Videos of Europe on an ST1300 (2007)

[John Meara]

Now that our leader has highlighted video embedding capability, I thought some may be interested in some older videos we took on our 2007 European adventure.


This 360 degree panorama taken at Dalsnibba in Norway, overlooking Geiranger Fjord and our accommodation at Djupvasshytta lodge below on Djupvatnet lake:
 

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=2017Dalsnibba360degreeviews.mp4

Views of Geiranger and the road descending below to the fjord:





Careful riding back down the gravel road from Dalsnibba to Djupvatnet lake: damp, slippery, drop-off with no barriers - nice and slow!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=2035DescendingslowlyfromDalsnibbaon.mp4

[John Meara]

Here's a series of 5 videos taken July 7, 2007 by pillion Catherine, descending from Trollstigen in Norway on the fully loaded ST.  Note again the edge barriers, the waterfalls, and the hairpins (I still had the large tankbag that prevented anything near full lock turns):

1.

http://youtu.be/hZsa00Fgg_I

2.

http://youtu.be/1lAm-qP8E5M

3.  In this one, note where I encounter the white van coming in the opposite direction - bloody Murphy's Law!

http://youtu.be/Awj_YGlBM8Y

4.

http://youtu.be/E7eNUMX6kb4

5.

http://youtu.be/9TddLyopa_0

[John Meara]

In the Alps at altitude, the weather isn't always great for photography (or riding).  We rode up through the clouds/fog and through the tunnels like this from time to time - as Sgt Schultz would say, "very interesting"!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=3051IntunnelcloudsonL198nearZrs.mp4

One of my favourite vids, and all-time-favourite roads I've ever ridden: Ascending Susten Pass, Switzerland - Taken again by Catherine using hand-held Olympus FE-240 camera.  August 2007.  Note the [lack of] road-side barriers, glacier and valley opposite and below:

http://youtu.be/6mgbJOLu7RM

Another must-ride road, highly recommended by The Bear too:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=881LakeDiGarda.mp4

ST1300s are faster than red Ferraris in Italy!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=979RedFerrariinItaliantraffic.mp4

Another 360 degree panorama - looking back down where we'd ridden up from, and on further up into Switzerland (very windy in two ways: twisties and blowing a gale):

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=894360-degreeviewsatMalojapass-1.mp4

[John Meara]

Looking ahead at Grimsel Pass in Switzerland (daugnting), but we take the right folk in the road to ride up Furka Pass (just as much fun!).  Later we ride Grimsel.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=1068GrimselPassinfront.mp4

Once at the top of Furka, its a chance to admire the view back down Furka and to see Grimsel Pass on the right:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=1082BacktoGrimselPass.mp4

...and always time for a pose photo  :)

[John Meara]

On advice from a cyclist at a hostel in Cornwall, we decided to take a road through Brecon Becons National Park.  It was wonderful in hindsight, but in places a real goat track (with goats!).  I don't think we've ridden in a more remote place.  Cool, damp, green, beautiful:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=1474BreconBeaconsNatPk.mp4

Through the National Park and into the southern Welsh countryside, still very remote:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=1483Welshcountryside.mp4

Our touring buddy and wonderful host, Jim Griff on his ST1300 in Snowdonia National park, Wales:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/?action=view&current=1507JimstourtoSnowdoniaNatPk.mp4

[tj189]

Some great videos there John, thanks for sharing 

[alans1100]

The sealed track in the top picture in the Becons Park looks in better condition than some of SA's sealed minor roads.

[Whizz]

John,
Fantastic videos, thanks for sharing. Some of those descents look positively terrifying!

I have had the 'pleasure' of hiking the Breacon Beacons and I see the weather hasn't changed...WET! I remember at one point walking along a ridgeline minding my own business all quiet and serene, when a Harrier fighter jet come up one side of the ridge I was on the top of, turned upside down and went over my head at about 50 feet and down the other side of the hill...all at about 300 miles an hour. Scared the living crap out of me, took me an hour get my breathing back to normal and had to check my shorts! I found out later that that is how they practice 'low flying' and the Breacons is a designated low flying area...didn't tell me THAT before I started walking!!!

