I have just one question: I know that to drive a car on the motorway in Switzerland you need a special pass, which costs a fair bit. What's the situation re: motorbikes?

Cheers,

Matt

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

It's been a couple of years since I was in Switzerland but you did need a ticket if you intended to ride a bike on the motorway. If you don't go on the motorway you don't need it, but don't get caught on one without it. You had to buy a yearly pass which was a bit much if you were only going through in a couple of days.
Jim

I entered Switzerland (briefly to pass through Geneva) by car two weeks ago and I enquired of the Border/Customs guards that the Vignette sticker is only required on Motorways/Autoroutes. They confirmed that is still the case. "No Autoroute - No Vignette"

But beware - road sign colours are different in Switzerland. Motorway/Autoroutes are signed in GREEN instead of the more usual BLUE. And main non-motorway roads are signed in BLUE instead GREEN, as in France.

__________________
Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

Matt-

as far as I know, he price is the same for motorcars & bikes. I tried to check it via the internet and couldn't fine any other info than above. The price is CHF40, which is roughly 26 Euros.

Yep, this is only necessary for the Swiss motorways. But another point: make sure you stick to the speedlimits. I got a ticket for speeding: 2kms faster than the limit

Hans

__________________
Only when we pause to wonder
do we go beyond the limits of our little lives.
(Rod McKuen)

Thanks guys, will stay off the motorways and under the speed limit!

Matt

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

I've gone through switzerland and stayed off motorways. The problem you have is, make sure the road you are taking into Switzerland isn't a motorway or you'll be stopped at the border and will have to buy a ticket.
I actually left Switzerland ON a motorway that time but they didn't seem interested in people leaving, only people coming in.

Do not try do cross the flatlands north of the Alps on country roads. You'll soon be bored, tempted to go faster than 80 kph max and speeding is REALLY, expensive in Switzerland :-/

Cheers

Lars

__________________
http://www.ontheroad.de
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiVqgukzm40

Ditto, a few times, except I have generally ended up riding on some motorway or other for part of the journey - quite some distance occasionally. Never bought this thing as it happens; cross the border(s) on any of the small non-motorway roads and then go for it on a motorway if you want to make up some distance (lots of towns otherwise with low speed limits and lots of traffic). I do agree to aim to stay inside the speed limits, thereby not drawing attention to yourself!

As for the backroads and byways in the "northern plains": they are not the Alps, but they are scenic in their own right and worth staying inside the speed limits for the views.

__________________
Dave

Not to pull this off-topic (although I think the question has been answered), but have you guys really had a big problem with speeding on a bike? I'm sure I've been lucky, but I have certainly not been obeying the speed limits much at all, through towns and such of course, but on the motorways and national highways not too much. I'm not saying I'm doing 200km in a 110, but still a fair chunk over the dial. And at least on two occasions I have blown past a cop doing over 20-30km over the limit with not so much as a stutter. I just assumed it was closer to being in the states, where bikers get a little more leeway than cars.

Mostly France and Spain I speak of.

Hmm, interesting! No way of knowing for sure, but you may have been lucky, depending on how many miles you are putting in etc etc.
Here in the UK, there is a seasonal aspect to the subject which is coming along about now with the warmer weather (a relative term of course). It is based here very much on camera technology and automatic number plate reading/recognition systems - if you have a non-UK plate they can't handle that (up to now - there are moves afoot in the EU to bring us all "into line" ).
Quite a few of the UK systems are forward facing, so they don't pick up bikes in any case, but this is changing with new systems coming along constantly.
Also, that does not preclude the occasional presence of mobile camera systems which are manned and may include pursuit cars/bikes placed close-by.
Speeding in the UK is the new "drink-drive" of a few years ago - politically incorrect: there are other threads in here on this if you are interested sufficiently to read further.

In France, it was (still is?) based on physical manning of radar technology which can pick you up from quite a distance away - many, many French will flash you with their lights to "assist" you - always slow down when locals coming toward you are flashing their headlights. Always seemed to happen to me on Sunday mornings.
Last time I was over there, I noticed some newer, apparently forward-facing, automatic cameras on the side of the road - in the UK they are mounted quite high up (and they still get attacked occasionally) but in France they are down at face-level; they would not survive for long over here!!

I have set off the flash systems on German cameras on a bike - forward facing cameras - and got nothing through the post: a mate of mine did the same thing in a hire car and got a nice pic of himself at the wheel and the car number plate complete with date and time, and the bill for the pleasure, a few weeks later.

Others can tell the anecdotes about Spain!!

ps Norway and Switzerland have reputations for draconian enforcement - helps to keep them busy in otherwise crime-free countries?

pps Assuming you have a NY plate, then the cops that you pass are going to recognise that the juice ain't worth the squeeze!

Cheers,

__________________
Dave

i've been in Switzerland in 2006. I have entered from Basil. they sold me this sticker at the border. can't remember how much it was, but was a bit expensive than i expected. the motorway and view was fantastic. one of the easy and relaxing riding in Europa that i had, especially before Italy. riding in italy was fun thou.

enjoy!

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

full details about the motorway tax can be found in english language on this government site:
http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en


You also might look at this info page about general driving rules and regulations in Switzerland:
http://geneva.angloinfo.com/countrie...nd/driving.asp

Definitely, better stay off the motorways and stick to the speed limitations if you want to enjoy the landscape

I seem to remember a HU member saying he received an on-the-spot fine of 400 euro's for crossing a solid white line on a slip road as he was joining a motorway.