Tours of Tuscany

[119113]

I will be in Italy in early 2006, and I'm seeking information/advice from any BMW riders that have taken motorcycle tours in Italy, Tuscany in particular. Is First Class Tours, which I found on the web, reputable? Are there any obvious problems to avoid? Any advice will be helpful and most welcome.

Thanks!

Peterh

[username]

if my information is correct, jdiaz is in italy now, and does lots of cool rides.

jdiaz to the white courtesy phone!

[DarrylRi]

if my information is correct, jdiaz is in italy now, and does lots of cool rides.Hmm, not too sure about the second part.

:bolt

[bluwing]

Make sure you get to Volterra, San Gimgiano (sp).
The approach roads to the hill cities are made for motorcycles!!!!
Tuscany is made for motorcycles!!!!
Bluwing

[swleejr]

My wife and I went on an Edelweiss Tour of Tuscany. We've never been Italy so it was perfect for us. Everything was planned/arranged. Hotels are nice, food is great. Days off in between was nice so that we were not always on the bike. Beautiful scenery but we should have gone in late may instead of early June. Fewer crowds and was just a little cooler during that time. Bikes were "new" had only a few thousand K's on them but were already scratched up.

Tour was wonderful, guides were very good, took all small twisties after the frist day. Stops every hour and a half to two hours.

[GlobalRider]

I'm seeking information/advice from any BMW riders that have taken motorcycle tours in Italy, Tuscany in particular. Any advice will be helpful and most welcome.

Not Tuscany in particular, but the Italian Alps and lakes regions just to the north.

Why not just rent a bike and make this tour your tour. It is really easy and far more enjoyable. I've been doing it for years. As an added bonus, you save wads of money.

The BMW MOA Global Touring - Touring In Europe (http://www.bmwmoa.org/global/ToEurope.htm) site should get you started.

[DarrylRi]

I agree with GlobalRider. Beyond "ciao bella", I don't speak any Italian, and yet I have had several great experiences there and elsewhere in Europe (http://darryl.crafty-fox.com/motorcycles/europeriding.htm). Tuscany is not such a huge area, get a map and poke through some tour guides online or at the library. Try staying on one of the farms that offer rooms, they can be very pleasant. Just have a picnic lunch, and stay off the highways (http://darryl.crafty-fox.com/motorcycles/2004TuscanShade.htm). You'll have a great time.

[GlobalRider]

Beyond "ciao bella", I don't speak any Italian, and yet I have had several great experiences. Tuscany is not such a huge area, get a map and poke through some tour guides online or at the library.

Darryl,

Are you going to be there in 2006? If so and if we're in the same area, we should try to meet for dinner. I'll be there for the whole month of June again, and if I can swing it, two months; from the middle of May to the middle of July.

I picked up a Freytag & Berndt map of Tuscany (half price) last year while strolling through Salzburg. That must have been a sign...to go there.

[DarrylRi]

Alex, I'm pretty well obliged to be in Germany for most of May.

I bought a 1928 R52 last year and I'm trying to get it fixed up. I'm going to vintage rallies 3 weekends in a row, beginning on May 1st, and I hope to ride it in 2 of them. The other rally is for bikes older than 1924, and for that I've been offered a ride on a 1917 Douglas!

I haven't bought a ticket yet, so the rest of my plans are relatively unformed. However, if I have some extra time, I'll probably head to Italy, at least for a few days. Heck, who can resist playing in the Dolomites? I have friends in Milan and Trento I can visit as well.

But if we can get together, that would be great!

[GlobalRider]

I'll probably head to Italy, at least for a few days. Heck, who can resist playing in the Dolomites? I have friends in Milan and Trento I can visit as well.

But if we can get together, that would be great!

Well I'll be in Rovereto again. Thats only 15 minutes away from Trento.

[DarrylRi]

Well I'll be in Rovereto again. Thats only 15 minutes away from Trento.Cool! Yeah, Rovereto is just down the SS12 a couple hops. I hope we can meet up, I'll let you know when I have firm dates.

[jdiaz]

You want to talk to Craig Cleasby, as he and his wife spent most of the Yankee Beemers trust fund on a tour in Tuscany this past spring.

A friend from Seattle visited this summer and had a good rental experience with Arturo in Milan at Mototouring, if you decide to skip the organized tour and just want to wing it. We've stayed in agriturismo's (bed and breakfasts) in Florence and Rome that we found online and really liked the experience.

