Across the Pond En Masse
ACROSS THE POND EN MASSE
Group Tours Take the Uncertainty Out of European Motorcycling
Europe’s main attraction can also be part of the problem: Europe, that is, the string-straight roads of France, the Italian mountains passes, the Alps, etc., are so, well, so foreign. Just as Europeans like to come riding here, so do many Americans dream of the day they can tour overseas . . . except that there’s the language problem, the paperwork and insurance, borders to cross, meals to order, intricate old cities to thread through.
One way to make all this less intimidating is the group tour, just like any other tour except that you’re riding a motorcycle. The options range from basic, 14-day tour packages to 21-day deluxe packages that take you to historic and exciting places and offer the opportunity to ride what many consider the most challenging motorcycle touring route in the world.
Years ago, a guy named Mike Von Thielmann put together a group of American motorcyclists, flew them to Europe and led them through Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. The idea became so popular that it produced a handful of copiers and today there are about six organized motorcycle tours to choose from. To fit the budgets and needs of participants, a variety of solutions are made available, including camping-vshotel/restaurant options and assorted answers to the “who-the-heck’s-got-themotorcycles?” question.
On most of these tours you’ll ride with 10 to 25 other motorcyclists, with or without passengers and follow a predetermined route set up in advance by the tour directors. Some directors will plan special routes if the itinerary interests enough people and almost all allow you to meander off on your own if the urge strikes. Most tours start somewhere in central Europe or the United Kingdom and if you’re not interested in shipping your own motorcycle over ($850 roundtrip by air), you can rent, buy new. buy used or participate in a buy-back plan (currently available only in England).
Phil Philcox
At the high end of the price scale are the all-inclusive tours that include roundtrip airfare, all accommodations, most meals, a tour guide, luggage van. ground transportation between airports and hotels and red carpet treatment from start to finish. At the bottom end are the do-it-yourself tours that take care of your basic requirements like transportation, accommodations and meals upon arrival and departure and assistance in getting your adventure on the road. Prices, of course, depend on what’s included and the more you get, the more you pay.
On a typical 21-day European tour, you’ll pay between $1500 and $2000 from the east coast of the United States and be instructed to arrive at the point of departure (usually New York) with your touring clothes, equipment, spending money and enough enthusiasm to get you through the experience. The tour package will include roundtrip airfare from where you are to where you want to be and once you arrive, the tour directors take it from there. All accommodations have been arranged in quaint, European the way places to give you a sample of what Europe is all about. Most tour packages include all breakfasts and most dinners, few include lunches. Sightseeing tours have been arranged along the route and the pace is geared toward the average rider (rarely over 150-200 miles a day). Several directors supply a luggage van so if you’re into overdressing, you need not worry about where you’re going to carry that dinner jacket, black bow tie and your patent leather pumps. Sitting in the van might be a factory-trained mechanic, surrounded by spare parts and tools, who can> handle everything from a flat tire to a complete engine change.
Each participant is provided with a tour route sheet that lists the routes for the day along with the name, address and telephone number of nightly hotel stops, so if you get lost you just drop a mark, franc, lira or pesata into the nearest telephone and call for help. You can ride with the group or on your own and when you arrive at the hotel at night, the dining room table has been set and a plate is waiting with your name on it. Not included in the tour packages is the price of the motorcycle, incidental spending money, gasoline, insurance (unless it’s a pre-paid rental) and other expenses. Unless you’ve chosen the rental solutions ($750-$900 for three weeks, including insurance), you’ll be required to pay for return shipment of the motorcycle (if you buy new), customs duty (5 percent of the appraised, used value) and whatever expenses are involved in shipping home what has to be the ultimate European souvenir.
I’ve talked to many motorcyclists who have been on these tours and have yet to hear one serious complaint, if you consider it’s difficult to please all of the people all of the time. There are participants who have gone as many as 15 times, which indicates somebody’s doing something right. Most tours are competitive in price and any difference you’ll note is probably due to
extras or lack of extras in the tour package. Talking to the tour directors themselves, I’ve found them all conducting the tours for the opportunity rather than the profit. Each is a dedicated motorcyclist and accomplished guide who has the participant’s interests at heart.
On a typical 21-day tour, everybody participates in a group dinner the first night where the tour director explains the basic rules and the upcoming schedule, then they retire for the night to fight jet lag and to stem the flow of adrenalin. The second and third days are usually spent on motorcycle delivery, familiarization with the motorcycle and loading the touring equipment. Everybody heads down the road the next morning and the tour has begun.
One tour group leaves from Munich, Germany and rides through Bavaria across the lower Alps, arriving in Switzerland on Day 7. A morning departure from Geneva has you in France that night for an overnight layover on the French Riviera. You ride into Italy on Day 9, arriving in Rome on Day 11 and after a two day layover in Rome (there’s always ample time to do some local exploring on your own), the group rides south to Naples and Pompeii, then back through central Italy into Venice and over the Tyrolian mountains. You return to Munich on Day 20, prepare the motorcycles for return shipment (or turn in
the rentals) and fly home on Day 21 or 22.
