Meet The Litas Berlin

Residing in the largest city in Germany and the European Union’s most populous city, The Litas Berlin battle busy streets and plenty of traffic, so they often find refuge on two wheels in the surrounding countryside. They recently escaped the bustle of Berlin for a weekend trip to Naumburg, cruising curvy roads, taking in views of the surrounding mountains and lakes, and riding past centuries-old castles. Naumburg is about 230 kilometers south of their city and is home to a World Heritage UNESCO site, the 10th century Naumburg Cathedral.

Keep reading to learn more about The Litas Berlin, their first ever overnight group road trip, and their top recommendations on where to ride when visiting Berlin.

Who are your branch founders?

Antje Vialon, Silke Morisse, Judy Schlesinger and Claudia Menzel

How did you discover the Litas?

Being bike riding women, we take keen interest in social media content regarding other women sharing the same passion. We saw posts, pictures and stories about The Litas Salt Lake City and other chapters in Europe.

What brought the founders together?

It was a late night out in 2021, and the four of us were sitting together at a party, enjoying the evening while talking about a mutual motorcycle group experience we had had some time ago. We realized we missed simply riding our bikes in a girls group without having to invest as much time as before into getting organized-- and without the drama we had experienced. Talking about what we would like to change and how we would like it to be, Silke came up with the idea of starting a Litas chapter in Berlin. The thought got all of us excited, and it didn't take Antje very long to get us signed up.

What has been your greatest success as a branch?

Founding The Litas Berlin and almost immediately having 14 members (all of which are still active) is our biggest success.

Managing to meet at least once a month for a night out is also a big achievement we are very happy about. In spite of the fact that we all belong to different age groups and have different riding skills and different motorbikes, we manage riding together respectfully and with much consideration for each other while having as much fun as possible. Our goal is to see everybody smiling. Besides riding together, some awesome friendships have evolved.

What are some challenges you face living and riding in Berlin?

Berlin city is huge and crowded, traffic can be challenging. For a nice and enjoyable ride, we usually get out of town to the surrounding area for ride-outs. Roads are less busy but usually straight and somewhat boring. So we need to stay creative about the route or head further south. If you manage riding in Berlin, you can manage riding anywhere.

Tell us about your recent weekend trip to Naumburg:

Naumburg was our first trip with an overnight stay as a group. And it was great. Eleven of us were able to join; we headed south, catching some curves in a beautiful scenery with mountains, castles and lakes, followed by good food and late night drinks. Getting there took us 6 hours, and it was very hot. There were way too many road blocks due to construction and a mechanical problem, but the mood was still great.

The best thing next to riding was getting to know each other better by spending two and a half days of quality time together, helping each other out and having late night talks.

“If you manage riding in Berlin, you can manage riding anywhere.”

Top recommendations for Litas coming to Berlin:

First of all, get in touch with us! (You can do this by reaching out to The Litas Berlin in our Collective App.)

Berlin has much to offer because of its multi-cultural background and its great nightlife. Gourmets will find a variety of international cuisine, such as Asian, Italian, Turkish, vegan and, of course, German food. Some highlights are the famous Spinnerbrücke (motorcycle meeting point and snack bar), Craftwerk Berlin, 45 Über Null, Landebahn 3.0 and the BrewDog.

The best roads for motorcycling are in the surrounding countryside, so you have to leave Berlin and head towards Brandenburg county. We have many tips and recommendations for our area. Most of them end up at a nice castle with good food.

For a nice route out of Berlin, head north towards Bernau, and then in the direction of Ruhlsdorf, passing along the way beautiful open fields and forests. Well worth the stop in Ruhlsdorf is an ice cream parlor called “Eiscafè am See” (Eiscafe at the lake) for some delicious homemade ice cream and cake. Next, make your way in the direction of Werbellinsee (Lake Werbelin), where you will find some awesome curves directly on the lakes' shoreline. At the lakes' marina, you can get tasty fresh smoked fish – it’s really worth a try.

Heading further east towards Niederfinow, you will find Germany's biggest and oldest ship lifting facilities, the Schiffshebewerk. It’s very impressive and definitely worth a visist. The Schiffshebewerk is also a well known spot in the region for meeting and chatting to fellow bikers. You can get snacks and coffee or typical German food. Note that there are parking fees and an entrance fee if you want to go upstairs into the Schiffshebewerk. After a stop there, continue further east to Oderberg at the Polish border to hit some more awesome roads, or simply head back south to Berlin.