Have you been to the Alps? If you say no, this means you have a great opportunity in front of you! It’s a must. Such beautiful nature, gorgeous mountains, fantastic food, rushing cold springs and rivers, deep canyons, majestic glaciers, incredible views. And curves. Yes, for a motorcycle rider, one of the key aspects of visiting the Alps is curvy roads where one can endlessly twist and turn the bike trying to defy laws of physics.

With one of my best friends from Czechia, it’s been an annual tradition since 2019 to take a week off in summer and ride, often following so-called TET – Trans European Trail. Last year, we added another good friend and now we travel in a trio. We sleep in campsites (mostly), cook our own food (rarely) and drink an occasional beer (or two). Obviously, only after riding for the whole day, not during the ride…

Planning a motorcycle trip

This year, the plan was intriguing. One of us found a Czech guy’s website with several video guides covering off-road motorcycle riding in Bosnia. Since none of us had been to this seemingly beautiful country in the Balkans, we all got excited, started studying the rides, maps, places. Then one thing hit us: it’s hot! Summers in Europe are getting hotter and hotter, and this year was not an exception. Riding in temperatures around 35 degrees centigrade takes away some or sometimes even all the fun. Hence we changed the plan and chose the Alps, thinking that temperatures in higher elevations might be more favorable. This proved to be the case (at least on some days), but at the same time – we were not the first to get this idea, and definitely not alone. But let’s get there.

Honestly, I was a bit grumpy about the decision to change. Why? The first plan was Bosnia, I said it will be hot, suggested Italy, my friends said it won’t be so bad, we settled on Bosnia. I thought “whatever”, then got really excited, and watched all the videos about riding a motorcycle around rolling hills on empty dirt gravel roads. Fantastic! Then my friends changed their mind and pushed for the Alps. My original idea but now my mind moved to Bosnia! It took me some time to adjust again, swallow my pride, convince myself that it was my idea in the first place 😉 Lucky me! I always rent a different motorcycle for the ride, and this time I got a very generous offer to try Harley-Davidson Panamerica 1250ST. Why lucky me? When I got to the dealer, met my friend who is one of the co-owners, and looked at the beautiful dark red bike… I realized that Bosnia would have been challenging. The motorbike had street tires! No chance (or at least not for me with my limited skills) to ride on such tires on gravel off-road tracks.  So, let’s go to the Alps!

The Alps

One of my friends is always well prepared, and he brandished a book about motorcycle riding the Alps (in Czech, here is the English option) and off we went. The plan was to swiftly leave Bohemia, reach the Austrian Alps, ride around, enjoy some high-altitude roads in Germany, move to Italy, visit the Dolomites, then ride back through Germany and Austria. Every day we used the book to guide us around, adding interesting spots on the way. But the main attraction was the riding itself as we spent a good 6-8 hours every day on our motorbikes, obviously making many stops to admire mountain views and savor local food, plus many coffees to keep us awake in the summer heat. It was fantastic! Have a look at the images below to enjoy the scenery too.

The motorcycles

Now about the motorcycles, of course. My friends have adventure enduro bikes (Triumph Tiger 900 and Yamaha Tenere 700) which seem to be better suited to the mountains. They were laughing at me when I arrived on the Harley, which is an adventure bike too, but lower and on street tires. They stopped when we hit the road and on the first straight section I disappeared into the distance. Only later, during one of the breaks, we checked the parameters. HD Panamerica 1250ST has 150 horsepower! It’s a beast. Luckily, we chose the winding alpine roads for our trip and we always travel avoiding highways, hence they were more than able to keep up with me. I would recommend any avid rider to test the Panamerica, it’s an experience.

We try to mostly sleep in campsites, however summer holidays are not the best time to visit Italy as all Italians seem to take August off. We managed to find a camping place most of the nights, but sometimes we had to search for the 3rd or even 4th option in the area. Luckily there is booking.com where one can find a bed-and-breakfast in case the campsites are really full. Many camping places in the Alps are quite luxurious, with restaurants, shops, hot showers and other facilities. Not everyone loves camping but for us it’s the way to live. Even though I would probably choose different dates for the tour around the Alps, as spring or autumn are less busy and the temperatures are more pleasant too.

One week went faster than we imagined, and here we were, heading back home after riding almost 2000 kilometers. What an adventure again! More to come. Next year our plan is Nepal, and hopefully Bosnia in the near future. 

Next year: Nepal

As I am finishing these lines, I can’t help being sad about what just happened in Nepal. If you don’t believe in human-caused climate change – well I don’t know what else would convince you. As one of the scientists said, “People who are most impacted by these disasters are rarely those who cause them. The largest carbon dioxide polluters are never those who pay the highest price.” Thinking about the people in Nepal and sending love and positive energy to navigate the tragedy.

What adventures have you experienced this summer? Any motorcycle riding? Let me know as I am always curious to hear from my friends and get inspired for future trips. 

Photocredit: Marek, Petr, Dan