Frequently Ask Questions

At Bike Tour Germany, we've done our best to create a Web site that anticipates and satisfies our guests needs. With that goal in mind, we've compiled a list of frequently asked questions. If you do not find an answer to your question here, contact us at: Service@BikeTourGermany.com

SALES
Q: What kind of bikes and how many do you have for rent ?
A: We do rent everything which is available at the rental agencies we are working with.. Based on our experience we prefer to rent to you motorbikes from BMW. (Remeber we are in Bavaria, that IS BMW country, smile)

Q: How can I reach you, if there are any questions
A: You can call us at our German or +49 (8094) 258338 or via SKYPE at “BikeTourGermany”
or via FAX at +49 (32121) 3933-08

BILLING
Q: Can I pay with a credit card in Germany ?
A: Even if the accommodation (incl. breakfast and dinner) cost are included in the price of the tour, you need to use your credit card for  motorbike rental (incl. deposit), and nearly all gas stations will accept them. You will probably need cash (Euro) for use in smaller towns. Your guide will know exactly where you can use plastic, and where you would need cash.  (Master Card and Visa are accepted generally everywhere.  You may have difficulties with others.)

Q: Is there a difference between US and European credit cards ?
A: Sometimes systems / machines accept only cards with embedded chips. US cards mostly use magnetic strips, which is about as archaic in Europe as feet and inches.

Q: How does BTG get paid ?
A: You are going to book a tour guide with us and you can send your payments by bank transfer to our German or our US account.

SUPPORT
Q: What happens if the motorbike has a technical problem ?
A: Our guides know their motorcycles and the technology as good as most mechanic. For the unlikely case that the guide can not fix the problem right away, there is a service vehicle with a trailer on call.

PRODUCT / SERVICE SPECIFIC
Q: Can I book a complete vacation with you ?
A: We do offer a package price, except flight or train. We do the reservation for rental motorbikes and we provide you with a tour guide who speaks English.

Q: Do you have Harley-Davidson to rent ?
A: There are two answers to it. The short answer is :”It depends”
Here is the long answer:  Germany and the surrounding countries Alps have some very small and twisted roads. We prefer to ride on this smaller roads, so that our guests are getting the most out of their vacation.
If you are in the Alps, you would need a motorcycle which handles twisties and hairpins comfortable and reliable. If you are here in European Alps, you will see that the majority of biker is riding something like a BMW GS or similar and there is a reason why. Nothing wrong with HD’s or Wing’s, but in the Alps you need something different.
If it helps : One of our guides went onto a 4 week trip with his wife on a GS and they where not missing anything.

Q: How many motorbikes do you usually take on a tour ?
A: We prefer to keep the groups pretty small. Makes it easier for anyone to enjoy the trip, cause it is YOUR vacation. Normally we have 3-6 Bikes per Guide, hardly ever more. If the group is larger we split it two or more groups mostly based by driving experience. And then we are also using a second (third) tour guide.

MISCELLANEOUS
Q: I hear there is no „No Speedlimit“ in Germany, right ?
A: That is not entirely true. In cities and on normal roads there is a speed limit.
On the “Autobahn” on the other hand, certain areas are without a speed limit. There is a very good explanation about the “Autobahn” at YoungAmericans.  And another good one is at the WIRED How-To-Wiki

Q: Can I rent a motor bike in Germany if I have only a valid driving license of my own country ?
A: If your are 21 or older and have a valid driving license for motorcycle of the country you live in, everything is OK. Rental companies do not rent to you if you are under 21, even if the legal driving age is 18 in Germany.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Q: If I get sick when I am in vacation, can you help me/us ?
A: All of our tour guides know what to do in an case of emergency. They are all well trained and have every year a refresher course for medical emergencies. If you need professional medical attention, the tour guide always has the information about the next available clinic at hand.

Q: I have a GPS system that I would like to use in my vacation. Do you provide the tour also as download.
A: We will try to give you the tour as a file for your GPS System, the guides even have a Netbook (Windows) for transfer available. Please understand that there are soo many systems world wide available that we can not provide any imaginable format, but we try.

Q: I hear you are using a Service called “SPOT-Messenger” what is that?
A: The SPOT-Messenger allows to track our route once we are ont he road. The device is sending every 10 minutes a message to our WEB-Site and there the poor poeple who are not riding with us, can at least see where we are and where we stop for the night. There is also a “Everything OK” message at the end of each day to be seen.
The usage of this tracking is entirely optional, if you let us know we can also switch it off.