Großglockner, Alpine Pass, Austria 2013 Motorcycle Tour

Day 4 of our 2013 motorbike tour took us through Austria, and over the mighty Großglockner. A stunning road to ride, and a bit scary (for me anyway!)
Please don't expect any stunt riding, it's very dangerous up there, and with ice and melting snow all over the road, it's hard work! Awesome at the same time though!
Music - The Stages Are All Empty - Vida.
Copyright owned by R. Lowndes / VidaMusic

[@marktansell9399]

No where else like it on earth mate ...ive done Austria and Switzerland a few times those passes are pure heaven .well done

[@sayanniyaziev3833]

I live in Austria but i have never been on this road and now i am waiting for my motorbike and i'll go to this place also. This so beautiful place and the road too. Thanks for the video!

[@unmeshchougule5666]

Did you visit ?

[@davewash50]

Another epic episode Rich. Looks amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us all. Roll on the next. Thank you

[@BarryK1200LT]

I am so jealous of the roads you guys have to ride. :) Fantastic scenery. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

[@rosstinelli]

Great video. True beauty of the Alps. Was surprised at first at the altitude mentioned in the intro.. Then I realised it was the elevation of the mountain not the road. Cheers

[@andrewwallace2540]

Thanks for sharing mate. Looked like an epic trip.

[@grace62mareykeelke55]

Nice trip, Amazing road. I love snow.thanks for amazing video.🤗👍❤❤❤

[@volvot5boy]

Another great video fella. Makes me want to go.....Great song too mate.

[@daniloorbolato]

Beatiful!! Really enjoyed watching it.

[@jazz21977]

nice ride, kinda jealous now. ;) That last bit riding between the walls of snow, and that tunnel, that's all sorts of awesome, thanks for sharing.

[@gimmeheadpeace]

Been at home sick these last few days and I have spent a lot of it watching your videos. Great viewing! Big respect from Osaka. Safe riding!

[@RichyVida]

Thanks. Hope it's helping your down time. Get better soon :-)

[@brad_Ca]

What a beautiful ride that was, amazing video.

[@moamoasu]

Great video! Thank you very much.

[@allantottman189]

Thanks for sharing, very enjoyable.

[@garthgarramone8694]

Wow, you guys have a lot of guts. Nice video. Beautiful area.

[@banarne71]

Loved watching this episode again. Me and my biker mate road the alpine mountain road over Grossglockner this week. All the way up to bikers peak. It was a blast! We did 4000 km on our sportbikes in eight days.

[@RichyVida]

+Jon71 Lerum good work mate!

[@karstenlund8956]

That was one fantastic video mate!! We are going this July and I can´t wait to climb up there on my CBR :-) Done it a couple of times by car but riding two wheels will be epic :-)

[@beowulf5982]

Wow what a beautiful ride thank you so much for sharing. ps i am your 5000th subscriber:)

[@RichyVida]

+Beowulf 59 thank you very much, Sir!

[@ikeyhog]

1.27 right side is the entrance to 'Feriendorf Ponyhof' a brilliant pension to stay, and for me in 2014, the 4th visit. Excellent food with it's own bar etc. as normal in Austria the breakfast is 5*, hot, cold, cereals, jams' lots of local breads, a massif table of all one could wish for. Easy to stock ones stomach for the day until the next stopover. Farm stay with style. Be amazed if you don't 'luv' it. Thanks for posting the video.....

[@RichyVida]

Thanks ;-)

[@pauljohnson5563]

loved the video.fantastic,

[@touringhubi7584]

Very nice Video! Großglockner is just beautiful.. I was there a few times :-)

[@ericbusa]

Great video bud, have done that pass 3 times now but never in that much snow, thick fog and rain and a bit of snow one day driving about in 2nd gear for hours, take the good a d the bad.

[@jrhoesen]

A few years ago we also did Grossglockner and even went up the last bit to Edelweisspitze; talking about scary! Stelvio we did 2 times on motorbike and once with car; guess which one we liked most. And always on a Honda VFR VTEC; we started with silvergrey 2002, then silvergray 2005, then midnight black 2009 and now black and white 2012 as shown in your video.Keep up the good work and show your videos; i film with gopro4 black

[@odd_job_007]

This is on my list! Great vid mate :) New sub!

