Riding Italy

[Court Jester]

I have my ten year anniversary coming up so my wife and I are renewing out vowels in May. She didn't get the wedding she wanted at the time because the "Pull and Pray" method isnt's very affective. I have two sons that prove the fact. Anyway, we are going to Rome for our 2nd honeymoon. Considering she's stuck with me (and the bikes) for ten years, I made it clear that I'm taking two days, renting a bike, and touring Italy. She's cool with it thus far so I'm starting to get shit together.

1) anyone riden Italy?

2) anyone got any good insight on the trek?

3) anyone on here in Italy want to take me on a very dangerously fast tour of the country side???

4) please???

5) pretty please???

6) Pretty please with a cherry on top???

[Blunder]

I'm all for renewing vowels. A E I O U and sometimes Y a very proper vowels.  

If he doesn't pop up soon, PM Orson. Sadly he doesn't have much to do for the next few months, except for physical therapy and maybe some surgery, so he should be able to help you out.

[Orson]

If he doesn't pop up soon, PM Orson. Sadly he doesn't have much to do for the next few months, except for physical therapy and maybe some surgery, so he should be able to help you out.

 

2) anyone got any good insight on the trek?

it's a shame the spousal unit doesn't wanna go with you as it would be hard to find someplace more romantic than the hilltop villages of Tuscany & Umbria  

South of Rome is the picturesque Amalfi coastline, also a very romantic setting.

Check out bestbikingroads.com. I've entered a few Tuscany routes there, but in all honesty, finding a good road in Italy is like throwing a dart at a map. No matter where it lands, it's bound to be a nice ride  

Many gas stations in Italy close from about 11:30 to 2:30 for their afternoon siesta, so make sure you top off your tank before then   Stations on the autostrada will be open, but in the more remote places, all bets are off.

Riding in Italy is pure bliss. The police turn a blind eye to most hanky panky. Like Disneyland for motorcyclists  

[Papa Lazarou]

I'm all for renewing vowels. A E I O U and sometimes Y a very proper vowels.  

Don't forget W, you Saisnech dog.  

[Mr Sunshine]

Just remember...in Italy if you aren't making forward progress....you aren't riding/driving.  Meaning if there is a person in front of you and you want to go faster, go faster.

[Mr Sunshine]

BTW: 2 days to "tour" Italy will just get you out of the cities and then you'll have to turn around.

[Court Jester]

BTW: 2 days to "tour" Italy will just get you out of the cities and then you'll have to turn around.

Yeah, I know two day's isn't a "Real" tour but I'll take what I can get. I'm cool with pulling over and looking at the sights from the side of the road and the mrs. jester actually wants to walk up to and through them.  

it's a shame the spousal unit doesn't wanna go with you as it would be hard to find someplace more romantic than the hilltop villages of Tuscany & Umbria  Smile

South of Rome is the picturesque Amalfi coastline, also a very romantic setting.

Check out bestbikingroads.com. I've entered a few Tuscany routes there, but in all honesty, finding a good road in Italy is like throwing a dart at a map. No matter where it lands, it's bound to be a nice ride  Smile

Many gas stations in Italy close from about 11:30 to 2:30 for their afternoon siesta, so make sure you top off your tank before then  Smile Stations on the autostrada will be open, but in the more remote places, all bets are off.

Riding in Italy is pure bliss. The police turn a blind eye to most hanky panky. Like Disneyland for motorcyclists  Bigsmile

so what is the limit on what the police turn a blind eye to and where they come down on you?

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm sure I'll be hitting you up with 100 different questions as the time rolls closer.

[Mr Sunshine]

so what is the limit on what the police turn a blind eye to and where they come down on you?

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm sure I'll be hitting you up with 100 different questions as the time rolls closer.

I think it'll take ALOT more than you are comfortable with.  Just wait until you see the Italian drivers/riders.  Sometimes I called it faith based driving.

