“It was freezing at eight degrees and we rode through a tapestry of green mountain pastures, colourful flowers, meadows, rocky rubble and all the ice and snow,” recalls 62-year-old V Sesha Kumar, who along with his friend K Chandrasekar, rode a Harley Davidson Electra Glide on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, one of Europe’s highest motorable roads located in Austria, sometime in July. “When we reached The Edelweissspitze, the highest accessible point, we ticked it off our bucket list and felt so accomplished,” he says, flashing a toothy smile. “The road has made it to the coveted list of 10 breathtaking drives one must take before dying. It’s our love for the bike and riding that took us there and we are so thankful for it.”
Covering about 3,500 kilometres across Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, in about 20 days, the duo also planned their trip in time with the 115th-year celebrations of Harley Davidson at Prague. “It was our college travel plan that remained dormant for well over 40 years. However, it was so much fun to be with over a 100,000 bikers from across the globe at the meet. We got to see some of the best Harley stunt bikers,” says Chandrasekar, who owns two Fatboys in Coimbatore. “The 1750cc cruiser machine was an absolute delight on the European roads. The E-Glide with its powerful and ultra-smooth engine and a revved-up throttle, really impressed us. And for two old men riding such long distances, we didn’t feel any physical discomfort, thanks to the cushion-ey comfortable seats and a buoyant suspension.”
The pair flew from Kochi into Munich, from where they hired the bike for ₹2,50,000 for 20 days. “However, a car would work out much cheaper. We did a thorough Google search to find the rental guy and that’s how we chose to land in Munich. We also chalked out our route map and had a list of camp sites along the way,” says Sesha. “Our idea was to explore the countryside of Alpine Europe and to do it on a minimum budget. Except for the bike rent and the fuel cost, which worked out close to ₹25,000, we pitched tents all along, not needing to stay in a hotel even once during our entire trip. We also cooked our food with an electric cooker, thus saving a lot of expense.”
“We wanted to show that it’s indeed possible to ride across Europe on a budget. A lot of young bikers think that it’s too expensive to ride abroad. Also, an Indian licence works pretty well, though carrying an international driving licence may come handy, which again one can obtain for ₹6000,” adds Chandrasekar. Among the roads they took are some scenic drives, such as the Mont Blanc tunnel, which offers a magnificent view of the White Mountain, one of Europe’s highest summits at approximately 4808 metres above sea level, the road connecting Milan and Venice that cuts through Italian countryside, and the stretch between Geneva and Zurich with the beautiful lake city of Lucerne en route, known for its majestic medieval architecture.
“We steered clear of famous touristy spots and chose the less-taken roads. We interacted with locals but never lost our way or had to stop for directions as the Garmin DriveAssist guided us perfectly,” says Sesha, who has been on a Kashmir-Kanyakumari ride before. “We were pretty overwhelmed by the upkeep of camp sites with bare minimum facilities and their availability even on remote routes. “Our next plan is to drive a car across the world and we hope to be on the road for over six months continuously.”