[@franke.9894]

The Sunseeker no

[@mpn323]

NICE VIDEO THIS ROAD IS SUPERB

[@Swedeonamotorcycle]

NIce trip.. And damn i miss my VFR 800... maybe i should get one again, cant have to many motorcycles. :)

[@joyinsidemytears9]

Nice one guys :- Thanks for sharing

[@urenco1]

Thanks Dad for turning me into a motorcyclist!! How can you beat all of this? You cant!!;-)

[@RichyVida]

I agree!

[@storm5357]

Nice video did the pass in August that year but came in from the other end,shear luck really because after riding over it that way around you a least have the restaurant at the end to unwind and realise just what you have done.Went straight over without stopping, didn't intend to but just didn't want to stop .Start to finish 26 minutes hoping to go back this year again this time to take in the views.

[@belavojtechpankovics2749]

Nice video(s) mate!! I've been travelling in Alps last 4 years every summer on 2 (4) wheels...Almoust everywhere...my favourite place is the Grimsellpass in SUI but the most beautiful is the route des Grandes Alps from Geneva to Menton (Col de la Bonette 2805m altitude)... Hope 1 day will meet you up there somewhere :) Hungarian biker from Wakefield :)

[@P.O-gsawkr]

Brilliant viewing top man 👍🤟

[@BrigittevTien]

Wow great video! I'll be driving this awesome road myself this summer, hopefully without the snow ... Although it is very pretty ;-)

[@smiekliigais1983]

class video, well done

[@VRFlightSimGuy]

The very top of the pass is the paved part behind you (9:13) which is even scarier. Mind you in those conditions you probably did the right thing not going any further! Nice one!

[@gogsalba4573]

Rode it on the new S1000XR....... grand bike & helluva pass..... great vid....

[@rxzhs6071]

I am Austrian and its a fantastic Vid

[@user-vq4sn5rf3s]

Very beautiful .......I like it.

[@isaurus2]

Que buen viaje. Saludos desde Colombia

[@markmcdonald470]

We did this pass last August, great road :)

[@dhavalpatil2332]

Lovely video bro! This video just inspired me and made me more restless since i'm planning to cover all these amazing passes on my motorcycle this august. Just waiting to ride away. any tips or suggestions for new comers visiting the alpine passes?

[@marka1142]

Love the song. Lucky bugger.

[@stephandevriesere3667]

like the video, i've been up there a couple of times with my Pan European. I just love it .

[@kingtingz41]

Fantastic video, really want to do a Europe trip on my VFR!

[@RichyVida]

Then do it! Nothing holding you back, and there is nothing better than heading out, loaded up, with nothing in front of you but the open road!

[@stuartadams825]

Iv done french alpine pass to Switzerland .... this is going to be my next ride i think,,, great.

[@TrasyMotocyklowe]

Great!!!

[@twnpks9931]

great video.... i hope you had fun on your trip...... and i'm from austria by the way ;D...

[@RichyVida]

Hey thanks Steven. Glad you enjoyed it. Man, I fell head over heels in love with your country! We should have visited again during this year's trip, but the weather east of Geneva was shocking, so went back into Spain where it was glorious. If you enjoyed this, you will probably like my 2014 Euro Tour series too. All the best!

[@charlesderijcke5307]

Very nice upload. Thanks.

[@sajkofelix8895]

i live 20 km of grosglockner and i never been there, beautiful must go , but the bikes and snow ,that scares me

[@soylentgreen2065]

beautiful

[@Two_Wheel_Trips]

I'm following your video with interest. We did similar route when wow, 11:29, grossglockner, waiting for the loose snow to be blown off then theres us lot, right in front of you! (My bike S1000RR ND12XCP). We witnessed all the devastation too, arriving in Austria same day as you lot. Great videos by the way.

[@RichyVida]

+Peter Bengston wow! That must've been a shock when you popped up on it! Haha what are the chances?!

[@Two_Wheel_Trips]

considering there must have been 10 thousand bikes in the area, slim! We were absolutely gutted riding through those Austrian villages, some totally wiped out...

[@missfortune1123]

woooooooooooooo cheers. thats awsome ^^

[@handverkeren71]

Very nice video. Was there 2 years ago, but less snow then. Greetings from Norway !

