tour of europe

Rik · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Karma :

hey all

at the moment im planning a very large tour of europe,i started with a vage idea of where i was going but its snowballing.lol. Rolling Eyes

im now taking in the Nurburgring, Austrian alps, Italian alps, the N85 in France, monaco, Andorra and a couple of days in Spain if i can manage it, prefferably Barcelona.

by the looks of things this'll be a daft questions thread, but you know how it is once there in your head you just need to ask Laughing

i've checked through the previous threads and found a lot of answers but nothing solid on two questions(a very daft one, and a sensible one Wink

)

im planning on spending 2 to 4 days in the alps, i have a zx-6r and my friend has an R1 which is returning 100-120ish miles to a tank which leaves me asking how many petrol stations are there in the alps? i feel so daft asking but i've never been before, is it like the highlands of Scotland , every 100 miles or so?

has anyone gone from Austria --> Milan through the alps? any idea how long that'll take realisticly, doing maybe 500 miles tops 400 min? probably a low average speed. i think thats my sensible question Thumbs Up

im sure i'll rack them up before i leave in the summer.

cheers

rik Cool

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Dusty · King of the Rim Joined: 25 Mar 2003 Karma :

Korn · Admin Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :

I've just finished doing something very similar to what you described, but in reverse (starting in Spain).

There are plenty of petrol stations in both the Alps and the Pyrenees, certainly your mate's thirsty R1 shouldn't have problems with tank range. A lot of the bigger valley towns have their own filling station, and as for Andorra there must be something funny going on there, as they have either a bike shop or a fuel stop seemingly every ten yards.

Remember that unless you stick to the Autoroutes in the Alps your progress will be fairly slow, as most of the interesting roads follow the countours of the mountains, sometimes with little regard for forward progress. My advice would be to take in as many passes as you can en route, to get your fix of hairpins and serious twisties.

I remember waking up one morning in the Pyrenees and checking my handheld GPS, which said it was 62 miles in a straight line to Andorra. I then spend 3 hours carving along the main road which on the map appeared to head straight there. Exhausted from the endless twisties I checked my GPS again, wondering how much further it could possibly be - surely I must be right on top of it by now. Not a chance; it was still 40 miles away!

Mountains... Seriously good fun! Thumbs Up

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3516 Miles, 11 Countries

mark83 · World Chat Champion Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Karma :

Think you'll find the alps are better than the British Motorways for service stations!!!!

Go for it, I did something similar and there's nothing that beats a good tour.

My only advice is: watch out for the French police.

You have been warned! Rolling Eyes

If you're interested in seeing my tour:

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=97828

But most of all: ENJOY IT!
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Kawasaki ER6n -> Honda CBR600RR -> Honda VTR 1000 -> Moto Guzzi Norge 1200
Buy my Mercedes 350 Sport AMG Evo

FreshAL · Sir Crashalot Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Karma :

Remember a lot of the petrol stations will be closed on Sundays.

SimonB · Brolly Dolly Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Karma :

Your mate could take a syphon with him and if he does run out then he can have (or buy at a price) some of yours.

Sounds like a hellva trip.
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Bikes: Honda CBR250RR [sold], Yamaha FZR600 [sold], Honda CBR600RR6

Dusty · King of the Rim Joined: 25 Mar 2003 Karma :

Rik · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Karma :

cheers for the info guys Thumbs Up

plenty more questions to come tho

rik
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Homer Simpson wrote:
.....quick, Operator! Give me the number for 911.....

Paivi · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 Sep 2005 Karma :

Nath · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Karma :

Korn · Admin Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :

Also remember that the Swiss have their own currency, something I completely forgot about! Embarassed

The bigger places near the borders do take Euros, but in the teeny little village petrol stations up in the mountains you will often just get a funny look. Luckily pretty much all of them take plastic, so even if you don't carry Swiss Francs you can still get by ok.
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3516 Miles, 11 Countries

Rik · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Karma :

hey

how did you's guys do for getting accomodation in the alps? im going in june, so will be busy do'h!!!!

the plan is to have a tent but i dont fancy sleeping in the alps, bit chilly for me Rolling Eyes

were looking to stay around jenbach in austria and Brunico in Italy, obviously can travel 10 miles or so either way for a cheap, recommended or guarantee'd room.

cheers

rik
____________________
Homer Simpson wrote:
.....quick, Operator! Give me the number for 911.....

froggeh · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Karma :

Modo · Spanner Monkey Joined: 07 May 2006 Karma :

EuropeanNC30R... · Gay Hairdresser Joined: 20 Jun 2002 Karma :

It all depends on how high up in the Alps how cold it gets at night. Camping in Digne-les-Bains just off the N85 in July was very hot. A week and a half later up at 8000ft by the Italian/Austrian border with glaciers in eyeshot it was definitely not camping weather!