Nice Ride in the Jura Mountains

[Henrik_imp]

This weekend I did my first proper ride with the CB1100 since I got it. We have had a terrible summer here in continental Europe, and basically July and August got totally rained out with temperatures really dropping low in August. Now that we are in the meteorogical autumn it seems as if summer has arrived… So, with a few work colleagues we decided to go for a day tour on Saturday. Actually there was an added reason to this, as the wife of one colleague had asked me to get him out of the house all day Saturday so that she could prepare a surprise birthday party for him. As if we needed a reason to go riding!

We all met up at my place, at the foot of the Jura mountains, and I had planned a route with a maximum of twisty roads. The bikes present provided a really eclectic group going from my CB1100 to a BMW R1150R, a Suzuki GSXR750, a Honda CB1000R and a Honda VFR1200X Crosstourer. Although I was fairly familiar with my CB1100, I really wasn’t sure how it would fare on this ride. I know these roads very well having ridden extensively in the area in the past, but always on more sporty equipment, and I know with this group that the pace can get quite spirited.

After a coffee and a croissant, we set out, immediately hitting a fabulously twisty road over the Col de Marchairuz. Going up this one is nice and fast, with a well maintained tarmac, but going down the other side is a bit more challenging. Some of the corners get very tight, and the quality of the road can be a bit iffy. Well since I was leading the pack, I wanted to try and keep a pace that all could enjoy, and I was actually happy to see that going up it was only the CB1000R that was following closely. For sure the other bikes were more than capable to go faster, but the riders were really just warming up. Then going down, I would say the outstanding brakes and nimble handling again gave my CB1100 an advantage. Certainly the poor guy in the GSXR was struggling a bit there, and this was only the beginning.

Once in the Vallée du Joux, famous for its collection of precision watch-makers, speed picked up a bit. First along some fairly straight roads, and then up over the Col du Mollendruz which has some very exciting and fast sweepers. I must say that in some places, going fast while cranked over, I could feel the limits of the chassis. It certainly is not as rigid as my previous bike, and I clearly felt that I was pushing the bike hard. Mind you, I never expected it to behave as well as it did on these conditions, and I think being able to comfortably hang with the two faster bikes of the group shows the competence of this bike. I did also miss a little bit the awesome power of my Corsaro here, but getting the revs up a bit higher on the CB still allowed for some proper fun.

It was a quick ride then to Vallorbe, where we stopped for a well-deserved lunch and some group pictures.



After lunch, I took the group back to the Lac du Joux again, but through a different pass that gives you a stunning view as you descend on the lake. Then it was time to head in to France where the real fun was about to begin. I know a lot of small roads in this area where there is really no traffic on over weekends. The twisty bits never really stop, and the road quality is actually quite good. The views are always beautiful, and sometimes simply awesome. We did have a fairly tight schedule so we couldn’t really benefit fully from all the amazing views, but I tried to stop the group at some of the most amazing spots along the way.


Lac de Joux

The road eventually takes us to Morez, which is France’s capital for eye-glasses. It is a pretty grey place, squeezed in between a very steep valley. From here we headed to St Claude, the pipe capital. This again as a city squeezed in to a tight valley, and the view first coming down to it are very nice, and the gorge leading out of it is simply stunning. Here the road gets seriously twisty, and I have hated doing it with a couple of bikes in the past. With the CB1100 it was a joy! The bike is just so nimble and smooth, you can push it on an angle easily enough, and it is forgiving enough all the time in case you must make a change of trajectory. All this leads you to being so relaxed while riding it, and you can just revel in the fun of the ride and the beauty of the views.


St Claude, and the mountain behind we were about to ride up


Road up from St Claude

A quick stop before we leave the gorge, and then up to the Col de la Faucille. This is our last stop for the day before heading home, and given the altitude and the late hour of the day, we all go for a hot chocolate to warm up a bit. Leaving the Col, you get the most amazing view of the Lac Léman, and you can see from Montreux to Geneva with its Jet d’Eau stunning in the late afternoon sun. From here we drop down to my friends place near Geneva, and his surprise party which turns out to be a huge success.


View of Lac Léman and the Mt Blanc coming down from the Col de la Faucille

All of the guys loved the ride, but funnily enough they all are really tired already by 10PM. Me, I felt fine, and finally ended up being the last one to leave the party. Goes to show how relaxing that CB1100 really is. Love that bike, and can’t wait for my next ride…

[cb400four_imp]

Very nice pics, Henrik! Thanks for posting!

[emptysea]

Great report. Looks like there's a postcard around every corner there.

[CIP57_imp]

Great pic's Henric

The Cb does handle better than i expected, you never feel like your in trouble or that oh **** factor so to speak.
I had a GSXR750, that guy was dying coming down the mountain pass. There a fine bike going fast uphill or on the straights, downhill can be a killer on your body.

Cheers

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Beaut pictures. You are right. A great bike for touring of that kind. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

[Henrik_imp]

It is a stunningly beautiful area. What I like to do is take off early on Saturday mornings and then I do this 4 hour loop through this area, and come back home for lunch. It is hard to have a better start to a weekend!

[redbirds_imp]

Simply lovely Henrik. You are fortunate to live in the midst of such grand scenery.

[the Ferret]

Awesome!

[Cormanus]

Henrik, that's a great report with fabulous pictures. That's a stunning picture of Lake Geneva. Thanks.

[CB4ME_imp]

Simple beautiful!