Soaking up the sun (and rain)

UK Member Tim Steer took a trip to Senigallia, riding long distance for the first time

I’ve always wanted to own a Harley Davidson, whenever one pulled up next to me whilst driving, I’d always wind the window down so I could hear the engine/exhaust.

One memory I have is whilst hiking in summer I heard a rumble and a guy sped over the bridge on a Harley Davidson wearing a Harley Davidson Jamaica T-shirt, the sun was shining and I thought Wow! That’s the life!

Not long after that a friend pulled up at my house on a new Fat Boy and when I heard it before I saw it I was sold! I needed to get a Harley.

To date I’ve owned two Harley Davidsons.

2021 114 Street Bob FXBBS and a 2023 117 Low Rider St FXLRST

The Street Bob was a great entry level bike to ease into. The bike looked stunning, but after spending eighteen months on it I knew I needed something with more touring capabilities and panniers.

For my next bike I considered a Low Rider St. It was January 2023 when Harley released their new colors and models, so as soon as I saw the ‘white sand pearl’ I ordered one the next day- no hesitation- I think I had the first white one in the UK and WHAT A BIKE. Within the first week I had just about gotten used to it and knew I had made the right decision.

I initially became involved with H.O.G after visiting Robin Hood Harley and met some of the Sherwood Chapter who invited me to a chapter meeting and to join them on their next ride out, which was my first ride with more than twenty people; a few weeks later I was back again!

I’ve met some great people over the last couple of years. The social life is great, there are so many types of events to choose from, whether they’re hosted by dealerships, rally’s or black ties events.

My riding is about 50% solo 50% in a group, with being self-employed it means if the suns out I can steal a few hours on the bike and get away from all the office-based stuff, but when there’s a chance to get out with friends, I’ll always try to make it.

I knew in 2024 I wanted to tour. After flying out to Budapest for the 120^th event last June I knew I needed to try and ride to the next. I arrived that Wednesday- I think the temperature was in the late 30’s, it was ridiculously hot. All day bikes were arriving, the noise that was flooding Budapest was immense, I’d never seen anything like it, you could tell it was going to be a brilliant five days. That evening the heavens opened up, the rain was torrential.

I stood under a building and watched the bikes arrive, roaring through the city.

The next day friends started to arrive on bikes and flights, I’d been looking at their photos and watching their video of their ride over and I knew I had to ride to the next European event – prior to Senigallia the longest trip I had done was 961 miles, Nottingham to Thunder in the Glens, Aviemore for the 2023 rally.

We started planning Senigallia around October time, four of us looked at Air B&B’s and hotels and within a couple of weeks everything was booked, we’d also recruited two other members of the chapter who wanted to meet us en-route.

As it’s our first time doing a European trip, we are aiming to do a good number of passes and visit some Harley Davidson dealerships along the way. The trip will take us approximately twelve days, including travelling through the Channel Tunnel, France and Switzerland staying in places such as Basel, Bormio, and Verona before arriving in Senigallia.

We have a good bunch of friends doing this trip and what’s better than potentially getting lost with your friends on a Harley Davidson? I’m also really looking forward to experiencing the scenery, challenging myself and of course the party when we arrive! (Also, our wives will be flying out to experience their first Harley European Rally, so I guess it will also be good to see them at the other end!)

Post-rally
Four words I can use to describe my first experience of touring, . . . . Exciting, Emotional, Wet but Fun!

Did we encounter anything unexpected along the way? On day 6, one of the bikes, a Kyle Wyman King of the Baggers race replica encountered an issue where the rear taillight loom fell from the rear fender. The cables became exposed as it was rubbing against the tyre and then started shorting which caused the bike to show an error on the dash. We pulled into the services and did a temporary fix, removing the rear taillight loom which allowed us to get to the rally – it was a test for us all but all part of the experience.

Once arriving in Senigallia we managed to get it into the Harley tech tent and they did a fix for the return Journey, which was a great service to be able to access whilst there.

On the return Journey one of the bikes suffered from an extreme wobble, so we stopped off at Reims Harley Davidson who were fantastic and diagnosed the issue and took it on two test rides to make sure the bike was safe. They did this all free of charge, so a massive thank you to them.

What surprised us the most was the snow; we had heard that at least four of our passes were closed due to the snow. Gotthard Pass was open though so up we went! There must have been 6/8 metres of snow walls, and we had never seen anything like it, but the road was open and we were grateful for that. We also found a pass called Passo Mortirolo which was 1852 metres high full of twists and switchbacks, which made for a great ride and I highly recommend it. We also found ourselves going through a vineyard pass on the way to Bormio up into the hills which was extremely steep, wide enough for one bike, but fun all the same and that took some skill I tell you.

The highlights for me were simple; everyday was a highlight. Each day was different, and we saw incredible views, rode on amazing roads such as Gotthard pass, the SS44, the SS39 and the SR249 from top to bottom of Lake Garda with the added experience of riding in different weathers, however heated clothing, cruise control and highway pegs definitely helped!

The rally itself was fantastic and very professionally done. The venue itself was vast, with more than enough supplier stalls, food stands and bar areas and the bands and+ DJ’s kept us well entertained into the early hours of the morning, with lots of dancing and singing taking place amongst friends.

The worst part for me was the Sunday morning after the Rally had finished, leaving Senigallia after what a great weekend we had all had.

What would I do differently next time? I would without doubt allow a few extra days travel either side of the rally, to allow for a bit more down time to enjoy the areas we visited, to take in the scenery and to rest! I would also spend a couple more days at the destination, as we only had two days on the beach and could have soaked in more sun, sand and sea!

This overall experience has opened my eyes to what a European tour can offer, what is required both physically and mentally and I am already considering the next tour to St Tropez in 2025, so would I do it again- hell yes!