The return journeyIn order to get away early enough this morning, I again do without the hotel breakfast. I drive off cheerfully at 05:30 o'clock, until I notice that something is wrong with the route on the Navi. This 'chases' me back and forth and I have trouble understanding where the problem lies. When I zoom out a little further on the route, I see that somehow Ljubljana has got into the route. Completely wrong direction and who knows how it came to this ...
Out of instinct I had not yet deleted the first route (without overnight stay in the Dolomites) in the Navi. I activate this and can now drive off properly. I would find the hotel also like that.
Due to the delay I am now exactly at the right time on the height between Jamnik and Lajse, so that I can shoot the most beautiful picture of the trip with the sunrise over Slovenia.
The first charging in Zelezniki goes smoothly; free charging at a simple station with my new tool. If I were sure that I could charge again in Tolmin, I would do without. But since the one socket there had a fault and I cannot know whether the second socket is not occupied, I make the battery mostly full again.
In Tolmin the station is free and works without problems. I use charging time to take off my sweater and hiking pants, which I wear under my bike clothes. In the meantime it is already 28 degrees hot and very humid.
The route between Carnia and Amaro is now passable and saves me the detour of the outward journey.
In Amaro I can charge again, but again only with a good 6kW. Is it really the limitation because of the temperature? The board display currently shows me 29 degrees. Now I rather suspect a malfunction of the charging station.
After the charging station, the goal is to get on the Strada Provinciale SP125 to Tolmezzo. The navi wants to guide me through a closed sports facility ... - well, that happens once in a while.
When I finally find my way to the SP125, it is closed. If one knew something like that earlier ...
From Caneva it goes now high into the hills above the Tagliamento. Kurviger.de has finally suggested so. Over steep, wooded hills it goes once again on narrow roads through small villages like Fusea, Vinaio and Lauco up and down, up and down. The 50's hit 'Stägeli Uff, Stägeli Ab Juhee' by the Schmid siblings spontaneously comes to mind.
On a long, steeply sloping straight stretch, I make a test: Starting at 50 km/h, the SR/F needs ~18 seconds to reduce to the speed to 21 km/h with fully applied regeneration (2x100% in ECO mode; throttle and brake lever). Lower down the speed even more is not possible; one would now have to use the mechanical brakes.
It's lunchtime, my cruising speed is reduced to a good 35km/h, and I don't even like to imagine how it would feel if it weren't for the cooling trees. If I had taken the expressway down through the valley, it would have taken me just under a quarter of the time, according to the navi, so only twelve minutes. But hey, I'm here to experience something.
In the meantime, it is already well after one o'clock noon and I have neither eaten nor drunk anything today. Concentration is clearly waning. On the plateau at Pian di Casa I force myself to descend, stop and eat something.
She speaks neither English nor German, I no Italian. The requested sandwich turns out to be two large, hot slices of toast with some ham and cheese in between. The main thing is to get something in the stomach now.
A few km after the break, I suddenly find myself back in familiar territory, the Razzo Pass (Sella di Razzo). On the outward way I had turned further south in the direction of Sauris, now I come from the more northern side.
At Auronzo di Cadore begins the part recommended by my brother. The roads here are wider, better developed, but at the moment unfortunately also much busier ... At Lago di Misurina things are mighty busy, as well as at Passo Tre Croci, in Cortina d'Ampezzo and at Passo di Valzarego.
Cortina is really 'overcrowded'. I find the charging station I need - and an air-conditioned place to eat an ice cream.
Two, three houses next to the place is the local police station. The road is not very wide, very busy and there are many people on foot. A car nevertheless parks on the side of the road for quite a while, forming a traffic obstacle. Two policemen are talking in front of the police station obviously unmoved by it.
In general: Italy and traffic signals ... As a newcomer to motorcycles, I'm amazed that the speed limits in Italy are obviously interpreted purely as a suggestion of how one could make the speed at the moment. Riding in towns at 50 km/h, I always feel like an obstacle to traffic, as often as I am overtaken.
