Motorcycles for Alpine Riding

by Rob Beach

Daily we speak with North American riders about touring in Europe. The conversation naturally comes around to the motorcycles themselves, and what type of machine is desired on tour. The sort of things we hear regularly are:

"I have ridden in the Rockies and the Appalachians on my 'Wing (or Dresser, or LT, or...) and I had no problems. A tour in the  Alps will simply not be palatable for me or my passenger without the type of bike I ride here."

"I need a big machine for my passenger's comfort."

"A full fairing is a must - I hate to be beaten to death by the wind."

"The bike must have a backrest. We simply can't ride two up without a backrest."

"I need a shorter bike, so that I can get both feet on the ground."

For most North American riders, a ride in the European Alps is a dream tour.

For a dream tour the general thought is that one should have a dream motorcycle – a big, comfortable bike for you and your passenger, a grand ride for a grand trip.

Europe in general, and the Alps in particular, will be the most challenging motorcycle ride many riders ever take. The challenges particular to the Alps may be summed up with two words  – tight, and small.

"I have ridden... and can do the Alps on that same type of bike."

There are few roads in the United States that can be used as a comparison to Alpine roads. Deal's Gap? A great piece of road to be sure, but a bit – no, make that a lot – wider than some of the neatest Alpine roads.

Do you ride many roads without shoulders (paved, or unpaved)? Few roads in the Alps have shoulders, and those that do are almost all in Switzerland. Often there isn't space for two individual lanes, much less a shoulder.

Imagine taking every turn on "the Gap" (they keep telling me that is one of America's premier roads) and decreasing the radius by 60% or so. Its' getting rather tight, no? With that modification, it is getting closer to a road in the Alps!

Here is a photo of a hairpin - a nice, tight corner of the type encounted in the Alps. Imagine crossing 3 or 4 mountain passroads daily, and encountering between 15 and 40 of this type of turn on each side of each pass.

There are other routes available  – in some places. Often, however, the only way from A to B is over a pass, a road with 10, 15 or even 25° grades and heaps of this sort of corner. One of the remarkable aspects of riding in the Alps (in contrast to say, the Rockies) is that you don't ride down a valley looking at the mountains, but you crawl all over the mountain, spending lots of time looking down at the valley!

Opps - did I actually caption that photo as "hairpin"? You could park a car on the inside of that turn. My apologies... that is not a hairpin, but (by European standards) a simple 180° corner. A real hairpin turns around a radius about that of a coke can, and throws serious elevation change into the equation. You may have noted that there is a radius difference of about 15 feet between these two corners.

The road depicted in the 2nd image is a two way road. There can be, and often is, traffic coming in the other direction.

"I need a big machine for my passenger's comfort."

This comment is naturally followed by a request for an R1200RT. While putting together the specifications for the various bikes on these pages I was quite surprised to discover that the wheelbase of the RT, (the biggest bike in our fleet), and the F650 (the smallest fleet bike) differ by only one-tenth of an inch! The RT is a larger bike than the F650, to be sure. But the differences are in width, bulk, and length over the back end of the bike, not in the wheelbase.

In short, the RT is not inherently more comfortable because it is bigger, as the "size" is largely a matter of perception. It is heavier and offers less ground clearance than either the R or GS. Both of these differences are liabilities in the Alps.

"A full fairing is a must - I hate to be beaten to death by the wind."

Ponder your average ride at home. Is it an hour or more at a reasonably steady speed, say between 45 and 65 mph? Under those circumstances, a fairing and windscreen add considerable comfort to the ride. Sitting upright in even a 50 mph windblast shortly becomes very tiring.

Fact: Your average moving speed over the course of an Alpine Adventure will be under 35 mph. That will be true if you are riding solo, and briskly all day long. Simply puttering along, your average speed, over 2000 miles and two weeks of riding, will be under 30 mph. These speeds are imposed by the roads traveled, not by us as guides or tour operators.

On a Beach tour you will be encouraged to ride at your own pace, on your own choice of itinerary. Yet even without knowing you or how you ride, I stand by that statement.

At speeds as low as these, the fairing offers little, if any, advantage. Rarely will you be traveling at speeds high enough to take advantage of the excellent BMW aerodynamics.

When traveling on the German Autobahn or the Italian Autostrade, the RT is the bike I choose. It is quite comfortable on the highway, and at those higher speeds the fairing makes the ride effortless. Even more fun is the K1200RS, which simply howls down the autobahn.