[@RichyVida]

Thank you. Hopefully visiting your country 2015 for the first time! Did a lot of planning yesterday All the best, & a happy new year

[@handverkeren71]

Welcome you shall be ! If you are interessted in travelling tips, just send a message. Would like to ride in UK/Scotland someday, but scares me a little driving at the wrong side of the road :-)

[@vladcontact]

Well done, lucky with weather On the way back from Austria we got socking wet in Germany Ha Ha Good quality video

[@tonyrantnrave6854]

I enjoyed the ride up the Großglockner, I had to tell you to slow down when you were going round the bents that were wet. I've been over this pass but in a car it's the only place in the world I've been overtaken by bicycle going down hill

[@the_mad_leprechaun]

What time of year did you go there? I am going next month.

[@wyvernbiker]

Awesome :oD

[@alexanderlast8455]

Last time i rode this pass was the early nineties, it was our favorite route back from the Adriatic, after a nice warm beach holiday in Yugoslavia, we had a Kawasaki GTR 1000 then, out of 5 times doing the Glockner the last one [in August] we were stopped by coppers and told to wait in the lay-by till the snow plough had been through, great roads, loved it, but for real mountain roads, try north italy, mountain u-bends in tunnels covered in shingle, now thats a challenge!!!

[@RichyVida]

Thanks for your comment Alexander. We'll be heading through Northern Italy this July, riding the Dolomites, and many passes on our way form Northern Spain into Austria. Plenty more videos to follow ;-)

[@alexanderlast8455]

RichyVida North Italy, west to central is great, i would think the roads have improved a lot by now, if you go near Bergamo, try some Panetone cake, i havent got a sweet tooth but this is lovely, keep the rubber side down Richy, happy trails,

[@RichyVida]

Thanks for the tips mate! Will defo try some of that!

[@sobek]

Id love to ride this route one day

[@victortodorovic5141]

Hi Richie, Love your vids mate, keep replaying over and over wishing i was there now... Im heading over to ride the alps and taking my father (66 y/o) next year for two or so weeks and would love your input as to which countries or parts of the alps to do in that period of time. Were not taking any tours just finding our own way and riding as much as we can. Also would like to know if its better to rent the bikes over there or transport my own from australia or is it better to buy there then sell afterwards. would appreciate your opinion.

[@atrian6]

Nice movie 👍👍👍

[@kristy77a]

Fantastic! Well done. What time of year was this? Thanks. Doh! - Quick scroll down tells me it was June. LOT of snow! Good to know.

[@Bilko-M1GSX]

Hi mate great video! a few work mates and I are planning a trip into Europe next year, we want to plan a route from Innsbruck to berchtesgaden over the alpine pass. Do you know if you can do it the other way ok? or are we best to do it the way you have done? (I'm assuming your travelling away from berchtesgaden??) cheers pal.

[@gixxer7501991]

+Bilko you can do the grossglockner both ways, we where there past august and drove it the other way, check out my movie, enjoy it next year and ride safe!

[@lcnlnx]

wow...just wow!!!!

[@RichyVida]

Exactly!

Nice video, what was the date you visited Grossglockner? Seems like autumn, but can be even summer as snow stays up there in mountains...

[@dfiglide]

Great vid,looks like you had a fantastic trip. It brought back so many memories of my trip around Europe in 1978,on a R75/5 beemer. How did your VFR`s handle the trip ?

[@RichyVida]

Thank you! It's what they were made for. They were as happy as pigs in shit! :-)

[@karstenlund8956]

RichyVida Haha, yeah I would imagine :-) What camera do you use and how about external mic?

[@RichyVida]

I use Drift Camera's. Ghost & Ghost-S. I have the Drift ecternal mic routed through into my helmet, and placed on the mouth guard, about 1" below my mouth. If you place it directly in front, the volume will be too loud.

[@kargulo]

that was exelent, I wish to go there one day, VFR are the best moto ever, I got 750F and 800fi they are ahhhhhhhhh.......

[@RichyVida]

I love my VFR dearly! really do. Will never be far from my side!! Glad you liked the video. the Grossglockner is a place everyone should visit once in their life!

[@AndersZandin]

HÄFTIGT!!! Kanske skulle ta den vägen hem i sommar.... Fast då krävs det att mina båda 125cc cylindrar är i toppform! (fn är de lite "laid back"....*S*)

[@post2772]

I am near the high alpine road next year and would love to ride it. How long does it take to ride the road?

