BootsnAll Travel Community

Where is the coolest place you did a bike tour or hired a bicycle or motorbike?

I've only done a cheesy Mike's Bike Tour in Barcelona, which I quite enjoyed, and I've often thought about hiring scooters and the like in cities I've been in (if I knew how to ride one).

So I'm curious. Tell me about your cool rides!

Just another travel addict trying to get Out of dodge...

Hey Delara,

I try to travel by motorbike whenever I can and have so far done a fair bit of the world.

- around Australia with the awesome distances and changing views/people/places
- throughout western Europe including the contrast of Spain, many days getting lost through the Alps and the companionship of the European motorcyclists
- Thailand - a rental experience

I grew up riding bikes in Australia and now it is a way of life.

...and after hitting a kangaroo in the car last night, I might be back on the bike for the next month or so.

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

I hope you (and the roo) are alright!

To me Australia seems ideal for a motorbike trip. I think I may save getting my motorbike license for my (eventual) Oz trip.

Just another travel addict trying to get Out of dodge...

Not sure about the roo... It was pretty dark and by the time I stopped I was pretty concerned about how much coolant was leaking from the radiator.

After pulling it all apart this afternoon, it doesn't look too bad. I've straightened it out and hopefully only need to buy some bits now...

About riding in Australia, we have some pretty good roads. I live near Adelaide and the Adelaide hills are close by with hundreds of kilometres of twisty roads.

Then you have the Great Ocean Road in Victoria as well as the south east and then the Alpine region that leads to Canberra. From there you can almost get to Queensland riding in and out of the Great Dividing range.

I have to been in Melbourne for the 14th and was going to take the car. But with the latest damage, I think that a trip along the Great Ocean Road is in order.

Mmmmm... corners!

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

... and of course, I'd be happy to show you around and introduce you to bike people all over the country!

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

I haven't ridden much of anywhere on my old BMW. It and I have been down to Bahia de los Angeles, up to Vancouver Island and over to Colorado, but never further than that. I have had that bike for many years, but most of my vacations of merit are via 777.

I have rented motorcycles in Cappadoccia a few times, and this year rented a Honda 125 in Pai and cruised around the villages. Oh, and I have gone for short rides in Switzerland, but nothing extensive.

I keep toying with the idea of taking along my own helmet instead of the ones that they loan you.

Having just passed my test (yeah me!) I want to get a bike when I get to Australia next year.

A friend of mine travelled NZ by bike last year and loved it. His photos and stories are excellent.

Hey Novice! Congrats on the test. No injuries? How's the ankle now?

So, are you borrowing bikes at the mo in the UK or did you lash out on something?

Let me know when you get to Oz - I may still be here next year...

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

Rob, what's the 411 on foreigners and motorbike licenses?

Is it the same as having a drivers license (i.e. I have a license, I can drive there provided the license is of the English language and hence do not need an international license)? Or would you suggest someone get the license there instead of prior to arrival?

Just another travel addict trying to get Out of dodge...

Hey Delara,

If you are talking about riding in Oz, your US bike licence should work as long as you are not staying for more than three months or more.

If you are staying longer, the Oz govt wants you to redo your licence over here. I think it depends on the type of visa you will have.

Personally, I've never had anything but my Australian licence when driving around the world. I've hired cars and bikes, but luckily haven't had too many problems with the police. (More luck than good management!)

I believe that I can talk my way through the 'excuse me officer, here is my Australian licence' deal if I don't have the correct licence anyway. I'm sure they'll understand.

--
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

Getting back on topic...

I just got back from four days and 2400km on the bike from Adelaide to Melbourne and back to Clare (130km North of Adelaide).

Lots of fun on the Great Ocean Road and through the Otway Ranges - a great place to go with any vehicle.

If only bikes didn't break so much. I lost some plastic off the rear of the bike, broke a speedo cable, trashed a set of tyres and the bike drank a litre of oil.