Other than riding with Darryl in the Dolomites for a weekend, I've spent most of my free time in Emilia Romagna south of Piacenza, or in the passes of Lombardia between Lake Como and Lake Garda. I didn't wander much more than three hours from home.

A year here wasn't enough. Don't take a tour assuming you are going to see it all or do it all in one trip, because you just can't......and that's when it starts to get expensive. :)

[Holly]

Darryl,
Could you give me some info on those vintage rallies? I plan to be in Germany in May. I have been drooling over an R50, and an R26 has just come up for sale. Decisions, Decisions....

Holly

[DarrylRi]

Darryl,
Could you give me some info on those vintage rallies? I plan to be in Germany in May. I have been drooling over an R50, and an R26 has just come up for sale. Decisions, Decisions....

HollyI would be happy to. The one thing is, these guys don't think of an R50 as being vintage. It's way too new for that. My friend Sascha, who owns a 1921 Victoria, tells me that my R60/2 is not vintage, just a used bike. Oh well...

Are you talking to a dealer about these bikes? They're great fun to ride, but you have to go in with eyes wide open. The purchase price is only the beginning of your costs, and everyone's idea of a perfectly restored and running bike varies greatly... DAMHIK!

The first rally I hope to go to is the 6. Keilriemenfahrt Rheinhessen (http://www.keilriemenfahrt.de) (Belt Drive Rally). The rules here are no bikes newer than 1924, except that belt drive bikes up until 1928 are allowed. This is the one in which I hope to ride a 1917 Douglas. It will be in Osthofen on May 1st. Osthofen is between Worms and Mannheim, west of Frankfurt, and not far from the Rhine River. It's a lovely area of low rolling hills, little villages and lots of vineyards.

The second rally is the 21st Richard Kuechen Gedaechtnisfahrt (Richard Kuechen Memorial Rally) in Bad Bergzabern on May 8th. This is in the southern part of the Rheinland-Pfalz state, near Landau and just over the Rhine from Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Bikes up until 1939 are allowed in this rally. The terrain is a bit steeper and more forrested, but you won't see anything that looks like a mountain here. It will also likely venture over the border into Alsace, France.

The third rally, I don't have a lot of info about. Sascha tells me I have to go, so I guess I have to go. ;-) It's for BMW stecktank bikes (hanging tank bikes, the name given to models from 1923 through 1929, R32/37/39, R42/47, R52/57 and R62/63). All I know is that it's the following weekend.

I hope that my R52 will be together and running for these last two rallies.

[GlobalRider]

Darryl,
Could you give me some info on those vintage rallies? I plan to be in Germany in May.

I know you'll both be there in May, but if you are ever over there in October, you might want to attend Veterama Mannheim (http://www.veterama.de).

October is a good time of the year to tour Europe and if you get there a bit earlier (September), you can take in Oktoberfest and the bike show in München.

There is also a meet in Ludwigshafen at the end of April.

[GlobalRider]

The second rally is the 21st Richard Kuechen Gedaechtnisfahrt (Richard Kuechen Memorial Rally) in Bad Bergzabern on May 8th. The terrain is a bit steeper and more forrested, but you won't see anything that looks like a mountain here. It will also likely venture over the border into Alsace, France.

Darryl,

I just rode through Bad Bergzabern with a friend that lives near Hockenheim at the tail end of my 2005 tour. We drove within the Landau, Pirmasens, Wissembourg area and also dipped into France a bit along the border. It sounds like you'll be on the same roads.

[DarrylRi]

Darryl,

I just rode through Bad Bergzabern with a friend that lives near Hockenheim at the tail end of my 2005 tour. We drove within the Landau, Pirmasens, Wissembourg area and also dipped into France a bit along the border. It sounds like you'll be on the same roads.Yes, that's definitely the route. Bad Bergzabern is a "kurort", you can go there for the mineral baths ("to take the cure"). There's a schloss in the middle of the town, and the rally begins (and ends) from the parking lot next door. As you can see from the map, the roads are very pleasant in this area:

http://darryl.crafty-fox.com/mcpics/2004/europe1/badbergzabern.jpg

Rolf Beppler, who organizes the rally, is the father of Uli Beppler, who is the manager of Klaus Mayer BMW in Landau. Rolf has got a pretty nice collection of bikes...
http://darryl.crafty-fox.com/mcpics/2002/spain/P5311117med.jpg

[GlobalRider]

http://darryl.crafty-fox.com/mcpics/2004/europe1/badbergzabern.jpg

From Rheinhausen we got down to KlingenMünster via the L508 (and other off-the-map routes prior to that), then onto Bad Bergzabern, the L427/L492/L478 to a lake just past Fischbach and then back through Ludwigswinkel to the K43/L488/D915 (now in France) to Lembach and the D3 to Wissembourg...backroads from there to Rheinhausen.

