MOTO-CHARLIE.COM

<body><h2>MOTO-CHARLIE.COM</h2> <P><center><b>September 11 - September 21, 2004</b></center> This trip is for people who want to combine some of the best parts from my Swiss and Italian routes with a visit to the world’s largest motorcycle show. The show is called Intermot and is held every even numbered year in Munich. Everything and anything having to do with motorcycles is at this show. The displays include all the motorcycle manufacturers, usually with new model introductions and fancy stage shows. You will also find all kinds of accessories from handlebars and foot pegs to riding suits and bandanas. The show is huge and a major attraction for motorcyclists from around the world. All the major and minor international motorcycle press cover it. You get to see the show a couple of months before we read about it here in the states and you get to see new motorcycles that take months to make it to our shores if they ever make it here at all. The tour is first and foremost a motorcycle adventure through some of the best riding in the world. While we spend two nights and one day in Munich we enjoy the rest of the time riding the Alps of Switzerland, western Austria and the high Tyrol of northwestern Italy. We get to ride narrow one lane passes the first couple days and we spend the balance of the tour riding some of the highest and most spectacular passes that Switzerland and Italy have to offer. Much of the Italian alpine region belonged to Austria prior to World War I. The combination of Germanic and Italian influence makes for a unique travel experience. This tour takes some of the best roads from both my Swiss and Italian flavored tours, adds in great hotels, friendly people, unbeatable food and the world’s biggest motorcycle show for an unforgettable trip that only happens once every two years. Please check out the <a href=http://www.moto-charlie.com/WSFF/applications/PhotoAlbum/PhotoAlbum.asp?vCompID=9183&vSeqID=1><font color=blue>Photo Album</font></a> for a glimpse of what the view will be like. Note that tabs 1 and 2 show pictures from both tours while tabs 3 and 4 show scenes from the Swiss and Italian tours respectively. <b><u>WHERE WE GO</u></b> <b>For comments about the route, the roads and a map click</b> <a href="http://www.moto-charlie.com/WSFF/applications/Services/Services.asp?vCompID=9183&vServiceID=42974"><font color=blue>here</font></a> The 10-day total tour includes 8 nights away from our base in Steffisburg. Of those 8 nights 4 are in Switzerland (S), 2 in Italy (I) and 2 in Germany (G). The schedule of overnight stays is as follows: <ul><li> Saturday – Steffisburg (S) <li> Sunday – Filzbach (S) <li> Monday – Mals (I) <li> Tuesday – Mals (I) <li> Wednesday – Munich (G) <li> Thursday – Munich (G) <li> Friday – Zuos (S) <li> Saturday – Zuos (S) <li> Sunday – Andermatt (S) <li> Monday – Steffisburg (S) <li> Tuesday – Fly Home</ul> <b>A basic list of the passes</b> that we might go over each day would be: <ul><li> Saturday – Free Day - The bike is yours all day. There’s lots of great riding nearby. <li> Sunday – Brunig, Glaubenbulen, Glaubenberg, Archerli, Klausen <li> Monday – Pragel, Ibergeregg, Satellegg, Wolfgang, Fluelapass <li> Tuesday – Umbrail, di Eira, di Foscagno, Forcola di Livigno, Mortirolo, Gavia, Stelvio <li> Wednesday – Timmelsjoch, Kuhtai, Achen <li> Thursday – Munich <li> Friday – Kuchelberg, Hahntennjoch, Pillerhohe <li> Saturday – Forcola di Livigno, Bernina, Julier, Lenzerheide, Albula <li> Sunday – Maloja, Splugen, San Bernardino, Lukmanier, Oberalp <li> Monday – St. Gotthard , Nufenen, Grimsel</ul> <i><b>MOTO-CHARLIE reserves the right to alter the exact route at his discretion.</b></i> <b><u>BRIEF TOUR DESCRIPTION</u></b> This tour rides through three main areas with the world’s largest motorcycle show thrown in for good measure. The first area is the Tyrolean region of Northwest Italy south of Innsbruck. We then head north for a day in Munich to see the show. We then spend a day in western Austria heading south to the area around St. Moritz. Our final two days are spent riding to and around the Andermatt region of Switzerland on our way back to Steffisburg. <ul><li><b>Saturday</b> – Pick up the motorcycle. There are many wonderful sites to see in the immediate area, either by motorcycle or public transportation. Go visit the neat town of Interlaken located between the Thun See (“see” is the german word for lake) and the Brienzer See or take in Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and gaze upon the Eiger. Or just hang out in Thun or Steffisburg. You’re welcome to just relax in the morning, post jet lag, and partake in a short group ride in the afternoon to get used to the bike and the roads. In the evening