Edelweiss advice

[WestTX RT]

It looks like the wife and I are going to try and book the Best of Europe July 15th. I ride an '02 RT and had a '00 1150R before. I'm vacillating on which bike to ride. I'm looking at the 800GS or ST because of the mountain riding and my wife thinks they'll be uncomfortable for her on the back. Would you guys upgrade to the 1200R or the RT if you were doing it?

[motorbob]

You are used to the comfort of yr RT. No BMW 800 comes close.

I would stick to a RT.

PS. Had 800GS loaner last summer. I cannot imagine going on a day trip 2 up on that, let alone a European tour. It would ruin your vacation.

[Paul Mihalka]

If your inseam is 30" or more, I would suggest a GS. Same sitting comfort as the RT, good weather/wind protection, but much handier on tight roads. There is a reason that it is by far the most popular BMW in Europe.

[WestTX RT]

Close Paul, it's a 32". I wondered about the GS as well. That may be the way to go. It doesn't look like there are any days over 200 miles, and it'll be a lot different than riding in the Texas wind. I was thinking the light bikes would be a lot of fun.

[kmac]

I think the r1200GS would be a great utility, all purpose bike for a ride like that.

[Little_Brit]

It looks like the wife and I are going to try and book the Best of Europe July 15th. I ride an '02 RT and had a '00 1150R before. I'm vacillating on which bike to ride. I'm looking at the 800GS or ST because of the mountain riding and my wife thinks they'll be uncomfortable for her on the back. Would you guys upgrade to the 1200R or the RT if you were doing it?

 

I'd ride what is nearest to your normal ride. The roads might be very tight and twisty by comparison to what you normally ride on, but my experience of Alpine roads is that they are generaly well surfaced. An RT will be in it's element there and certainly not alone. And having something vaguely familiar will be no bad thing from a safety point of view.

 

Of course I'd go with the 1200GS but I'm biased! Seriously, whilst a GS is a great tool it's not every pillons ideal. My wife loves it, once she's got on; it's a bit of a performance as is dismounting, still it raises a smile each time we stop...

 

Whatever bike you choose I hope you have a fantastic vacation. The Alps are just stunning and I hanker to get back there as soon as I can.

[WestTX RT]

Thanks Brit, I'm very excited, I'm hoping for the trip of a lifetime. I don't think any of the new models are real close to my old RT, even the new RT. I'm used to swapping bikes back and forth, I ride my DR 650 for about as much seat time as I get on my RT.

 

Any other BMW ST'ers looking at Edelweiss this summer? A buddy from high school and his wife are going with us. He flies for Delta, and his wife speaks fluent German, so that should add a lot to our trip.

[OlGeezer]

It looks like the wife and I are going to try and book the Best of Europe July 15th. I ride an '02 RT and had a '00 1150R before. I'm vacillating on which bike to ride. I'm looking at the 800GS or ST because of the mountain riding and my wife thinks they'll be uncomfortable for her on the back. Would you guys upgrade to the 1200R or the RT if you were doing it?

 

Rule No. 1: Keep wifey happy.

Rule No. 2: See rule number 1.

 

If you get the 800GS and she's not happy, it will be your fault. If you get the R1200RT and she's not happy, it will be her fault.

Is the picture a little clearer now?

 

[markgoodrich]

It looks like the wife and I are going to try and book the Best of Europe July 15th. I ride an '02 RT and had a '00 1150R before. I'm vacillating on which bike to ride. I'm looking at the 800GS or ST because of the mountain riding and my wife thinks they'll be uncomfortable for her on the back. Would you guys upgrade to the 1200R or the RT if you were doing it?

 

Rule No. 1: Keep wifey happy.

Rule No. 2: See rule number 1.

 

If you get the 800GS and she's not happy, it will be your fault. If you get the R1200RT and she's not happy, it will be her fault.

Is the picture a little clearer now?

 

What he said.

[TEWKS]

Sure you've done your homework & know what kind of riding you're in for. We did the B.O.E. in 96 & was a little disappointed with the first half of the trip. Culture yes, Switchbacks no. Two years prior, we did the Affordable Alps Tour (name change since then) & thought without a doubt this was my heaven.

We rode a single cylinder F650 & rung the snot out of it!

 

Best of Europe

VS

The Ultimate Alps Tour

 

Ps.. The Ultimate Alps Tour is an upgrade from the alps tour we did.

 

Pat

[WestTX RT]

Wifey's a trooper, and a tough old farm gal, but she likes her comfort. Tewks, If it were just me, I'd agree, but take a look at Geez's rules. Also another reason the GS might be a great idea, she'll have a pretty high perch from which to take pictures.

