Riding the Azores on a Rental Scooter
This is just a quick report on a riding trip I took a few years ago to the island of San Miguel in the Portuguese Azores. Besides riding my own Burgman 650 at home in Canada, I have an enjoyment in flying away somewhere and renting a scooter to explore different riding experiences. I was there for 9 days, 6 riding days and 2 days of general exploring, and the departure day.
This island of São Miguel is the largest of the Azores and is about 75 km long by 10-20 km wide, but despite it's size it has some amazing riding roads and you can easily spend a week there exploring different areas and sights. A ride completely around the island on the coastal road would be about 225 km distance. I went in mid-October and for riding, the weather was great. Daytime highs around 21C and nightime lows around 15C. There is some rain about, but it's pretty easy to avoid just by going to the other end of the island or changing elevation and it changes quickly. I wore my Klim gortex riding pants, my mesh jacket and had a rain jacket that I could throw on and off as needed. For my flights, I used a rolling duffel bag was full of my riding gear and I took one of my own helmets as a carry-on piece. They do supply helmets, but I'm more comfortable in my own which is guaranteed to be clean and fit correctly.
I rented online (details below) and had all arrangements made before I left. The bike I chose to rent was a 300cc Honda Forza but there are others available (including "real" bikes" LOL). Realistically, the Forza was more than adequate for the riding conditions I found. Overall, the roads are in good condition but there are some areas that are full cobblestone roads. I found that there's a sweet-spot, not too slow and not too fast where the suspension seems to adjust to the cobbles and the ride smooths out.
So here's a few images from the trip and commentary.
This road might be cobblestone, but what a feeling to ride thru the trees.
There's lots of sweeping curves both along the coastline and up thru the mountains.
At the top, a lovely mountain lake, the old caldera from the volcanic origins of the Azores. There is a caldera at each end of the island so lots to explore.
This old aqueduct was a nice thing to come across out in the countryside.
The main town of Ponta Delgada (where I stayed) is very beautiful both during the day and the night. I took one day without the bike to just walk around the town and see the sights. I planned my rides to all "loop" each day so I stayed at the same small boutique hotel every night. Parking for the bike was close by.
I did go off-roading to explore the caldera at the west end of the island but that was by choice, not required. I just had to be aware of the smaller diameter wheels and "normal" tires for grip.
More photos in the next posting.......
This is just a quick report on a riding trip I took a few years ago to the island of San Miguel in the Portuguese Azores. Besides riding my own Burgman 650 at home in Canada, I have an enjoyment in flying away somewhere and renting a scooter to explore different riding experiences. I was there for 9 days, 6 riding days and 2 days of general exploring, and the departure day.
This island of São Miguel is the largest of the Azores and is about 75 km long by 10-20 km wide, but despite it's size it has some amazing riding roads and you can easily spend a week there exploring different areas and sights. A ride completely around the island on the coastal road would be about 225 km distance. I went in mid-October and for riding, the weather was great. Daytime highs around 21C and nightime lows around 15C. There is some rain about, but it's pretty easy to avoid just by going to the other end of the island or changing elevation and it changes quickly. I wore my Klim gortex riding pants, my mesh jacket and had a rain jacket that I could throw on and off as needed. For my flights, I used a rolling duffel bag was full of my riding gear and I took one of my own helmets as a carry-on piece. They do supply helmets, but I'm more comfortable in my own which is guaranteed to be clean and fit correctly.
I rented online (details below) and had all arrangements made before I left. The bike I chose to rent was a 300cc Honda Forza but there are others available (including "real" bikes" LOL). Realistically, the Forza was more than adequate for the riding conditions I found. Overall, the roads are in good condition but there are some areas that are full cobblestone roads. I found that there's a sweet-spot, not too slow and not too fast where the suspension seems to adjust to the cobbles and the ride smooths out.
So here's a few images from the trip and commentary.
This road might be cobblestone, but what a feeling to ride thru the trees.
There's lots of sweeping curves both along the coastline and up thru the mountains.
At the top, a lovely mountain lake, the old caldera from the volcanic origins of the Azores. There is a caldera at each end of the island so lots to explore.
This old aqueduct was a nice thing to come across out in the countryside.
The main town of Ponta Delgada (where I stayed) is very beautiful both during the day and the night. I took one day without the bike to just walk around the town and see the sights. I planned my rides to all "loop" each day so I stayed at the same small boutique hotel every night. Parking for the bike was close by.
I did go off-roading to explore the caldera at the west end of the island but that was by choice, not required. I just had to be aware of the smaller diameter wheels and "normal" tires for grip.
More photos in the next posting.......
