touring challenges on a motorcycle

[ChaseKenyon]

I know Ian and some of the others here like to go on their motorcycle challenge touring rides.


I'd really like to hear back first hand about this one. It seems to be with the perfect laid back relaxing (especially under the circumstances) ride.

[purri]

I believe the Stelvio Pass has more to offer. Here there are other "interesting" roads.

[skuthorp]

Superbike races here on Phillip Island this weekend and a 17 year old killed in a collision with two other bikes today.

[ChaseKenyon]

I like my cars and such either turboed to the max like the ice racing Audi Avant (lowered race suspension, oversize turbo at 27psi, quick shift kit, and etc.) or even better supercharged like my long wheelbase super comfortable Corvette killer Jaguar XJVSC.

Now this guy has a bike I could definitely learn to love. Hide it under some factory accessory leather side bags, and a sport windshield (lobster and shrimp are the only bugs I like to eat), and some fog lights and such. Nobody except the real bikers would know what they were looking at.

[ChaseKenyon]

The truth is in the details, like a real dyno pull or two.

[The Bigfella]

The truth is on the road.

I kept waiting for that pair of pushbikes to go around him on the corners.

Those big slugs are designed for cruising the interstates.... which is exactly where I don't want to be on a bike. Nice road up there, sh!tty surface. A set of knobbies would probably have handled it OK.

I'm on mainly sealed roads for the next leg of my Asia trip, but I'm packing a full knobbie (Mitas E09 Dakar) back to Bali with me.

[Paul Pless]

The truth is on the road.

Man that's deep, just like Ewan McGregor.

[The Bigfella]

Man that's deep, just like Ewan McGregor.

One of the guys up on Cape York last year kept rabbiting on about how his bike was the perfect bike for those conditions. We kept waiting for him, every day, every time we stopped. Yep. His bike was perfect for those conditions.... at a snails pace. We didn't complain (much), we didn't rib him (much).... we were all out and about.

Whatever, though. If it gets you out of the house, its perfect. I enjoyed a ride on the old F650 Funduro the other day. A new re-profiled seat to suit my height, some suspension mods and different bars, it'd be heaps better.... bit it was still great to be out and about on it and not in a cage rolling down the road.

[ChaseKenyon]

I believe the Stelvio Pass has more to offer. Here there are other "interesting" roads.

Goodfella,

When I was on "duty" in Europe for the Navy/DOD one of my favorite places was Valberg. One of the nicest ski towns in the world.

My Mediterranean base of operations was usually Golf Juan on the gorgeous bay between Cannes and Antibes heading towards Nice. I have been to the Stelvio, some of the roads to Roccaroso in Abruzzo from Napoli were fun as well. I used to go skiing at Roccaroso as my back healed when I was at the orthopedic ward of the NATO hospital there.


Back to Valberg. First get to Touet sur Vas, then follow the D28, Route de Nice, up the valley with the river down below some 200 to 400 meters (600 to about 1400 ft down to the river) to Valberg. I never was able to count the times you have to back and fill to get around the corners with the big drop next to you.




For an extreme carver (I go up the hill as much as down making Christmas Ribbon Candy tracks as I go) like me it is pure heaven. Steep; and wide. Great on skis and carving snowboard like a race board with hard boots and extreme sidecut.
What I would give to go there again now. MMMMMMMMM.



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And if you get bored and need some refresher time.....


Now if you look this is about mid height and you can see the road in the lower right. The lower left shows a local road above the valley village.



The way was to go to Antibes, and then take the shorty ski bus to Valberg. Without pics it is not real. LOL

So watch the drops and the cliffs of falling rocks hanging out over the roadway. The official sign warning of falling rocks from 5000 Meters at 0:36 on the counter is food for thought.

[purri]

Most impressive mate. BTW I'll be at Lago di Viveronne for the World Masters Rowing comp next year thence 3 weeks around the traps. Any suggestions?

Here a few we have in NSW are the Oxley Way (too many radar units), the Gwydir Hwy from Walgett in the far west through to alpine Glen Ines and the plunge through rainforest to near coastal Grafton. In TAS the Murchison Hwy from Burnie to Strahan on the west coast thence the Lyell Hwy from there through Queenstown (92 bends per mile) over the alpine grasslands to Hobart on the east coast. QLD has the back road from coastal Cairns to rainforest Kuranda thence to Cooktown. VIC has the Great Ocean Road.

BTW these aren't highways but range from slow to very fast secondary roads that you ride at your own risk.