Hello and thanks for your video. I watched it a few times and the tips helped me a lot. On July 30, I climbed the Stelvio Pass with my Suzuki DL650 V Strom fully loaded. Very good and detailed video with good and accurate explanations. Thanks bro
Good advice. We did Stelvio last week 2 up on a BMW Rt. We are from Western Australia so don't have roads anything like the European mountain passes. We left the luggage at our accommodation and I am glad we did. I would have to say that the hairpins can be very challenging due to the narrow width of the road, the gradient and lack of visibility for oncoming traffic in places. You have to look well ahead and keep the bike moving, a bit of clutch slip helps at times to keep the drive (momentum) out of the bends. They are tight and it is not a place I would recommend for novice riders. I had watched videos prior of people dropping their bike on the hairpin bends and wondered why they had issues. Now after riding Stelvio I understand. I recommend get to the top before 10am to avoid the peak traffic times. Thanks for the info.
Talking about being careful towards car drivers, here’s my cautionary tale. I’m a daily rider since 3 years, I went from a 125 to an 850 and now a 1250, I do like 15-20k km a year. Not experienced, not properly a noob. I went up for the first time, from the east side of the Stelvio with a fully loaded GS + not very experienced pillion. Not the best start, but I was amazed at how I was constantly pulling good lines, while I was passing riders with middleweights that were struggling. I was focused, and I trained on hairpins like that a few times before so I always remained on the right side even in the worst ones, but hairpins aren’t my daily bread and butter and my training was always without heavy traffic, so getting too cocky got me. It was close to the 15th of August (national holiday) so there was a lot of traffic here, and I was going up behind this very slow cager between the 17th and the 16th hairpin, the one you took at 20:45 in your video. I waited for the cager to initiate the turn, then I got close because the intention was to pass him as soon as possible on the straight, and at about 3/4 of the turn he suddenly stomped on the brakes. I was behind him, already on the right side because I was closing up the line, and had to stop abruptly behind him, with the ground totally missing below my right foot (near the white line it’s very steep) - I dropped the bike, fortunately no damage to us or the bike, other bikers immediately helped. The next time I will let cars completely finish their turn, and I will respect the Stelvio even more, taking it slower :)
I must say that i did stelvio last week for the first time and i went up from the east, that was the day after i arrived from Romania, with my wife. We are both experienced in mountain riding BUT the first true Stelvio hairpin dissarmed me, got me by surprinse and made me feel like a begginer 😅. I calmed myself down and i left the bike mostly in first gear and sometimes in 2nd and i got the hang of it after the first 15 hairpins 😂😂. After stelvio i realised that most dolomites mountain passes are similar to stelvio🤣. You need a lot of calm and a lot of experience! Not for novice riders!
Thank you for your comment 😊 great information for others to read, this is the reason I made this video, yes most of the dolomites are very similar, ride safe
Five years ago i was still a fairly new inexperienced riders (one year of experience) and I did the stelvio pass. In the beginning i was nervous and i used my clutch way too much in the hairpins which was bad because no power to rear wheel = bike wants to tip over sensation and i had a poor riding line. So i decided to drive the pass a few times just for experience. Eventually i figured out to downshift to first BEFORE the hairpin, keep a steady throttle atleast 2/3k rpms so the backwheel has power and drag the rear brake to control speed and slowly release back brake when leaving the hairpin. After that the motorcycle felt very good, i felt confident and i felt like i 'figured out' how to do hairpins. Its all about practice!
Nice video i should have watched before i took Stelvio last week. Unexperienced rider only driven heavy bikes for 3 years.Made it all the way up and stopped for the view at the left side before the top were others also parked.When i backed out to go the last 100 yards i failed to get enough torq on the bike and the bike tipped to my right.I managed to keep the bike from touching the ground and others came to my rescue, Thanks .It was actually Okey to make the turns but sometimes really scary when incoming traffic was to heavy.So glad to done it anyway.Thanks for the video.