[Orson]

so what is the limit on what the police turn a blind eye to and where they come down on you?

almost anything goes  

in rural areas, speed enforcement is non-existent. They may sit by the roadside and ask you to pull over and check to see if your papers are in order. That's about it. Once they see yer a furriner, they'll tell you to move along  

Motorcycles and mopeds lane split with abandon, and no one even raises an eyebrow.

[Smurfslayer]

+1.  

You won't have to worry about being in their way, they will make a way around you, even if none exists.  I agree that 2 days is a bit short.  There's a lot to see.  All joking aside about the driving, my wife & I found the people to be great.    

[atypical1]

My wife and I rented an RT in Italy a couple of years ago. We went from Rome through Naples and to Tropea along the Amalfi coast and in the mountains.

First, don't worry about the cops. I guarantee you aren't going to do anything that remotely catches their attention. Second, don't look behind you. Look forward and let those behind you worry about themselves. Third, don't take anything personal. You'll see some crazy stuff there but none of it is really directed towards you. Driving really is like a game of chess there but it's a fun chess game.

Rome is a pretty easy city to get around if you have a general idea of where things are. It would be worth it to study a map, learn a few landmarks and where the are in relation to each other, and use those as general reference points.

Lastly, enjoy.

james

[Court Jester]

So would this type of riding get me thrown in jail? that's really my biggest worry about riding over there. I'd hate to get ticketed or held in another country.

(Sorry about the lack of tunes. they diabled it because of copy right crap.)



And a GPS; I don't have one and never used one. I assume that any cheap one would work on the roads in Italy???

[atypical1]

So would this type of riding get me thrown in jail? that's really my biggest worry about riding over there. I'd hate to get ticketed or held in another country.

Let me put it to you this way....I saw everyone blow through red lights in Italy. In fact I took to doing it just to keep from getting ran over. This was done in full view of the police. Passing on solid lines on the Amalfi coast between two moving vehicles? Yes please. I didn't get pulled over once and we were pretty far from mellow there.

james

[Court Jester]

Outstanding. Thank You

[Orson]

And a GPS; I don't have one and never used one. I assume that any cheap one would work on the roads in Italy???

I don't know nuthin about GPS either. Don't use 'em.

I just go old school with maps.

On secondary roads, the road numbers you see on your map, most likely you will not see on the road. Sometimes the most you will see is a sign indicating the next town 20 kilometers away. You just thread your way from one town to the next in this manner. What you read on the map versus road signage can be a challenge. A town on the map might be shown as V. di Lunigiana, where as the road sign simply shows Villafranca   Try not to get frustrated about getting lost. You will get lost. Make the best of it. You are in Italy on a motorcycle. How bad can that be?  

If you get lost in a big city, look for signs reading CENTRO. This will take you to the center of town, where you are bound to see signs pointing you in the direction you want to go. Blue signs indicate autostradas, green signs indicate secondary roads.

[Court Jester]

I don't know nuthin about GPS either. Don't use 'em.

I just go old school with maps.

On secondary roads, the road numbers you see on your map, most likely you will not see on the road. Sometimes the most you will see is a sign indicating the next town 20 kilometers away. You just thread your way from one town to the next in this manner. What you read on the map versus road signage can be a challenge. A town on the map might be shown as V. di Lunigiana, where as the road sign simply shows Villafranca   Try not to get frustrated about getting lost. You will get lost. Make the best of it. You are in Italy on a motorcycle. How bad can that be?  

If you get lost in a big city, look for signs reading CENTRO. This will take you to the center of town, where you are bound to see signs pointing you in the direction you want to go. Blue signs indicate autostradas, green signs indicate secondary roads.

You guys are awesome. Thanks a million for the input.

[Mr Sunshine]

I had a GPS when I was Europe.  TOTALLY helped out...still got lost once though...but like Orson said, you are in Europe on a motorcycle, what could be wrong?  

[Ant]

I had a GPS when I was Europe.  TOTALLY helped out...still got lost once though...but like Orson said, you are in Europe on a motorcycle, what could be wrong?  

Pfft, there is no such thing as lost... You can only be in a different place than you intended... As the sun is starting to set... With a hotel somewhere ahead but no direct road... And a bike that can't stop... And a fool on a Bandit...

