something to look forward to...
mobile phones
If you are stuck for any reason on the
road, you will be able to get help very quickly. May this be the rental
station, your hotel, the police or an ambulance. These have a free rental charge, subject to availability, to those of you taking part in the tours or have booked a rental exceeding 10 days.
maps there are really
only two maps which we believe to be useful companions whilst riding in
Italy. TCI (Touring Club Italia) 1:200.000 and Michelin 1:400.000 maps. we will supply
you one map f.o.c. when you book a 3 day rental or more with us and will supply
additional ones at the cost of 7
euro.
luggage transportation if you are a group and would like to organise your own tour visiting specific places or taking part to specific events and you need help with the logistic of transporting your luggage let us know. Prices for luggage transportation: 150euro/day plus expenses
Worried about
getting lost? If you're coming for a weekend take advantage of a local rider to help you get the most out of it. Helping you through traffic, with translations, solving any problems you might meet, choosing an ongoing selection of twisties you'd never find on your own in a short time. Enquire about the cost. Especially for groups this may be lower than you think. info@cimt.it
italian traffic
In big cities such as Rome, Milan and Naples you will get the impression of chaos and it is true that it is generally difficult to find your way around. Our advice here is to get out in to the country as soon as possible and if you like to visit these cities do it with public transport but not on the bike. Smaller towns such as Siena, Arezzo, Sorrento etc. will be no problem at all in this respect. In the country the riding is fantastic and virtually traffic free. Below you can find a small list of useful information and tips which may come in handy when you ride over here... a) you are allowed to split lanes and ride passed cars up to a red light. It's expected of motorcycles so no car driver will take offence. Especially with stationary traffic you will be allowed to slowly make your way to the front of the line. b) the safest way in traffic is to go with the flow.
c) The Autostrada.
Autostradas
are always marked in
green as opposed to the
SS (strade statali), equivalent of A- roads, which are always marked in
blue. The Autostradas
normally have pay tolls. Motorcycles are only allowed through at the
manned booths. You should
never enter the
yellow lanes marked as TELEPASS
unless, on smaller stations, they are marked as both manual and telepass. The TELEPASS exits
and entries are only for cars and trucks which have special electronic
. On the
Autostrada keep the pace up. You'll
still find big Mercedes, BMWs or Alfas which will pass you but at a reasonable speed you have the time to see them
coming in your rear-view mirrors.
e) Police: there are 4 types of Police you need to be aware of. CARABINIERI: Dark blue cars with white roof and red stripes. Polizia Stradale: Light blue cars with POLIZIA down the side in white. Guardia di Finanza: Dark blue cars with GUARDIA DI FINANZA in yellow and green hats. POLIZIA MUNICIPALE: This is the hardest to spot. Normally white cars with red, blue or green writing. All police have the right to stop you and ask for documents s. Always have the following documents with you when riding: insurance, driving license, log book, passport. They'll signal normally by waving you over with a white lollipop with a red centre. Do stop, please!! You have nothing to fear. You have all the documents and it is likely that as soon as they realise that you are foreign and do not speak a word of Italian, they'll let you get on with your riding. Whatever happens be friendly, they are, in most cases, very nice people and most of them bikers too ;-))) !!! click below to enlarge the pictures.
f) a new traffic law came into effect on the 30th June 2003. It is much stricter on speeding, alcohol consumption and safety precautions. In Italy there is a helmet law. Anything on two wheels with an engine requires a helmet. In summer and in the south of Italy there is a tendency on behalf of Italian riders not to wear a helmet on scooters. Do not be fooled by thinking you can do the same and get away with it.
f) Access to city centres. Normally on two wheels you have no restrictions for access to the historical centres of towns. However in some cases you'll be stopped. In Rome for example between 10am and 8pm there is no access to the very centre (Tridente) to non residents. Normally the town police will be there to prevent you from accessing. g) Avoid bike theft by always locking your rental bike and finding secure overnight parking. If you have booked a hotel with no parking always ask reception if they have a garden or other closed area. Sometimes they'll let you park it in the reception of the Hotel!!! It's happened before! Do not leave passports, cash and valuable items in the motorcycle cases. These are the easiest to get broken into during the day.
IMPORTANT: THESE ARE ONLY TIPS AND CIMT CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANYTHING IN RELATION TO THE ABOVE. BE YOUR OWN JUDGE IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!!
Here is what Italy has to offer: a) almost traffic free roads. The Italian population concentrates in cities which normally lie in motorcycling uninteresting places leaving the mountains and coastlines free for us to play with! b) an improving road surface. a lot has been done over the past 3 years and more is being done. c) variety of scenery. d) variety of excellent food e) in the heart of any Italian hides a motorcyclist. f) For him: some of the most beautiful women on earth... also the hardest ones to live with!!! you are warned!!! g) For her: Italian male bikers are always in awe of a female biker. You will have top respect !! I will abstain from any comment on Italian men! Our reputation precedes us ... h) For a couple: there is hardly another place on Earth more romantic than Italy !!!
useful tips to prepare your riding...