On the other side of the Passo di Valzarego in the direction of Rocca Pietore, there is suddenly much less traffic. I am not quite clear whether this is due to the advanced time at half past five or to the route.
In Rocca Pietore is my at short notice booked hotel. With €130.- almost three times as expensive as the one in Naklo, and still much more expensive than the one I will have in Davos. The market plays ... - especially considering the hotel:
Positive: The staff is very keen on Corona protection, but at the same time very helpful. Exhilarating is the infrastructure. Maybe so from the 60-ies to 70-ies originating. Everything is clean, but old-fashioned. For example, you have to figure out exactly how far to insert the bit of the key into the lock so that it grips and the lock can be opened.
The entrance area, the reception, the corridors: everywhere there are colorful artificial flowers, thick carpets and stuffed animals. So genuinely quaint.
At six o'clock I swing myself back into the saddle to ride up the Fedaiapass. From Canazei my brother has recommended me the Sella circuit. But that has to wait now, maybe once in the fall.
Now it goes first again in deeper, fertile land with the Karer- and the Kalterersee and the terrific Mendelpass.
On the Passo di Tonale the first few drops fall during lunch break. On the descent to Ponte di Legno it has developed into light rain in the meantime. After a rain break it announces itself again in the ascent to the Gaviapass.
Also at the Gaviapass my bicycle bell is again frequently in use. For me it is not comprehensible that one can have pleasure in torturing oneself with a bicycle up to the 2'650m. By the way, torturing is the right expression here. If you don't believe it, take a look at the page
www.quaeldich.de (translation from German =
www.tortureyou.de).
When I think of all the cyclists I meet on the way, I have probably met a good part of those who are registered for the 'quäldich-Passjagd' ... (tortureyou-passhunting).
Downhill the Gaviapass a phenomenon shows up again, which already appeared at the Stilfserjoch: The estimated remaining range of the SR/F plays crazy. Coincidentally, I see in the display that the remaining range is raised to ~640 km, only to be set back to 0. Now the display counts itself up again in big steps of maybe 50 km, to fall back to 0 after a display of ~400, 500 or 600 km, and so on and so forth. This time the display settles down again as soon as I get to Foscagnopass. After the Stelvio, the SR/F only managed this after charging in Schlanders.
With passes of more than 2500 m altitude, or rather with the regeneration that occurs, the firmware seems to be overwhelmed.
The estimated remaining range should always be taken with a grain of salt anyway. If I quickly drove up a pass, the display is much too low. After the pass descent, it is too high. On the one hand, the consumption of the just driven kilometers is obviously strongly weighted in the calculation. On the other hand, the software cannot know what terrain lies ahead, nor what driving style I will adopt. Also other factors influencing the consumption are of course not known to the software: Tailwind or headwind, wet or dry road, temperature.
Over time, one learns to take such things into account when driving electrically.
In Bormio there is sun again and therefore also an ice cream waiting. One reason for the break: I forgot to charge the communication system of the helmet in the hotel. So: glucose for me, electricity for the system.
That there is not a single charging station in Bormio and the whole region (shame on you, Italians ...), I know from my preliminary inquiries. A sign at the side of the road near a car garage makes me suspicious. In big blue letters on a yellow background it says: "ELETTRAUTO".
Electric cars and nowhere a charging station? A quick look around makes me realize that it must be about the auto-electrics of conventional combustion vehicles ...
At the Foscagno Pass it suddenly starts with a violent thunderstorm, with lightning, thunder and heavy rain. Despite the danger of lightning strikes, I continue to drive, preparing myself for the fact that gloves and shoes will soon be soaked. Brand jacket and pants hopefully keep the advertising promises regarding rainproofness...
In Livigno, 7 charging stations await me. Except that they do not await me.
The clouds have moved and it is steaming hot. The streets are clogged with tourists - be it in cars or walking in the pedestrian zones.
According to Goingelectric, they are all powered by the Plug'n Roll network; this is where I have the charging chip.
The first charging attempts at a station in front of a hotel do not succeed. At some point, a hotel employee speaks to me and says that the column is only available for hotel guests. I enter the traffic jam again and after some time I try at the next place: The two columns are occupied.
