Beach's motorcycle adventures

[sanjaun2]

Has anyone used this rental agency with a branch in Munich Germany? I am planning a trip and im trying to make sure I am going with a good company. They say the big K1200 bikes are a little big for some of the alpine touring. Would the 650GS be to small?

http://www.bmca.com/contact.htm

[myk_edwards]

They say the big K1200 bikes are a little big for some of the alpine touring. Would the 650GS be to small?

Who says the k1200 is too big? Arse, I've riden plenty of Alpin roads on my K12, you just need to be a confidant rider and know how to ride your bike.

I bought my bike, did 300 local miles in the first couple of weeks of ownership, then rode to Bavaria for two weeks of touring. 650 would be small in my opinion.

[grahamw]

Brian

Mike makes a very valid point but there is another way to look at this. Do you really need the mile munching and carrying capacity of a LT? Might it not be a nice change to try another bike? The 650 would be fast enough and give you an opportunity to wave at the scenery as you glide past. It would probably be a lot cheaper as well. See what they have available and then try and get a test ride from your local dealer to see what works best. The only bad thing I can think of is the seat - if you have to stop every couple of hours for a rest/coffee/look at the view would that be a very bad thing?

Regards

[ATFLT]

On a trip to the Alps don't expect to put in a lot of miles in a day. The route will most likely be slower than what you ride here with more frequent stops and plenty of curves. If you go off by yourself you can do things differently but with the group expect the guide to keep an even pace and some of the group may not be up to what you are capable of. A lot of what a big bike can do could be wasted on a trip like that.

When I went I got a K1100LT as I was considering buying one. My ride at the time was a Yamaha Venture. I had no trouble on the curvy roads with the K1100LT but I wouldn't have had any trouble with my Yamaha either. I did notice some dirt bikes passing our group a couple of times. It isn't so much the size of the bike as it is knowing how to use it. The main thing is to ride something that you will be comfortable on for probably a couple hundred miles a day average.

[sanjaun2]

I have ridden my LT and GT in some pretty tight mountain roads, So handling it would not be a problem. But they want over two hundred a day for the big bikes. The 650 is more like a hundred a day and gets 65-70 mpg. That would be nice. To be honest with you, I normally ride around here like a bat of hell. I have not been to Germany,Austria, or Switzerland yet. I look foward to taking it easy so I can enjoy the sites and people. I hear it is a very excellent part of the world with great people. I normally ride 500-1000 miles a day here but would like to drop it down to 200-300 a day. I will be riding with just my brother. (Harley rider)