Search the Community

So now I'm thinking of taking the Chunnel and crossing France to get to Spain instead of taking the ferry from southern England. While looking at possible routes of interest for heading north to south though western France (which appears to be mostly flat so perhaps either coastal cruising or traversing a few national parks is all it has to offer a motorcyclist (any tips on route much appreciated)), I've come across the odd webpage claiming that new motorcycle road rules have been imposed since 2016 which are instant fines if not followed (easy moneytrap for unassuming foreigners) including the following: - Hi viz vest must be warn if not on/in vehicle when stopped at roadside (assume motorways/highways/freeways), so you may as well be wearing it already if on a bike because as soon as you step off on the roadside... - Conversion kit if headlights shine the wrong way (British vehicles in Europe). This may not be a problem if your vehicle is new enough to be the sort that shine straight as they tend to nowadays. Otherwise you will be blinding oncoming traffic and if that traffic includes a cop car... bingo. - Spare set of lightbulbs and fuses carried onboard - 2x breathalyzers (in case you use one you'll still have a working one). Don't French cops carry these? - Sticker with abbreviation of your country of origen like GB (Great Britain) CH (Switzerland) AFG (Afghanistan) E (Spain) - Extensive documentation and proof of roadworthiness and insurance, etc. (In spain they can check through HQ if you've got insurance) and/or a letter from the owner, if you aren't, granting you permission to use the vehicle on the dates in question... not sure if this must be in French via sworn translator. - Lane splitting is a big no go Anyone know if this is something the police are actively fining for? Will I get pulled over and grilled? Now to find out if my lights lean to the left, could be a prob in Spain too if they do. I don't mind wearing the vest but want one that meets the law's standards and is robust enough to survive being worn on the bike although I understand I could swivel around and pull it out of the topbox, or perhaps they are not so desperate for revenue they would fine me in the few seconds it would take me to dismount and get it out of the topbox... cause the flapping around while I'm riding will get annoying and will eventually surely destroy the vest. Any Euroadvice??

