Swiss Bike rentals?

[Liftrat]

Greetings,
     I'm in the middle of planning a short (4-5 day) motorcycle trip in the middle of a late-May European trip. I'm planning on staying in Thun, and doing day trips on the passes (if the weather's good). Does anyone have any feedback on the following places: Moto-Center Thun, Moto Charlie's, Beach's, or AdMo Tours? I'm leaning towards the first, but don't have a good sense of any of them except for Beach's reputation. I've been soaking up info at Alpineroads.com, but would be interested in actual experiences, first or second hand. Thanks in advance.

Conrad

[dtor]

I have never rented from Moto-Center Thun, but I have had tires put on there, and also have seen many references to them on various moto lists. I have never seen a discouraging word, and my experience there was great. It's a big, well run operation.

[Orson]

Munich and Milan are at the base of the Alps, so you don't have to limit yourself to Swiss outfitters.

and then there's Agostinis in Mandello del Lario  

[Liftrat]

Thank you both. Sortta hoping to stay away from the big cities, and my German is about on par with my Italian ( I can get a room and a beer, is about it), so was hoping to be able to use my French maybe. I appreciate the input, though. Cheers  

[trflyboy]

My friend and I used Moto-Mader in Obernfelden. About 30min west of Zurich. Great people to deal with.
If you deal with them directly, they are cheaper than Admoto.

[Orson]

Sortta hoping to stay away from the big cities, and my German is about on par with my Italian ( I can get a room and a beer, is about it), so was hoping to be able to use my French maybe.

Just for the record, Agostinis in Mandello usually has an English speaker on staff  

[MCRyder]

Greetings,
     I'm in the middle of planning a short (4-5 day) motorcycle trip in the middle of a late-May European trip. I'm planning on staying in Thun, and doing day trips on the passes (if the weather's good). Does anyone have any feedback on the following places: Moto-Center Thun, Moto Charlie's, Beach's, or AdMo Tours? I'm leaning towards the first, but don't have a good sense of any of them except for Beach's reputation. I've been soaking up info at Alpineroads.com, but would be interested in actual experiences, first or second hand. Thanks in advance.

Conrad

I've used both Moto-Center and Moto Charlie's for my Alps tour (11 days) in September, 2007.  I rented a Honda CBF1000A from Moto Center and had a first-class experience.  No problems with the rental or the bike.  I opted for the extra insurance (cost $8 per day) but not for additional mileage, I paid for any overage on the return.

Charlie Newdorf (Moto-Charlie) runs a great outfit, it's different from Beach's or AdMo.  His is a one-man operation where he acts as guide and facilitator.  He arranges the hotel reservations, helps with the motorcycle reservations, and plans the routes.  You carry all your gear on the bike (no chase/luggage vehicle) and take care of your hotel/dinner costs per day.  Here's his website for more info http://www.alps-tours.com/.  My testimonial is under the name of Mark from Texas.  Most of the photos of riders on his web page are from my group.  His runs two tours per year and they start and end in Thun, in June and September.

For a first-timer to the the Alps I thought Charlie's service was a great way to enjoy the ride while not having to worry about routes or lodgings.  I felt more independent in having my gear on the bike and the freedom to break off on another route away from the group if I wanted.  BTW, I'm mono-lingual and was surprised (and embarassed) by the good English spoken by the Swiss & Italians.  I only had trouble once because of a language problem, while getting fuel.  A good sense of humor and some sign language overcame that.

BTW, do you know what motorcycle you're planning to use on your trip?

[Liftrat]

Thank you for all the above posts. MCRyder, I'm thinking about an F 800ST or there-abouts. Since it'll just be day trips (see mention of SWMBO in my original post), I figure I won't need luggage capacity, and would like something fairly nimble. Not planning on playing Ricky Racer on an unfamiliar motorcycle, on unknown roads, in a foreign country. Plus, it's on my list of possible new bikes. I'm 6'3" (190 cm) and 190 lbs (87kg), so I hope it fits. -20F (-29C) here this morning: a motorcycle trip feels a long way off, but it helps keep me sane (sortta). Thanks again to all.

Conrad  

[Snowdog]

AdMo tours are just an agency, they don't rent the bikes themselves - with them chances are you'd actually be getting the bike from one of the others named and paying more for it.

[notarian]

Snowdog is correct and applies to many rental companies.

MCRyder is giving sound advice based on experience and as you realise, this is your first port of call for a bike rental as it is right in Thun and so easy to collect and return. Perfect!

Note

[MCRyder]

Thank you for all the above posts. MCRyder, I'm thinking about an F 800ST or there-abouts. Since it'll just be day trips (see mention of SWMBO in my original post), I figure I won't need luggage capacity, and would like something fairly nimble. Not planning on playing Ricky Racer on an unfamiliar motorcycle, on unknown roads, in a foreign country. Plus, it's on my list of possible new bikes. I'm 6'3" (190 cm) and 190 lbs (87kg), so I hope it fits. -20F (-29C) here this morning: a motorcycle trip feels a long way off, but it helps keep me sane (sortta). Thanks again to all.

Conrad  

Good choice.  One of the riders on my tour rented an F800ST.  He raved about the lightness and handling (his personal bike was an FJR1300).   He was a big guy, 270lbs.  He did feel the F800 was a bit small for him, but he was built like a lineman.  I almost went with the F800 myself.  

Have a good trip, it's the ride of a lifetime!

[Liftrat]

Thanks. I'll be sure to post pics when I return.

[Mr Sunshine]

My friend and I used Moto-Mader in Obernfelden. About 30min west of Zurich. Great people to deal with.
If you deal with them directly, they are cheaper than Admoto.

This is who I used.  They were cool enough that it makes it hard to go anywhere else on my next trip to Europe.  And with Switzerland a day away from anywhere...not a bad choice in the future.