CRAZY !!! Life saver video. This is like a PSA for riders. Excellent video. I was researching a ride the Alps on motorcycle tour. Glad I stumbled on your video. You make some very good recommendations and observations. Especially issue of seeing oncoming cars / traffic with steep mountain side. Also needing to make wide outside radius approach into hairpin due to very steep incline on inside of hairpin turn. I did see section of video where you almost dropped bike because of camber on turn. I am a fellow rider ( Adventure Rider ) from Virginia. Excellent footage of Stelio Pass and explanation. Cheers. Kam
@@SteveHarleyTours Hi Steve, Do you have any videos / info showing following other locations in Alps: Albula Pass, Overalp Pass, Gotthard, Mont Blanc, Route of the Grand Alps, Cod de l'lseran pass, Cold d'lzoard, Col de Vars, Col de la Bonette. Looking at at a trip a trip in June that includes these places. I hope none are like Stelvio. Biggest concern for me is other drivers as you not. Kam
Great video. I did the Stelvio last week and was warned…so I was cautious. Nothing to prove just fun riding and enjoying. As said, great video and great tips!
Good job you two, thank you very much, some of the curves are nearly impossible to complete with a heavily packed bike, but this video helped us prepare for our tour there.
Yours is the best video yet on Stelvio, but I am glad that I actually rode it before watching. Otherwise I think that I would have chickened out! At the time, I was 76 years old, riding a Moto Guzzi V7. This was the ideal bike for me, because I am also short at 5 ft 8. It is just as well that Guzzi’s have strong clutches, because it got hammered, and I rode mostly in first gear, never got past second going up. Cyclists and camper vans were the ‘enemy’ , but I refused to stop for them, because I am sure that I would have dropped the bike. Much use of friction zone to keep it moving forward at all costs, hence the smoking clutch… I am glad I did it, but never again! (too old now, anyway, but I am having a go at Rajasthan in India on a Royal Enfield soon). I expect challenges dealing with traffic and cows, but hopefully no hairpins.
Great tips, very detailed. I think some riders never train 8 turns with a pillon on a small space. Like for a driving licence, and than surprise that they have to turn sharpy, lean motorcycle and add revs at the same time. All that in coming traffic with no option available to stop machine and rest feet on the ground. Thanks for video!
Thanks for the tips! Personally I did some training before riding in Alps (not particularly related, I just wanted to be a better rider) and because you can kinda compartmentalize, so I was able to apply what I learned. One commenter who said he got too cocky - yes, that can happen, it is necessary to always think what could happen. That's why I prefer to leave a space before going to the turn, so you don't have to react at the last moment; and to go in wide, leave at the right border - to avoid anything that may come the opposite way, as some people ride in the middle and seeing someone ride/drive at you is the worst thing that could happen. And it is not possible to see them as you could stationary traffic. Stay concentrated and I hope you and everyone will be able to enjoy the mountains!
this year I plan my 50th ride over the stelvio. this year not with my brave 900s, but with a royal enfield himalayan. whenever I drove this pass, I only had pure fun! I recommend that everyone is there very early and best of all this week. at the weeks it is simply too crowded, and the different possible speeds of bicycles, cars and motorcycles make too much stress for everyone. and when you see one of the mountain buses come - make it space. a grateful bus driver gives you a laugh and sometimes a loud signal :-) Don't look at your watch - get some time and enjoy this adventure. it's too bad if you don't see anything...
Haha, i can relate... I went up stelvio in my second year of riding. I had a very light bike (690 Duke), no luggage and was alone. Still, it got hairy at times with lots of traffic and i had a close call.😂
Rode the Stelvio a couple of weeks ago, I'm not very experienced, big tall bike fully loaded, short legs . I've dropped my bike before so i am paranoid about it. I must admit after the first few hairpins i nearly gave up and turned around , it was quite terrifying, i've never had cars coming at me mid turn like this. I made it to the top by doing what you advised, moving far over to the left and letting the traffic pass inside of me then preoceeding when the bend is clear,
In addition, it is useful that you know the traffic rules when you drive in the mountains. one of these rules is : traffic driving up mountain usually has priority over descending traffic on a narrow mountain road, because it can be more difficult to get going again if it comes to a standstill. Is the situation very complicated? Then whoever can dodge the easiest should do so.