 

It looks like the wife and I are going to try and book the Best of Europe July 15th. I ride an '02 RT and had a '00 1150R before. I'm vacillating on which bike to ride. I'm looking at the 800GS or ST because of the mountain riding and my wife thinks they'll be uncomfortable for her on the back. Would you guys upgrade to the 1200R or the RT if you were doing it?

 

Rule No. 1: Keep wifey happy.

Rule No. 2: See rule number 1.

 

If you get the 800GS and she's not happy, it will be your fault. If you get the R1200RT and she's not happy, it will be her fault.

Is the picture a little clearer now?

 

What he said.

[TEWKS]

Pic, just because! You'll have a blast on either tour!

 

 

 

Pat

[John Bentall]

Looking at the routes that TEWKS has posted, the first has an emphasis on fine roads and culture - take the RT.

The second is all about predominantly about scenery and switchbacks - you need to think carefully whether the rest of the party will enjoy this. It is tiring, but immensely satisfying, for the rider as it requires UTTER concentration and some skill to avoid understeering into a rock-face. I have totally enjoyed my own 1200RT on such roads, but would have found a R1200R or GS appealing for their lighter weight.

[WestTX RT]

Yep, two up is why we are going BOE. I'd love the thrills and chills of the tight stuff, but I'm afraid it would be a little intense for her. This is a big deal for both of us and I'd like for us both to get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

[Spartan]

Two up I would ride the 1200. My experience in the switchbacks of 50+ Alpine passes was on a R1200RT and I was riding solo. I think the GS would have been a perfect choice. I got to try many other bikes during the trip and next time it will be the GS.

[Francois_Dumas]

 

Any other BMW ST'ers looking at Edelweiss this summer? A buddy from high school and his wife are going with us. He flies for Delta, and his wife speaks fluent German, so that should add a lot to our trip.

 

Nope, sorry, we do our own Europe tours

 

AND we do it on the on the good old '04 RT. I'd stick with that if I were you, OR take a GS.

The 800 is nice for the odd one-day tours, less so for multiple-day trips.

 

I understand you are doing the 'Europe' tour, that's only partly in the Alps, so the RT will be even better suited.

 

In any case, ride safely and enjoy ! Maybe we see you whiz by in the herds of Edelweiss customers

[dewberry]

Not one of your choices but I elected to ride a K1200GT on an Edelweiss High Alpine tour and it was awesome. I have always been a Boxer twin rider but really enjoyed the K-bike. Wife was very comfy with her heated seat and seating position. With its longish wheelbase the tight switchbacks were no problem at all. Once on the Autobahn it was a blast, literally. I am sure that whatever you select you will enjoy the trip.

Bob

[WestTX RT]

That would be the ticket, but I don't see it as an option for the BOE. I don't even see it as an option on the Alps Extreme. I wonder if they've quit using the K bikes.

 

Not one of your choices but I elected to ride a K1200GT on an Edelweiss High Alpine tour and it was awesome. I have always been a Boxer twin rider but really enjoyed the K-bike. Wife was very comfy with her heated seat and seating position. With its longish wheelbase the tight switchbacks were no problem at all. Once on the Autobahn it was a blast, literally. I am sure that whatever you select you will enjoy the trip.

Bob

[UberXY]

I'm gonna do the High Alpine Tour in September after attending a wedding in London, and I am going to use the F800ST unless they decide to offer the RR.

 

I rode an R1150RT for years and think it was an awesome highway bike, but for me, I would prefer the lightweight F8 or the RR in the mountains. However, I am going solo, and don't have to contend with a 100+ lb of female ballast on the rear of the bike.

[Pletch]

West, all in all I have been here 17 years and riding for all of it. I have to agree with most, ride as similar as you can to what you have now, less to gewt used to while enjoying the most you can.

 

Your route will be nice, it goes through the West side of the Black Forrest and through some of the lower Alpen areas, but you might spend a bit of highway time in there. I would say do the other one shown here. Absilutely great riding and some must see passes; Jaufen and Timmelsjoch are simply amazing.

 

I take it you aren't planning any off road or farm road riding, so I don't think, in contrary to most, that the GS is right. The RT seems to have been designed with the Alps in mind, it hugs every curve and cruises as smooth as you want. The 800...yeah, thatn's not a good 2 up option for more than a day.

 

On the tour you are looking at, you start close to where I live, drop me a note, maybe we can do some warm up riding in the Odenwald, or (My personal two day ride favorite) the Schwartzwald Hohen Strasse. And if you're only here passing, well there is always prats to be grilled ;-)

Pletch

[Bill_Walker]

Since you're looking at renting current model bikes, why not take your wife to your nearest BMW dealer and let her sit on the pillion of the available models?

[WestTX RT]

We tried the seat test 800GS the last time we were in Ft. Worth. Believe it or not, we are right in the middle of BMW dealers, about 300 miles in any direction. The closest are Ft. Worth, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Austin.

[eej1]

Are the Edelweis tourists frowned upon by the locals?