Let me put it to you this way....I saw everyone blow through red lights in Italy. In fact I took to doing it just to keep from getting ran over. This was done in full view of the police. Passing on solid lines on the Amalfi coast between two moving vehicles? Yes please. I didn't get pulled over once and we were pretty far from mellow there.

I've never gone the whole hog and skipped red lights but if you can see that the road is clear then you're expected to overtake regardless of whether the line is solid or not.
As for lane splitting, that is just the way the Flying Spaghetti Monster intended us to ride. Why would you sit in a traffic queue?!

Just ride at your own pace and enjoy yourself, you should be careful about feeling pressured to ride faster than you're comfortable with. There will always be someone on a bike going faster!

I think your difficulty is going to be in selecting where you go in your two days. Have fun, and don't forget to take lots of pictures  

[Mr Sunshine]

Pfft, there is no such thing as lost... You can only be in a different place than you intended... As the sun is starting to set... With a hotel somewhere ahead but no direct road... And a bike that can't stop... And a fool on a Bandit...



I've never gone the whole hog and skipped red lights but if you can see that the road is clear then you're expected to overtake regardless of whether the line is solid or not.
As for lane splitting, that is just the way the Flying Spaghetti Monster intended us to ride. Why would you sit in a traffic queue?!

Just ride at your own pace and enjoy yourself, you should be careful about feeling pressured to ride faster than you're comfortable with. There will always be someone on a bike going faster!

I think your difficulty is going to be in selecting where you go in your two days. Have fun, and don't forget to take lots of pictures  

You know I wasn't even thinking about that bit...I was thinking more about our first day on the bike.  The bit with you was an adventure.


And there always will be someone with a small delivery van passing 3 or 4 cars at a time on a curvy road that'll be going faster than you.  

[Shizoku]

Any suggestions on where to rent a bike in Rome?

Shiz

[Papa Lazarou]

Not really, but a quick search turned up:
http://www.rental-motorcycle.com/europe/italy/italy_rental.html
http://www.2wheeltravel.co.uk/Motorcycle%20Hire/italyhire.htm
http://www.webbikeworld.com/tour-rentals/
http://www.romexplorer.com/travel.html

They'll be many more.

[Global Rider]

I made it clear that I'm taking two days, renting a bike, and touring Italy.

Anyone on here in Italy want to take me on a very dangerously fast tour of the country side???

Well 2 days won't get you very far...at least not if you wanted to tour Italy. This isn't the USA.

Want something very challenging? Ride the SS46 from Rovereto to Pian della Fugazze. BTW, good luck! Forget the Dragon!

[Global Rider]

So would this type of riding get me thrown in jail?

You won't have to worry about it. There aren't straights anywhere close to that long in the parts I ride...unless you are on the Autostada which is  .

[atypical1]

Any suggestions on where to rent a bike in Rome?

Shiz

We used these guys

http://www.biancoblu.com/eng/index.html

They rented us this:


This is the store front:


It's in the suburbs of Rome and ain't easy to find. But they were totally cool. We were outta there in 30 minutes including changing into our riding gear. They also had some lockers where we stored the duffel bags we used to carry our gear with. The paperwork was minimal and done ahead of time. The return of the bike was just as simple. I would definitely use them again.

james

[Court Jester]

Good info. Thanks all.
I just got a pretty sizable promotion at work and will now be moving from Wisconsin to Iowa so it's looking like the trip will be pushed back to August or September.

[Ralf]

Good info. Thanks all.
I just got a pretty sizable promotion at work and will now be moving from Wisconsin to Iowa so it's looking like the trip will be pushed back to August or September.

August is a bad time to go on vacation as all of Europe will be on holiday. September will also have cooler/more comfortable riding weather.

[Court Jester]

I'll shoot for September then.

[919Maniac]

Italy is motorsports heaven.  As others have stated, law enforcement is non-existent compared to what you get in the USA.  Within Italy there is a big difference in culture, attitude and driving habits once you get south of Rome - It's not bad, just different.  Everything around Naples is barely controlled chaos as far as driving is concerned.  You won't be the fastest guy out there, not even close....  

