Regular readers will recognise him from his monthly penal servitude prevention advice in our White Dalton Legal column, but Gav’s as familiar with sportsbike-fuelled antics as he is with the courtroom. Armed with his Ducati 848 and a willing accomplice on his Yamaha R6, the mates vanned it down to the Alps and took in a three-nation blast that will live with them for a long time. Here’s how it went…
Not that long ago, I was speaking to my friend Mr Gomez (aka Gago) about the ‘good old days’ on our ageing middleweights: my 2010 Ducati 848 and his 2008 Yamaha R6. We can’t quite believe these bikes are 14 and 16 years old. That conversation turned into a plan – to see if these oldies (the bikes, not us!) still had what it took to make your hair stand on end and rip around Europe on an Alpine tour spanning three countries. Or was it time to give it all up and buy an adventure bike? Grab a cuppa and read on… you’ll be surprised.
About the bikes
My 848 is relatively standard apart from a quickshifter and Termignoni exhausts. Gogo’s R6 is rocking a custom paintjob and upgraded LED headlights. I purchased a race screen courtesy of Slip Screens UK (an excellent company); this is my second screen from the firm, the other being fitted to my TL1000R. The fit and quality is excellent. I also added some carbon bling items from the Carbon King and Full Six; again, I recommend both for fitment, quality and durability. A Ram Mount sorted the sat-nav on my bike. Luggage consisted of SW Motech tank bags, a HELD tail pack and backpacks.
Tyres… this was a tricky one. If you’ve ever ridden in the mountains, you will know that the weather is changeable. We wanted sticky rubber that would perform in the wet, too: enter Michelin with its Pilot Road tyres. I swear by them, and after this trip, so did Gago. The tyre is up for some abuse when the speeds are up, but it really comes into its own when the temperatures plummet and it needs to shift water. Honestly, I don’t think you will find a better tyre for everyday ‘real life’ riding.
Getting over there
As we are both on the wrong side of 40 years old, there was no way we were going to ride these pocket rockets straight to the Alps. If we did, we probably would need them surgically removed from our buttocks – it is a 10-hour ride and a great way to square off your tyres. So, the plan was to use a van. Thankfully, I had access to the White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors van, a long wheelbase Fiat Ducato that was the perfect mothership for our little sportsbikes to be transported, under cover, for about 1000km to the Alps.
Luckily for us, both bikes sat side by side in perfect unison. The R6 is a fair bit wider than the Ducati 848, the Ducati being a bit taller, so the handlebars sat clear. No rubbing here. As we had a van for a base, we loaded both one-piece race suits and some textiles, just in case the weather turned on us.
We stayed at a Premier Inn at Folkestone before getting an early 5am Eurotunnel train to Calais. From there we sat on the perfect French motorways until we reached Switzerland. We were then, frankly, robbed at the border by Swiss border guards. We needed to buy three vignettes, one for the van and one for each bike. We weren’t sure if we were going to use the bikes on the Swiss motorways, as well as the van, so rather than risk a £35 fine (plus having to buy the vignette itself at a cost of about £35), we chose to sticker up all three vehicles. The vignette is valid for the year you purchase it in. Fuel is more expensive in Switzerland, as is food and everything else.
We heard real horror stories about Switzerland. Considering Gogo’s R6 had an Race Fit exhaust and my 848 was running a full Termignoni system, both without baffles, it is fair to say we were concerned about drawing attention to ourselves. I remember a friend saying he’d got caught speeding in Switzerland; when he was pulled over, the police van had an ATM and card machine in it. No chance of ‘forgetting to pay and leaving the country’ – the Swiss rozzers wanted paying there and then.
We needn’t have worried. On the motorways and tunnels, you would be well-advised to stick to the speed limits. Off the main routes and onto the less well-known mountain passes, it appears even the locals enjoy a bit of spirited riding!
Lessons learned
Our first night didn’t quite go to plan. We just rode off in the general direction of Geneva and towards the Schafberg and La Para mountain ranges. The idea was to book hotels as we reached the end of our day’s riding, but every hotel we stopped by was full. Oh dear. With the light fading, it became apparent that the Ducati’s headlight is crap. Like, really crap; even on high beam, it was next to useless. Gogo’s R6 LED headlight was superb! So, with my Ducati having the sat-nav, I was lead bike. Gogo was riding right on my tail so I could use his headlights to see. What a pair of plonkers.
