Spain Motorcycle Adventure

Madrid Loop: Central & Northern Spain, Pyrenees and Trans Euro Trail options

September 16 – October 1, 2023

Ride is complete and was fantastic.  Here are the pictures from the riders

About this Fantastic Adventure:

This 14 riding day adventure starts in Madrid and forms a large loop around Spain, first heading south then traveling back to the north and spending several days traveling through the Pyrenees and even an optional sidebar day in France.  Each day riders will have the option of several route levels.  From super scenic paved routes to great backcountry roads to difficult remote dirt routes.  Much of the route has options from the  TET Spain.   Riders will rent smaller adventure bikes and we will be staying in hotels each evening.   This is very much a "see the back corners of Spain" ride.  We will not focus on tourist attractions, but a few less traveled ones.

Signup info:

The cost to join this 14 day ride is $4,900.   This covers your lodging for the 15 nights during the ride. It covers the cost of a support van and driver to carry your daily luggage. It also includes your ride packets which consist of a custom Garmin GPS map on a micro SD card and printed ride maps and descriptions.

Now taking signups: You can now reserve your spot on this ride by leaving an $800 Deposit  (Ride limit is 14 riders)

Sorry this ride is full, but there is a waiting list 

After your signup riders will receive an email from me with further ride information and instructions.

Note: Riders must make full payment by June 15th, 2023.

Riders will receive ride packets in the mail one week before the ride.

Refund Policy

Do not sign up for this ride unless you are serious about coming.  I take your signup very seriously and start planning for you the minute you sign up.  If you need to cancel up to three months prior to the ride start date I will give you a full refund but I will keep $200 to cover the planning work. Sorry but I make non refundable commitments myself so it gets hard for me. "I hate this world of non refundable deals myself." If you need to cancel within three months of the ride, I cannot give a refund unless I can find a replacement rider. In the case of finding a replacement rider, I will gladly give you the full refund minus the $200 to cover the planning work.  In the event of ride cancellation, you will be given a full refund.

Bike Rental:

Riders will need to rent or supply their own bike.  Riders should plan on $1,000 to $2,000 depending on their bike choice.  

Rental Options:  We recommend PauTravelMoto in Madrid

BMW Bikes:  Options from $1,000 for BMW G310R to $2,000 for BMW R1250GS ADV

Honda Bikes:  Options from $1,300 for Honda CB500X to $1,750 for Honda Africa Twin 1100 Adventure

Airplane flights:

Rider must supply their own transportation.  Riders should plan to arrive in Madrid, Spain on Friday September 15, 2023, the day before ride meetup.  We provide the Hotel for that night.  Prices for a plane ticket from Los Angles to Madrid are around $1,060. ( Note: prices found in February.)

 Ride Details

 I know many of you also enjoy dreaming about the ride and making your plans, so here is the detail, enjoy! 

Ride Yoda's

What are these Adventure Rides like? These rides are designed along the theme of exploring the world.  They include a mix of remote dirt routes, back paved roads, sometimes some very seldom ridden paths and pavement.  Rides are a mix of all these things and sometimes some surprises due to weather conditions.  These rides are for experienced, well seasoned riders that are capable of turning a washed out road experience into just part of the day's fun.  Riders should be comfortable with turning around when necessary and finding an alternative route around unexpected obstacles. These rides are not for new riders. As an experienced rider, the tough part of having a great motorcycle adventure is the routing and logistics.  What routes do I take? Where do I stay? How do I find the best routes and places?

How does the ride navigation work?

This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own.  You are responsible for your own riding.  You are given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit.  People will hook up in small groups of less than 6 riders and tend to ride together.  You are not encouraged to ride alone.  You are responsible for your own riding and yourself. 

 (see my ride Navigation Video)

Are you right for this ride?

When something goes wrong on a ride, would your riding friends say that you are more likely to need help or more likely to give help?  You should be in the more likely to offer help camp.  This ride is filled with riders that are more likely to give help, so most of the time the riders never need help.  Additionally there is all the normal stuff: come prepared to maintain your bike, fix your bike on the trail, repair flat tires, deal with bad weather and rain and make a joke or two.

How do I make the GPS stuff so easy?

I develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden.  I take the best from all my rides and make new ones. 

(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)

Note from me, gpsKevin

My goal for this ride is simple:  great riding.  You can count on great routes and places to ride.

But in addition, the ride is about discovering new places, meeting new friends, seeing new parts of the World.

Thanks,

gpsKevin

FAQ's

Q: Would this be a good ride for new riders?

A:  No, this ride is for intermediate and experienced riders only. The riding has easy route choices and tough route options. 

Q: What are motel room arrangements?

A: Rooms are two beds per room.  You will room with a fellow rider.

Q: Can I use my cell phone?  

A: Sorry, at this point we do not support cell phone GPS use for our rides.  The IMG files will not run on a cell phone. 

Q; What do I do if I don't have a Garmin GPS?

A: Buy one, you need it.  Get a Garmin, it is still the most reliable 

Q: Is the riding really on my own?

A: Yes, but we recommend you bring a friend

Q: How good are these routes?  

A: They are 99% perfect.  Or sometimes, 99.9% perfect.  Or sometimes, 95% perfect.  So be prepared for a little imperfection.

Q: What are Custom GPS Ride Maps?

A: Custom GPS ride maps are electronic maps designed specifically to show the paths and path choices for a particular ride.  The maps show the paths as clear bold lines so the riders can easily see them even on small screens.  The lines are often comprised of groups of arrows or chevrons so that riders can easily tell the recommended direction of travel.  The lines come in multiple colors so that riders can easily choose between Hard and Easy options. Custom ride maps make ride navigation much easier than ever before.