Have to say I went to Stelvio pretty soon after picking up motorbike riding. Had a cheap (bought for €400) GSX-F 750, a mid-weight touring bike packed with camping gear (went to go hiking in Valtellina with friends I joined there, actually), and really enjoyed it, always thinking how little fun this must be to the people in cars and how easy it was for me on a bike to just go around these corners with meters to spare... even though my terribly adjusted carbs overheated in traffic at one point and I had to stop and pour water over it to continue. Which was nice, as a couple on a 50cc Vespa were changing their tires at the same place and we were cheering each other on to get going :). Was riding alone though, I guess that makes a big difference. Also, I think the biggest difference of all is the technique of stepping up from the bike and just turning it while you semi-stand - something I knew from slalom practice before.
This film was created to educate you about this beautiful but challenging mountain pass; ultimately, the decision to ascend the mountain pass is up to you. However, those who are inexperienced or riding really large motorcycles can easily ascend from Bormio. More analysis check this video too th-cam.com/video/a4anDZmhqkQ/w-d-xo.html
Great video ,loved every second of it . Next time you go, do yourself and your honey a favor . leave the BMW at home and take the Harley . And since you love her more then anything before you go trade in the Fat boy for a Road Glide . You had two major problems going up the pass . I ride a Road Glide ( 900 Lbs. plus fully loaded ) . I have no problem riding circles in a 5.50 meter diameter Yes the floorboards will scrape ,but that is no big deal . The low end torque is what you need to get you around the hairpins . BMW has horsepower but the torque comes at high rpms . Load up the clutch hit the back brake and LEAN into it . YOU HAVE TO LEAN THE BIKE . Practice low speed turns on a parking lot . Your lady is a great sport . Please practice low speed turns . It is the best feeling . Check out Ride like a Pro video . I did and it helped a lot .
Lol great comment, thank you for the advice but if you look at our older Tour videos you see riding the Harley on places much more difficult than the Stelvio here in GREECE, the beemer with the high center of gravity it's a whole different story, btw we keep the Fatboy for now, we are together for 29 years, ride safe
@@SteveHarleyTours Yes the Harley is a much better choice over the beemer . Much easier and nicer experience . Congratulations on the 29 years . very nice .
Everything is possible, I do also own a street glide now and we do mountain roads here , low center of gravity is the key I think, but hairpin turns like that yes it’s very challenging I agree
Anybody here agree that the Only thing he is not mentioning among countless "If .... Dont try this road" was : IF your Prostate is too big dont try this road
All respect to Stelvio hairpins. But, the road leading up to Stelvio is of high quality, the asphalt on the hairpins is excellent. If you want to see a challenging alpine road with very little maintenance and very narrow hairpins, look no further from the road on the Croatia’s Biokovo mountain. There’s a road within the Biokovo Nature Park leading all the way up to the summit of the Biokovo mountain. Summit is called Sveti Jure (Saint George) and it sits at around 1750 meters above sea. It’s a very steep, karst, rocky mountain separating Adriatic Sea from the Croatia’s interior. I’ve been up and down that road many times. We’ll see how it compares to Stelvio.
@@SteveHarleyTours check it out on the Google Street view, then you’ll get the idea. The hairpins start just before the summit, last 200 meters before the top of the mountain. I’ve seen people getting scared and turning away from it and going back down.
Thanks for the upload and sharing your most welcome advice on riding techniques. I enjoyed it a lot. But you won't see us riding it. We like to avoid these places. it's massively overcrowded . Causing a big nuisance for everybody, especially the locals. No fun at all. 😔 We should have done that 20-30 years ago when motorcycling wasn't that popular yet. Nowadays everybody seems to ride bikes.( and go skiing in the winter, for that matter, same story) And all over Europe roads are closed for motorcycles because of this nuisance. We prefer the far less crowded open roads. Nevertheless thank you for letting us experience it without actually being there
@@Kongzi93 You very welcome however I agreed with you backroads in the country it’s much more fun, take a look at our Backroads playlist to get an idea ..
