Over The Top!
Gratuitous Photos Of Motorcycle Theme Parks

Slow loading, but if you are a motorcyclist you'll be glad you waited.

Toughest paved road in the world?  This would make the short list.   It is the Swiss side of the treacherous Passo della Stelvio (Stilferjoch).   Built in the early 19th Century, Stelvio's north side was never intended for today's speeds.  It features a narrow lane descending steeply through near-zero radius hairpins.  You can not see if there is oncoming traffic until after you commit to your line through the turn.  And just for laughs, the inside part of the corners are banked with unusual steepness, thus begging to punish motorcycle not maintaining speed.  In the foreground note the first of the 47 hairpins that define the northern slope.  Don't let the photo fool you; this road is even tougher than it looks.

Just another warm sunny July afternoon at the top of the Nufenen pass, Switzerland's highest pass road.  Even at this altitude the summer weather can reach into the 70's F. But not always.  Nufenen is on one of the Figure-8 loops through and around Andermatt, including Furka, Sustenpass, Oberalp, St. Gotthard, and Klausenpass.   No Alps motorcycle tour is complete without these loops.

2-way traffic?  Acutally, yes.  The Passo del Vivione is one of a handful of Italy's toy roads, just barely wide enough for a single car.  In spite of that, most of these Alpine roads are accessible in both directions.  Italy's solution?  They put up signs marking the roads as permanently closed.  In the half hour it takes to cross this pass, it's not likely that you will see more than 3 other vehicles.  But that half hour ride can take longer:  This permanently closed road has a cafe at the top.

What's this got to do with great motorcycle roads?  Look for the road in the lower left corner.  This June 20 photo was taken on the Petite St. Bernard pass (Piccolo St. Bernard on the Italian side).

After climbing Italy's Passo di Gavia and crossing snow-covered fields at the top, you can come down the southern side only to find that they never finished building the road.  Maybe that's why they have "road closed" signs at the bottom.  Actually, the pavement gives way to dirt & gravel about 8,000 feet up, but as you descend through the twisties you'll find that the hairpins themselves are paved, turning again to dirt as soon as you exit the corner.  And, yes, the road is permanently closed, but that doesn't stop the cafe at the top from being open.  Ah, Italy!

There are many great ways to ride a motorcycle in the Alps.  You can take a group motorcycle tour with Beach Motorcycle Tours or Edelweiss.  If you are too independent for that, call us at (800) 258-0755 and we will arrange a motorcycle rental for you, with unlimited mileage, setup your first night hotel, and give you suggested route maps and hotel info along the way.

Home | About Travelcraft | Corporate Travel
Airfare Magic |
Motorcycle Adventures | Chutzpah Awards
Employment | Contact Us