[dtor]

I'll shoot for September then.

Good idea. Tuscany in August is dry as a bone and miserably hot. BTW, if I had 2 days to ride from Rome, I'd head to Abruzzo. It's somewhat off the beaten track and doesn't have the twee hill towns of Tuscany, but that's a good thing.

[Court Jester]

Thank you all for the information posted. Good shit for sure.

Work and life got in the way so it didn't happen as expected but it's now chiseled in stone.

I've been studying the Italian language for the past six months and the flight, hotel, rentals, and everything else are planned and paid for from 5/21 to 5/30. And just to make if true "Me Time", the wife is fully aware that she has three days to fuck the hotel staff because i'm going here  http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/general-chat-about-italy/7913-its-offical-italy-has-best-roads.html

[Orson]

I've been studying the Italian language for the past six months and the flight, hotel, rentals, and everything else are planned and paid for from 5/21 to 5/30. And just to make if true "Me Time", the wife is fully aware that she has three days to fuck the hotel staff because i'm going here  http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/general-chat-about-italy/7913-its-offical-italy-has-best-roads.html

Some years, Stelvio doesn't get opened until June because of the snow.

Just my opinion   Stelvio may be nice to look at, but stomping thru your transmission, and hauling on the brakes every 30 seconds gets a bit tedious   I just don't understand this fascination with hairpin switchbacks prodded on by shows like Top Gear  

I prefer faster, sweeping roads (La Route Napoleon).

[Court Jester]

I'm sure it's a lot like Deals Gap. Cool to run it a time or two and nice to say that you've been there but the bulk of the fun is getting there and best roads are all around it.

[yotes65]

... and everything else are planned and paid for from 5/21 to 5/30...

Have a Great Time. I look forward to reading about your Adventure!

[Court Jester]

Six days until leaving. Eight days before flogging a KTM 990 through Italy. WWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Court Jester]

Amsterdamn has their priorities in line for customer service at the airport



At the end of the isle






Then off to Rome

 













Kind of sad to see this but well worth helping






Their quarter kids rides are a little questionable. I think they were designed by some kind of perv

[Blaufeld]

"Riding in Italy is pure bliss. The police turn a blind eye to most hanky panky. Like Disneyland for motorcyclists".

Italy, Year 2011: Goodbye Disneyland, Welcome Hell On Earth...  

Seriously, the last two years the Italian administration has discovered a new way to replenish the public debt:

Speedtraps.

Everywhere.

Their presence is an Orwellian one, in every little town crossed by a scenic road, next every stretch of pavement with work-in-progress signs, every 10-20 kms on the most travelled motorways you can spot gray concrete boxes with a "Police" sign over it, or, on the road shoulders, police patrols with their tripod-mounted cameras.

And the fines? Let's take a look:

For going up to 10 kmh over the limit, fine up to 155 Euros (223 USD)
For going 10 to 40 kmh over the limit, fine up to 624 Euros (900 USD)
For going 40 to 60 kmh over the limit, fine up to 2000 Euros (2886 USD) and driving licence suspension up to 3 months.
For going over 60 kmh over the limit, fine up to 3119 Euros (4500 USD) and driving licence suspension up to 12 months.
For recidivity (second infraction within 2 years) of the third type of infraction, suspension up to 18 months. For the fourth type,
they simply tear up your licence. Time to start all over with driving school...

And they WILL fine you up, you can count on it...  

BTW, NEVER try to burn the red light in a major Italian city: now they all have a little sensor on it toward the incoming traffic, and a camera toward the opposite. You pass while the red is still on, the sensor switches on, and the camera take a nice shot of your bike/car back with full readable license plate.
155 Euros (223 USD), thank You sir. Have a good day sir.

But... Italy IS still a great place to travel on...  

[atadaskew]

Sounds like a manual transmission Vespa would be a good way to see Italy.
Don't really have to worry about speeding.