@@SteveHarleyTours Not yet but I hope to get over there someday. It is on my bucket list. The volume of 48 repetitive hairpins would definitely be a challenge. No time to rest. My observation, completely from watching your video and others, is that the turns have more than enough room for an experienced rider on a touring Harley to complete. The turning radius is 18 feet, sometimes less when single rider and scraping the bottom, so looking at the videos I'd expect that a two up touring riding should be able to stay within their lane. Daunting yes, doable yes. We did complete 8,000+ mile tours two up the last two summers. Rode across the US via Route 66 last year and US East/North East states and Eastern half of Canada this year. Being two up is an added challenge but adding luggage, especially the overpacking I have to contend with (another 100 lbs) on the bike is even more so. Plenty of challenging roads and multiple hairpins along the way. The "Tail of the Dragon" is like that with 318 "curves" in 11 miles. I'm not sure some of those are really curves but it sounds good in the marketing. Much better touring routes in that area but the Tail gets all the publicity. Several hairpins/switch backs along that short route along with cars and "knee draggers" trying to run it as fast as they can. The two scariest roads for me two up touring has been the backroad to Oatman, AZ and Auto Road up Mt Washington in NH. Neither had guardrails. The Oatman road was paved but washed out in places and had gravel across the road throughout. The Auto Road was 8 miles into the sky. The top 3 miles closed in with clouds. After getting to the top the visibility shortened to just a few feet so the descent was navigating a car length at a time for those top 3 miles.
@@anotek lmao, this have nothing to do with roads in the US, i have done 9000 miles from NY to LA and back from the South & Rookies and much more including Route 66 the Lewis and Clark off road and more in the USA, you have no idea what this is, we ride Greece also that is about the same and some places even MORE difficult, when you get there or here come back here and let me know, ride safe Also the Tail of the Dragon" is like that with 318 "curves" for us we are laughing ( yes have done that), look "Backroads Greece" playlist here that was a million turns and thousand of hairpin turns, get a tour with us (we are tour guides) and you know the unknown, ride safe buddy
Yep, I have had bikes all sorts, on and off for around 50+ years, but getting old now, and had near 8 year break, now have a good bike for this type of ride, 600f Hornet, lightwight yet very powerful, hardest thing with it is learning the throttle, you have to be very carefull with it, or its gone like a rocket up the pass on 1 wheel ahha. . but over here where I live now we the shipka pass, Bulgaria is not that far from Greece. fantastic views, but some of the turns, are very sharp like an knife, and very steep I have driven it many times with cars, but I may go with my bike later this year. But I need to regain my confidence and get to know the bike better before I try it. ahha, I thought the same, follow a car and let them clear the road. old experience told me that.
The bike can, but can the rider? If you feel up to it, because you have experience and sufficient technique in navigating steep hairpins, there should be no problem.
Hello and thanks for your video. I watched it a few times and the tips helped me a lot. On July 30, I climbed the Stelvio Pass with my Suzuki DL650 V Strom fully loaded. Very good and detailed video with good and accurate explanations. Thanks bro
Glad it helped! Enjoy the channel, ride safe
Good advice. We did Stelvio last week 2 up on a BMW Rt. We are from Western Australia so don't have roads anything like the European mountain passes. We left the luggage at our accommodation and I am glad we did. I would have to say that the hairpins can be very challenging due to the narrow width of the road, the gradient and lack of visibility for oncoming traffic in places. You have to look well ahead and keep the bike moving, a bit of clutch slip helps at times to keep the drive (momentum) out of the bends. They are tight and it is not a place I would recommend for novice riders. I had watched videos prior of people dropping their bike on the hairpin bends and wondered why they had issues. Now after riding Stelvio I understand. I recommend get to the top before 10am to avoid the peak traffic times. Thanks for the info.
"I'm glad it helped , ride safe, thank you for your detailed comment 😊
Talking about being careful towards car drivers, here’s my cautionary tale.
I’m a daily rider since 3 years, I went from a 125 to an 850 and now a 1250, I do like 15-20k km a year. Not experienced, not properly a noob. I went up for the first time, from the east side of the Stelvio with a fully loaded GS + not very experienced pillion. Not the best start, but I was amazed at how I was constantly pulling good lines, while I was passing riders with middleweights that were struggling. I was focused, and I trained on hairpins like that a few times before so I always remained on the right side even in the worst ones, but hairpins aren’t my daily bread and butter and my training was always without heavy traffic, so getting too cocky got me.