[@justinneill5003]

Drove this a few years back, in August. Not as much snow around when I did it. Planning to ride it this summer, probably better on my Z1000SX. Also fancy visiting Biker Mania in Saalbach on the M1800R. but not sure how she would handle those twisties. I did see some cruisers up there when I drove it though. If the road is open does that automatically mean the roads are snow/ice free? How were the road surface conditions when you did it (apart from those large patches of wet on the bends?!?)

[@borcencek8054]

very nice.....

[@markm6395]

Nice, I like your light hearted touring video's. However how much stuff do you take lol.

[@RichyVida]

Mark Myers Camping throughout 11 countries! Ya need it.. ;-)

[@markm6395]

Oh now I see, I though so..I was there a few years back in 06, good to see again. Only took a tank bag and tail pack lol no camping tho. cheers

[@bunnydaduk]

Great watch, thought I've watched all your stuff but must of missed this 1, going back a while but is it you, egone, jim and paul ? possibly ? not many group or face shots. just trying to guess from the bikes.

[@RichyVida]

No Jimbo. This was a guy called Dave 😀

[@XxLiamG97xX]

hi uncle rich liam here nice vid Austria looks really cold and the snow was so tall.

[@RichyVida]

Only cold at the top Liam! 32 Degrees at the bottom on this day

[@XxLiamG97xX]

wow that's warm for saying there was snow all over the mountains.

[@storm5357]

Forgot to ask which is the better pass the Grossglockner or the Stelvio.

[@Przemo72]

super

[@abhijeetshripatmore]

Hi when was this? In which month Can you please send me the iternery of this ride

[@BeTouring_Bulgaria]

very coool!

[@christinezupancic9284]

thanks for sharing your adventure! What month have you been there? :)

[@RichyVida]

+Tine Zuppy it was June I think

[@TURBOSAINT_]

Hey man! I am coming to Austria in March and April. Do you know where I can get rented motorbikes?

[@RichyVida]

I’m sorry, I don’t.

[@Bajker4ever]

In which month was this filmed?

[@michaelhodgson1913]

Fantastic vid mate, what month was this ?

[@RichyVida]

Cheers Michael. This was June 2013

[@airestocky]

RichyVida June and still snow!? crazy :-)

[@christopherdierl1885]

You have to Go there at may Then you have 3 Meter high Snow waal in the streeet

[@fabian5683]

You didn't see the Großglockner. It's on the Carinthian Side.

[@motohelpvideo]

what month is that bro?

[@RichyVida]

This was June 2013

[@jmylee]

Beautiful video , may I know this trip in which month of the year?

[@RichyVida]

June I think

[@fidanm89]

Hi Richy! Is there any difference between a VFR 2005 and 2007 model ? Have you test driven both, did you notice any difference when VTEC kicks in ?

[@RichyVida]

Not really any difference, just a few paint differences in the newer ones. I have ridden an '09 model with not many miles on, and the Vtec transition is exactly the same as my '53 with "a lot" of miles on..

[@fidanm89]

+RichyVida Thank you for the answer Richy! Thinking of buying a 05 vfr with ABS as my first bike :)

[@Greggspies]

True, weather grim need a canoo more like

[@stansworld266]

wow

[@Voxiripeer]

Hy Richi, I have a question! What oil do you use on your Vfr during winter time?

[@RichyVida]

Same as summertime ;-)

[@Voxiripeer]

@@RichyVida even at 0 degrees ? would that not affect the motor ? I am writing to you because since it turned cold out here my baby starts making weird noises from the motor. could be the CCT then that I have to change? It makes so like a hammer slams lightly on a metal plate untill it goes over 65 degrees C. What is your oppinion before i take it to the Mechanic which costs me a Arm and a Leg here..

[@RichyVida]

@@Voxiripeer 100% CCT ;-) You do not have to change oil for cold climates...

[@user-sv6uz6cy9h]

good for you.

[@giampirex66]

👍👍👍🏍🏍🏍

[@thomaswarren2699]

Is this the Hochalpenstrasse?

[@greenwooddigger]

What editing software do you use?

