GIVI Magazine - Maggio 2016

22  Turismo RIDING AMONG THE ‘PINK MOUNTAINTOPS’ IN THE DOLOMITI...WITH THE DOLOMITI. A PLAY ON WORDS TO INTRODUCE GIVI’S NEW ALUMINIUM CASES WHICH WITH THEIR NAME HONOUR THESE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD- HERITAGE MOUNTAINS. MOUNTED ON THE YAMAHA MT-09 TRACER THEY WERE WITH US ALONG INCREDIBLE BENDS, BREATHTAKING SCENERY, TOURIST AND ART TOWNS. Choosing to follow a route by motorbike from Castelfranco Veneto to Cortina d’Ampezzo and back, can offer various ideas for those of you who love riding along beautiful bends, the mountains and areas which are rarely visited during the low season. It’s a fascinating route, among majestic scenery, places rich in history and roads which are perfect for riding, albeit not to be underestimated. We start from theMarca Trevigiana area, the heart of Veneto, and we remain between the provinces of Treviso and Belluno, even if quick detours can offer further ways of interpreting theseworld-famous mountain regions. Our travel companion is theYamahaMT-09Tracer, set up for fast tourism - but not only - thanks to a complete kit of GIVI accessories studied for her. Among these, you can immediately notice the capacious rigid aluminium side bags: they have a newdesign, a greater functionality and, most of all, a name which says it all: Trekker Dolomiti..! FIRST DAY (Castelfranco Veneto – Cortina d’Ampezzo: 4h, 180kms) Our tour starts from the shop Market2Ruote of CastelfrancoVeneto (address: viaCirconvallazione Est 4), among ancient villas, scenic squares and frescoed palaces. Famous as Giorgione’s city, one of the most emblematic figures of the history of painting, who was born there in the XV Century, Castelfranco, protected by themassivewalls of the medieval castle, still maintains all the splendour of an art city. The tour suggested by Market2Ruote for our first spring outing allows us to enjoy with no hurry a walk among its alleys and its six towers, to admire the marvels this city preserves for us, before venturing to discover the treasures of Veneto on the saddle of our trusted companion. Sowe leave our bike to go towards the historic centre. Entering the castle from the main gate, with its towering SaintMarc Lion from 1499, we see evocative views of prestigious buildings, like theTeatroAccademico of the 17-hundreds (in via Garibaldi), among the most beautiful theatres in Italy, and theDuomo, the cathedral which hostsGiorgione’s famousCastelfranco Madonna, both designed by the architect Preti. Our second stop is Asolo, passing through Riese Pio X (SS 667 and then SP 6): after about 15kms and nomore than half an hour on the road, we reach the outskirts of the “city with 100 horizons”, as the poet Carducci called it. In a unique scenic position, Asolo has hosted over the centuries famous people and artists from all over the world. After this town we take the SS 248 which passes through Cornuda, Pederobba, Quero and Anzù, where you can glimpse the basilica of Saints Vittore and Corona, perched on the top of Mount Miesna, and in 30kms of road following the Piave river we reach Feltre. Here during the first weekend of April five-thousand bikers met for the XXXI edition of the Blessing of the Biker, organised by Feltre’s Motorcycle Club. Perched on a hill at the western endof theBellunaValley, Feltre, small but characteristic art town, surely deserves a pause to roam through the streets of its old city. After crossing the Imperial Gate, main access point to the city, along via Mezzaterra we see a series of noble city dwellings, such as the 16th-Century Cumano Palace, which today hosts the Modern Art Gallery (via Paradiso 8) dedicated to the master Carlo Rizzarda, among the most important artists of wrought iron of the beginning of the 20thCentury. Besides the church of SanGiacomoMaggiore, with its beautiful Renaissance marble entrance, there are the 17th-Century Palace Bellati-Villabruna, home of the Civic Museum, and the Salce-Aldovini-Mezzanotte palace, whose facade is covered in faded frescoes. Moving along via Mezzaterra, we reach the scenicMaggiore square, surrounded by the imposing Pretorio Palace, built between 1548 and 1570, the Palazzo della Ragione and the church of San Rocco which, along with Alboin’s castle, towers over the whole complex of buildings. We get back on the road going towards SS 50which, after crossing SP 12, takes us to Fonzaso. From here, moving alongSS 50 for around 20kms, (less than half an hour of riding), we reach Fiera di Primiero leaving Fonzaso andMonte Croce behind us. Nowwe are on SS 347 and, under the peak of the SassMaor (2,812m) a series of bends begin, taking us to Agordo, where the road (SR 203) becomes narrower and crosses beautiful larch woods. While in the background we can see the mountains Pelmo and Civetta, after the village of Colle Santa Lucia, on a rocky shoulder at 1453 metres of altitude (30kms from Cortina), we climb up SP 638 with its infinite hairpin bends which take us to the Giau pass, 2,236 metres, which is well worth a stop to allow us to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Dolomiti. From here you can see the mountain tops towering over the basin of Cortina d’Ampezzo, and farther in the distance you can glimpse the three Cime di Lavaredo. The view is breathtaking, but the 18kms of bends separating us fromour destination for the daymake us get back on our bikes. And so, moving along SP 638, which then becomes SR 48, we reach Cortina d’Ampezzo. Among one of themost famouswinter destinations, besides themany clubs popular with the jet set and the boutiques thatmake this a paradise for shopping enthusiasts, Cortina d’Ampezzo has some small jewelswhich are reallyworth visiting, before sitting at a table for a nourishing dinner. From the small MOTORBIKE AND SETUP The journey in the Dolomiti of Friuli has been the ideal setting for the debut of one of Givi’s great new products: the hard cases Trekker Dolomiti, with a 36-litre capacity. Dedicated more to road bikes than the Trekker Outback range, you can see them mounted on the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, a crossover bike that combines excellent touring characteristics with an engineering perfect for fast riding on the spectacular roads of the Dolomiti. The Japanese three- cylinder bike has all you need to arouse the enthusiasm of its users: optimum torque at medium revs, fun top speed, very few vibrations and reasonable gas consumption. It rides fast, precisely and satisfyingly, but the protection provided by the sharp plastic of the standard screen and sides is not the best to protect passengers from cold, wind and rain. The situation improves, considerably, thanks to Givi’s tall screen ( 2122DT ) and the dedicated hand guards ( EH2122 ). The former makes use of the standard bike height adjustments to adapt to the build of the rider, while the hand guards are just what the doctor ordered when temperatures drop or it rains for a long time. The new Trekker Dolomiti are recognisable for their less aggressive look compared to the Trekker Outback range and for the convenient handle on the lid, which makes them easy to move once they have been taken off the bike. The fixing system for the frame specific for the MT-09 Tracer is really solid, quick and fool-proof. The MT-09 Tracer has then been completed with a practical tank bag ( ST602 ) with Tanklock fixing system and a very practical internal holder for eyeglasses, a complete set of protective tubes for the engine and frame ( TN2122 ) and the always useful plate to extend the base of the side stand ( ES2122 )