camping and hotels can be found pretty cheap and you only have to carry half the gear. The Route We booked the Etap hotel in Lyon and the fast ferry from Portsmouth to Le Harve, unfortatley the boad developed a large hole and the crossing was cancelled. I didn't fancy the 7 hour crossing on the slow boat so at 5 am Sunday we headed off to Dover to catch a ferry from there. Here are the bikes loaded up at the services just before Dover. After months of trying to fit a top box on my Fireblade I gave up and went with a tail pack. Was much better than a top box hanging over the rear wheel and messing up the handling. Only problem was I couldn't get my leg over so to sepak so had to jump onto the bike. More on this later. As soon as we got off the ferry we headed for fuel and my mate noticed my tire was a bit low. I had forgot to check the pressure before we left so stuck in a few bars and made a not to keep an eye on it. Every time we stopped it was getting low so I had a look and fouund a screw in the rear tire. I squirted in a tube of emergency puncture repair and after spotting a AIM instructor we carried on. Had anoter issue at a services just before Lyon, the alarm fob wouldnt work. After calling the RAC, then the French police I was ready to spend the rest of the week in a hire car like last year's trip. The guy in ther petrol station luckily came to our aid saying the mobile phone mast on the roof messes up the alarm signals and if I push it 100m down the slip road it should start. Luckily he was right and we got to Lyon. 600 miles in one day was an absolute killer, but we got there. Day 2 Woke up and saw my tire was completly flat. By an amazing stroke of luck there was a tire place opposite the hotel who repaired the tire for 10 euros. The owners reccomendation to stick to 50km/h were strictly adhered to (not). We headed off to Grenoble and the start of the Route Napoleon. I found a place selling bike tires and was going to buy a new one but they had none in the right size. The guy who ran the place looked at the puncture repair and said he's had one of them in his bike for years without problems so I should be fine. With renewed confidence I headed off up the twisties. We stopped for lunch and it soon became apparent the route we had planned was a bit much for one day so we took a slightly different way but it was equally good and even came across this lake. I suppose if we didn't spend so much time taking silly photos then we'd have time but meh Spot the obvoius wardrobe malfunction. It was about 8pm by the time we reached Monaco so we didn't have time to look around, we've both been there before it's not that exciting so we headed off to our Hotel in Cap Martin. Stopped and took a few snaps though. The next day we we planning on going over the Routes Des Grandes Alpes to Bourg Saint Maurice but my mate hadn't programmed the route into his sat nav properly and we eneded up on the motorway heading into Italy. I was a bit annoyed at first but it was the most amazing motorway I have ever been on, if it wasn't 2 lanes wide it would be called a twisty and the scenery was amazing. Reminded me of Ridge Racer. We eventually got off the motorway and it started raining. A good chance for me to try out my new waterproofs. Then it got a bit foggy. Carried on through the clouds, worst riding ever and came across this. The ride down the other side was much better, much clearer and drier. We stayed in the Hotel in Bourg St Maurice reccomended by Daimo and had the worst Pizza I have ever had in a bar while watching the France game. Day 4 We had now realised our planned routes were way too long and as we had booked a posh hotel in Lake Como that night we decided that we would do one short twisty and then go the rest of the way on the motorway. The short twisty took us here. And into Italy Spotted a glimpse of Mont Blanc on the way down After a few hours on the Autostrada we arrived at a wet Lake Como. Riding around Lake Como turned out to be a lot less fun that expected. he traffic was terrible and it appears they polish their Zebra corssings and I narrowly avoided a few high siders. Here was the view from our balcony, we sat there drinking beer till the minibar went dry watching the thunder storm before having a really nice Pizza. Thankfully the morning brought clear skies. Day 5 was the best days riding I have ever had. Everything was perfect, weather, views, roads the lot. I was having so much fun I dodn't stop at the border crossing going into Switzerland and an angry guard jumped out in front of me brandishing a gun!! A few interesting roadside views. Then out of the blue, the Stelvio Pass!!! The Stelvio pass was fun but the bends are too tight and have to be taken in 1st gear. This pass was much better We carried on into Austria and our last planned stop. __________________ 2015 GS 1200 Adventure Last edited by L3nny; 24-09-10 at 04:43 PM.