Today we picked up the bike and started exploring Switzerland by bike. We have hired a BMW K1600GT from Thun Moto-Center.

The GT because I rathered the slightly more sporty position than the GTL which I found a bit cramped.

Today’s plan is a 240km loop out of Thun heading south/west and then back to Thun.

This is a screenshot of my gps tracker (app on my phone called geo-tracker) of our ride.

Our first coffee stop was in Gstaad which was gearing up for a big tennis tournament so there was lots of activity around town.

From here we made our way through a nice series of roads to Gruyère famous for its cheese fondue – and so it only seemed right and proper to try it out. And yes it’s very cheesey, but very tasty.

From here we headed back to Thun via the Jaunpass which wasn’t our first pass today but coming down the pass with the road winding down the mountain below you, and the gorgeous valley opening before us was just stunning. But you can’t afford to get transfixed on the scenery as the road is narrow, blind, and in many places with unforgiving drop offs should you get it wrong.

The roads today were mainly 80km/h roads with many little villages and towns at regular intervals, not to mention traffic. This was a great warm up ride to get used to being on the right side of the road and all the nauances that go along with this. I find that adjusting to riding on the right is mentally very tiring at first until your brain becomes aclimatised.

Initial thoughts on the BMW — this is a great bike, easy to ride two-up, hides it weight really well, relatively comfortable (although we both found the seat uncomfortable), great power and torque, and handles really well.

This bike is light years ahead of the Electra Glide I rode last. Pity I didn’t have one of these bikes on last years tour in the US. Much more enjoyable to ride.

I hope to include some short videos in these posts, but I won’t get a chance to editing or posting until I get home.