Last February, it seemed the rainy winter would never end.I was sick of glumly staring at my Chief Vintage, sitting unused in the garage, and decided to search online for a motorcycle rental company somewhere sunny. I came across a place in Spain, 25C°, with almost the entire Indian range available! A hundred and fifty euros later, I had a ticket for a direct return flight to Malaga.
The guy from the Indian rental company very kindly offered to pick me up at the airport, since his business ZM-Moto was only 10 minutes away. Bernard introduced me to his team and explained that he has a permanent roster of 26 models available for hire, but some of them were already rented out at that time.
My Chieftain Limited was ready for me. I only had a few days, so I hopped in the saddle right away and after a quick pitstop at my hotel, I headed out to the back country. What a joy it was to ride in that temperature! The Chieftain easily handled the winding roads, which sometimes got very steep and narrow, without a murmur of complaint. I marveled at the natural beauty of the landscapes. With no particular itinerary in mind, I found myself riding through a biker’s paradise. After 140 km it was time to return to the hotel, and 50 km later the GPS had brought me there safely.
The following day I set out for another ride along the coast, with the Mediterranean Sea on my left, before turning inland towards the mountains and the picturesque little villages. The people I came across were welcoming, gathering around the Chieftain outside the roadside cafes every time I took a break.
Bernard and his partner organization, BikerTours Andalusia, suggested I join their guide for the next two days along with a group of seven other Indians. It was more than I could have hoped for!
The guide led us through protected natural reserves and along routes that I never would have discovered on my own. The views as we rode along among the Sierra’s high passes were absolutely breathtaking. In between the panoramic vistas, we’d stop off now and then to enjoy sampling some local foods and other products. For two days I was living a dream, without having to worry about finding my way, just following the guide as we rode through forests to upland lakes, traversing plantations of olive and almond trees. The scenery was incredibly beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the mild climate.
Those happy days came to an end and I had to hand back my Chieftain, with 937 kilometers on the clock, before returning home to the gray skies. I already knew for sure that I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Thanks to everyone at ZM-Moto (zm-moto.com) – Bernard, Heiko and Janine – who were all super-attentive and helpful, and thanks to our guide DJ from Bikertours Andalusia (bikertouren-andalusien.de) for those fantastic routes and for sharing their knowledge of the Andalusia region.
Daniel - Potsdam
Andalusia covers 87,268 sq. kms. and includes the great cities of Granada, Malaga, Marbella, Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba. The region enjoys over 300 days a year of sunshine. 50% of Andalusia is made up of mountains – a third of which reach above 600 meters in altitude, with 46 peaks higher than 1,000 meters – but it also has a coastline that stretches for 864 km along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean..
Bikertours Andalusia offers six 1,350-km tours lasting several days and starting out from Malaga. www.zm-moto.com
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