please feel to join the other tour members for a group dinner or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It’s all your choice. <li><b>Sunday</b> - Today is full of smaller one-lane passes, forested and less traveled in a quiet part of Switzerland. In the early afternoon we have lunch lakeside at Beckenried before taking the ferry across the lake. From there we take the road south to the town of Altdorf, made famous by the legend of William Tell before we head east over the highest pass of the day, the Klausen pass. We spend the night at a cozy Swiss hotel overlooking the Walensee at Filzbach. <li><b>Monday</b> - Spend the morning enjoying three more smaller, narrow road passes that are a treat to ride before stopping for lunch overlooking the lake. From here we head off towards the high pass region near St. Moritz passing through Klosters (where the royal family skis) with our final pass being the Fluela Pass. This pass is well above the tree line with spectacular views. We end up crossing into Italy and arriving at a great hotel in Mals. We’ll stay here for two nights. <li><b>Tuesday</b> – Today we can ride up to seven passes including the highest passes on the tour. Four of the seven are real high and one is tight and narrow. We start at the Umbrail Pass, which brings us just below Stelvio. Remember this spot because we’re going to do a five pass loop that will bring us back to this spot before we go up and over Stelvio. We do four more passes before heading up Passo di Gavia. At over 2,600 meters this pass is the 7th highest Alpine pass. This is a prelude to the next pass, Passo di Stelvio, considered by many riders to be the “must ride” pass of the Alps. At 2,758 meters it’s the third highest pass in the Alps. With close to 40 switchbacks on both sides, year round skiing at the top, and the carnival like atmosphere at the pass itself there is nothing else like it in the Alps. <li><b>Wednesday</b> – We head east towards Merano and then north before heading over the Timmelsjoch, the 9th highest pass in the Alps and the highest pass of the day. The Italian side is a wild, rollicking ride to the top where we cross the top at 2,509 meters followed by an easy descent into Austria and a pleasant valley run to the Kuhtai pass road. The Kuhtai is a high valley road that runs parallel to the Autobahn heading in the direction of Innsbruck. Watch out for the ranges horses that frequently roam free along the roadside. The pass road comes out just west of Innsbruck where can either head directly north through the low lying German Alps or slightly east and then north along the Achensee and over the Achen pass. Either way we end up at our hotel in Munich where we will spend 2 nights. <li><b>Thursday</b> – Our hotel is right on the Subway line that takes us to the exhibition halls for the Intermot motorcycle extravaganza. You could easily spend all day there. My plan is to spend a half-day there in the morning and the afternoon sightseeing in Munich. If the show and the sights don’t interest you we can work up a route for you to go riding in the local area. There are some pretty good twisty roads right outside of Munich as well as some interesting destination sites to give purpose to your ride. It’s your trip so feel free to do what you want. <li><b>Friday</b> – We head south out of Munich for a brief stretch down the autobahn towards Garmisch. We then turn off the autobahn to ride a nice 2-lane road through the woods crossing the Kuchelburg into Austria and lunching by the lake at Plansee. After that it’s some beautiful two-lane roller coaster type roads until we cross the Hahntennjoch at 1,894 meters. From there we take the high valley road, with gorgeous views to the towns, roads and lakes below up and over the Pillerhohe. A short while later we cross into Switzerland where we ride the sweeping valley road surrounded by mountains south to our hotel in Zuos. We will be here for two nights. Zuoz is a small, old, neat little town. There are plenty of non-motorcycling activities to do including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and roller-blading. St. Moritz is just a short 10-minute motorcycle or bus ride away. <li><b>Saturday</b> – Today all the passes are high alpine passes with panoramic views and postcard perfect villages. Start the day by riding through a solid rock tunnel for a quick run into Italy, through the free trade anomaly of Lavigno before looping back into Switzerland over the Bernina Pass. Those tour members who ride all day will get to go over five great passes. The route is designed so that members can ride all day or ride in the morning and peel off close to the hotel before the afternoon loop. In the afternoon we ride north over the