Leaning into the serpentine curves in the roads of the Italian Alps, Warren & Flori Goodman go hurtling down the mountain on their BMW motorcycle past vineyards and orchards, and tear up to their night's accommodations, a 700 year old castle.
Close behind following the beacon of the bikes, TOURZ license plate is their tour group-- a pack of nine motorcycles with their riders clad in leathers. People come running to see the bikes and their riders and are surprised to see so many with greying hair that comes out from underneath their helmets.
The
leader of the pack is Warren Goodman who with his wife, Flori has been
conducting tours in the Alps since 1972. Age has not changed the color
of Warren's dark hair and he swears it is not colored nor has it reduced
him and Flori to spectators. Yes, they still ride on every tour
Inspired and invigorated by what they call the magic combination of speed and mountains, the Goodmans lead their groups on a three week 2,000 mile ride through alpine Europe that allows their participants to strike out on their own and meet the people of Europe in random encounters.
"My friends think I am the bravest soul on two feet", says Flori, who as assistant tour leader straddles the back of Warren's bike and assists the group in sorting out the best routes for a day ride.
The Goodmans have run tours for thirty years having started with ski groups from northern New Jersey. Since moving to Florida they operate the business from out of their home in Boynton Beach where they are active in the local BMW club and are part of the RETREAD organization.
Warren assisted the American Motorcyclist Association for their first international tour to Great Britain and the Isle of Man TT races. In dealing with the group desk of British Airways one of the staff asked him if the group was going over to England to rape, ravage, and pillage. Warren, who enjoys all humor, even the wry British variety answered, "All threel"
How many Americans see Europe on two wheels and return with a speeding ticket that was enlarged and framed? Yes, Milt Hoyt, a mere 73 years young got a ticket for speeding and had a great souvenier. Milt felt he had a great adventure being able to meet up with a European on a one on one basis.
Instead of just passing through countries to sightsee and observe others, Warren's groups have become attractions to the Europeans with their Harley's and Wings. The exotic bikes have become true attractions and folks gather around whenever there is a stop. On the outskirts of Budapest an entire soccer team came over to see Flori and Warren on their BMW.
The routing covers about 2,000 miles and wends its way through small alpine villages in Austria, Germany, northern Italy, and Slovenia. Warren maps out routes that average about five hours of riding and encompass mountain passes, twisty roads and multitudes of switchbacks.
The
Goodman's prefer to leave their group members to their own devices taking
their own side trips through mountain roads until they all gather for
the evening meal. The Goodman's have parlayed their experiences and contacts
to the benefit of their groups that have the opportunity to meet with
many of their friends, and visit in their homes. There are many times
when a local motorcycle club will join with the tour group for an evening
of fiun and frolic.
Warren and Flori have fine tuned their routes over time so that now their groups see the most dramatic parts of alpine Europe.
Close behind following the beacon of the bikes, TOURZ license plate is their tour group-- a pack of nine motorcycles with their riders clad in leathers. People come running to see the bikes and their riders and are surprised to see so many with greying hair that comes out from underneath their helmets.
The
leader of the pack is Warren Goodman who with his wife, Flori has been
conducting tours in the Alps since 1972. Age has not changed the color
of Warren's dark hair and he swears it is not colored nor has it reduced
him and Flori to spectators. Yes, they still ride on every tourInspired and invigorated by what they call the magic combination of speed and mountains, the Goodmans lead their groups on a three week 2,000 mile ride through alpine Europe that allows their participants to strike out on their own and meet the people of Europe in random encounters.
"My friends think I am the bravest soul on two feet", says Flori, who as assistant tour leader straddles the back of Warren's bike and assists the group in sorting out the best routes for a day ride.
The Goodmans have run tours for thirty years having started with ski groups from northern New Jersey. Since moving to Florida they operate the business from out of their home in Boynton Beach where they are active in the local BMW club and are part of the RETREAD organization.
Warren assisted the American Motorcyclist Association for their first international tour to Great Britain and the Isle of Man TT races. In dealing with the group desk of British Airways one of the staff asked him if the group was going over to England to rape, ravage, and pillage. Warren, who enjoys all humor, even the wry British variety answered, "All threel"
How many Americans see Europe on two wheels and return with a speeding ticket that was enlarged and framed? Yes, Milt Hoyt, a mere 73 years young got a ticket for speeding and had a great souvenier. Milt felt he had a great adventure being able to meet up with a European on a one on one basis.
Instead of just passing through countries to sightsee and observe others, Warren's groups have become attractions to the Europeans with their Harley's and Wings. The exotic bikes have become true attractions and folks gather around whenever there is a stop. On the outskirts of Budapest an entire soccer team came over to see Flori and Warren on their BMW.
The routing covers about 2,000 miles and wends its way through small alpine villages in Austria, Germany, northern Italy, and Slovenia. Warren maps out routes that average about five hours of riding and encompass mountain passes, twisty roads and multitudes of switchbacks.
The
Goodman's prefer to leave their group members to their own devices taking
their own side trips through mountain roads until they all gather for
the evening meal. The Goodman's have parlayed their experiences and contacts
to the benefit of their groups that have the opportunity to meet with
many of their friends, and visit in their homes. There are many times
when a local motorcycle club will join with the tour group for an evening
of fiun and frolic.Warren and Flori have fine tuned their routes over time so that now their groups see the most dramatic parts of alpine Europe.