Europe: Motorcycle tour of the Alps with no engine sound, no emissions

Motorcycle riders who insist on revving their engines won’t enjoy a new two-wheel tour of the Alps. Edelweiss Bike Travel based in Austria is offering guided journeys through Europe’s most famous mountains from the seat of a zero-emission bike.

Rainer Buck, the company’s chief executive, personally tested the route on a Zero Motorcycle (made in Northern California) to see what it’s like “to sweep through the Alps on silent feet, to enjoy nature with all your senses,” he writes on the company’s website.

Buck liked the high-performance electric motorcycle so much that the company bought a bunch of bikes and designed a 700-to-1,000-mile ride during a seven-day tour.

The tour begins in Mieming, Austria, where the company is located, and follows a counterclockwise loop through Switzerland, Italy and the Dolomites before returning to Austria. The route includes the Silvretta High Alpine Road and high passes such as Stelvio, Gavia, Mendel and the Timmelsjoch, at more than 8,000 feet high.

Riders can expect seven-to-nine-hour days on roads rated as tough, which means narrow and curvy with tight switchbacks.

When: Tours leave Aug. 3, with tentative 2015 dates of July 26 and Aug. 2.

Price: $3,230 to $3,640 per person, which includes lodging in small hotels, many meals, motorcycle, guide, insurance and luggage transport. International airfare is extra.

Contact: Edelweiss Bike Travel, (011) 43-5264-5690