Personal Sites / Road Registries:
www.roadmc.com
If you want to see the passes from the
riders view, you MUST visit this site. The highlights are a collection of
on-bike videos taken by the loony Norwegian and some mates.
The videos are
a scream. This is what other people say about them:
'Blatant
disregard for the innocent peoples lives they put in danger.'
'Especially good for people wanting to study poor cornering technique coupled
with the desire to look fast on video.'
'Dragging the brakes all
around the corner.'
'Passing on blind corners.' 'Crossing the
center-line.' 'Terrible riding education.'
They can take a
while to download or stream, but they're worth it.
A great site. A large and ever growing database of people's favourite roads. Some with GPS co-ordinates. Covers most of western and northern Europe.
Highly recommended.
Balades moto en
France
A nice site for the southern Alps with a bias towards scenery,
rather than the roads. Written by a couple who love their country, and the
photos show you why.
They have a good, detailed selection of B&B,
Gîtes and other places to stay.
An English version at :
perso.wanadoo.fr/french.roads/english/accueil_gb.htm which
needs a bit of imagination to understand, but gives you a good idea of what
it's about.
www.motorvision.nl
This website contains a large searchable database with places to sleep, testimonials, rentalservices and information on European countries.
The larger, original Dutch-language site is here .
www.gps4touring.com
If you want details on places to stay such as Hotels, B&B's, Gites, Chambre d'hotes and campsites you will find them here. The difference is that each comes with detailed location maps and their GPS coordinates to make them easy to find.
http://www.cols-suisses.ch
The 80 Passes Tour site. A
very comprehensive listing of 80 passes in Switzerland, with photos and
location. In French and German.
http://www.alpen-touren.com
Some fantastic 360°
panorama photos of the Central Alps. Definitely worth a look! In German only
but as it's mostly photos you needn't worry.
www.quellidellalpiraid.it
a
bunch of Italian Alpine bikers. Their page is also in English, and they've got
some good photos and info. Join them on one of their ride-outs.
www.ott.igs.net/~ace
Alex's BMW Motorcycle & Global Touring Page has descriptions of some
good Alpine roads.
www.ultrablade.com
A really good UK based site
concentrating on France & Spain
Biker Bites
Good pictures and Alpine info and links plus other general biking info.
home.t-online.de/home/tigin/motprov1.html
Touring the
south of France
http://www.motorradfuehrer.at
In German only
http://www.tourenfahrer.com
The best roads in and around
Carinthia, southern Austria.
http://www.bytefactory.com/mcycle/index.shtml
THE best UK routes index....
The North
American Sportbike Road Registry
A good directory of the bast roads in
the US, Canada and Norway
www.visi.com/~dalebor/
Useful tour advice (US biased)
www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa
European driving tips for
'murcans. Pretty exhaustive and reassonably accurate but fairly dry.
motorcycle.start4all.com/
Well-ordered links for all
things biking
Organised Touring Operators :
Here is a short list of companies / one-man shows available on The Web who organise trips in and around the Alps
| UK Based | |
|---|---|
 www.biketours-uk.com |
Motorcycle tours and rental in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland,
and the Isle of Man TT races,
plus biking vacations to France, Thailand, India, Cyprus & South Africa. His French trips go to the French Alps and take in at least 15 of the passes in the areas covered by our Savoie |
 www.tonix.co.uk |
A new UK company based in Nottingham. Their offer includes putting your bikes in a van and taking them down, leaving to to fly into the Alps and arrive refreshed with your bike waiting for you. |
| "Motoring adventures for the sports and performance car driver." Included here as their customers and sports bikers share similar interests. Based in Hampshire. |
|
 www.motorcyclenews.com/ |
Ok, not 100% to do with our subject, but they have kindly linked to us. The UK's biggest-selling bike rag. |
| France Based | |
|---|---|
 www.alpinebiker.com |
Offers guided motorcycle tours in the Swiss and French Alps, and the Jura region of France from superb luxury chalet base. |
| USA Based | |
|---|---|
 |
If you're American-based then this is a damn good option to explore the Alps with. Seems he has the right mixture of organisation to get you there, show you around a bit, but you can do your own thing if you want, as well. His site is nicely laid out and has some good tips. (no, he's not paying me to say this). |
 Beach's |
if you're American and not heard of them...shame on you ! |
 admo-tours |
Worldwide trips, tours and rentals. Everything from basic to fully-organised tours. |
| Switzerland Based | |
|---|---|
 S.A.P.
Tour |
Swiss Alpine Passes Tour company. Says it all. |
 Motorbike-tours |
Guided motorcycle tours across the European Alps. Based in Switzerland in Winterthur near Zürich with a range of bikes for hire. |
| Germany Based | |
|---|---|
Bosenberg |
Specialising in central Europe and the Alps, they are based near Frankfurt I think. They have a wide range of bikes from Harleys to Ducatis for hire. The site is in English. |
| MotorbikeFunTours | Based in Frunkfurt, Germany. Their site is in English,Spanish,
German... They also hire bikes - BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda. |
| Austria Based | |
|---|---|
Edelweiss |
Probably the biggest thing in biking tours. Based originally in Austria, they started with local trips and now they do the whole world. |
| Slovenia Based | |
|---|---|
www.smtours.com
 |
SLOVENIA MOTORCYCLE TOURS Motorcycle Tours in Slovenia, Croatia's Adriatic coast and the Italian Alps on new BMWs or with your own bike. Support van, comfortable accommodation and great views included. |
| Romania Based | |
|---|---|
www.rideinromania.com
 |
RIDE IN ROMANIA Romania is a country of freedom… join us on a perfect tour… we visit legendary Dracula castles, we discover wild Danube Delta, we learn culture and traditions, taste our famous wine and visit old monasteries! We offer you a perfect Motorcycle Tour and places that you will never forget! |
Bike Rental/Hire
 Moto-Center
Thun |
Based near Interlaken and started 20 years ago by two bikers as a
hobby, it's now a very large and successful dealer for BMW, Aprilia and Honda.
They have a large parts and clothing store and have a wide range of bikes for
hire, from full BMW tourers to the lastest Aprilia and Honday models. We've
experienced these chaps and found thier service to be exceptional, friendly and
efficient. If a little expensive (this *is* Switzerland after all). They're
also within spitting distance of the central Swiss and Mont Blanc routes.
They have a branch in Bern as well. Fly in to Zürich or Geneva and get the train |
| admo-tours |
A vareity of bikes. Offices in Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, Milan, Rome, Madrid, Malaga, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Nice, Avignon |
| www.moto-mader.ch | a fairly large dealership near Zürich. |
 BMW Niederlassung Munchen Motorradzentrum |
BMW Niederlassung Munchen Motorradzentrum tel: +49/89 35621452, fax +49/89 35621499 Frankfurter Ring 35, D-80807 Munich, Germany |
 Allround
Bike Hire |
A range of bikes and cars for hire |
 |
Based in Frankfurt, Germany. Their site is in
English,Spanish,German... Makes for hire include BMW, Harley-Davidson, Honda - They also have a wide range of tours throughout Europe. |
 www.holiday-bikes.com |
A major bike hire specialists for the whole of France. |