After a trip to Europe with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway wrote, "Never travel with anyone you don't love." That's probably very good advice but if you followed it to the letter I don't think you would travel much.
That brings us to the subject of this issue's Peyote Dreams. Motorcycle travel, especially with groups. On FaceBoook, I recently reposted a picture from a tour CJ and I took with Adriatic Mototours. It showed a group of bikes ascending a winding mountain road with the ocean in the background.
The first comment was that it looked like ducklings following their mother and was not anything the commenter would be interested in doing.
My thought was that that commenter was rather judgmental and probably didn't know much about motorcycle tours because there are many types of tours. I've found tours to be very enjoyable for a number of reasons.
1. They take away the worries about the bike breaking down. If that happens the tour company sends you another one. End of problem. Two years ago we went on a tour of the Czech Republic with our own bike and, wouldn't you know it, a tiny spring in the shifting mechanism broke and the bike was unridable. Fortunately, there was an extra bike in the chase truck and I rented it, rolled my bike in its place, and our trip was saved.
Not only are the rental bikes usually in very good shape, the guides take care of them mechanically. At the end of a long days ride, while you're in your hotel room have a nap, shower, or glass of wine, they're checking the bikes over, lubing chains, and checking tire pressure. The next morning, all you have to do is get on and ride.
2. You know where you'll be sleeping every night and the hotels are usually "best available" in the area you're traveling. Many times, because tour companies have done tours through the same area many times, the hotels are very unique and interesting places you would not find on your own. CJ and I have stayed in a cave hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey, several vineyards, and "The Last Resort" in New Zealand.
When I was younger I enjoyed "roughing it" and sleeping on the ground but, in my seventies, those days are behind me. I can still get down but sometimes I have a problem getting back up.
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3. Tour groups take you to a lot of local attractions that you might not have picked had you planned the trip in your own. In Poland we toured a salt mine that I never heard of but it was one of the highlights of the trip. In Turkey we swam in a pool where the bottom was littered with ancient columns and broken statues carved by the Romans. In the Czech Republic we went to the church decorated with human skulls and bones featured in Long Way Round.
I probably would not have found any of those attractions on my own but I wouldn't have wanted to miss them.
4. Tours take away the problems of getting lost. Granted, with GPS technology now even in most phones, getting lost isn't that much of a problem and, also granted, I've had some of my best rides when I was hopelessly lost. Still, after a hard day in the saddle, having someone guide you to your hotel, through the crazy traffic of Marrakesh, where you can't read the street signs or even the letters on the signs, is a great relief.
5. You meet new people from all over the world on tours. We've traveled with folks from Australia, New Zealand, Slovenia, most countries in Europe, as well as North and South America. You'll find you have a lot in common with most people you meet on tours. A common interest in motorcycles and travel goes a long way toward forging a bond. We've stayed in touch with many of the people we've met on tours and have visited them in their homes and they have visited us.
The first disadvantage most people mention when discussing tours is price and, I agree, many trips are expensive. International travel is expensive; airfares are expensive; hotels are expensive. However, if you priced the trip out, figuring the hotel and meal prices, pay and expenses for guides and a van at the local rate, and prices for new motorcycles in tip-top shape, I think you would find that the tour operators aren't getting rich. I think you will find that if you ride the same motorcycles, stay at the same hotels, and eat the same meals your expenses will be similar.
And let's face it. You're 70 years old and have always wanted to ship your old Norton/Triumph/BSA somewhere and ride around the Isle of Man Mountain Circuit, or the Alps, or the Andes.
Well, chances are you ain't ever gonna do it. You'll never get it together enough to organize the whole thing plus face the humiliation if your old crock breaks down in the middle of Patagonia and you have to ship it home without finishing your dream trip. BUT, just by writing a check you can do the trip of your dreams, minus all the possible headaches and heartache. The alternative is to stay home and save your money until you're too old to ride a motorcycle. But maybe they'll let you take that money with you when you're gone.
The second disadvantage of tours is number five on the list of advantages. You meet new people from all over the world. A couple of times we've had riders on tours we didn't care for. In those cases I always tried to make sure I sat at the other end of the table from them. You're going to encounter folks you don't like in many situations. You can deal with it or let it ruin your trip. The choice is yours.
The third problem I hear about tours is the "ducks and ducklings" syndrome mentioned earlier. Some motorcyclist feel about motorcycle tours like I feel about bus tours or cruises. I don't want to be in close company with a large group of strangers and herded from place to place. That is not like any moto tour I've ever been on. Most moto tours are small, ten or twelve bikes, so there usually aren't more than twenty people. On every tour I've been on you were not required to ride with the group. You can always tell the guide you want to go to a different place or take a different route. You're paying for the trip and are responsible for the bike so do as you want.
There are three levels of tours. The first is "self-guided" which is just what it sounds like. You rent the bike from the tour company and do your own thing or, for more money, they plan an itinerary for you and book your hotels, program your GPS, and off you go. The advantages are obvious. It doesn't cost as much and you can do as you please. The disadvantages are that you have no support so, if you have a problem, you're on your own at least until you can get in touch with the tour company and they can send help. Also, if you're by yourself in a country where English is not the primary language it gets really lonely really fast. You can be looking at the most amazing sight you've ever seen and, if you can't turn to the person next to you and say, "Isn't that amazing," and be understood, it's depressing.
As my friend Glen Bewley said, "You could spend a lot less money and not have nearly as much fun."
The second level is the guided tour. You sign up, pay your money, and show up at the starting point with helmet in hand. The advantages: it's easy, everything is taken care of, and, if something goes amiss, that's taken care of also. The disadvantages: it's expensive and there's that "people you don't like" thing.
The third level is the self-planned guided tour. You talk a group of friends into doing the tour with you and plan your own itinerary and hire a guide or guides from the tour company. The advantages: you can do just as you please; stay in each hotel two nights and really get to see the area, and eat where and when you want. The disadvantages: it's expensive though probably not anymore expensive than the basic tour unless some of your "friends" stiff you and don't show up after you've paid the deposit.
Years ago, when I first started reading about tours in moto mags they seemed to be mostly European locations; the Alps, Italy, and Spain. Now there are tours for almost every type of motorcycling. Want to visit India and Nepal and ride over the second highest pass in the world on a Royal Enfield? There's a tour that does that. Want to ride to Tierra del Fuego or Prudhoe Bay? Several companies have you covered. There are off-road tours to Baja California, Costa Rica, and many other places. There's even several Route 66 tours that Australian and European riders seem to love.
Why would anyone want to visit a road that's no longer there?
But to each his own. Just keep in mind what Hemingway said. "Never travel with anyone you don't love." He might have added, "because you might not love them nearly as much after the trip."
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The Norton Store in Paris - CJ and I visited the Norton store in Paris in April and I was very impressed that they had nine new bikes on the floor as well as several restored Nortons. I was even more impressed by the location. They are expensively located on Ave des Champs Elysees a half block from the Arc de Triomphe. I think they should change the name to the Arc de Norton. I didn't see any Triumphs around there.
The Hand Built Motorcycle Show - We attended the MotoGP at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin TX last month and afterward the HandBuilt Motorcycle Show. I was afraid it was going to be a chopper fest but no such thing. It was one of the best bike shows I've ever seen. It was held in an old warehouse in a funky part of town. The building and the bikes had an arty, Steam Punk kind of vibe with much skillful hand work on display. I'll be back next year.