The alternative to the almost all-inclusive tours are the basic tour packages which are designed to appeal to the do-ityourselfers with the small piggy banks; the rider who chooses to make his own arrangements once in Europe and determine his own on-the-road expenses. These tour packages usually consist of roundtrip airfare, some accommodations and meals upon arrival (two nights), and departure (one night), a tour packet of maps, route suggestions and guidebooks and assistance in getting you through the first stages of your tour. Once you’re astride your motorcycle, you can tour on your own or with a group made up of participants (you’ll meet them on the flight over) and you can spend what you can afford to spend by choosing your own solutions. You can camp along the route with the other campers or choose the hotel/restaurant solution if you can afford it. You can go anywhere you want to go as long as you’re back on the dates indicated for the flight home.
Here are the current group motorcycle tour options and any prices indicated are based on early 1980 exchange rates, so subject to change. The U.S. dollar is slowly sinking into the international monetary exchange quicksand so what costs $1 today, might cost $1.50 tomorrow. Write or call the directors, study their literature and choose the tour package that best fits your needs and budget.
ALPINE MOTORCYCLE TOURS Conducted by Dick Van Cott Post Office Box 3041, Mission Viejo, Calif. 92690 Telephone: (714) 837-1392 Tours of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. Conducted from May 6-26 and August 5-25. Cost per person about $ 1500. Tour package includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Munich, all accommodations, some meals, luggage van. Limited to 24 riders. Rental motorcycles available (BMW RIOOS) for $900 or new BMW motorcycle delivery can be arranged. The motorcycles are picked up in Vienna, Austria and the tour route follows the Danube to Salzburg, through the Alps to Munich, then to Switzerland, Italy and back to Munich.
BOB BEACH'S MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES Conducted by Bob and Elizabeth Beach 2763 West River Parkway, Grand Island, N.Y. 14072 Telephone: (716) 773-4960 Tours of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France (itinerary varies). Conducted in May and September. Cost per person about $1800. Tour package includes roundtrip airfare from the east coast to Munich, Germany, all accommodations, some meals, luggage van. Rental motorcycles or new BMW delivery available. The tour starts in Germany and covers Austria enroute to Venice, Italy. From Venice to Rome and into Switzerland and back to Munich.
INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE TOURING CLUB RALLY/TOURS Conducted by Mike Beiro 5118 Rolling Hills Court, Tampa, Fla. 33617 Telephone: (813) 988-6561 Fourteen and 21-day tours of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales) and Europe (Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Italy and Yugoslavia). All tour packages available in “A”, “B” and “C” price ranges (deluxe to basic). Rentals available from $750 for three weeks or new motorcycle deliveries can be arranged (BMW’s in Germany, Moto Guzzi/Ducatis in Italy, Triumphs in England at taxfree prices). A-TO UR PACKAGE-% 1650 for riders/$1450 for passengers, 21-day tours of Europe or England. Includes roundtrip airfare, two meals daily, all accommodations, luggage van, tour guide, Welcome banquet, ground transportation and assistance in arranging shipments and deliveries. B-TOUR PACKAGE-% 1400 riders/$1250 for passengers. Same itinerary. Tour includes roundtrip airfare, one meal daily and all of the above. C-TOUR PACKAGE—$800 for riders/$800 for passengers. Tour includes roundtrip airfare from the east coast, two nights accommodations with meals upon arrival, one night’s accommodations with two meals upon departure, tour packet, Welcome banquet, club assistance. Usually held in conjunction with new deliveries in Germany, Italy or England.
MIKE VON THIELMANN'S BMW RALLY Conducted by Mike Von Thielmann 11379 Matinal Circle, San Diego, Calif. 92127 Telephone (714) 487-9890
Tour itinerary varies from year to year and usually includes Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.
Tours conducted in May and September. Tour package includes roundtrip airfare, all accommodations, some meals, tour guide, luggage van, ground transportation. You can ship your own motorcycle to Europe for this tour, arrange a rental or new BMW delivery.
WORLD MOTORCYCLE TOURS Conducted by Warren and Florence Goodman 778 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, N.J. 07006 Telephone (201) 226-9065 Tours of Italy, Austria and Yugoslavian
Cost per person about $1400. Tour package includes roundtrip airfare from the east coast to Milan. Italy, all accommodations. two meals daily, tour guide. Shipment of your own motorcycle by air is available for $850 roundtrip. The tour covers Milan, rides through Bormio and Ortisei, then into Austria through Innsbruck and Salzburg, before crossing into Yugoslavia. Re-enters Italy near Venice and on into Parma, La Spezia, Asti and Como, then back to Milan.
On all group motorcycle tours, riders are responsible for any additional expenses and all of this information is clearly explained in the tour literature. Factory setup charges on new deliveries are about $50 and return shipping of the motorcycle costs from $200 to over $400. depending on the mode of transportation and destination. Insurance coverage costs from $ 100 to over $200 depending on the type of coverage designed (minimum liability to full coverage). Unless otherwise stated in the literature, licensing, duty upon return to the U.S., taxes (if any) are not included. Daily spending money requirements will be furnished by the tour directors.
Many riders consider the European motorcycle tour the ultimate adventure . . . and true adventures don’t come cheap. But by purchasing airline tickets, hotel accommodations and meals in bulk, and taking advantage of group discounts, the tour directors have been able to put together tour packages that offer you the opportunity to participate at no more than it would cost doing it on your own in similar style.