A bit of a Booking.com magic later, we found a hotel 10 miles from us and headed straight there. We arrived as they were about to close the kitchen, so beers and pizza were ordered immediately. Lesson learned: if you can book on the go, don’t leave it to the last minute.
The Alpine villages we passed through and stayed in are generally closed in September until they reopen in November for the ski season. There were many workmen in the area carrying out remedial work to the properties, so limited restaurants and hotels were open during this time – just enough to cater to the limited people working in the off season. This makes it a paradise for us bikers… quiet roads and hotels, and no one to annoy with our spirited riding (and noisy exhausts)!
Spirited riding we did by the bucketload. Into France and Italy, the roads of note were Col De Madelin, the D900 and D902. We bumped into some local French lads who worked for the Yamaha GYTR programme who further recommended some roads for us.
The Ducati, despite a minor battery fault which cleared itself, was epic. Thundering out of the corners, the L Twin really showed up the R6, which needed to rev, rev and rev, but ran out of road when we were on the mountain switchbacks; 1-0 to the Ducati on the technical, twisty mountain passes. The ride to Mount Cenis was perfect and is where you pick up the D1006. The truth is that you can get lost in this region for weeks and no matter where you turn, there is a great, twisty road around the next corner. It is massively entertaining and a great way to enjoy your motorcycle.
We saw plenty of supercars enjoying the roads, but we quickly learnt that it is better on a bike. When the roads narrow or you need to overtake a slow-moving campervan, our bikes were the perfect tool for the job. Everyone else got jammed and held up; my Ducati was thundering past slower-moving traffic, followed by the howl of the Race Fit on Gogo’s R6. Goga, having dreads, also got some interesting looks from people as we rode past. It was like riding around with the Predator!
The legal bit
My Ducati’s 1-0 victory was short-lived after a trip on the Italian motorways. Heading back north, we decided to cut a day’s riding in half by covering some big miles on the motorways. The R6 was way better on the fuel than the Ducati, my reserve light coming on when Goga had a good 40 miles left in his tank. Back on equal terms: 1-1.
Taking bikes to Europe, in a van
Is this a problem? In short, no. As long as you aren’t doing this on a commercial basis, then it is fine. We had our own bikes, with V5s in our names, with valid insurance and MoTs.
Did anyone check or care? No. If you do get stopped, you should have no trouble in importing and exporting your own motorcycle into Europe. Having evidence of your exit from Europe is useful, as it goes some way to show you don’t intend to import permanently and then you don’t need to pay import duty.
If you are planning a similar trip to ours in 2025, be aware of the incoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) system. At the moment, us Brits can travel in and out of Europe without needing to get a visa for up to 90 days in every 180. The cost will be about €7 (£6), but I think this will increase year on year.
I am sad to report that we may have triggered some speed traps on our travels. They are so very different from what we see in the UK that this is easily done. However, at the time of writing, neither of us have had any speeding tickets in the post.
Since Brexit there is no bi-lateral agreement between the UK and any European countries that allow cross-border sharing of owner/keeper details. Therefore, I don’t expect any tickets to arrive in the post. Does this mean you can speed with impunity abroad? No, not really. If the French Gendarmerie or Swizz Cantonal stop you, then expect a bloody great big fine and the potential for your bike to be seized. The Italian Carabinieri? Well, if you’re riding a Ducati, they’ll probably want to see you wheelie as they cheer in unison. Probably.
End game
So, what was the conclusion? It is fair to say we won’t be selling our sportsbikes anytime soon. We had an absolute blast, and there is a lot of life, love and laughs left in riding them on some of the best roads in Europe. We are already gearing up for our next trip. Gogo will be taking his R6, and I am staying firmly on my Ducati. Would we swap bikes? Nah. After this trip, we have grown to love them even more so. If you haven’t done a trip to the Alps, give it a go. It really is an amazing way to enjoy your sportsbike away from a race circuit.
Gavin Grewal
Fast Bikes Mag March 2025
