Alps 2011 + 4
With the Stelvio behind us we kept a lookout for a campsite. It was July and many sites were either fully booked up or quite high in cost in relationship to the amenities on offer. We continued on with the increasing problem of the poor starting, one reason why we chose against stopping too often to check out the campsites.
We arrived in Bolzano and decided it may be better to seek out a Gasthaus for the night. We took a tight twisty climb up from the main run , the SS12 between Bolzano and Karneid and found more than we could have hoped for in the way of Bad St.Isidor , a Gasthaus at the very top of the climb.
http://www.badstisidor.it/en/
We booked in for the night, unloaded and had a most welcoming shower in our en-suite room. Having a good base would allow me some time to have a look over the bike to see if I had any chance of resolving the poor starting problems.
We arrived in Bolzano and decided it may be better to seek out a Gasthaus for the night. We took a tight twisty climb up from the main run , the SS12 between Bolzano and Karneid and found more than we could have hoped for in the way of Bad St.Isidor , a Gasthaus at the very top of the climb.
http://www.badstisidor.it/en/
We booked in for the night, unloaded and had a most welcoming shower in our en-suite room. Having a good base would allow me some time to have a look over the bike to see if I had any chance of resolving the poor starting problems.
I set about removing the carbs and gaining access to the airbox. A fairly large stain of fuel was evident on the ground beneath the bike which suggested the carb/s were flooding and that the internals were not in the best of condition.
The airbox was still wet despite the drying out attempts in Andermatt but I felt this was not the real issue here.
Other than a second drying out there was little I could do without spares for carburettors.
Bad St.Isidor is a family run business and comes highly recommended after our stay. The staff were extremely helpful, very polite and pleasant to be amongst.
We had a fantastic meal on the upper balcony , Jo having a vegan dish , me treating myself to a perfectly cooked steak. The beer , of which I rarely consume anymore but just feels right in such a hot climate, went down the hatch with very little effort...gorgeous!
We enjoyed our stay so much that come the morning we decided to extend our stay for an extra night. This would enable us to ride on to the Dolomites for some sight seeing whilst having a 'free of load' bike. I still had faith in the old girl (the bike that is) that she still had good mileage left in her despite the difficulties we had experienced since Switzerland.
If I am travelling this way again I won't hesitate to book in at Bad St.Isidor for the simple reason a good experience registers itself and stays in the memory!
After breakfast we set off to the Dolomites along the SS12 and found ourselves at Passo Sella some short time later. That very first sighting of the towering Dolomites was both a shock and breathtaking at the same time. It's very difficult to explain the first sighting experience. One moment we were riding a road through a town and then suddenly to my right I caught the sight of a monstrous mountain that simply took over the whole of the immediate area. Absolutely fantastically breathtaking.
We pulled up at Rifugio Passo Sella for lunch and took in some sights.
The airbox was still wet despite the drying out attempts in Andermatt but I felt this was not the real issue here.
Other than a second drying out there was little I could do without spares for carburettors.
Bad St.Isidor is a family run business and comes highly recommended after our stay. The staff were extremely helpful, very polite and pleasant to be amongst.
We had a fantastic meal on the upper balcony , Jo having a vegan dish , me treating myself to a perfectly cooked steak. The beer , of which I rarely consume anymore but just feels right in such a hot climate, went down the hatch with very little effort...gorgeous!
We enjoyed our stay so much that come the morning we decided to extend our stay for an extra night. This would enable us to ride on to the Dolomites for some sight seeing whilst having a 'free of load' bike. I still had faith in the old girl (the bike that is) that she still had good mileage left in her despite the difficulties we had experienced since Switzerland.
If I am travelling this way again I won't hesitate to book in at Bad St.Isidor for the simple reason a good experience registers itself and stays in the memory!
After breakfast we set off to the Dolomites along the SS12 and found ourselves at Passo Sella some short time later. That very first sighting of the towering Dolomites was both a shock and breathtaking at the same time. It's very difficult to explain the first sighting experience. One moment we were riding a road through a town and then suddenly to my right I caught the sight of a monstrous mountain that simply took over the whole of the immediate area. Absolutely fantastically breathtaking.
We pulled up at Rifugio Passo Sella for lunch and took in some sights.
Our route continued through Canazei, Cortina d'Ampezzo and down to Passo Giau.
At Colle S. Lucia a gift shop awaits travellers/tourists with a superb backdrop!
Secured to a 'totem', for want of a better description , is an old Moto Guzzi complete with high altitude rust.
A brief stop here as the winds were picking up and dark clouds were drawing in. The bike was again refusing to play and she needed a good 100 metres or so downhill before she would 'bump' into life.
This could not continue and so it was decided that once back at our accommodation we would look up the nearest BMW outlet to see if they could diagnose/put right the once impeccably reliable 14 year old F650.
En-route back to our accommodation the heavens broke and the most fierce of thunderstorms would commence. Within less than 10 mins of this torrential downpour and upon taking a left turn to follow signs for Bolzano the rain was literally running in small rivers down the hill we were about to ride up.
I have never before witnessed such an incredible amount of rain in such a short space of time. The Sun was back out in less than half an hour!
Secured to a 'totem', for want of a better description , is an old Moto Guzzi complete with high altitude rust.
A brief stop here as the winds were picking up and dark clouds were drawing in. The bike was again refusing to play and she needed a good 100 metres or so downhill before she would 'bump' into life.
This could not continue and so it was decided that once back at our accommodation we would look up the nearest BMW outlet to see if they could diagnose/put right the once impeccably reliable 14 year old F650.
En-route back to our accommodation the heavens broke and the most fierce of thunderstorms would commence. Within less than 10 mins of this torrential downpour and upon taking a left turn to follow signs for Bolzano the rain was literally running in small rivers down the hill we were about to ride up.
I have never before witnessed such an incredible amount of rain in such a short space of time. The Sun was back out in less than half an hour!