Are you up for an STN International (Dolomites, Alps, Pyrenees, or UK)

[BossBob]

I don't think there is any need for Romania, this trip is more about our cousins across the pond making a trip to Europe ............. there are lots of tried and tested destinations without getting to far off the beaten track.

Good flight options in the area
Cost effective bike rental
a nice mix of digs and scenery

Oh ........ and a bar  

[Ant]

Oh ........ and a bar  

Someone buy this man a beer  
I don't really mind where we go to be honest, I get to see a lot of it anyway For me it is the ride and its putting faces to names for the people who make the trip over  

[ninjadad66]

Ninjadad chiming in, I agree with Global Rider, the last part of June or the first of July will be the best time.  July and August is big vacation time over here but good deal on hotels can still be found. Besides, Europe is a very big place, don't expect everyone to be in the Alps (ha ha).

[birdrunner]

I'm hoping to end up in Europe next Sept.  A motorcycle trip / honeymoon might be in the works.

I've lots of family in Holland, but the place is full of Dutch people  ( )

Munich isn't that far away,  maybe my 3 loves can get together for October fest.  (bikes, beer, Colleen).

[Mr Sunshine]

Aplejax and I are seriously thinkin about bitting the bullet...slapping down the plastic and doing a 1-2 week motorcycle trip in Europe next year.  Hope this can work out for us!

[Mr Sunshine]

Just realized something.

If I have an Arai helmet....is that going to be legal in Europe?

[Ant]

I'm sure it will be, I can't think of the certification that is required but if my memory is correct the requirements for certification in the States are "below"/"equal" to whatever it is that we have, so it stands to reason that if it is certified over there then it is certified here We all know that reason has no place in Government and other authority  

Basically I have no idea  
If you let me know what it is I can have a look and see whether there is an equivalent over here

[Cpl Punishment]

I think an Arai will be okay...US standards are higher than CE ones...or just buy a gold sticker off ebay.

[Ralf]

Just realized something.

If I have an Arai helmet....is that going to be legal in Europe?

  Uh oh, I think you're in trouble. You're best off to buy a new helmet, leathers, boots, etc. when you're in Europe.

I think this is a valid excuse... er, reason to buy all new gear  

[ninjadad66]

Just realized something.

If I have an Arai helmet....is that going to be legal in Europe?

If you purchased the Arai in the USA, it's not legal here in Europe. I had to write USA Arai and ask the question due to new military laws and SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) all military members have to purchase a European certified helmet (ECE). Arai states that the DOT and Snell certificiation in America are different from the ECE standard here in Europe. If stopped by the local police and they check the helmet it's a stiff fine, and not to mention if an accident occurs the insurance will not pay.

Please be advised I only know this to be true for military members, not sure if it's the same for riders on vacation.

[Global Rider]

Arai states that the DOT and Snell certificiation in America are different from the ECE standard here in Europe.

The question is, what are the differences in construction for a particular make and model that has a Snell certification for North America and can also be bought in Europe with an ECE certification? I bet you nothing. They're just protecting turf areas as well as it being a power stuggle between certifications.

[ninjadad66]

The question is, what are the differences in construction for a particular make and model that has a Snell certification for North America and can also be bought in Europe with an ECE certification? I bet you nothing. They're just protecting turf areas as well as it being a power stuggle between certifications.

Not sure, but the Rep. did tell me that in the U.S. there's puncture testing, and in Europe there's impact testing. As far as I'm concerened an Arai is and Arai Oh well, it would be nice to ride with some ST-Ners if they make this trip a reality.

[Global Rider]

Oh well, it would be nice to ride with some ST-Ners if they make this trip a reality.

Yes, it would be for two reasons: 1) it would be great if they got to experience some of the incredible riding over there and 2) to put some faces with the names.

Got your PM, but can't reply from this computer. I take it your are based out of Ramstein if you were riding around Idar-Oberstein. I'm in the area every year at the tail end of my month-plus long tour to ride with a friend who lives in the Hockenhiem area.

