My partner Marie said she would like to see Transylvania and the Italian lakes and, as we are of a M certain age and only work part-time, we had the luxury of being able to enjoy an extended tour which allows for a longer, more interesting experience. So that was the basis of the plan. We decided on what we wanted to see and fitted the tour around this idea, with about a week in Romania and 10 days or so lake-hopping across the north of Italy.
We set off from Lincolnshire in late August, heading for Kent to cross the channel the next day on an early ferry. This worked well and we came off the ferry at Dunkirk, going via Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, and on towards Linz, Vienna, and then into Hungary. During these three days the Wing (2020 Gold Wing Tour DCT) proved itself to be a fantastic bike to cover ground on, being able to travel quickly and in comfort, even though it was two-up and fully loaded. In the many years I have been touring I have not had a bike as comfortable or as competent for this task, not even my old 1200 RT.
The first night abroad found us in Hasselberg, southeast of Frankfurt. This was after a hot day with wall-to-wall blue skies, and most days the temperature got to the high 20s or low 30s. Perfect.
We don't book hotels ahead usually, using a booking app as we go, and this paid off handsomely on this occasion. A lovely, small family-run hotel at the top of a hill with cracking views and good food.
This theme continued into day two, with some lovely scenery going to Gresten in Eastern Austria.
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Denne historien er fra April 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
