Riding a Motorcycle in Dublin, Ireland with Alpinestars

For 1 week I was the lucky recipient of a free trip to Ireland! Luckily, I had a day to ride two wheels and here's my brief story.

It all starts with a surprise trip to Ireland on behalf of my husband, but without my husband. Let's just pretend it was a secret mission where I was preoccupied for 6 days and was able to rest on the 7th. So I decided to rent a BMW F650Gs, from Celtic Rider.

It was sooooo nice out! Maybe mid 60s and a few clouds but mostly blue sky. I rented a Garmin just in case and ended up heading south into Wicklow Mountains National Park. I had to stop and take this pic.

First road, the only dry part. Killakee Road towards Wicklow Mountains Nat'l Park

I felt like the clouds were moving away from me so I kept going, pretty slow ~45mph. The road was windy but no blind corners and hardly any traffic! This was probably the most cars I'd passed at once. Eventually I found some sheep and a couple of postcard perfect scenes that I had no choice but to photograph. I had to stop, pinch and remind myself exactly where I was. IRELAND!

Eventually I made it to this small junction, where a small parking lot looked good to stop and plan my next route. I met this lovely man named Eddie who was fascinated by my fancy Garmin.

Eventually I made it to the junction of Wicklow Way and Military Rd known as Sally Gap. Stopped and chatted with Eddie (wearing helmet).

View of the parking lot.

And this is where it gets rainy. After leaving this cute parking lot, it started pouring about a half hour later as I wandered further West. I rode for awhile in the rain and eventually I got sick of it so I decided to find a spot to dry off and get comfortable. I found an underground parking garage, had lunch and waited until it dried out. I then tried to get lost and wander some local towns since my Garmin wasn't cooperating.

Sadly I didn't get as far as I wanted to go. I stayed within 30-40 miles of downtown Dublin instead of heading west where all the good roads seem to be.

I relied on the 2 short suggestions that I was given and ended up not riding very far. Even with these minor disappointments I still had a GREAT time riding around Dublin. The people were so nice, the scenery was breathtaking and the BMW was awesome! I think they had a stock 2008 F650GS, and it was perfect. It only took me a short while to get used to the other side of the road too.

I definitely plan on making Ireland a riding vacation destination so I can explore the rest of this beautiful country. I know there is lots to see and I can envision renting a bike for a week to see and experience far more than I was able to.

The Gear

I was also able to wear this fantastic GORE-TEX outfit from Alpinestars, which made my wet ride perfectly comfortable. I stayed warm and dry the entire time.

For a longer ride report and full gear review, please tune into Episode 25 of my podcast at Moterrific.com.