Did you ship your bike over there, or hire one, or what?

Cheers
Whizz
 

[John Meara]

..... all quiet and serene, when a Harrier fighter jet come up .... at about 300 miles an hour. Scared the living crap out of me....

Did you ship your bike over there, or hire one, or what?

Hi Whiz,

We had the same experience - got the fright of our lives when the first one went over - then after that I'd run out to see if i could spot them, but almost always too quick!

Here's a shot of the place we stayed in - a cottage in the fforest, no electricity, but on loan FOC - it was fantastic.  And another of the road into the Nat park:





Lovely place.

We shipped our ST with Dave Milligan ("Get Routed") to Felixstowe.  I rode Brisbane to Melbourne over 2 days (2,000km) to get it into the container with Dave (left it late to book); and flew to Sydney to bring it back from there.  was not cheap, but good value when you consider we had it there for 4.5 months, rode 22,000km n the roads and 4,000km in ferries!

Photos here taken at Felixstowe ready for trip home:



Milligan-san's backside!

Cheers
John

[Whizz]

Hi John,
I lived in a cottage like that for a couple of years, but ours had electricity and running water, and 3 ft thick walls with window seats that were like single beds, and 6 ft ceilings, which is a problem when you're 6ft 3 inches tall.! Our cottage was 475 years old, as was the whole street, except for a few new houses near the bottom of the hill, they were only 200 years old!

Shipping your bike over was a big step, but looks like you ad a whale of a time and saw more of UK than I did, and I was born there!.

Good onya!.
Cheers mate.


Whizz
 

[John Meara]

As per this thread, in 2007 we did a Grand Tour of western Europe.  I certainly encourage others to post pics and videos of their travels.

In 2006, Catherine and I read the Shirley Hardy-Rix and Brian Rix story about achieving their dream - an around-the-world motorcycle tour on their BMW, covering 56,671 km across 27 countries (see http://www.aussiesoverland.com/).   Early in their book, "Two for the road", Shirly talks about her sister dying of cancer and they quote simple advice from a friend about going on the trip:

• "Once you've made up your mind, tell people. That way you can't back out." and,
• "Don't leave it until you retire. So much can happen. You might never do it."

A few years before that, Catherine lost her brother to cancer when he was only 51, and we both lost our Mums to cancer when they were each aged 68. We had close friends who were battling serious illnesses and all these things weighed heavily on us; so by February 2007, we’d taken the author's advice and started telling everyone we were going - we had bitten the bullet.

We departed for London on 1st May and nearly 5-months later, we landed home. We had the time of our lives on that trip, covering 22,115 kilometres (13,740 miles) on the roads: visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Austria (& Luxembourg and Lichtenstein) and numerous ferry rides - like Newcastle UK to Bergen Norway; and Bari Italy to Greece, then across the Med to Santorini back to Athens & up to Vienna.
 
Norway and Switzerland were highlights with their scenic fjords, mountains and twisties; Italy has such friendly people; Amsterdam for a great night out; southern France for the best relaxing getaway; too many other highlights to list here. But we must mention the annual European Pan Gathering hosted in2007 by the AuSTrians. That year time in Altlengbach (near Vienna) at the Pan AuSTrian Tour with so many other ST owners was tops.
 
To see a selection of our trip photos (about 300+) go to this album in Photobucket:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v681/John_Meara/Europe%20on%20an%20ST1300/

The only downside of our time away in 2007 was that 2 of our terminally-ill friends passed away while we were overseas (Ian Mathers and Ron Buhmann). This did however reinforce that life is too short to put off until tomorrow what you can do today!
 
So if you are considering doing such a trip - Do it now! You won't regret it.
Cheers