I get into the traffic jam again and drive back to the other end of town. Here I find the pillar only after a longer search. Here as well on one side a malfunction is indicated. But also on the other side it does not work.
Enervated, I give up and head for the Munt-la-Schera tunnel...
In retrospect, it turns out that the information in Goingelectric is not or no longer correct: There is a distinction between Repower CH and Repower IT, which operate their charging networks independently. Plug'n Roll belongs to Repower CH and my chip is useless.
In the planning I assumed that I can charge safely somewhere in Livigno, with 7 columns. Now I hope that state of charge is sufficient to Davos. Whether there are stations between Livigno and Davos, I had not dealt with.
To save electricity, I drive the whole Lago die Livigno along the ridiculous prescribed 50 km/h.
At the 'tollbooth' for the Munt-la-Schera tunnel shortly after the dam, again on Swiss territory, I am pleased with the broad Graubünden dialect of the lady at the counter. How great that I can now communicate again without restrictions.
Again I enjoy the Ofenpass, even if I do not drive it as fast as with a full 'tank'. Entering Zernez, I see that there are several charging stations here. Greenstorm comes into play: They always have a charging cable at the station, so I can leave my charging system in the topcase.
A few meters from the charging station there is a pizzeria ... - I can definitely use a pizza now.
After that, my bike is also fully charged again. It is after seven and I have the Flüelapass practically for myself. With a full stomach and a full battery, I enjoy these last kilometers of today to the fullest; they make the strains of the last hours forgotten.
During the night I feel my tiredness and my muscles. I decide to just ride back to Appenzellerland after breakfast. In the morning, however, the weather is so radiantly beautiful. As soon as I'm on the bike, 'it' pulls me again up the Flüela.
I now feel very well and consider to treat myself with the Bernina pass and to ride back from there. On the way down to Susch, however, I notice that the traffic is increasing, that on the one hand there are some crazy road racing motorcyclists, but also slow landscape connoisseurs in their small cars. "Oh - it's Saturday ..." - No, the Bernina will not be a pleasure ...
I turn around again in Susch, drive back to Davos, charge again and return to Appenzellerland.
Again I drive via the Toggenburg. This time, however, additionally over the Schwägalp, Bächli, then to Schwellbrunn.
At noon I am back. And I am astonished myself: Before I am invited in the evening in the Ochsen in Schwellbrunn, 'it' pulls me in the afternoon again on the motorcycle for a '35-km-celebration evening round'.
Final thoughtsIt turned out that with the normal Type2 charging cable I would have had no problem and could have saved myself the trouble of lugging along the JuiceBooster2.
With the PC05, however, the problem will be much smaller.
If you look at the charging points used (see 'Travel Facts'), it becomes apparent that I was charging far too frequently.
If one knew in advance which charging stations worked, were free and could actually be unlocked with the available charging cards, things would be easier.
If I had planned more time for the trip, the pressure would also have been less, because if necessary there would have been time to find an industrial socket or then just a Schuko socket. But I was aware of this in advance.
Although I was on the road on the whole days so 12-14h a day, it was quite feasible. The energy reached surprisingly far, probably because everything was new, the roads and the area were exciting enough. However, I was quite tired at the end of the days.
It was interesting to observe how differently people reacted to the electric motorcycle. In Slovenia, I was hardly asked about it, even if I had the impression that the difference was noticed. In Italy it was completely different: There I was questioned several times and asked several times for permission to take a picture of the motorcycle.
For me the trip was a venture, for more experienced people it would probably have been less spectacular. We never owned a car as a family; the SR/F is the first motorized vehicle for me.
A longer trip with the electric motorcycle is possible. For me, too; others have long ago demonstrated this in a pioneering way.
Yes, one has to adjust to the charging challenge and prepare accordingly. But it can probably also be done much more spontaneously; I'm sure for me there's still room for improvement ...
For more pictures:
https://e.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZI1l0ZGGCGeeQUKppMDR9pns6QTBtGwugy
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Topic: 1600 km from Appenzellerland to Slovenia and back (Read 698 times)