1500 miles on a ducati.... Nurburgring and back

[Valentino Mossy]

...leaves you with a numb bum !

After thinking about heading across in to europe for ages i decided to just book the tickets and go...
The bike had been running great after the full strip down, but i decided to take enough wire,connectors and tools to re-wire the bike and fix it if it should break down.

(many thanks to you BCF lot for the info and help you gave me before going, as this was my first long trip i didnt know what to expect...thanks again ! )

Return tickets for the chunnel was £65 and the hotel booked for 3 nights and breaky for 165 euros...

The route....wales,down to the chunnel,into france,across to belguim and in to west germany to a place called barweiler just on the edge of the famous nurburgring.... just over 12hrs..ouchy !

Got up too early on the sunday morning, leaving merthyr at 4:30 after loading the bike up the night before saved me a lot of time, but as my train was set for 11am i needed to be there early.
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0972.jpg

Made the tunnel with hours to spare and they chucked me on an earlier train, the twat-nav said i should get to the hotel at about 6:30 local time..
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0973.jpg

Got in to calais and immediately got hooked in to riding on the other side of the road, even going the wrong way around them seemed easier ! lol !

Petrol stations were long distances apart making planing when to stop and have a break a lot harder... them petrol stations over there like you to pay for what petrol your about to use, before using it... took some getting use to but after a while you knew how much to put in.

Belguim....the E40 gah, what a road...lllloooooooooong !
Saying that the twat-nav did send me into brussels, that took me like 2 hrs to get out of it ! Carnival day or something was going on, as it was packed, give me london to ride in again any day !

After spending a while trying to read the maps to see what road i needed to get back on to get back to the e40, a Belguim biker doubled back and then showed me the way out back on to the e40....top bloke !

I learnt if your ever lost, ask someone, even if they reply back in a different language a little info is better then sitting by a road side not knowing where you are.
...................................

Well after getting back on the e40, my twat-nav decided to end up sending me towards luxemboug,then back....finally after several hours i rolled in to the hotel at almost 10pm !!!! 4hrs over the planned time !
Still i seen most of belguim and western germany while getting lost ! lol !
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Monday....
After the advice of the locals i headed down to Cochem, took a different route to what they said and found a more twisty but direct route...
Damn those roads are epic, makes the brecon beacons and welsh roads look like straight lines... almost 360 hairpin bends down hill makes your butt twinge evertime.... This is where the ducati 916 came to life !

Cochem..
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4532.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4529.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4523.jpg
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https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0979.jpg

On the way back to the hotel, yes you guessed it, i got lost... after asking some people again i took a different route and found it more epic then the last.

Noms....
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0984.jpg

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Tuesday...
Easy day, get up have noms and just head to the circuit to scope out the track.
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4629.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4631.jpg
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https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0998.jpg

Prices if anyone is going....
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0985.jpg

On the way back i headed to the visitor centre to pick up some gifts and check out the mini museum they had there...
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/nurburgringjoin.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4547.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4560.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4575.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4589.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/DSCN4602.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0990.jpg

Track opened later that night and bricks were shat, i settled in behind a car for a bit until my tires warmed up then booted it,no timing, just stay alive and dont crash was rattling in my head.
Corner after corner, always watching your mirrors for fast mercs,even faster bikes, and an even fast audis... you have to always keep looking.

Rolling back in to the car park after and parking up with another couple of newbies to the ring, i breathed a sigh of relief..i survived and didnt crash ! (my track record on racing tracks aint that good with staying upright)
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_0992.jpg

I found the roads around the ring more challenging then the ring itself, but going on the ring should be on everyones bucket list imo.

Gutted i didnt bring my leathers as the weather was very hot, but after going out on track it decided to chuck it down, so glad i only got my one lap in then..... Wanted to do at least some more, but needed the money for going back home.

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Wednesday
Gets up early and sets off about 6:30 as my train leaves france about 5:30pm and after last time i wasnt taking any chances ! The route written out and twat-nav turned off !!!
Still got lost and headed in to the Netherlands, and after asking for directions i was back in to germany, then back on the road to belguim...

130mph and reading a map at ease is just easy over there ! lol !
Traffic moves out of bikers way, even when i didnt know i could filter over there, a group of bikers started filtering and i followed....
3 lanes of autobahns all blocked up, us 3 filtering at 80mph....huh ?
The traffic around us even though it was all grid locked was still travelling at least 60-70mph !

No problems with the police at all, just saw them book some cars in Brussels and just parked up at the petrol stations.

Got to calais at 1pm ! lol ! They chucked me again on to an earlier train which meant that i got back to wales about 6:30.
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_1032.jpg
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_1028.jpg

Home !

https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/IMG_1033.jpg
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Will be planning another trip over soon, with more money and more laps of the ring !

(edit...looked online and only one pic of me on there...)
https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p138/lilldic_mossy/germany/1.jpg


Not once did the unreliable duke let me down, no niggles what so ever...yay for the Italians !
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Ducati 916,white framed corse replica https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=239309
Ducati 160 monza jnr soon to be cafe racer
https://blauschatfroums.freeforums.net/

[Fbyte]

[kitty kat]

We stayed on a campsite at Cochem on 2 seperate holidays, those roads are fantastic around there and you are welcome to stop and pick the grapes from the vines along the road. We visited the ring, but watched the Porches driving round from a pedestrian path which we had ridden our bikes along to get a fairly good view of the track.
There are some good restaurants in Cochem as well, overlooking the banks of the Mosel.

Looking at your photos brought back some wonderful memories of our 2 previous European trips

[Valentino Mossy]

[Clanger]

Another time, you could travel down to mine enroute, pitstop or stay overnight then set off for the Chunnel at your leisure.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Valentino Mossy]

Cheers !
____________________
Ducati 916,white framed corse replica https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=239309
Ducati 160 monza jnr soon to be cafe racer
https://blauschatfroums.freeforums.net/

[Simple]

Cool post. I took the R1 over to the Ring via Denmark (bridge tunnel, bridge tunnel for miles) which was ace.

A good place to stay if you head back this year as I do believe he's closing the doors after is slidersguesthouse he also has a small dog called Daisy who will guard your bike.


I do think the roads around the ring are more enjoyable than watching your mirrors as a noob on the circuit. I had a few laps as passenger in local's cars. Much fun!
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Insta - FemFeral

[RideLimousin]

I agree with Simple here - the roads around the Nurburgring are better than the ring itself unless you are a real track fiend and very rich
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Motorcycle Touring Holidays in France: Ridelimousin
See my ridelimousin renovation blog: https://ridelimousin.blogspot.fr
See my renovation thread: https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=244340