Riding Italy

[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.