Julier Pass. We then enjoy some local side roads before heading east and then south over the Albula Pass. This pass has a moonscape type look to it at the top. Over the years we’ve seen everything from unique classic car rallies to players of the Swiss long horns at the top. From there it’s a quick blast back down to our hotel. <li><b>Sunday</b> – Today we head for Andermatt, famous with bikers for the six high, unbeatable passes in the immediate area. But first we go over several high passes to get there including one of my favorites the Splugen Pass just over the border into Italy. This pass has it all, tight narrow twisty roads, two-lane panoramic views, Italian espresso and Swiss hospitality. We then have the choice of several great passes before come into Andermatt on the Oberalp Pass, considered by many motorcyclists to have the finest set of sweepers that there are to ride. Andermatt is a fantastic, quintessential Swiss town and we stay right in the village for one night. <li><b>Monday</b> – It’s our final run back to Steffisburg. Today’s schedule depends on you. What time do you want head out and how much do you want to ride. At the very least we’ll do three of the big passes including the Nufenen Pass. At 2,478 meters it is the highest pass in Switzerland. We will also ride the St. Gotthard and Grimsel passes. If the weather cooperates and the spirit is willing another pass or two might be in the offing. Afterwards, we head back to Steffisburg surrounded by great Swiss mountain scenery. We should get back in time to return the motorcycles to the rental shop. Here again as on the first night please feel to join the other tour members for a group dinner or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It’s all your choice.</ul> <b><u>KEY DATES</u></b> <ul><li><b>The tour dates</b> are shown at the top of this page. Naturally, you are welcome to come sooner. I generally arrive on Friday. If you would like to come sooner, or stay longer, hotel and motorcycle arrangements can readily made to suit your schedule. <li><b>When to book your reservation</b> obviously depends on your schedule. As a rule I suggest at least 3 months in advance of the tour date in order to ensure that you get the motorcycle that you want and to secure a place on the tour. There is a limit of 10 people per tour. There are approximately 12 different BMW models, 20 Honda models, and 5 Aprilia models to choose from. In the case of certain BMW’s there are several bikes of the same models available. In the case of the Honda’s and Aprilia’s, one of each. If having a specific bike is a high priority for you then please book early. <li><b>The final cut-off date</b> is technically 30 days before the tour starts. At this point there is enough lead-time for any adjustments or cancellations as they relate to our motorcycle supplier and related hotels. If someone contacts me to sign up with less than 30 days to go every effort will be made to accommodate you. The issue will usually be the motorcycle availability.</ul> <b><u>TOUR COST</u></b> The cost for this tour at the current exchange rates will be: <ul><li>Single rider in a single room - $3,095 <li>Single rider sharing a double room - $3,015 <li>Passenger sharing a double room - $1,650 <li>Couple riding together sharing a double room - $4,665</ul> These cost numbers should cover your motorcycle rental, all hotels and meals, gas and my fee. For a more complete discussion of the cost of this tour please click <a href=http://www.wsff.com/WSFF/applications/Services/subLayout03.asp?vCompID=9183&vSeqID=1&ServiceID=1347><font color=blue>here</font></A>. <b><u>HOW TO BOOK THIS TOUR</u></b> Please refer to the “Contact Me” section for my telephone or e-mail address. There is also an e-mail link to me at the bottom of this page. I am not a paperwork intensive person. So, the process of making a reservation and getting what I need for my records is pretty simple once you contact me. Feel free to contact me to ask any questions about my tours in particular, or the Alps in general. If I can be of help in any way I’ll be glad to do so. <i><b>This tour packs a lot of excitement into 10 days. We’ll be riding some of the best roads in Switzerland and Italy. We get to visit Intermot, an event that most people only get to read about. And, you get to do all this on a bike of your choice while staying at great hotels and eating super Swiss and Italian food. Like I said earlier it only happens once every two years but it is an adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life </b></i>.     <script language="javascript" src="http://www.addfreestats.com/cgi-bin/easycode.cgi?usr=00036016P016"> </script>  </P></BODY></HTML> <P><A href="Links.htm">Links</a></BODY></HTML>