[OlGeezer]

Are the Edelweis tourists frowned upon by the locals?

 

Heck no! All the places we stopped in 2005, we were treated well.

[WestTX RT]

Hey Pletch, we booked it this evening. It looks like we'll be in Heidelberg on 17 July (like that Euro style there? ). Based on some sage advice, I put in the RT as a 1st choice, GS as a second, so I don't think I can go wrong either way.

 

We may try and get in to Munich/Erding a day early so our clocks can catch up a little.

 

Thanks to all who contributed, I'd like to keep the thread running, I'm sure there'll be a lot more questions.

[Francois_Dumas]

In (western) Europe you won't find many places where tourists are frowned upon at all, Edelweiss or tour bus or otherwise.

[Pletch]

Hey, what do you know, I'm going to be here (kinda live here so go figure) Where are you getting the bike from? Is Erding your start point? Drop me a note and let me know a bit more about your schedule as it nears, I'll make sure I am in this area then. THere is another guy on here moving here from the U.S. I am sure he will come along too.

 

Good choice on the rentals, you should be in great shape either way.

 

Dan

[Marty Hill]

Hey Darrell, how are you old friend? I had an 800GS for a couple of months. I wouldn't use that for 2 up even tho many do. Go for the 12GS or stick with the RT. Enjoy the trip, I'll be over there a bit earlier/maybe see you in sept. on the way home from the west coast.

 

[WestTX RT]

Hey Dan,

I'm guessing we'll pick up the bikes in Munich or Erding. The schedule's already set, you can look at it here. I'll post more when they send us an itinerary. It looks like even most of the meals are planned and included. The rest day, where I'm guessing we'll have some free time will be in Barr.

 

Marty!,

Your suite will be ready by then. Just let us know.

[Pletch]

I wonder how they feel about tag alongs? That part from Heidelberg to Barr is a nice run through the Black Forrest ;-)

[WestTX RT]

Hey Dan,

I don't think the riding agenda is very rigid, don't know how they'd keep you off the road.

 

Do you know if our helmets and gear will be legal in the other countries?

 

[Marty Hill]

Your gear is all legal/they might want you to have a yellow vest on board as well as a first aid kit/l borrow a vest. The rental place can fix you up with that stuff if still necessary.

[jacksonwr]

I just got back from doing the Grand Alps tour this summer. It looks like your leaving from Erding. More than likely your start from the Hotel Henry. Its a nice place. You find the bikes in the basement when you get there. We had a mix of GSs, RTs for the most part. All the people doing two up were riding GSs and RTs

 

If you have any other questions, let me know.

[Pletch]

Sounds like a plan, then we'll chat when it gets closer and I'll get my blender ready so I can follow in there.

 

As for the equipment, no challenges, you are not a resident, so as long as your equipment meets either EC or DOT requirements you'll be fine. Agree with the vest and first aid kit though, and the rental guys should make sure you have that as part of thier obligation.

[WestTX RT]

The flights are booked and we are coming in a day early, getting in early the 14th. We are going to have to find a motel for the 14th but the Hotel Henry shows to be full online. I'm guessing Edelweiss books some rooms for that purpose, so I'll have to check in with them.

 

That ought to give us some time to get our clocks working a little better.

 

Thanks to everyone for the input, keep the info coming. Knowing some of the details in advance will help us a lot.

[Pletch]

Hey, make sure, before you confirm anything, take a look at the Erdinger Brauhaus. Its the brewery where they make the most successful Weizen (wheat) beer in Europe. They normally have a pretty good package deal; room, dinner and tour, that wont break your bank, and the food is top end; traditional Bavarian stuff. An event opportunity you wont want to miss.

Dan

[RT66Rider]

My wife and I are talking about doing the BOE in the fall.

And we'll likely be riding one of their RT's.

 

Does anyone know if they are wired for Gerbings ?

 

Or could I bring my own harness and hook it up myself ?

[BeemerLover]

Been over there four times riding most of the roads you'll travel. +1 to the comments above... your first choice of the RT is right on. The only places in the Alps where I wish I'd had a lighter bike was around Andermatt (Furka, Grimsel, etc.) and from there to Bolzano (Stelvio pass). Those have extreme switchbacks but I did OK with the RT one up, would have been harder two up.

 

Also, you will probably run into some rain and the RT will give your wife the most protection, especially at highway speeds on the Autobahn. Take Frogg Togs.

 

Erding is a great town and Pletch's suggestion to stay at the Erdinger Brauhaus is right on. If they are booked stay at the Mayr Wirt (rooms are functional, restaurant downstairs is where the locals go and is excellent). If all those are full I would stay at the Pension Zweck. Nice rooms with a 15 minute walk to the city center. Summer in Germany is cool (75 - 85 deg) but usually on the humid side. Normally, AC is found in the higher star hotels....

