Alps Tours by Moto-Charlie

WHO SHOULD COME ON A MOTO-CHARLIE TOUR?

My tours are geared towards experienced riders who are used to traveling on their own or in small groups. Tour participants are either looking for a few like-minded riders to motor with or looking to strike out on their own each day but appreciate some route guidance and camaraderie at the end of the day. The people who come with me mostly want to ride the roads with an occasional Kodak moment. They can get away for 10-14 days and they want to maximize their riding experience while in the Alps.

Discussed below are some things to think about when considering one of my tours.

First, I want my tours to feel like we are a few good friends going out on a long anticipated, well-earned vacation. Because it's the Alps we'll have some of the best riding in the world to look forward to each day.

Second, my tours are a low-key affair - not a big production. You don't have to pay a lot of money to go in style. For that reason there is no luggage van, no traveling kitchens with pre-planned picnics, no copious tour books, maps, self-promotion material etc.

Instead, we spend our money on new, reliable motorcycles, 3-4-5 star hotels, and great food. It takes as long to load your suitcase and lug it down to the van as it does to fill your bag liners and pop them into the side cases. Sometimes the weather can cause a change in plans, which makes it nice that we don't have to worry about rendezvousing with the chase van.

I like the freedom of stopping where the mood strikes us to enjoy the local food and scenery.

Third, I try to minimize the "at home-base" time and maximize the on-the-road, get-touring time. That means that we pick up the bikes on Saturday and hit the road on Sunday. On Saturday we spend some time reviewing the rules of the road and what to expect while riding in the mountains. We also do a brief local ride on Saturday to get acquainted with the motorcycle.

Just because we get away quickly does not mean that you shouldn't enjoy the many wonderful places to see in the local area. Tour members are encouraged to arrive a day early (or more) to enjoy the local attractions. Once on tour we have at least two multi-day stay-overs to rest and appreciate the regions we visit.

Fourth, experience counts. The mountains by their nature have a lot of twisty, narrow roads with tight turns, that we ride rain or shine. You should feel comfortable, after a short orientation to the motorcycle, to hop on and go. If you are just learning to ride, or your riding consists primarily of interstate travel, or you don't feel comfortable riding in the rain then my tours are not for you. Nor would you likely be happy on any strictly Alpine tour.

Fifth, my understanding is that more than half of all the motorcyclists who tour the Alps come back again. That is why I offer three different routes, two per year. By spending half of each trip in one country, and touching two or three other countries for the rest of the tour I make sure that you get a different experience each time.

If you want you can do a lot of riding on my tours, hitting 30-40 passes per tour. The fact is you could ride in just one of the major Alpine countries for the entire 9-10 days and hit 30-40 passes per country. There is that much riding available in the Alps.

When you finish one of my tours you'll feel like you've done all the riding you wanted and gained an understanding of the region you rode in.

Finally, as I've said elsewhere in this website, I love riding in the Alps. I never get tired of it. If you want to lay back and relax there is plenty of opportunity to do that on my tours. On the other hand, if you like to ride a lot, and maximize your saddle time while in the Alps, then you will find me more than willing to ride until the day is done.

I want to do my best to make sure that you catch the same pure infectious enjoyment I get every time I crest a pass or head through an Alpine village. If you spend all your time and money on one of my tours and ride to your heart's content and don't want to come back right away then I will have failed miserably.

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