I vote for over the alps, down to Rome and tie in with the Italian MotoGP round at Mugello - usually late June.
You've not lived until you have experienced 100,000 italians with unsilenced chainsaw engines revving their support for the Doctor :mfr_lol:
Martin.
Edit: split from the UK 2013 meet here: http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1830.0.html (http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1830.0.html)
Can I make a suggestion of going to Brittany..
I have just spent a week at the www.gites-de-kerlun.com (http://www.gites-de-kerlun.com)
Mickey and her husband are both bikers and moved to France 8 years ago.. The accommodation is awesome and very comfortable.
Some great biking roads in the area with lots of places to also visit..
We travelled over on LD Lines from Pompy to Le Havre. It was the best sailing times to suit everyone..
Its an idea if you fancy using the bike for whats its built for :mfr_lol:
I have also been to Hungary on my baby all on my own. My GTR ran like a dream.. Now thats what you call a mile muncher....
Debs
Take a look at
http://biker-hotel-harz.de/
In the German Harz region, others reckon second to none.
Free rideouts as well.
Alan
Talking of Germany. Here is a place that I stayed at with 20+ other bikers.. Its not to far from the Nurburgring either and has some great biking roads.
http://www.amtunnel.de/
Hosts lovely and are also bikers and have lots and lots of lovely accommodation.
Hi all as i am new to the site and the GTR just got it over the 1000 mile mark so it run in now :rolleyes:.
I have been to to the :rolleyes:German Harz region and can say it a great area to go biking best way to describe it like the alps but not big or busy.
As for the UK how about a trip to Scotland may be be the last chance before we need passports or maybe a visa.
well I would defo be up for a alps tour :smiley: grenoble is a excellent base for the french and swiz alps. but this would need to be a minimum of 7 days with a stop over on route and return, possible "Reims" heading down and possible "st quentin" for the return for a approx 2 hour ride to cali next morning. this would give us 3 full days to enjoy the alps and it's breath taking scenery that surrounds grenoble and the alps :smiley: but is this just wishful thinking..!! suppose torquay would do at a push :wink:
Oh i forgot, Belgium.
http://www.grd.be/bikersloft/
Have been 11 times, you ride your bike into the hotel and park it, then you can visit places such as Ypres etc
Ostend in the evening can be rocking.
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on July 03, 2012, 08:14:56 AM
Oh i forgot, Belgium.
http://www.grd.be/bikersloft/ (http://www.grd.be/bikersloft/)
Have been 11 times, you ride your bike into the hotel and park it, then you can visit places such as Ypres etc
Ostend in the evening can be rocking.
Alan
I've been some 30 times over the last 15+ years.
Great place and Ivan (the owner) is a great guy but the riding around there is DULL.
Flat, straight, and the speed limits are WAY too slow due to the spread of housing along most roads.
The south of Belgium is better as people stay clustered in villages.
The roads are twisty and up and down, but the road surfaces can be crap.
In the UK how about Kendal or Sedburgh? That way we can go west for the Lakes and East for the Dales, north for Teasdale/Weardale and south for Morecambe/Blackpool for the "beachies". :wink:
We would need to make certain that it wasn't during "Tourist" season though. :no:
Ive been to the bikerloft in Ostend and I thought it was an over priced shithole.. €58 for a room that looks like an old office room with a bed and dirty sofa.. No en-suite and shower block in the middle of the warehouse.. Yes warehouse! Its a converted industrial unit.. No WIFI either and the staff were not the best.. Also had to cook my own food that was pre wrapped in trays from the fridge..
I would never stay there again.. For less money I could have stayed in a proper hotel with better facilities
...why not boat over to Esbjerg (from Harwich) - then south to Harz (Germany) for staying with Simon (UK) at Hotel Harmonie. (http://biker-hotel-harz.de (http://biker-hotel-harz.de)). We could even team up with the german GTR1400 group - if possible?
Quote from: olde coney on July 11, 2012, 07:07:43 AM
I reckon there are some brilliant suggestions for gathering/meetings. and I'm all in favour of a continental tour
However this is a U.K meeting and as such I firmly believe that it should be held in the U.K..
Harrogate is nice... can we go to Bettys Tea Room...mmmmmmmmmm lovely grub :mfr_lol:
Hmmm....why? Any meetings within the "UK GTR Forum" can be held around the world - And it will surely be obvious to meet with other GTR owners, if one moves beyond its own little island called "England". :cool:
I have repeatedly taken part in a European meeting of Hayabusa owners. Here we met like-minded people from many different countries. It now has become an annual event held every year in Germany. We do not have to make it bigger and more difficult, so one may well inquire, German and Dutch "collection" might be interested in participating.
Last year in the early stages of planning for this years meet there was lots of hype about people wanting to go to Europe for the meet. If people want to go to Europe and can get permission from their other halves for the trip and time off work, then that's brilliant but don't underestimate the UK. We genuinely had a terrific time in the Cotswolds and I would say it was a huge success.