 

The neat thing about Erding is that you can take the train directly to the Old Town area of Munich. It is worth the trip. Have lunch in the Augustiner outdoor restaurant behind the central train station and visit the Marianplatz, Deutsches Museum (Like our Smithsonian), English Garden or the farmer's market. If you want to be real touristy then visit the Hoffbrau Haus. All are within walking distance of the Hauptbahnhaus (central train station.) But then a leisurely day in Erding's old town area is great too.

 

Good luck on your trip. Lots to look forward to!!!

 

 

 

 

[BeemerLover]

RT66, bring your own harness, take the seat off and wire directly to the battery. You might be able to use the powerlet on the left hand side of the fairing but I suspect it will shut off at 10 amps. May or may not be a problem but the most reliable way would be to take your own harness.

 

 

[fatbob]

Darrell:

I have ridden europe on 6 edelweiss tours with my bride on pillion and I will always say that the R1200GS is the bike to ride 2-up in Europe. You don't need the fairing of the RT because the Edelweiss guys prefer the tighter less traveled roads to the freeways. Enjoy!

 

 

[fatbob]

RT66, bring your own harness, take the seat off and wire directly to the battery. You might be able to use the powerlet on the left hand side of the fairing but I suspect it will shut off at 10 amps. May or may not be a problem but the most reliable way would be to take your own harness.

 

 

If his duds pull over 10 amps he will be baking! I've never had trouble with my full Gerbings outfit (including gloves and socks) plugged into the standard power port on my RT or GT or Norge or Tiger. I have never needed Gerbings clothes in Europe either. Coldest was on the Grossglockner pass but it is pretty soon and you are back down into warmer weather.

 

 

 

 

[Pletch]

I have been riding here for years, and I don't even own heated clothes. You wont need them in July when you are coming through, not even close. More likely you will need clothes that vent well. Only thing extra I recommend is rain gear, other than that, a smile!

[Deadboy]

Close Paul, it's a 32". I wondered about the GS as well. That may be the way to go. It doesn't look like there are any days over 200 miles, and it'll be a lot different than riding in the Texas wind. I was thinking the light bikes would be a lot of fun.

 

Just remember that 200 mile days in Europe are a lot longer than 200 mile days in Texas...

[Marty Hill]

Hey Nick, true dat! Assuming no a-bahn.

[LuckyLeif]

Two years ago I participated in the Edelweiss Alpine Extreme tour. I rode an F800GS and was fine, but I was riding solo; My wife is on the peteite side, but I don't think she would have been too comfy on the back of the 800. But we had 3 couples riding two-up -- all were on R12GS bikes. They ranged in weights from a combined 270 lb to probably in excess of 400 lb. If I were you, I'd book an R12GS - they are all over the Alps. Might consider an R12R, but could be too compact. Scott

[LuckyLeif]

...Any other BMW ST'ers looking at Edelweiss this summer? A buddy from high school and his wife are going with us. He flies for Delta, and his wife speaks fluent German, so that should add a lot to our trip.

I'm signed up for the Viking Experience (Southern Norway) this June. I've ridden Nordkapp and Extreme Alps with Edelweiss previously. You will be well taken care of. If your wife is not terribly familiar with riding really tight and demanding switchbacks (Stelvio, Timmels Joch, etc.) it may help calm her to sign on for the mountain road training day generally held one day prior to departure and helps with jet lag (not meant to slight anyone, but I read a post about this earlier). We had 2 riders fall on our Alpine Extreme tour - both of them solo riders! Luckily not me, although a tourist in a van with a really wide line on a downhill left did his best (worst?) to push me nearly into the curbing on the Stelvio.

[WestTX RT]

That's good stuff Leif, just what I'm looking for.

 

It's not generally the roads that make my wife nervous, it's how fast I ride them that gets her.

 

I'm going to try and make this a "stop and smell the edelweiss" tour, so I'll have to quiet my inner hoon and just enjoy the trip. The other couple will be on a Road King, so if we hang with them, I don't think we'll be pushing it too hard anyway.

 

The Norway trip sounds like a hoot. If I get a chance to ever do this again, I'd really like to try New Zealand.

[WestTX RT]

Well, we just got our confirmation and it looks like we're on the GS, we put in for the RT, but no big deal, I'm sure it's first come, first served.

 

I've never blogged before, but I think I'll try and start one this weekend for the trip and get a few of the preparations on there and the trip when the time comes. I'll post a link when I get it set up if anyone's interested.

[Marty Hill]

Darrell, you will love new zealand! Great place to ride and wonderful people!

 

Enjoy the GS!

[WestTX RT]

I'll bet you're right Marty.

 

Either way, my RT is getting a little long in the tooth, so I'm betting my wanter will get big for a new scooter after we get back. Might be time to get a GS or a new RT on my breath.