Actually on Sunday 24/06 I first went to Mandello del Lario on Lake Como to look at the Moto-Guzzi factory, then via Chiasso and stayed in Lugano (the Italian-speaking bit of Switzerland). Monday: I detoured to see Lake Maggiore then sampled some alpine passes, the St Gottard, then the Furkapass (at 2431 metres a pretty high one - lots of rain, snow and fog) and the Grimselpass; to visit Gliddofglood near Lausanne. Tuesday: to Lake Neuchatel and across the Jura Mts on a little back road into France, then Alsace and the Vosges to stay in Metz (on the Moselle). Wednesday (today): to Verdun to visit the First World War battlefields, museum and memorials; then simply to Calais, tunnel and home. Multistrada has been perfect and faultless in nearly 3,000 miles of riding under all conditions. I'm pretty tired now, plan to post some photos tomorrow.
Great to meet you Peter. You are welcome any time! Thanks for the T-shirt which has had its first outing today. Glad the trip back went well. The weather since you left has of course been brilliant. Oh well - next time! We'll hopefully get the BBQ out and be less cheesy.
Replica of the Paul Smart 1972 Imola 750SS. Orginal is in museum at Ducati factory, but property of Paul Smart. Paul rode the replica on track at Misano. Neat Bimota seen at Misano. Very high mileage (and very standard) Multistrada covered in mud and stickers Paddock at Misano - stiltwalker and unicyclist pass by
Here's another to be going on with. And another. And there's more, but there was a right stupid bu**er taking the pictures and had the wrong settings so some are not the best quality. Steve.
Audi Le Mans race car displayed at Misano June 2012 Furka Pass in Swiss alps. Can you see the road I am about to take down the Furka, then up the Grimsel on the right? San Gimignano, an old walled hilltop village in Tuscany with several mediaeval "family towers". No traffic allowed! Misano main straight, Saturday 6.30pm. Rossi, Checa, Bayliss & Hayden drag-race Diavels, the do fun burnouts etc.
The 13,000 crosses nominally represent the actually 130,000 plus French army dead at Verdun in WW1. Verdun memorial museum is reminiscent of the Imperial War Museum. Worth a visit if you are interested in 20th century battles, or if you wish to pay your respects.
The Moto Guzzi factory is at Mandello del Lario, which is a beautiful and charming resort town on Lake Como in the far north of Italy. It's a ridiculous place to put a motorcycle factory, obviously, but also rather appealing. The factory itself externally looks like a mixed collection of sheds and old run-down buildings on a rather cramped site. There is a re-building programme going on at the north end, but they will have a great deal to do if they (i.e. Piaggio) want a modern facility. Museum was shut, so I missed it.
Furka Pass. The "water" is ice melt from a glacier. Fog kept suddenly closing in. Snow drifts are still quite deep even in June. Some passes have crash barriers in places, some not.
I have no idea why, but I have a great affinity for Moto guzzi. Up til fairly recently I've always been a horsepower freak, always wanted the fastest, best handling, lightest, etc. Time, and my body shape/creaky joints have changed this, but even when I was young I aspired to Guzzi ownership, even more so than ducati ownership. I had a superb V50 mk2, and a considerably less superb T3, but there has always been this little seed in my mind about owning a Cali, or V11 sport, or Daytona, or more recently a Griso. I honestly have no idea why, but I'm resigned to the fact I will retire with a Guzzi in my garage...
Ducati works truck in the Misano paddock. Great graphic design by the way - solid red background, central white field, strong black motif in the middle. Ring any bells? Yes, it's the same concept Hitler invented for the Nazi flag. Still works.
Looking at all the places you visited and past through it must have been a very enjoyable trip, unfortunately all my driving trips abroad have been working so I haven't been able to take the sights in as you have. Maybe in the future! Can I just add a better picture of the top of San Marino as it is such a lovely place.
That is what's in my mind. I've no idea why I hold Guzzis in such high esteem, but I do, and if I buy one I want it to be a keeper. But in the meantime there's a thousand or more other great bikes I want to try out.
You need an MGS01. Like you i have a strong pull to own a decent Guzzi. That engine is probably as characterful as they get. Trouble is they are owned by Piaggio and after the appalling service i got from them when i owned an Aprilia, i have no great desire to give them anymore of my money ever.
Any suggestions of where to stay if I was thinking of going next year? How far in advance did you guys book up.
Hi Dakk66, I booked most of my accommodation in mid May for the trip in late June. The hotel I stayed in in Cattolica (Locanda Rosy) had been pre-booked by one of my UKMOC friends for the UKMOC group - can't remember how long in advance he did that. Locanda Rosy had an underground car park where our bikes were tucked up safely overnight, but it was nothing special. Some people don't book the accommodation for the ride down and back and just tour around and see what they can find but I'd rather sort know where I'm staying in advance than risk having an extra couple of hours riding when I'm already exhausted, just because some random event (e.g. a national dentists convention) has filled every hotel room in a 50 mile radius! I'm starting to get "itchy wheels" again ... was browsing googlemaps last night contemplating another ride to Italy to go back to Bologna for an Italian language course (partly the result of a random encounter with a student at a bus stop in Bologna on the way back from WDW last year - serendipity smiles on the well prepared solo bike traveller).