Two months of Euro touring next year. Yes! Already planning the Corsica and Sardinia part. :nyah

Will you have access to a cell phone or a permanent number when you get there?

[GlobalRider]

Rolf has got a pretty nice collection of bikes...

Darryl,

Recognize the rider in the pic? I came across several older motorcycles and their riders while in the parking lot of the Euro Tunnel last June. There were also a slew of exotic cars (three McLaren F1s) in the parking lot. All of them had an Alfred Dunhill plaque on their vehicle. I take it they were going to some meet.

http://img419.imageshack.us/img419/802/8timeworldchampionphilread6xp.jpg

[DarrylRi]

From Rheinhausen we got down to KlingenMünster via the L508 (and other off-the-map routes prior to that), then onto Bad Bergzabern, the L427/L492/L478 to a lake just past Fischbach and then back through Ludwigswinkel to the K43/L488/D915 (now in France) to Lembach and the D3 to Wissembourg...backroads from there to Rheinhausen.Did you visit the museum in Speyer while you were in the area? Typical German transportation museum, great for gearheads! Last year I went to the Spring Veterama and got a lift there from a friend of a friend. He wanted to stop at the museum because there was a meet of vintage BUSES from all over Europe. They were GORGEOUS!

Two months of Euro touring next year. Yes! Already planning the Corsica and Sardinia part.Someday I'll get there as well. I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip!

Will you have access to a cell phone or a permanent number when you get there?Sascha has been loaning me his old cell phone, but the number changes each time, and one of the reasons it's his old phone is that it eats up the battery charge in no time at all.

Do you know of a cheap way to get cell phone access, especially for calling home and to other Euro countries? The roaming charges are killers!

Recognize the rider in the pic? I came across several older motorcycles and their riders while in the parking lot of the Euro Tunnel last June. There were also a slew of exotic cars (three McLaren F1s) in the parking lot. All of them had an Alfred Dunhill plaque on their vehicle. I take it they were going to some meet.Is that John Surtees?

[GlobalRider]

Did you visit the museum in Speyer while you were in the area? Typical German transportation museum, great for gearheads!

If it is the one with an aircraft in the parking lot, I think we did, but for some reason we didn't enter...maybe it was close to closing? I stopped in at the Dom which is almost 1000 years old.

On the A6, I noticed some museum along the autobahn...Sinsheim possibly. Speyer & Sinsheim Museums (http://www.technik-museum.de)

Do you know of a cheap way to get cell phone access, especially for calling home and to other Euro countries? The roaming charges are killers!

I bought an "unlocked" Nokia cell phone when I was in Italy last February. All my various SIM cards are on a pay-as-you-go plan. In Italy, I slip my TIM SIM card into the phone; in Germany, my LOOP 02 SIM card and back home, my Rogers AT&T SIM card. So while in Europe, I'll use either my TIM or LOOP card. They are far better than what we have here in that I can top up my card with only €10 to keep my card activated for 390 days...more than a year. Over here, you get a whopping 30 days.

But for regular chit-chat calls, I'll use a pre-paid Euro calling card all the time. My cell phone is used for emergency/family use only.

Is that John Surtees?

While chatting with the vintage riders in the parking lot, one of them introduced me to Phil Read, 8 time world motorcycle champion. Phil and I chatted a bit. His bike was a BSA parked across the parking lot next to my GS Adventure.

[Holly]

This is John Surtees, being very kind and telling me he has done things like that, about 11 hours after I high-sided and did a face plant at a race where he was grand marshall. You can see the cut on my chin, but the massive bruising on my face hasn't shown up yet plus the drugs they gave me in the hospital are masking the godawful headache from the concussion. Yes, I still have that helmet to convince people who don't think they need a full face! Without it I wouldn't have a face.

Holly

[TBonesR1100]

Depending on your schedule, you may want to consider a few different types of riding. I was on vacation with my familiy in Tuscany last summer and was able to sneak away for a day to ride some awesome roads near Parma and Bologna. I coordinated the ride with http://www.tuscanmototours.com. They use KTM 625 Supermoto bikes. We stuffed a bunch of Ducatis and other sportbikes on these roads during our 200k ride. It was a ton of fun!