It was close to the 15th of August (national holiday) so there was a lot of traffic here, and I was going up behind this very slow cager between the 17th and the 16th hairpin, the one you took at 20:45 in your video. I waited for the cager to initiate the turn, then I got close because the intention was to pass him as soon as possible on the straight, and at about 3/4 of the turn he suddenly stomped on the brakes. I was behind him, already on the right side because I was closing up the line, and had to stop abruptly behind him, with the ground totally missing below my right foot (near the white line it’s very steep) - I dropped the bike, fortunately no damage to us or the bike, other bikers immediately helped. The next time I will let cars completely finish their turn, and I will respect the Stelvio even more, taking it slower :)
What a great story , thank you for sharing, ride safe buddy
Δύσκολο πέρασμα με φορτωμένη μηχανή και δυκαβαλο, πολύ καλά τα πήγατε, μπράβο σας με τόσο βάρος, ευχαριστώ για τις πληροφορίες
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ, καλούς δρόμους
I must say that i did stelvio last week for the first time and i went up from the east, that was the day after i arrived from Romania, with my wife. We are both experienced in mountain riding BUT the first true Stelvio hairpin dissarmed me, got me by surprinse and made me feel like a begginer 😅. I calmed myself down and i left the bike mostly in first gear and sometimes in 2nd and i got the hang of it after the first 15 hairpins 😂😂. After stelvio i realised that most dolomites mountain passes are similar to stelvio🤣. You need a lot of calm and a lot of experience! Not for novice riders!
Thank you for your comment 😊 great information for others to read, this is the reason I made this video, yes most of the dolomites are very similar, ride safe
Five years ago i was still a fairly new inexperienced riders (one year of experience) and I did the stelvio pass. In the beginning i was nervous and i used my clutch way too much in the hairpins which was bad because no power to rear wheel = bike wants to tip over sensation and i had a poor riding line. So i decided to drive the pass a few times just for experience. Eventually i figured out to downshift to first BEFORE the hairpin, keep a steady throttle atleast 2/3k rpms so the backwheel has power and drag the rear brake to control speed and slowly release back brake when leaving the hairpin. After that the motorcycle felt very good, i felt confident and i felt like i 'figured out' how to do hairpins. Its all about practice!
@@Kevin97587 its ok to use the clutch in hairpin turns,just briefly though.
@Adrenalean767 depends the turn you have to many times to keep your balance and speed
Nice video i should have watched before i took Stelvio last week. Unexperienced rider only driven heavy bikes for 3 years.Made it all the way up and stopped for the view at the left side before the top were others also parked.When i backed out to go the last 100 yards i failed to get enough torq on the bike and the bike tipped to my right.I managed to keep the bike from touching the ground and others came to my rescue, Thanks .It was actually Okey to make the turns but sometimes really scary when incoming traffic was to heavy.So glad to done it anyway.Thanks for the video.
Glad you okay, and you are welcome , ride safe buddy
CRAZY !!!
Life saver video. This is like a PSA for riders. Excellent video. I was researching a ride the Alps on motorcycle tour. Glad I stumbled on your video. You make some very good recommendations and observations. Especially issue of seeing oncoming cars / traffic with steep mountain side. Also needing to make wide outside radius approach into hairpin due to very steep incline on inside of hairpin turn. I did see section of video where you almost dropped bike because of camber on turn.
I am a fellow rider ( Adventure Rider ) from Virginia. Excellent footage of Stelio Pass and explanation. Cheers. Kam
Thank you , not an easy one with loaded bike two up + gear
@@SteveHarleyTours Hi Steve, Do you have any videos / info showing following other locations in Alps: Albula Pass, Overalp Pass, Gotthard, Mont Blanc, Route of the Grand Alps, Cod de l'lseran pass, Cold d'lzoard, Col de Vars, Col de la Bonette.
Looking at at a trip a trip in June that includes these places. I hope none are like Stelvio. Biggest concern for me is other drivers as you not. Kam
Hi we have the Alps playlist and Greece backroads , we ride Greece this year 😊
Great video. I did the Stelvio last week and was warned…so I was cautious. Nothing to prove just fun riding and enjoying. As said, great video and great tips!
Thank you enjoy
Good job you two, thank you very much, some of the curves are nearly impossible to complete with a heavily packed bike, but this video helped us prepare for our tour there.
