'Round the World with an Italian Supermodel

pardon my ignorance, but I've just put 2 and 2 together and realized you're the guy in that infamous cross country Ducati video! really cool what you're doing here. safe travels

For sure you are doing 2 favorite things that I love...traveling and riding motorcycle. I envy you.

Ducati14 said:

How did you mange to get your bike shipped over sea? What procedure did you go through? Did you have to clear custom? Great life adventure ... Live life for the rest of us!

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I had a couple friends in logistics who helped out....one hit a brick wall, one was successful. But we encountered a lot of issues, too....new anti-terror laws have made it very difficult to air freight a bike out of the US. The easiest way to do it is to ride to Canada and fly from there. If you fill out all the paperwork yourself, you can ship from Air Canada. Or hit up Motorcycle Express - Ship Your Bike.

I really enjoyed the first day in France. I had nowhere to go and was free to take any road I felt like.





Other than evading some French police, it was relaxing and pleasant. The weather was perfect, traffic light, sun was shining, birds were chirping.

nice pictures as usual! thanks for sharing!

Looks picture postcard perfect

Dennis, when will you be back in The Netherlands again. Then we will meet and go for some rides. In September our agenda's couldn't meet due to your brake problems in Amsterdam.

Panigale1199R said:

Dennis, when will you be back in The Netherlands again. Then we will meet and go for some rides. In September our agenda's couldn't meet due to your brake problems in Amsterdam.

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Netherlands....guessing Feb? or March?

More pics:















There was a perfect section just on the outer edges of the cemetery to set up my Sprocket67 tent. The sun hadn't gone down yet (and I didn't want to set up camp while it was so light out), so I propped myself up on my backpack and laid down on the bench. I dozed off for a bit, waking to the sound of an opening cemetery gate and the sight of a middle aged woman giving me an inhospitable, sour look. I sat up as to indicate that I may be homeless, but I'm not passed out drunk. She was carrying a bundle of flowers in one arm. Under the other, what looked like a care package and windex. Tears welling in her eyes, she went over to one of the graves and broke down. The kind of items that were on the grave seemed to suggest high school age son. The somber scene was a reminder that you can do whatever you want in a cemetery and, though the dead won't care (if anything, they appreciate a break from the monotonous litany of being dead), those in mourning deserve to grieve in peace. I quietly rolled my bike out the gate and set off, grateful that my parents have been spared the loss of a son or daughter.

As usual Antihero, thanks for sharing your wonderful journey and beautiful pics.

All these great pics would make awesome Ducati world postcards.

AntiHero said:

Netherlands....guessing Feb? or March?

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Try to plan end of April. King day April 27 in Amsterdam. Free market everywhere. Crazy time. Anyhow, see you then.

May be the lack of caffeine in my system yet, but somehow reading "middle aged woman" got translated in "woman from the middle age", and I thought you actually jumped time within those surroundings
She was kinda right though. You are homeless ATM ... the first ever on a Panigale

Great pix as always, how's the 14 holding up? Any issues yet, what are you at for kms on it?
Stay safe.

flobrandx said:

As usual Antihero, thanks for sharing your wonderful journey and beautiful pics.

All these great pics would make awesome Ducati world postcards.

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Smugmug, the hosting site I use, allows any of my pics to be purchased as either prints, or merchandise....Postcards, refrigerator magnets, T-Shirts, etc. Just click on any photo you like and it'll take you directly to Smugmug.

Whoopaz: 15.5k kms and no problems other than a bolt coming off of the DP rearset (the, err, important one holding the shift lever on). Even though I loctited 'em all, I should have been a little more vigilant about checking the torques every now and then.

Hotice: Ha! Yeah, been two and a half years of living out of a backpack. Nuts.

AntiHero said:

Smugmug, the hosting site I use, allows any of my pics to be purchased as either prints, or merchandise....Postcards, refrigerator magnets, T-Shirts, etc. Just click on any photo you like and it'll take you directly to Smugmug.

Whoopaz: 15.5k kms and no problems other than a bolt coming off of the DP rearset (the, err, important one holding the shift lever on). Even though I loctited 'em all, I should have been a little more vigilant about checking the torques every now and then.

Hotice: Ha! Yeah, been two and a half years of living out of a backpack. Nuts.

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Dennis,

Outstanding photography, thanks for sharing.

Ditto on the DP Rearsets. After some use the bolt holding the shift gear comes loose, caught this happening on my bike.

Finally caught up on all 6 pages to date.

Have you ever been in a tight situation for gas or anything else since some of your travels seem to be in BFE?

double0 said:

Finally caught up on all 6 pages to date.

Have you ever been in a tight situation for gas or anything else since some of your travels seem to be in BFE?

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Tight situations? Hmmm...well, depends on what you mean. Gas in Italy was always a crap shoot. Finding a petrol station in BFE was tough, finding one that was open even tougher. Accommodations and food can be much the same, too--not just in Italy. Here in the US you might not like the choices roads present to you (Motel 6, McDonalds, etc.), but at least there's gas, beef jerky, and a bed pretty much every 50-100 miles.

Actually, your question was perfectly timed, come to think of it. After six or seven hours of riding from Belgium to France I was pretty beat.

I saw a camping icon on a freeway sign. Pulled off, drove another 15-20 minutes only to be greeted by this sign:



That's right. A campsite that doesn't allow tents. This is what camping means in Europe:

http://rvinterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/13686429051c2ea.jpg

.......! Totally f'in retarded.

Kept riding. Don't even know where to, but 9 hours after I left Belgium, set up my tent in a campsite that allowed them. There were shirtless Pikeys in caravans, too. For $6 a night, I wasn't going to complain.



Hadn't eaten anything all day and I was out of emergency rations of canned tuna. Couldn't find an open grocery store (I'm guessing it was another socialist holiday), but did make it to a gas station that had some grub. Hunger is the best seasoning.





Woke up fresh as a daisy to a wonderful view.



During the night I used the wall as my urinal. In the morning I went the civilized route. and walked 20 meters to the bathroom.





F'in hilarious. I'm just very happy that 1) I didn't have to bomb the base (there are advantages to eating once a day) and 2) someone else didn't drop a pipin' hot batch of pumpernickel before I arrived.



Packed up, suited up and ready to roll:

I would have slept with the bike chained to my ankle if there were pikeys around

I'd have slept on the bike!!

HotIce said:

I would have slept with the bike chained to my ankle if there were pikeys around

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I fookin hate pikeys!