A series of hairpins, example #1

A series of hairpins, example #2

On tour (in the mountains) my last choice of a mount is the RS, second last choice the RT. On the smaller roads the weight and bulk of the RT means it must be horsed around corners and it takes more effort to accelerate and decelerate. Riding it takes quite a bit more effort than the R or GS.

You will find the roads themselves require substantially more riding effort than you normally expend. Don't compound the work by adding weight and bulk on the motorcycle. Small and light is much easier to handle.

"The bike must have a backrest. We simply can't ride two up without a backrest."

There are very few backrests seen on European bikes in the mountains, in contrast to the states, where few touring machines are without them. Many American riders are used to motorcycles that are so big that there is room for a backrest between the rider and passenger!

A passenger leaning on a backrest is a pendulum pivoting on the seat of the bike, reacting to directional and speed changes after the fact. A passenger in the proper position (close in behind the rider, holding on to him/her) participates at the moment.

This participation makes HUGE differences in the way the bike handles, and also in the passenger comfort (really). But it is also very different than the riding style we have become accustom to in the states, with huge bikes, backrests for the passenger AND rider, and a zillion miles of droning on the highway.

Alpine riding is pure, active, you (and passenger) got-to-pay-attention sort of riding. Backrests simply don't fit into that equation, as they promote a much lazier form of passengering.

Often the passenger feels uncomfortable because movements of the bike surprise them. The rider's responsibility is to offer notice of changes (via consistency in machine operation). In reality, riders always send lots of signals that something is about to happen. But with the passenger removed from the rider those signals don't "jump the gap", and that equals a surprised passenger.

Riders often use a backrest as a crutch. “My passenger feels more secure with a backrest” can really mean “I am not a smooth rider able to instill confidence in my passenger, but the addition of a backrest makes her feel better.”

A bit of a different approach to riding two-up will pay off handsomely in the Alps. Having your passenger up close is romantic, and, more importantly, allows the bike to work much better in the zillions of corners you will encounter.

Becoming a more refined, smoother rider will also add to your passenger's comfort.

Examine the two photos (Togetherness) of BMWs being ridden two up.

Notice that the rider/passenger combination on the RT (“big bike”) are “as one” as the couple on the F650 (“small bike”).

Toss the backrest and, after a day of adjustment, you, as rider, will be MUCH happier. I guarantee it will seem as though your riding skill has increased 25% - an active passenger makes that much of a difference.

After all that is said, we are able to equip your machine with a backrest - but do think long and hard about it before having this crutch installed. The bike will handle much better without it!

"I need a shorter bike, so that I can get both feet on the ground."

I'll level with you - there is no place level in the Alps. With parking lots built at an angle, roads cambered in all sorts of directions, and elevation differences everywhere, rarely is a rider able to stop with both feet on the ground on anything but the very shortest bike. Short bikes have ground clearance problems, and ground clearance is critical on twisty Alpine roads. That is why you don't see the R1200C in our fleet - it is simply too low for twisty back-road riding.

Learn to balance - really balance, in a way we rarely have to here. Don't depend on having both feet on the ground at one time. Motorcycling is about balance, and over 85% of the "accidents" we have on tour are simple tipovers, caused by riders who don't have confidence in properly balancing a bike, and who have come to depend on short bikes, and both feet on the ground as their "landing gear."

Learn to stop - every time - with only one foot on the ground. Passenger or no passenger, regardless of the road surface, irrespective of the terrain - only one foot on the ground. Then, you not only will be unfazed by the seat height of the BMWs, but you will go home without paying me (or another tour operator) a damage invoice for that silly tipover.

Can't do it, you say? Yes you can - Jake can, and he is only 9 years old. You can too. Believe in yourself!

And now, the tip promised ever so long ago:

Riders above 5'10" tall should look at the R1200GS - it is the most versatile of BMW's line, and perfect for the Alpine roads. Shorter riders should consider the R1200R or the F800ST, as the GS is a rather tall machine.

Competent, confident, well-balanced riders of shorter stature will also find the GS to be enjoyable, albeit a bit more work in the parking lot than the R.

Solo, or inseam challenged, riders should look at the F650GS as an ideal ride. The power to weight ratio is very favorable, the bike is quite narrow, and it is very easy to handle on the Alpine roads. Repeat tour members riding solo often ask for the F650 on their second trip. It took them 2 weeks of exposure to understand Alpine roads, and the next time around they realize that smaller & lighter really is better!

You are interested in a European tour because it is different, it is challenging, and it is magical. Consider that the differences encountered may be so big that different thinking, and changes in habit may (will) be required. Habits such as big bikes, backrests and big windscreens.

Now lets' get out and ride - really ride, as one cannot in the states!

BMW R1200R