Bag packed, new tyres fitted, acomodation booked. Setting off after work on Friday lunch time. Friday night in Kent near tunnel, Saturday night in Neustadt (570 mile ride, much on unrestricted autobahns...) Sunday night to Friday night in Villach (where my girlfriend's father comes from) with days out planned on the satnav for the Alps, the Dolomites, Slovenia etc.I have Ventura luggage for getting there and a Kriega US10 for carrying stuff around when I'm there, so I'm neutral on the usual luggage choice debate! Hoping to do 3,000 miles in the next week - finally starting to get excited! Some pics from last year: I hit 162mph on the way there with my Ventura luggage fitted (speedo read 175): It was snowy on the Grossglockner... the dolomites in Italy
Enjoy ! 5 weeks tomorrow I'm off to the Black Forest area of Germany Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Very jealous, haven't booked anything yet, as dad been ill for months and now passed away, so better get planning and life on track. Enjoy.
Puncture in Belgium yesterday, 3 hours wait for recovery. Temporary external fitted tyre repair. Then 700 miles since, on autobahs etc through thunder storms, you name it. Now I need to source a new front Bridgestone T30evo at short notice in a place in Austria where I don't speak the language. Not going to push my luck with the repaired tyre any longer. Am staying here 5 days, hoping I get correct tyre in that time, otherwise may have to accept tyre mix. Main priority is safe trip home next weekend. Hoping I might still get at least one days riding around the alps, but not on current tyre! Also don't want to scrub in a new one on wet mountain passes... Oh well, it's been very interesting for the fist 1130 miles!
Tyreleader.co.uk are showing them in stock and should post out to you, may have to get someone to call them from Uk so they don't think it's a card fraud though. And they do speak good English too, think they are based in Holland.
Thanks mate. Google tells me there's a ktm specialist less than 2 miles away and they've got a good review from a uk biker and one member of staff speaks English (or did last year!). Going to pay them a visit at 9am tomorrow, or when the rain stops... If no joy, I'll enquire about delivery times from the tyre leader folks.
It's been an odd couple of days, going 70mph on unrestricted autobahns, being overtaken by caravans, tiptoeing round lovely sweeping corners just in case front tyre popped. Not quite what I planned, but an interesting adventure all the same. I wonder what's next...
Sounds as though you are having a bit of an adventure, hope you get your tyre issues sorted and you can enjoy the rest if your trip at a slightly quicker pace.
Got new front tyre fitted this morning. Exact same as damaged one, scrubbed in now (well, chicken strips reduced a bit, but it has been wet most of the day), so let the holiday begin... Downside was that I got stiffed €214 for the damn tyre (fitted immediately though). It was at a Triumph dealership. Nice (rich!) guys though...
Perfect, one days good riding will be worth every penny. Work out the cost of days off work, traveling and the most expensive thing of all, the missus having the ammunition of " how much money have you wasted? You could of taken me somewhere? All ended well in the end.
If only I could get "one good day's riding"... Failed to stay dry again - went to Slovenia to follow a good mountain route I had programmed into satnav but turned back at sight of wet cobblestoned hairpin corner. Then went up the Villach Alpine Road (dry), tried another (wet). Went back to apartment., read then decided not to give in, so headed east towards Grossglockner, but saw that cloud ceiling was way below mountain tops so came back again. Then decided to go South to look at the Adriatic. Lovely motorway: Long tunnel, big bridge, long tunnel etc etc. Unfortunately, started to rain, then rain a lot, but couldn't exit for.another 15 miles. Then turned around and came back drenched again. My boots stink now... Italian motorway cost €10.20 each way. I did around 300 miles today achieving next to nothing! But I've been on my Fireblade for hours in a foreign country (well 3 countries today actually), so I've still got big grin on my face!
You're not the only one having bad weather - pals riding to Barcelona for the MotorGP having a very wet few days getting down central France and arriving at hotels like drowned rats. There are some good rain radar apps for your phone which help track / plot the weather forecast Make sure you take plenty of pictures of the trip
I'm in the thought process of planning my first euro trip during July.....the idea was to escape to Europe to avoid the rain and guarantee nice hot weather. Hope things pick up for you mate
Pleased your spirts are still up ! Had the same, Gent to Nurburgring, all day back roads in poring down rain, boots give up and let water in. As tipped feet forward n back could fell water running back n forth, did make me chuckle. Keep smiling
Pictures: Villacher Alpenstrasse on Tuesday: Nockalmstrasse on Thursday (through flooding,thunder hail and torrential rain. Amazingly, it was dry at summit. Hairy ride down...
Pictures of Nockalmstrasse don't do it justice. I think it's one of the very best roads I have ridden. Shame about the weather, but still a fantastic day!
Finally a good weather day. Went to Italy over the Plocken pass, it's a work of art. Look at 2nd picture at the road zigzagging up the mountain behind. Then followed a route cribbed from Ride magazine through Maniago into the Dolomites. Some super roads and no rain for 300 miles! Plockenpass
Thanks mate. You'll have to keep us posted about your trip in July. Hope you have a great time even if it goes nothing like to plan (like mine). There's something about going away on holiday on a motorbike that's just special - even the bad times are good!