Quote from: Lonewolf on July 11, 2012, 05:32:47 PM
Last year in the early stages of planning for this years meet there was lots of hype about people wanting to go to Europe for the meet. If people want to go to Europe and can get permission from their other halves for the trip and time off work, then that's brilliant but don't underestimate the UK. We genuinely had a terrific time in the Cotswolds and I would say it was a huge success.
Rather than have a Europe meet, why not have a late-ish season trip...... keep the UK official meet fer earlier in the year and go somewhere in Europe in late September, the weather (hahahaha) is usually ok and the prices aren't to bad either....
For example, you could do Le Mans... Newhaven to Dieppe ..either drive down Friday morn if you's close enough, or stay at the Prem Inn, 2 mins from the port... the crossing is about 3 and a half hours on the 'Vomit Comet' :mfr_lol: and cost about £50.
The route to Le Mans aint bad 175 miles and it can be made 'interesting' .... Rooms at the Ibis in Le mans are about 120 euro for the weekend, secure parking, and then you can spend the saturday wandering about the town if you want to 'get a bit of culture doen ya neck' or take the tram to the circuit and wander round the museum..... also you can ride the road bit of the Le Mans 24hour track too :gunsmilie:
Then on the sunday tis a nice run back.....lunch at Rouon... there's a nice resturant next to the Cathederal ... and home ..... Jobs a good un!
It's dead easy to organise these sorts of trips, as some of you might remember I organise 2 of them a year..... Septembers one is on Friday 21 Sep to Mon 24 Sep 4 days and we are going to Dives Sur Mer.... via Eurotunnel and a nice Hoon...err ride :mfr_lol: down the coast road..
Mogs
Well.... My folks have a place in the south of France it has quite a bit of land. They have one house on there and there is another which is independant. If a few of you fancied it, I could try and persuade the oldies to allow a bunch of hairy GTR owners to camp out on there for a few days...
Late in the summer is best. Fewer tourists and slightly less heat! Plenty of monumental roads around including les Gourges de Verdon. Some lakes, 30 clicks from St Tropez and Frejus....
No promises but i could check it out if there is some interest. They like to be paid in wine, and there are plenty of wineries around :)
Lemme know and I'll try...
@@@ sorry Asif - should've waited for your new Euro thread... @@@
Quote from: Rosbif on July 11, 2012, 07:35:38 PM
@@@ sorry Asif - should've waited for your new Euro thread... @@@
All done now!
Nice moves!
Anyway, we might have to put up with my sister on her Harley... She can keep up though - she's nuts!
Quote from: Rosbif on July 11, 2012, 07:35:38 PM
Well.... My folks have a place in the south of France it has quite a bit of land. They have one house on there and there is another which is independant. If a few of you fancied it, I could try and persuade the oldies to allow a bunch of hairy GTR owners to camp out on there for a few days...
Late in the summer is best. Fewer tourists and slightly less heat! Plenty of monumental roads around including les Gourges de Verdon. Some lakes, 30 clicks from St Tropez and Frejus....
No promises but i could check it out if there is some interest. They like to be paid in wine, and there are plenty of wineries around :)
Lemme know and I'll try...
@@@ sorry Asif - should've waited for your new Euro thread... @@@
Thanks for that generous offer rosbif :yes:
And where the hell did ya get the idea that we were all "hairy" :mfr_lol:[/b]
Quote from: olde coney on July 11, 2012, 09:27:17 PM
Thanks for that generous offer rosbif :yes:
And where the hell did ya get the idea that we were all "hairy" :mfr_lol:[/b]
He's obviously never seen you head then Rog :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :rolleyes: :whistling: :oops:
:mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :agree: His comments were clearly based upon an image of you Geoff.... :mfr_lol:
"grass doesn't grow on a busy street" and all that :mfr_lol:
:mfr_lol: sorry!
In fact that is the image my oldies have of bikers, maybe... It all stems back to the first time a bike arrived in our drive when we were still living with them:
My sister was being a typical 17 year old going out with a hairy biker who had errrm... I think a GSXR 400. Then one day she bought a CM 125, brought it home and left it in the drive.
Our dad got home and my sister beaming proudly asked " so whaddya think, Dad?"
I kid you not, the exact reply was "I don't like motorcyclists"
Undeterred, a year or so later, I had got my license and purchased a brand new ZZR600 and left that in the same drive to try my luck..
"so whaddya think, dad"
This time it was "wow! What is that?" and "can you take me out for a spin?" :punk:
Anyway, it's kind of been a bit of a joke in our family ever since that bikers are hairy, probably because of this ridiculous boyfriend my sister had at the time...
In any case, I would wager that Harley owners are more hairy than GTR owners, no?
:popcorn: for story completeness, she then killed the CM and bought an XV535 Virago... Don't ask...
About a year later, we headed up the A55 (i think) to ride around Wales with some mates, when both of us made the same mistake and stacked our bikes into the same piece of Armco...