Surely you've been to the motorcycle treff (meet/hangout) in Johanniskreuz at the intersection of the B48 and L500. Thats about 25 kms northeast of Pirmasens.

[ninjadad66]

Surely you've been to the motorcycle treff (meet/hangout) in Johanniskreuz at the intersection of the B48 and L500. Thats about 25 kms northeast of Pirmasens.

   Yes wonderful Johanniskreuz, I tend to go through there as a warm up when I'm heading out for a ride. I use to go up there everyday after work just to say I got a ride in. Then this "I have to see Europe" bug kicked in and that was all she wrote  Still a nice set of twisties though.

[Mr Sunshine]

So what about flying into Zurich?  The wife is currently finding tickets at $900 each round trip from Seattle leaving June 16th and returning the 30th.

[Ralf]

So what about flying into Zurich?  The wife is currently finding tickets at $900 each round trip from Seattle leaving June 16th and returning the 30th.

Zürich is good and puts you really close to the fun stuff. Especially given the weak dollar, the price sounds pretty good too.

[Global Rider]

 Yes wonderful Johanniskreuz, I tend to go through there as a warm up when I'm heading out for a ride. I use to go up there everyday after work just to say I got a ride in. Then this "I have to see Europe" bug kicked in and that was all she wrote  Still a nice set of twisties though.

You have to watch out for the Polizei on that road. They tend to watch riders like a hawk. We had an unmarked BMW RT ahead of us. Luckily my friend who lives there has a good sniffer and suspected. As the RT took a turn and we went alongside, it was confirmed.

Got my airline tickets already for next June. This'll be year 14...in a row.  

Take advantage of your stay there to the fullest!

[tenbears]

The question is, what are the differences in construction for a particular make and model that has a Snell certification for North America and can also be bought in Europe with an ECE certification? I bet you nothing. They're just protecting turf areas as well as it being a power stuggle between certifications.

Yup... the only thing which separates them, other than the certification passes, is the price. In the UK market forces dictate the importers [Phoenix Arari] can mark up and sell at over 100%. A top of the range RX7 Corsair will go for around £500 in the UK, around $1000 US... but an identical lid can be bought Stateside for less than half that... even including Customs duty it still knocks in at around half price.

They have attempted to justify the massive hyke in price through the mantle of 'customer services' and even pushed out the old marketing gimmick of ~ Buy one & get a genuine Arai free gift. Big deal!  

You'll only require the ACU ranking if you go trackside, in the UK, and even then genuine ACU stickers can easily be obtained through ebay.

[Mr Sunshine]

Oh I should mention that please don't try to only schedule the meet around the time I'll be there.  The price was too good to turn away so if it works out...great...if not...oh well...we're still gonna have fun.

[throttlemeister]

Yup... the only thing which separates them, other than the certification passes, is the price. In the UK market forces dictate the importers [Phoenix Arari] can mark up and sell at over 100%. A top of the range RX7 Corsair will go for around £500 in the UK, around $1000 US... but an identical lid can be bought Stateside for less than half that... even including Customs duty it still knocks in at around half price.

I am by no means an expert on certifications, but ECE-05 and Snell differ quite a bit. Given the difference in requirements between the two, I seriously doubt that a helmet that passes Snell will pass ECE-05 and vice versa. So in order to certify both, you will need different helmets that may look the same, but are structurally different.

Now, if you have a helmet that has ECE-05 and has DOT in the US, that's a different matter. As any helmet passing ECE-05 will also pass DOT, there is no need for different versions. But since this matters most for expensive helmets that are likely to have Snell certification in the US, this is kind of a mood point I guess.

EDIT:
I take all of this back after going to the Arai Europe website and read this particular document on certification testing they supply. Any helmet passing ECE-05 should also pass Snell and FIA regulations, if I read the test requirements correctly.

http://www.araihelmet-europe.com/php/manuals/AraiHelmtest.pdf