My Grandmother always used to say that you will do your journeys at least three times. The first time with your fantasy: dreaming, reading, researching, planning. The second time you actually do it: in some cases it is a magnificent improvement on your dreams and sometimes less so. The third time and all the times after that when you re-live it with the person you travelled with or with your friends and family looking at your pictures and looking at the maps. Here we'll try to help you in preparing your next motorcycle adventure in Italy: a) plan ahead - last minute decisions will make it an expensive and dispersive effort b) don't be afraid to ask - better safe than sorry! c) select the right season - it's pointless to want to ride the Alps in Winter or along the Costiera Amalfitana in August. There are perfect times for each area. In the interesting riding areas we do specify these periods and if in doubt just ask. d) don't push it - what we mean by this is: you won't be able to ride the whole of Italy in a week. Not even if you ride all of the autostrada. Although Italy is about the same size but California there's so much to see and to ride that you should leave yourself time and come more than once. e) don't plan everything - leave some space for the unexpected. If you book all of your hotels and set yourself fixed daily targets filling all hours, you are running the risk of transforming your holiday into a marathon. Leave space for surprises! Leave space to enjoy a different pace! f) don't think a road is the same riding it the other way - The Costiera Amalfitana is only 60km/40miles long but you'll need two or three days to be able to say that you have really ridden it. You'll have to ride it at least twice in each direction. Mountain roads are like this. When you climb you never see the same things as when you ride down again. g) stop! - get off the bike! Walk around take some pictures!! Take your helmet off! Breath! Have a coffee, a granita or just sit around and experience life as it flows by you! It's a vacation!... h) Italian holidays and festivities - beware of these periods as the traffic free roads get jammed and all hotels will get fully booked.
25th to 28th March 2005
Easter weekend!
i) equipment:
we always advise people to come with their leathers and a good rain suit.
Good gloves and boots are also essential. Under gloves and long johns are a
practical during the half season and if you are touring the Alps. Always
wear your leather trousers. We say this for experience. The smallest
incident can really mess up your holiday. A slip in the car park can have
you end up with a swollen knee or ankle. Your trip will be virtually over
then.
j) packing: our
advice is to pack light. Try to work out your stops so that after 3 or 4
days you have a double night in accommodation which can offer laundry
service. As an alternative bring your hand wash detergent and do your washing in
the evening before dinner. It will be dry in the morning. k) agriturismo: this type of accommodation can be found everywhere in rural areas of Italy. We personally recommend you stop in these places if they have their own restaurants. Firstly because they are reasonably priced and normally clean. Secondly because they serve the food they grow themselves and follow traditional recipes of the area. This is the website of their association: www.agriturist.it
useful numbers CIMT
- Tel +3906 97618377 Ambulance Emergency - 118 Polizia (police) - 113 Carabinieri (police) - 112 Fire Service - 115
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To others who want to have a mobile whilst riding in Italy the cost will
be 5euro/day
It's
really not as bad
as you are lead to believe. Italy has a myth surrounding
it that it is total anarchy as far as traffic and driving habits are concerned.
The truth instead is that it is in fact a safer place for bikes than
most parts of the world. There are more motorcycles and scooters around
in Italy than anywhere else in the world. Only in Rome and surrounding
areas the estimate is 1,000,000 two wheeled vehicles. Given the numbers,
car drivers are more used to dealing with bikes and will act
respectfully.
devices on board.
If you accidentally go through a TELEPASS lane stop and comunicate your
mistake to the
station or next PUNTO BLU (information point of the Autstrade). If you don't then the rental station will get a huge bill from
the Autostrade for the longest distance possible on that section. This
will then be charged on your credit card, with prior notification, of
course. You should also
avoid entering
the VIACARD lanes,
especially if they display a "no Motorcycle entry" sign. These booths are
triggered by the amount of weight and presence of metal and sometimes won't
read a motorcycle, so you'll be sitting there with your ticket and no
chance to pay or to go anywhere until the station manually triggers the
booth. This can take quite a while. You might be lucky and a car comes
behind you triggering the booth, but if you are a group of bikes then that
won't happen and you will block the booth completely. The VIACARD booths
only take credit cards so if you intended to pay cash you won't be able to.
The VIACARD lanes are always marked in Blue.
h)
Parking
a motorcycle
cars are parked.
If there are blue lines on the floor it means that it is a pay and
display area. Sometimes it is specified that bikes may not park there
but normally bikes do not have to pay as as soon as you display the
ticket it flies away. Be sensible, however, and take up as
little room as possible. You'll
see many scooters and motorcycles parked on the pavement. Whilst we
strongly suggest you don't, you can get away with it if there are no
other options and you leave enough space for pedestrians. But be aware
it is an offence and you could get fined.
something
to look forward to...