Thaaaaaaanks we appreciate the feedback :)
Yours is the best video yet on Stelvio, but I am glad that I actually rode it before watching. Otherwise I think that I would have chickened out!
At the time, I was 76 years old, riding a Moto Guzzi V7. This was the ideal bike for me, because I am also short at 5 ft 8. It is just as well that Guzzi’s have strong clutches, because it got hammered, and I rode mostly in first gear, never got past second going up.
Cyclists and camper vans were the ‘enemy’ , but I refused to stop for them, because I am sure that I would have dropped the bike. Much use of friction zone to keep it moving forward at all costs, hence the smoking clutch…
I am glad I did it, but never again! (too old now, anyway, but I am having a go at Rajasthan in India on a Royal Enfield soon). I expect challenges dealing with traffic and cows, but hopefully no hairpins.
@@captratty2167 Good job congrats ride safe, thanks
Great tips, very detailed. I think some riders never train 8 turns with a pillon on a small space. Like for a driving licence, and than surprise that they have to turn sharpy, lean motorcycle and add revs at the same time. All that in coming traffic with no option available to stop machine and rest feet on the ground. Thanks for video!
You very welcome Tom, ride safe
Thanks for the tips! Personally I did some training before riding in Alps (not particularly related, I just wanted to be a better rider) and because you can kinda compartmentalize, so I was able to apply what I learned. One commenter who said he got too cocky - yes, that can happen, it is necessary to always think what could happen. That's why I prefer to leave a space before going to the turn, so you don't have to react at the last moment; and to go in wide, leave at the right border - to avoid anything that may come the opposite way, as some people ride in the middle and seeing someone ride/drive at you is the worst thing that could happen. And it is not possible to see them as you could stationary traffic.
Stay concentrated and I hope you and everyone will be able to enjoy the mountains!
@@TacticalHamsterDance it’s all about preparing for the worst and be able to avoid it, agree , ride safe
I've been to Stelvio twice. Everything you said in the video is true ;-)
Thank you Roger much appreciated ☺️ enjoy the series
this year I plan my 50th ride over the stelvio. this year not with my brave 900s, but with a royal enfield himalayan.
whenever I drove this pass, I only had pure fun!
I recommend that everyone is there very early and best of all this week. at the weeks it is simply too crowded, and the different possible speeds of bicycles, cars and motorcycles make too much stress for everyone.
and when you see one of the mountain buses come - make it space. a grateful bus driver gives you a laugh and sometimes a loud signal :-)
Don't look at your watch - get some time and enjoy this adventure. it's too bad if you don't see anything...
Thanks for the info, with the royal enfield himalayan it's for sure a fun ride!
Haha, i can relate... I went up stelvio in my second year of riding. I had a very light bike (690 Duke), no luggage and was alone. Still, it got hairy at times with lots of traffic and i had a close call.😂
Good job congrats
Rode the Stelvio a couple of weeks ago, I'm not very experienced, big tall bike fully loaded, short legs . I've dropped my bike before so i am paranoid about it. I must admit after the first few hairpins i nearly gave up and turned around , it was quite terrifying, i've never had cars coming at me mid turn like this. I made it to the top by doing what you advised, moving far over to the left and letting the traffic pass inside of me then preoceeding when the bend is clear,
Good job ride safe
In addition, it is useful that you know the traffic rules when you drive in the mountains. one of these rules is : traffic driving up mountain usually has priority over descending traffic on a narrow mountain road, because it can be more difficult to get going again if it comes to a standstill. Is the situation very complicated? Then whoever can dodge the easiest should do so.
Interesting looks like the incoming traffic no one knows that rules, thanks for sharing,
Have to say I went to Stelvio pretty soon after picking up motorbike riding. Had a cheap (bought for €400) GSX-F 750, a mid-weight touring bike packed with camping gear (went to go hiking in Valtellina with friends I joined there, actually), and really enjoyed it, always thinking how little fun this must be to the people in cars and how easy it was for me on a bike to just go around these corners with meters to spare... even though my terribly adjusted carbs overheated in traffic at one point and I had to stop and pour water over it to continue. Which was nice, as a couple on a 50cc Vespa were changing their tires at the same place and we were cheering each other on to get going :). Was riding alone though, I guess that makes a big difference. Also, I think the biggest difference of all is the technique of stepping up from the bike and just turning it while you semi-stand - something I knew from slalom practice before.