I walked away because of decent gear, and a bit of luck, but split my ZZR in two. When her broken leg mended she got a VMAX (!) whch is now in my garage in a fairly sorry state since she bought her Harley
Anyway, we have both been trying to convince my dad to get a bike ever since he retired, but it's not looking very promising :/ I do catch him gawping at my GTR though when I ride down there to visit :banana:
Aaaaaaanyway, sorry for rabbiting on! :popcorn:
excellent...love it Rosbif :smiley:
Quote from: Rosbif on July 11, 2012, 07:35:38 PM
Well.... My folks have a place in the south of France it has quite a bit of land. They have one house on there and there is another which is independant. If a few of you fancied it, I could try and persuade the oldies to allow a bunch of hairy GTR owners to camp out on there for a few days...
Late in the summer is best. Fewer tourists and slightly less heat! Plenty of monumental roads around including les Gourges de Verdon. Some lakes, 30 clicks from St Tropez and Frejus....
No promises but i could check it out if there is some interest. They like to be paid in wine, and there are plenty of wineries around :)
Lemme know and I'll try...
@@@ sorry Asif - should've waited for your new Euro thread... @@@
I grew up there, Cannes being my hometown, I am currently vacationing in Lorgues, very close to what you describe, I know all the wineries and twisty roads like the back of my hands. This could be a fun meet up!
Hey, I'll be down there next Sunday and Monday! On way to Spain. Will you still be around?
Too bad i m going back tomorrow...
Quote from: Lonewolf on July 11, 2012, 05:32:47 PM
Last year in the early stages of planning for this years meet there was lots of hype about people wanting to go to Europe for the meet. If people want to go to Europe and can get permission from their other halves for the trip and time off work, then that's brilliant but don't underestimate the UK. We genuinely had a terrific time in the Cotswolds and I would say it was a huge success.
"Bah, humbug!" :yes:... give me the french/swiz alps anytime :smiley:
So Ros (ex Rosbif) are you planning on touring south of France next summer? I may consider going back home with the bike this time, the more the merrier !!
Quote from: 2kwacks on October 11, 2012, 05:16:18 PM
"Bah, humbug!" :yes:... give me the french/swiz alps anytime :smiley:
:stupid:
Not sure yet, but will probably end up doing that anyway. It all depends on the missus! :wacko:
Well, i've managed to persuade the folks to let me have my wedding at their place, so I don't think I can persuade them to have the hairy biker bash there too....
But anyway, what do you lot suggest for an EU meetup this summer? The last 3 weeks of August, I'll be on hols and if anyone is up for a meetup... Would be great :clap:
Let's see if we can drum up at least a bit more enthusiasm than for the UK one...
Whaddya say? :clap:
Quote from: Ros on June 01, 2013, 11:43:21 PM
Well, i've managed to persuade the folks to let me have my wedding at their place, so I don't think I can persuade them to have the hairy biker bash there too....
But anyway, what do you lot suggest for an EU meetup this summer? The last 3 weeks of August, I'll be on hols and if anyone is up for a meetup... Would be great :clap:
Let's see if we can drum up at least a bit more enthusiasm than for the UK one...
Whaddya say? :clap:
[/quote] via torquay :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol:
Quote from: Ros on June 01, 2013, 11:43:21 PM
But anyway, what do you lot suggest for an EU meetup this summer? The last 3 weeks of August, I'll be on hols and if anyone is up for a meetup... Would be great :clap:
I'll be in the South-East of France (Rhone Alps) at that time.
And even though I will be on babysitting duty most of the time I would be game for a meet-up. :clap:
Ah good man!
Where abouts in Rhone-Alpes? I used to live in the Isere :)
I'll pass through there on the way souther and easter... If that makes sense :)
I'm gonna miss you by 2 weeks.
We are in Provence (Var) the 2nd & 3rd weeks of Sept.
Unfortunately we will be in the car.
Quote from: mecki on June 02, 2013, 12:10:49 PM
I'll be in the South-East of France (Rhone Alps) at that time.
And even though I will be on babysitting duty most of the time I would be game for a meet-up. :clap:
This is getting interesting, Wifey and I will be in Rhone Alps as well, the week 18 to 25th of August, next to Thonon on Lake Leman, to be more precise. Probably will do some twisty moutain rides around as well...Where exactly will you stay in the region??
I'll be in Detrier near Chambery from the 10th to the 30th of August staying with my son and his family.
They own a small restaurant in La Rochette which is about a third of the way between Chambery and Grenoble.
Would be nice to meet up and go for a ride together.
There are plenty of excellent routes you can do in the extended area.
Quote from: mecki on June 10, 2013, 06:26:42 PM
I'll be in Detrier near Chambery from the 10th to the 30th of August staying with my son and his family.
They own a small restaurant in La Rochette which is about a third of the way between Chambery and Grenoble.
Would be nice to meet up and go for a ride together.
There are plenty of excellent routes you can do in the extended area.
Yes, very possible, we could meet half-way in the Annecy area, approx 1 hour each and do a day tour in the vicinity, lake, mountains... I know the region pretty well myself as I was in boarding school not too far from there. We will narrow it down when we get closer to August...C ya.