Edelweiss Austria-Hungary tour

JeffW · August 27, 2008, 01:42:16 PM

Not exactly sportbike oriented, but I tried to ride like a sportbiker during this trip...

I just got back from a 10-day Edelweiss Austria-Hungary tour. If any one of you are interested in doing one of these organized motorcycle trips, I can provide some input. The tour started in Vienna, traveled to Budapest and then to Maribor, Slovenia and finally back to Vienna. The first 5 riding days were more touring oriented with rolling hills and gentle turns. Beautiful agricultural scenery. All the riding was on two-lane country roads. The last part of the trip involved riding in the low mountains at the beginning of the Alps in Austria. Here you get lots of climbing and descending of small mountains with lots of sharp turns and switchbacks. Lots of sportbikes out on these roads. Again all on two-lane country roads. The hotels were high-end and the food was very good (breakfast and dinner included in the tour).

There were two planned and guided routes each day: a short touring route and a long hardcore-rider route. I rode all the long routes during the trip. I rode with the guide the first day and then rode alone the rest of the trip. I'm not a big fan of group riding. I like to be able to go my own speed and stop when I want. So riding alone was great. I got lost a lot, but I was able to find my way to the hotel every night. And most days I would catch up to the group and have lunch with them.

I rode a BMW GS1200 with saddlebags, topbox and tankbag. This is a bike I've considered buying. I think maybe I'm getting too old to crunch myself up onto my Ducati 996. The GS is fun to ride. And it can be ridden in a very sporting manner, which I tried to do at every opportunity. The bike is heavy and especially top-heavy. So climbing on and off and pushing it around is a bit tricky. After riding it for the trip I'm not sure the GS is what I want. I think something less heavy would be better. I'd like to have something with a more standard riding position than the 996. And with luggage so I can go places with it. Maybe a Ducati Multistrada?

I'm not sure when of if I'll do another of these tours. I had a great time, but it was a pretty expensive trip. There were several people on the tour who had done multiple Edelweiss tours, so they have a very successful formula. One father and son team has done 15 tours. With each tour costing roughly $4000 per person (without the airfare) you can imagine how much cash they've put into it.

Oh, and gas was roughly $7 per gallon. I didn't figure this out until I got home, because I didn't want to think about it. You've got to convert euros to dollars, convert liters to gallons and then carry the nine, and yikes! Maybe we don't have it so bad here in the USA after all.

Great roads, great scenery, great riding, great trip.

A DRAGON · August 28, 2008, 01:30:49 AM

Wow! Jeff. I often wondered about those trips also. Fill me in at Miller This weedend. You are going right?

Resistor · August 28, 2008, 05:01:47 PM

Thanks for the report Jeff! How did the locals treat you? Any pictures?

JeffW · August 30, 2008, 10:17:19 AM

Part of the group...

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JeffW · August 30, 2008, 10:18:34 AM

Border crossing into Austria from Hungary...

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JeffW · August 30, 2008, 10:19:47 AM

"Please go slowly and quietly" on a twisty mountain road in Austria...

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JeffW · August 30, 2008, 10:20:35 AM

Switchbacks...

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JeffW · August 30, 2008, 10:25:15 AM

I'm not headed to Miller this weekend. I hope everyone has a good time at the track. Good luck!

The locals treated me very well everywhere we went in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. Lots of people speak English so you can get by with "sign language" and English.

JENX!!! · August 30, 2008, 10:29:07 AM

Sweet pictures!!!

Resistor · September 02, 2008, 12:05:06 PM

Now that looks like fun. I'd love to do something like that one day. I don't bame you for not wanting to ride with the group. Its not like a regular Sunday ride, you never know when you'll be back (if ever) on those roads and to be able to stop/go whenever you feel like is perfect.

rrgurl · September 02, 2008, 11:17:12 PM

Sounds like a lot of fun. I grew up there. I lived in Hungary and went to school in Salzburg. I loved it there. Those kind of trips always interested me because I would love to go back. Thanks for sharing.

Adiggity · September 03, 2008, 08:36:54 AM

That's schaweet Jeff! Thanks for sharing your experience.

A DRAGON · September 04, 2008, 01:20:15 AM

Wow Jeff your an ambassador for our club.Nice pics. I think you have the milage championship now.
Were the roads as smooth as they look on your pictures?
The fact that you are an excellent rider make me proud because you showed them that yes that Yank could ride.