Thanks for sharing ride safe
@@SteveHarleyTours you too! Isn't it great how many good memories there are to make, just by riding A to B via some mountain pass? :)
The best buddy
Thanks so much for this really informative video. Exceptionally useful - thank you for sharing your experience and debrief 👍👍
You are very welcome, enjoy and ride safe , did you go up Stelvio pass yet?
This film was created to educate you about this beautiful but challenging mountain pass; ultimately,
the decision to ascend the mountain pass is up to you. However, those who are inexperienced or riding really large motorcycles can easily ascend from Bormio.
More analysis check this video too th-cam.com/video/a4anDZmhqkQ/w-d-xo.html
Great video ,loved every second of it . Next time you go, do yourself and your honey a favor . leave the BMW at home and take the Harley . And since you love her more then anything before you go trade in the Fat boy for a Road Glide . You had two major problems going up the pass . I ride a Road Glide ( 900 Lbs. plus fully loaded ) . I have no problem riding circles in a 5.50 meter diameter Yes the floorboards will scrape ,but that is no big deal . The low end torque is what you need to get you around the hairpins . BMW has horsepower but the torque comes at high rpms . Load up the clutch hit the back brake and LEAN into it . YOU HAVE TO LEAN THE BIKE . Practice low speed turns on a parking lot . Your lady is a great sport . Please practice low speed turns . It is the best feeling . Check out Ride like a Pro video . I did and it helped a lot .
Lol great comment, thank you for the advice but if you look at our older Tour videos you see riding the Harley on places much more difficult than the Stelvio here in GREECE, the beemer with the high center of gravity it's a whole different story, btw we keep the Fatboy for now, we are together for 29 years, ride safe
@@SteveHarleyTours Yes the Harley is a much better choice over the beemer . Much easier and nicer experience . Congratulations on the 29 years . very nice .
Thanks 🙏
I rode the stelvio yesterday with my 2012 streetglide and sure it is a bit more challenging with a 400kg motorcycle but not impossible
Everything is possible, I do also own a street glide now and we do mountain roads here , low center of gravity is the key I think, but hairpin turns like that yes it’s very challenging I agree
Thanks a lot. very informative. makes me humble and carefull.
You welcome 🤗 ride safe
Anybody here agree that the Only thing he is not mentioning among countless "If .... Dont try this road" was : IF your Prostate is too big dont try this road
Lol
Good video and great advice. Thank you.
You very welcome ride safe
Great information, rare video THANK YOU, i just sent some tips
thank you very much
All respect to Stelvio hairpins. But, the road leading up to Stelvio is of high quality, the asphalt on the hairpins is excellent. If you want to see a challenging alpine road with very little maintenance and very narrow hairpins, look no further from the road on the Croatia’s Biokovo mountain. There’s a road within the Biokovo Nature Park leading all the way up to the summit of the Biokovo mountain. Summit is called Sveti Jure (Saint George) and it sits at around 1750 meters above sea. It’s a very steep, karst, rocky mountain separating Adriatic Sea from the Croatia’s interior. I’ve been up and down that road many times. We’ll see how it compares to Stelvio.
Ok thanks for the info
@@SteveHarleyTours check it out on the Google Street view, then you’ll get the idea. The hairpins start just before the summit, last 200 meters before the top of the mountain. I’ve seen people getting scared and turning away from it and going back down.
Which gear for hairpins, first or second with clutch?
I will recommend go from Bormio if you’re not sure however only first gear until you clear the turn
Thanks for the upload and sharing your most welcome advice on riding techniques. I enjoyed it a lot. But you won't see us riding it. We like to avoid these places. it's massively overcrowded . Causing a big nuisance for everybody, especially the locals. No fun at all. 😔 We should have done that 20-30 years ago when motorcycling wasn't that popular yet. Nowadays everybody seems to ride bikes.( and go skiing in the winter, for that matter, same story) And all over Europe roads are closed for motorcycles because of this nuisance. We prefer the far less crowded open roads. Nevertheless thank you for letting us experience it without actually being there
@@Kongzi93 You very welcome however I agreed with you backroads in the country it’s much more fun, take a look at our Backroads playlist to get an idea ..