[@RichyVida]

greenwooddigger Vegas Pro. However, this video was made with the entry level from Sony Movie Studio Platinum

[@brianmurphy5150]

Just wondering what month it was that you went there Richy?

[@RichyVida]

June I believe 👍

[@brianmurphy5150]

@@RichyVida thanks a million. Planning for next year for northern Italy, Austria and Switzerland and your videos have been a great help. Great to look back at the old video's and seeing all the VFR's

[@unmeshchougule5666]

Awesome. In which month did you visit there?

[@RichyVida]

June

[@unmeshchougule5666]

@@RichyVida wow! Wasn't expecting such snowy roads in June.

[@paulmitchell1041]

Richy, Did an Alpine Tour (2 up!) in July 2014 of two weeks with a tour company from Slovenia.Did Greece the year before. What a blast! Missed Grossglockner but did twisties for 6-8 hours every day! Talk about the motorcycle fraternity, my USA MasterCard did not have the security chip and while riding by ourselves (GPS only) we were low on petrol. There was only one fuel stop in a mountain village and I pulled behind 4 riders with German plates. In my best Deutsch I asked, "Bitte, sehen Sie Englisch sprechen?" Their reply was, "What do you need mate? They were Brits on holiday and rented bikes in Germany. They filled my tank and I paid them in cash. I always stop to help if needed. Great video with your realtime comments . . . what system did you use?

[@RichyVida]

Cheers, Paul. Yes, not many people would help a brother out like that eh?! Haha, it can get a bit worrying when you are running low on fuel, and there are more birds flying in the sky than people! "Please be a fuel station around this corner..." Are you referring to which camera I used? I use the Drift Ghost with external mic plumbed into the helmet.

[@paulmitchell1041]

RichyVida I have an iON Air Pro 2 Wi-Fi but the mic picks up a bit of road noise. The Alps trip was the first time used and I posted a couple of videos. Did Stelvio but there was some construction which added time and I'm not yet adept at video editing. Really enjoyed yours! Cheers mate!

[@Kojak-zh7qo]

I can’t believe it’s that long ago,can you remember what month it was 👍

[@RichyVida]

July I believe

[@Kojak-zh7qo]

@@RichyVida thanks very much mate I know your really busy 👍

[@szabolcsfejer1338]

great vid!, what's that song at the end? Shazam, soundhound, can't find it..

[@RichyVida]

Hi and thanks for your comment. The song at the end is one of my original tracks "The Stages Are All Empty" It's never been released ;-)

[@szabolcsfejer1338]

Really??? Then what are you waiting for??? :D great song!!

[@RichyVida]

Thank you!

[@grossi46]

You as a young wipper snapper 👍👍🤣

[@alexanderfiebrandt6732]

what month did you travel?

[@RichyVida]

June I think

[@BadMonkeyTouring]

The stone wall on the left side of the rode at 4:35 is where I crashed on June 2nd.

[@RichyVida]

Did you publish any of it, mate? What happened?

[@BadMonkeyTouring]

Not yet. I was waiting for the dust to settle, insurance and all. Plus I hadn't felt much like editing yet. I've got hours upon hours of video to edit starting from May 27. It'll come soon though. I can't figure out what exactly happened. As I was coming down that road with the stone wall to my right, the back end of the bike shuddered twice, then I drifted right, hitting the wall at about a 10 degree angle, bounced off, landed on the road face down. The bike slid across the road, bounced off the small wall on the opposite side and flew 30 meters down the hill.

[@RichyVida]

Jesus mate. Sounds like you was very lucky. Back end shuddered? Not a jammed chain or something?

[@BadMonkeyTouring]

It was on a BMW R1200RT which is a shaft drive. No way to find out what caused it really. I wasn't going very fast and the front end was stable, so a 'tank slapper' is ruled out. Something in the road? Tire suddenly flat? Wheel bearing let go? Your guess is as good as mine. Yes aside from a lot of broken bones, I faired pretty well. I guess I have a guardian angel. I was in too much pain to move into the ambulance, so I had to be flown to the hospital in the helicopter. I didn't even get to enjoy the ride because they knocked me out in order to load me. My new Shoei GT Air got all scratched up too. :-( Thank goodness that in less than 2 months, I'm back to my old self with only the occasional reminder that I have some broken bones healing. I'll be back on my bike in a few months when it cools off here.