Tag Archives: great ocean road

Brits rate GOR best motorbike road

The Great Ocean Road along Victoria’s spectacular southern coastline has been rated the world’s most recommended motorcycle route, according to a British online insurer survey.

Confused.com consulted Adventure Biker and other motorbike enthusiasts to pick the top five most breathtaking motorbike routes and the hottest meeting points for bikers around the world.

We agree that the Great Ocean Road is simply one of the most stunning roads in all the world; our version of California’s iconic Big Sur which came in at  number three.

However, this heritage-listed road is simply too popular and you may find yourself caught behind tourists unaccustomed to driving on the left side of the road, grey nomads plodding along in Jaycos, cyclists on their own Tour de Chance and novice motorcycle riders unfamiliar with the roads. 

Even tackling this road midweek won’t guarantee a smooth run. It’s busy almost every season, almost every day.

However, there is no denying its beauty with the road rated the second-most Instagrammed road trip in the world behind the famous Route 66.

Tokyo Motor Show Yamaha Display

To find the most picturesque biker routes around the world, researchers paired up with motorbiking enthusiasts to map out the ultimate biker bucket list.

These are their most recommended routes around the world:

Great Ocean Road
Great Ocean Road
  1. The Great Ocean Road, Australia: Enjoy the beautiful landscape on this 290km-long route from buzzing Melbourne to quaint Peterborough, catching views of shoreline rainforests, limestone pinnacles and surfing beaches on the way.
  2. Cape Town Circuit, South Africa: If you prefer mountain views and desert landscapes, this 1700km-long route will take you from beautiful seaside Cape Town into the deserts of South Africa, offering great picture opportunities and a chance to see the Little Karoo Mountains.
    Big Sur Harley-Davidson touring USA America california rules dead-end route
    Big Sur
  3. Pacific Coast Highway (Big Sur), California, USA: A classic known to many, the quiet route from San Diego to San Francisco lets you soak up beautiful beach views with an unforgettable experience: crossing the all-famous Golden Gate bridge
  4. Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam: This 1900km ride will take you from Hanoi to Da Lat. It boasts rocky hills, Laos’ longest bamboo bridge and winding dirt roads for the full journey
  5. Troll Ladder, Norway: While this route is only 55km long, this mountain range isn’t one for the faint-hearted. If you head over to Rauma, you can expect 11 tight hairpin bends, a nine-degree descent and incredible views from the top

The new Brit study also lists the top biker hotspots such as Harley’s Milwaukee museum, plus the UK’s biker capitals and best routes.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

World’s most Instagrammed road trips

Australia’s Great Ocean Road is the second-most Instagrammed road trip in the world behind the famous Route 66, according to new UK research.

Click4reg.co.uk collected 15 of the best-known roads and journeys around the world and analysed the number of hashtags for each road trip with #name and #name + road trip.

Route 66 and the GOR were the only road trips to have over a million tags.

Instagrammed road trips

Road Trip

Location

Tags

Route 66

USA

1,708,620

Great Ocean Road

Australia

1,291,178

Pacific Coast Highway

USA

325,917

Valley of Fire

USA

219,333

Ring Road

Iceland

154,230

Ruta 40

Argentina

108,666

North Coast 500

Scotland

88,315

Trollstigen

Norway

85,933

Cabot Trail

Canada

76,840

Death Road

Bolivia

44,587

Causeway Coastal Route

Northern Ireland

35,423

Romantic Road

Germany

28,369

Route 62

South Africa

28,234

Atlantic Road

Norway

28,008

Snake Pass

England

12,343

While these may be the most Instagrammed road trips, they are not necessarily the best motorcycle road trips.

For example, Route 66 really no longer exists and where it does it’s in disrepair. It is also largely flat and straight as it was designed so cars could travel from Chicago to LA without having to go over the Rocky Mountains.

While the Great Ocean Road is a wonderfully twisty road with spectacular ocean scenery, it has largely been ruined by reduced speed limits and heavy police patrols.

And then there are the international tourists who dawdle, drive on the wrong side of the road and stop in dangerous places to take photos.

Big Sur Harley-Davidson touring USA America california rules dead-end route InstagrammedBig Sur

I would prefer the Pacific Coast Highway or “Big Sur” from LA to San Francisco with its similarly spectacular views, smelly sea lions on the beach, smooth road surface, wide pavement for easy overtaking, twisty and challenging contour and light police presence – at least I’ve never seen a cop on that road in the three times I’ve done it.

Europe has been revealed as the continent with the most Instagrammable road trips, claiming seven of the top 15 within the list.

England’s Snake Pass was the lowest tagged road trip with just 12,343 hashtags.

Of course there are many other great road trip routes that could have been included, but may not be Instagrammable.

Hear the Road Tours Stelvio Pass InstagrammedStelvio Pass

For example, the Stelvio Pass from Italy to Switzerland is our favourite road of all. But stopping to take photos for Instagram is a bit difficult because it is so narrow.

What is your most Instagrammed route? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com