Them 49 hairpins wouldn’t be a walk in the park but I didn’t see anything an experienced touring riding couldn’t handle.
Have you rode Stelvio two up loaded?
@@SteveHarleyTours Not yet but I hope to get over there someday. It is on my bucket list.
The volume of 48 repetitive hairpins would definitely be a challenge. No time to rest. My observation, completely from watching your video and others, is that the turns have more than enough room for an experienced rider on a touring Harley to complete. The turning radius is 18 feet, sometimes less when single rider and scraping the bottom, so looking at the videos I'd expect that a two up touring riding should be able to stay within their lane. Daunting yes, doable yes.
We did complete 8,000+ mile tours two up the last two summers. Rode across the US via Route 66 last year and US East/North East states and Eastern half of Canada this year. Being two up is an added challenge but adding luggage, especially the overpacking I have to contend with (another 100 lbs) on the bike is even more so. Plenty of challenging roads and multiple hairpins along the way.
The "Tail of the Dragon" is like that with 318 "curves" in 11 miles. I'm not sure some of those are really curves but it sounds good in the marketing. Much better touring routes in that area but the Tail gets all the publicity. Several hairpins/switch backs along that short route along with cars and "knee draggers" trying to run it as fast as they can.
The two scariest roads for me two up touring has been the backroad to Oatman, AZ and Auto Road up Mt Washington in NH. Neither had guardrails. The Oatman road was paved but washed out in places and had gravel across the road throughout. The Auto Road was 8 miles into the sky. The top 3 miles closed in with clouds. After getting to the top the visibility shortened to just a few feet so the descent was navigating a car length at a time for those top 3 miles.
@@anotek lmao, this have nothing to do with roads in the US, i have done 9000 miles from NY to LA and back from the South & Rookies and much more including Route 66 the
Lewis and Clark off road and more in the USA, you have no idea what this is, we ride Greece also that is about the same and some places even MORE difficult, when you get there or here come back here and let me know, ride safe
Also the Tail of the Dragon" is like that with 318 "curves" for us we are laughing ( yes have done that), look "Backroads Greece" playlist here that was a million turns and thousand of hairpin turns, get a tour with us (we are tour guides) and you know the unknown, ride safe buddy
@@anotek take a look th-cam.com/video/a4anDZmhqkQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you.
you welcome buddy
well im going in stelvio pass later this year and i have a bmw rt1100 do you think its gonna be a problem due to the weight?
@@tilemaxos9990 That’s up to you to judge really, ride safe buddy
If you can ride fully loaded going up to Casielles in Picos, then Stelvio is an easy peasy ride.
I am sure there are more difficult passages in this world, thanks
what month of the year would be good to go considering the traffic and the weather
I have no idea, the video is August 20
@@SteveHarleyTours we were planning a trip at the beginning of June, but we are afraid of catching bad weather.
Weather is unpredictable up there, the day before our ride was raining 😊 yes we did wait for the weather to clear
Yep, I have had bikes all sorts, on and off for around 50+ years, but getting old now, and had near 8 year break, now have a good bike for this type of ride, 600f Hornet, lightwight yet very powerful, hardest thing with it is learning the throttle, you have to be very carefull with it, or its gone like a rocket up the pass on 1 wheel ahha. . but over here where I live now we the shipka pass, Bulgaria is not that far from Greece. fantastic views, but some of the turns, are very sharp like an knife, and very steep I have driven it many times with cars, but I may go with my bike later this year. But I need to regain my confidence and get to know the bike better before I try it. ahha, I thought the same, follow a car and let them clear the road. old experience told me that.
For sure, you know more 😸 have a good one, thanks 👍
Most important is to take your time
Can 125 cc climb there with only rider?
@@tomrox8921 only you know buddy
The bike can, but can the rider? If you feel up to it, because you have experience and sufficient technique in navigating steep hairpins, there should be no problem.
been riding 20 yrs , no way im doing that lol
lol
Brutto vizio di buttarsi contromano in curva e farli passare all' interno ..in italia ci lasci la patente se si toccano due mezzi😂😂
Have you ride this pass with a HEAVY loaded bike?? thanks