Well guys... the film edit is finally completed The whole thing is far to long, so I decided to release it in 10 parts. I hope you'll enjoy it! ...and feel free to share Trip info: 13 bikes - 10 days - 3 200 km (2 000 miles) - Countries: Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy & France Update 27 February 2014 Part 10 - The 13 Adventurers This last part of the film is a presentation of the complete route and of the 13 adventurers who made this amazing trip an unforgettable experience. Some of these friends will also participate in the 2014 trip to Fjord Norway and we look very much forward to this new adventure. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 9 Cochem-Schwalenberg We haven't seen rain since day 4 on our way down from Grossglockner. This day starts in glorious sunshine but the forecast predicts heavy rain later on. Unfortunately they were right. A short ride after Cochem the rain is over us and we have to stop and put on our rain proofs. We make a short stop at the famous Nürburgring circuit and then continue north to our destination for the day, the small town of Schwalenberg. The roads are superb but the rain comes and goes so the rain proofs stay on. We now have only one day left on this adventure before we catch our ferry to Sweden and the weather forecast predicts rain for the last day as well. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 8 Rheinau-Cochem We start by entering France and ride through some villages and small towns. After a while we cross the border in to Germany again and then follow the Mosel valley north to the picturesque town of Cochem. The following day we'll visit Nürburgring and then continue our tour north. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 7 Füssen-Rheinau It's time to leave Füssen and head north west. We leave the Alps region and ride along lake Bodensee. The scenery isn't as dramatic as the high mountains but we enjoy the ride and have a wonderful day. The following day we'll cross the French border and after a while enter Germany again and ride north along the Mosel valley. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 6 Neuschwanstein & Zugspitze We stay in Füssen two nights and have therefore an extra day for exploring the surroundings of this Bavarian city. The first place to se is of course the castle of Neischwanstein. This incredible building has inspired Disney when designing their well known logo. The weather is still very hot and it feels just wonderful when we visit our next site for the day. We ride back to Austria and take the cable car up to Germany's highest mountain top. Zugspitze is on the border of Germany and Austria and peaks at 2962m (9718 ft). Back down again we decide to take the long way around back to our hotel in Füssen and se some more of the Bavarian country side. The following day we'll leave Füssen and head towards Rheinau near the French border. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo Part 5 Fortezza-Füssen We start the day by riding up to the first pass, Jaufenpass or Passo Giovo, at 2094 m (6870 ft). The morning mist is slowly dissolving and lets the sun shine on us on our way down on the other side. The road surface isn't as good as in Austria but the scenery is great. We stop at a cafe sitting on a slope in the middle of a curve, overviewing a picturesque village down in the valley. After a nice cup of Cappuccino we continue the ride to next pass, Timmelsjoch or Passo Rombo at 2509 m (8232 ft). This one still has a lot of snow on the side of the road but the temperature is quite nice. On the other side we enter Austria again and the next pass is Hahntennjoch at 1894 m (6214 ft). The roads and views are just superb and we enjoy our ride tremendously. Just before we arrive at our next Hotell in Füssen, we cross the border in to Germany. The following day we'll explore the surroundings of Füssen, including the incredible Neuschwanstein Castle. http://youtu.be/17hVAaR6kXc ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/86504890 Part 4 Zeller Fusch-Fortezza We are finally in the Alps and today we start our ride up to the first pass. Just a couple of km after we start, one of the Harleys decides to take a break. It just looses all power and dies. The starter works but it won't start. We spend about two hours troubleshooting the damn thing and finally find a loose hose inside the fuel tank. Luckily it's just a matter of pushing it back in place on the fuel pump and we're on our way again. We ride the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse and turn off to Edelweissspitze that peaks at 2571 m (8435 ft). We also make a detour to the Pasterze Glacier at Kaiser Franz Josef Höhe 2369 m (7772 ft). The weather is just superb. At these heights we still have around is 22 °C (72 °F) but on our way down the weather changes from sunny to heavy rain and the temperature drops rapidly. We spent a good part of the day on this high alpine road already and therefore we decide to skip the original plan of going over two more passes this day. We put on our rain proofs and head straight to Fortezza in Italy where we have our next hotel booked. Despite the rain at the end, this day was just glorious! http://youtu.be/DKzYGgbRWo4 ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/86184500 Part 3 Landshut-Zeller Fusch We begin this day by visiting the old castle in Landshut, Burg Trausnitz. It sits on a cliff overviewing the old town and the medieval gothic Church of St. Martin, with its 130 meters (428 ft) high tower. Afterwards we continue our trip south through Bavaria and enter Austria just outside Salzburg, the birth town of Amadeus Mozart. The temperature now is 37 °C (99 °F) and we only make a short stop in the town of Salzburg, before we continue to our hotel in Zeller Fusch. We are now finally in the Alps region and the following day we will start climbing up to the Grossglockner pass. http://youtu.be/AADe3_raa2U ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/85927012 Part 2 Fulda-Landshut. We continue our trip through Germany and head down to Landshut. A very nice town in Bavaria. On our way south, we stop at Audi Forum in Ingolstadt and visit the Audi Museum. The roads get more interesting, the weather is fantastic and the fun factor is increasing by the minute. So turn up the volume and come along... http://youtu.be/AXL0mk_ziak ...or If Youtube doesen't work for you, try Vimeo http://vimeo.com/85449028 Part 1 Göteborg-Fulda The trip starts with a boat travel during the night, from Göteborg in Sweden to Kiel in Germany. The following day we ride from Kiel down to Fulda in Germany. ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo http://vimeo.com/85172636Trailer - Austrian Alps Tour 2013 http://youtu.be/dzf9mLI96-4 ...or If Youtube doesn't work for you, try Vimeo https://vimeo.com/79874997

Hi guys! Here is a trailer for a video I'm working on, from a trip to the Alps last summer. I hope you will enjoy it! :-) http://vimeo.com/79874997 or Complete video will be finished in late January.