Sure the set of tyres was my fault and I had a huge smile on my face as I took the awesome corners for hours on end.

__________
Rob - http://www.robstravels.com

I live in Bali and learned to ride Honda Supra 110cc here. The traffic in Asia is definately different from Europe or the US, people cut in on you without looking and having to be aware takes energy.

I've ridden all over the island including around the coast past a large volcano, Gunung Agung which is about 10,000ft.

I remember once being on the north coast with friends who were continuing around to the east coast. I had to get back to the the south of the island was thinking 'man this sucks, 3 hours of riding ahead of me.' As I was riding through the mountains and passing small villages I thought 'what am I complaining about, look at me I'm riding a motorbike through Bali...I am very lucky.'

Nick O'Neill
http://www.BaliBlog.com
BootsnAll's guide to Bali

I rented a 250cc enduro bike while in Santorini, Greece and had such an incredible time touring the whole island. You can get anywhere on it and it makes for an awesome trip. Only thing is you have to wear sunscreen otherwise you'll get ver sunburnt like some people i saw.

Has Time, Will Travel!

I just rented a 250cc today on Koh Samui, and slathered on the sunscreen as I made my way round the island... unfortunatly the mirrors were reflecting the sun onto my arms and I burned, burned, bured! owwww!

Was heaps of fun though

*giving off enough heat to defrost food*

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/mary/

I've riden motorcross bikes in Santorini, Australia, Mexico and Rwanda, and a Vespa in Florence we used to ride into the Tuscan hills.

I also rode 16,000km in the Himalaya, from the top of the Karakorum Highway in Pakistan to Katmandu, and all over North India, on an Enfield Bullet 500 - a bike built on a design from the 1950's. These bikes really have a personality - after almost a year they feel like an old friend. Their a great way to get off the beaten track and see things that would otherwise be too much hassle. One great memory is a Nat Park in Western Nepal where we swam with river dolphins and saw a tiger.

Bikes make just getting there fun.

*******************************************************
Check out my novel, The Highway, which is set in India.
www.willmarks.com
International orders available now (only $10 US incl. intnl. postage) at www.vedamsbooks.com

Alright Will Marks you just made my story of renting a bike in Nepal seem a bit more lame but hey good on ya, I can't wait to get back there and do a similar trip. This time I was a bit pressed and could only spend a few days cruisin but man was that amazing! I was in the Pokara region and rode through some small villages on dirt roads, past military check points and down some steep winding roads into deep valleys! Great place! But next time I want the Enfield!

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." ~Frank Sinatra

I rode a bullet in india (and urm... crashed it a little bit)
I rode a scooter in thailand (as per previous post) but urm, crashed it the next day...
have now ridden a couple of bikes in Oz and so far (touch plastic wood looking veneer stuff) no crashes yet (on a bike that is) but there's time!

Wonder if anyone else has crashed on 4 continents? (crashed numerous times in UK)

*ahem* not that I'm bad or anything... keep swerving to avoid animals...

Hey Rob,
When you rented a bike in Spain, did they really look closely at your license to see if you had a permit to ride a motorcycle? I want to rent a scooter/moped/small bike in Spain and I have a whole lot of experience with all those in India (and yeah, the Royal Enfield Bullet just rocks!! It's the 2 wheel equivalent of a sherman tank ), but I don't really have a license for that here in the US. As much as I would hate to advocate anything illegal, if I can get away with renting a bike on my regular US driver's license I would love to.
Rob, I would appreciate if you could give me some details on how much red tape you had to go through to rent one in Spain and what it cost you, what the challenges were and so forth!

How much did it cost to buy an Enfield in India?

I was thinking about doing something similar, and a local bike seems to make far more sense than importing one that parts/mechanics will be harder to fins for.

Yay! I love this thread. I daydream about traveling by motorcycle, alone.

Only problem is I don't have a motorcycle license or a motorcycle...hmmm