Motorcycle touring in Italy

Motorcycle touring in Italy

For a project meeting in Verona in late October, I decided to replace the rental car with a rented motorcycle. I asked my girlfriend for a couple of days of travel extensions in order to be able to ride the motorcycle up North to visit the wine districts and the big lakes.

Normally, I'd travel to Verona by flying to Milan and then do the 200 or so kilometers by rental car. After I acquired a motorcycle license last year, I have wanted to do some travelling by motorcycle outside Norway. After exploring some of the options for motorcycle rental in the US, it became evident that this is a fairly expensive way of travelling; roughly estimated to be 2-3 times more expensive than renting a car.

Being an avid BMW fan, I nevertheless found it appropriate to drive something Italian when there. I've always wanted to drive a Ducati Hypermotard, but due to limited pannier options, I decided to go for a Multistrada. I found one company in Milan that had a 2015 red Multistrata for rent. Four days amounted to about € 300 add € 0.3 per km and including GPS, motorcycle lock, and panniers.

Travelling with motorcycle equipment has some aspects worth discussing. Even though the business traveler or the frequent flyer is allowed to bring another suitcase for the gear, you are pretty much stuck if the baggage is not showing up at the destination. I resolved to travelling with one large suitcase which also allowed me to take a regular airport taxi. I wore my StreetGuard jacket and brought my helmet onboard the flight.

Arriving at Linate airport at noon, I took a taxi to HP Motorrad. I checked the Multistrada, signed the contract, repacked for travel and dressed up in less than one hour. I was a bit concerned with Italian traffic in a big city like Milan, but once I was on the bike all stress was gone.

2015 Ducati Multistrada

Unlike Norway, Motorcycles are not exempt toll roads. I chose to ride the back roads towards Verona. Eventually, I was running out of daylight and decided to enter the autostrada. I was surprised that the Oust Brescia entry did not provide me with a ticket but thought nothing more of it as the gate opened and I entered the fast road.

The 1200 Testaretta DVT engine definitely enjoyed the fast 130 km/h roads. At low speeds the lack of torque at low revs took some time getting used to. At higher speed I could feel that powerful engine being more in its right place. The sound of the V-Twin and the stock exhaust were both fantastic. Comfort wise, the bike did not fit me well. Being 6' 2'' this bike immediately felt small for me. The seat was comfortable enough, but the knee angle would eventually make riding uncomfortable. I found no salvation in standing up as for me it was impossible to ride the bike in this position. The adjustable windscreen did not help me much as the top position resulted only in some serious helmet wobble.

Approaching Verona, I got a surprise when trying to exit the autostada. Although no information was given in English, it was obvious that I should have presented a ticket. As a consequence, I was instead presented with a € 62 penatly; the toll for the longest possible driving distance to Verona Sud on the autostrada. Slightly irritated, I still managed to find my hotel in the dark. I chained the Multistrada to a fence and called it a day after an excellent dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The next two days, I was in full day meetings. The rain was pouring down all day long, so I had to travel in full gear. I have to admit, that although my Ortlieb backback kept everything dry, changing clothes before and after every meeting felt cumbersome.

After two days of meetings I was ready to leave Verona and head into the mountains. The rain was pouring down so it was not optimal for my visit to my beloved Valpolicella region. I got there fast and drove by the famous MASI winery. I then crossed the ridge and visited the town of Negrar before hitting the SS12. I followed this road North until I was just West of the road to the North end of Guarda lake.

One this I discovered in this stretch was the vast amount of speeding cameras. I knew that they would snap your photo for the rear so I knew that I would be getting caugth. The problem was spotting the orange camera boxes but rather know the speed limit at their location. Driving too slow was not a good strategy as trailing traffic would catch up and start tailgaing. I tried to make a fair compromise and avoided being caught either by camera and traffic.

Enering the SS240 towards Trombole it was already pitch dark and it was time to find my hotel. The bike was parked safely inside the gates of Activhotel Santalucia, and I still had time for dinner in the city. The Ristorante Aqua turned out to be a very good choice.

After a good night's sleep and a very good breakfast it was time to ride down the East shore of Guarda lake. Staring up the bike I found that I had no response from the electronic throttle. The engine failure lap was also lit so I was a bit worried that this was the end of my day at Guarda lake. The weather was finally good so I was really frustrated with the bike.

Engine failure warning

 I tried to call the rental company but go no reply. I drove down to the harbor and tried again to call to no avail. I decided to drive the bike with the engine light on. I quickly discovered that the bike power was significantly reduced but otherwise it worked well for these low speed roads.

I had another stop half way down the Eastern shore and tried again to call the rental compaty. This time the call came through but they were unable to help me with my problem. I decided to google the problem and actually found a key combination that solved my problem. Bike was back to full power! Sweet.

I had a stop at the very scenic location of Campione before I left Guardia Lake and headed West over the mountains.

Campiole appartments

Campiole beach

Leaving the SS45 for the SP9 was great fun. The climb up from the lake had long stretches and hairpins. I struggled with the gear ratios and the lack of torque at low revs. The road was also wet from morning mist and the sides were covered with leaves. To my frustration I was overtaken by a R1200GS at one point. Once I reaced the dam of the Valvestino lake, the road straightened out and I started to enjoy myself. The countryside was beautiful and I had to make several stops to take photos.

Valvestino dam

Leaving the lake and SP9 I entered SP58 and headed for Capovalle. The road again narrowed and more haripins had to be overcome. Capovalle turned out to be a very nice place and I stopped for sevaral photos. From there the road went downhill towards Idro Lake. The view towards the lake was gorgeos.

View of South end of Idro Lake

At Idro lake I found a bar near the South show and stopped for a double espresso. I also had a walk along the lake shore, enjoying the view of the show covered mountains.

Walk along Idro shoreline

Driving from Idro to Iseo Lake was probably the least exiting part of the trip. The roads were busy with traffic and passing slow, industrial towns were slow. I eventually found a nice spot near the shore of Iseo where I could have lunch. I remeber having an excellent calzone with artichokes sitting outdors in the sun.

Restaurant with outdoor seating

As it was getting dark I decided to take the shortest route to Como Lake.  I drove the SP469 down to the A4 and followed the Autostrada until I hit the SS342 taking me to Lecco. Here I found a decent NH hotel (Lecco Pontevecchio) with garage parking for my Ducati. It was almost dark so I snapped som photos before taking a walk downtown.

Bridge in Lecco

I walked downtown in order find a decent meal. I used Tripadvisor and found at the Trattoria Corte Fiorina came highly recommended so I chose this restaurant. Without a reservation I was lucky to be seated immeditially.  The food and atmosphere were excellent.

After a good night's sleep I started early for my return trip to Linate airport. I knew that Milano traffic could be slow, so I figured that I would need at least two hours to get to the rental shop. I followed the SS3 down to the ring road and as I had plenty of time to reach Linate I decided to drop by Autodromo Monza and Villa Reale. Luckily, the racetrack was open to the public that day so I was able to enter with my Ducati.

At the exit, I convinced the guy in the entrance boot to take a photo of me on the Ducati in front of the gate.

Me and the Multistrada

To sum up this trip I would say that it was a good experience. Cost wise, about twice the amount a rental car would cost add some for the transportation from Linate to the rental office.  Not driving your own bike takes some getting used to in order to enjoy the extremely windy roads. It also depends on your versatility when it comes to riding of course.

On my next trip I think I will do Germany on an R1200GSA.

Pictures from the trip can be found here: