Europe 2014, rain and more rain, Alps and Adriatic....

Germax

Germax

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This year has been good for me and my GF, we got to do USA California to Ontario
and after that we shipped bikes to Europe for summer vacation.

Shipping bikes proved to be bit of challenge but nothing that some yelling or begging where appropriate could not take care of.
We shipped two bikes with air cargo to Munich from Toronto for 2700$CDN.
Initial quote was 2100$CDN but it changed. Shipping is better left for another post if there is any interest. One advice, do not plan to be on same flight as your bike. Plan to be on a flight that is day after. Otherwise you might have to wait on your bike when they don't load it on airplane because there is no room...

When you get your bike back it will take few hours to sort out all the bits removed for shipping:



After bikes were put together and we got some gas we hit the autoban and promptly slowed down to a grind... Apparently all of Germany goes south end of July, on Fridays. Direction was to be Grossglockner, highest mountain in the Austria and eventually hotel in Lientz but due to delay at the airport and bad traffic we were running late and eventually got to be at the top of the mountain at nightfall!!!








Now, considering that it is height of the season, weekend and on top if it and the fact that Grossglockner road is toll road only for mountain access we were getting ready to ride down in dropping temperature and darkness. It was to be tough ride but we stopped at the first alpine house on the way south and they had room.

This is the place



Not only that they had room, it was only 20e per person with breakfast!
It is simple and clean place to stay. Shared bathrooms and showers but really charming. I can not recommend this place enough. Friendliest people you will ever meet. They have small bar, wood fire crackling, oasis coming out of the cold night.

I was being ready to pay whatever they ask to get off the road and it was best value for the money I got anywhere.

View from the room



This is parking lot :)



And Grossglockner in the morning glory







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As it happens we saw another triumph tiger (not a common sight) that first night, Orange one parked at the another alp house just before the top. In all I saw few tigers running around in alps and two on Croatian coast. Memorable was white one in some marina in Croatia, Polish owner was next to it and was not friendly at all. Must have been itchy goretex in Croatian sun
It was extremely hot so he probably had heat stroke. Note to visitors, Croatian coast was heat wise harder for me than Death Valley. But there is sea to jump in so do not be afraid

Anyway glorious plan was to play in alps for 5-6 days and first day we got rained on for most of the day. Here is few photos to distract from my sucky writing.





Almost missed this, there is barely a warning that there is a border present
Hard to imagine from North American perspective but white stone is Austria, blue sign is Italy. Wait time is zero and you can not declare anything because nobody cares.
This smells like freedom



Italy , lake, had to stop for a minute to put rain gear on... there is always something to see but clouds are killing it...



SOOO MUCH RAIN!!!!! GOD DAMMIT!!!!



Looking at the forecasts that night we decided that it is end of the world and that Europe will be drowned in rain in next few weeks. We decide it is best to await that end with our friends and family in Croatia and leave alps for the next time.

Here are some nice photos of times when we stopped and it was not raining...




















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HA!

So, we hightailed it from alps straight to Adriatic!
I figured if I must be wet it can at least be warm wetness...

We were rewarded and eventually it got so nice that rainbows were shooting out from tiger's ***! Hard to believe but I got photo to prove it!



No rainbows shooting from the front of the bike....






Croatian coast is spectacular. I am Bosnian and I have no problems saying that.
If you can find Serbian guy to agree with me that would be a proof that Croatian coast is best in the world :) Seriously, it is amazing!

Highways are world class, certainly better than anything we have in Canada.
However, the jewel is coast road called Magistrala.

It hugs the coast for most of the length. It goes inland in some places but never too far. It used to be bogged down horrible plugged up road but with new highway most of the traffic is gone.

Northern part from Opatia to Zadar is almost deserted on a good day, it can get bit busier on the weekends but hey, more things to pass.
And for some magical reason in Croatia nobody expects you to ride bike like it is an 18 wheeler like they do in Canada. You can pass where you want and mostly drivers stay to the side and help you out. I am not sure that cops see it same way but it is generally accepted way of riding as far as I can tell...

Beware of windy days, I had pleasure to ride one day where it was closed in same places (no clue where those were, I heard it on the radio) I must have been close. This wind they call bura is more like punches in the head and kicks in the tank.
It comes out of nowhere and hits hard in random places. Meanwhile you are negotiating tight turns and fast sweepers between cliff face and rail leading to the rocky beach in some places quite far down :)

Here is few photos taken from the side of the road...













 
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We had to make our way back to Munich without the bikes so that was painless if not cheap quick flight. I must say in my travels I never ranked Munich anywhere.
Quite a mistake, Munich is beautiful city and there is a lot to see and do there.

We had day to kill, and everything was closed for some holiday so we just explored on public transport. If you have chance give it few days it is really something....












Conclusion:

Scala communicators will have problems with buckets of rain falling on your for hours.
On one helmet Mic stopped working until it dried out next day.

Palmers screen mount (tiger thing) will not stop bird crap and guts from hitting the helmet chin when bird explodes on the nose cone. Cracked open helmet shield will also not stop that bird crap and guts hitting the eyes. Luckily sunglasses will! Not fun but it must be one in a million. I was able to pull over and wash glasses and my face...

Old tires are crap no matter how much thread they have. GF FZ6R bike came with the tires that looked file but in mountains in rain were squirmy. We replaced them with PR4s but by the end of the trip. Tiger had oldish PR2s and did not skip a bit.

Tyre gps planing software is THE BEST. Seriously, if you have Garmin or TOMTOM stop reading this, spit on basecamp and mapsource, if you have install CD burn it and install Tyre. It is as simple as google maps planing and it sends maps directly to the device. It is like magic... If you ever suffered basecamp you are saved...

Kriega bags for "petite" bikes are great. Absolutely water proof, light and quick to mount.
Just do not expect to get anything out unless you take the bag off the bike...

One more special mention!!!!

Samsung Galaxy S5!!!!
It is waterproof blablabla...

It is absolutely amazing digital camera.
Good number of photos were taken with S5 and most others with Sony DSLR A55.
It would be hard call to separate them out. This is first time that smart phone camera is performing so well that I could not be bothered to take SLR out...

Amazing photos... Well worth the space in the pocket ....

That is it... if you read this far you must be really bored :)

Cheers!


G
 
Looks like a great trip, and nice pictures.

Now, more about this Tyre software. I just downloaded it to try it out. So far I like it -- I like that I can drag the route around like in google maps as I couldn't before with mapsource (I'm using a Garmin).

Do you have the base version or the pro version? I am wondering if the pro version is worth the price and what the 'route optimisation and create touristic routes' functions do?
 
I just have basic version and it does everything I need.
It does crash more than it should and saving periodically is important.

Remember, it requires internet connection! Sometimes on the road that is not possible...

Diesel said:
Looks like a great trip, and nice pictures.

Now, more about this Tyre software. I just downloaded it to try it out. So far I like it -- I like that I can drag the route around like in google maps as I couldn't before with mapsource (I'm using a Garmin).

Do you have the base version or the pro version? I am wondering if the pro version is worth the price and what the 'route optimisation and create touristic routes' functions do?
Click to expand...
 
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What is it with the weather? Last year when I went, it was the same thing, lots of rain. But still a once in a lifetime ride and worth every second. Yet guys who went in 2005 to about 2012 had relatively sunny dry weather. Could be a phase for the next few years until this global warming thing subsides (joking).

I've heard that the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia rivals anything on the Riviera and is just as spectacular but at a third the cost. It's on my list of places to ride.
 
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Germax said:


Click to expand...

What a sight to recognize. This section of the magistrala is just above a little town called Brela, which is where I am from.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.4006...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1si_E56qRriigep4A2HjViyw!2e0

If you look closely at the top of the mountain there, you can see what appears to be a giant billboard or something. A popular spot known mostly to the locals, it's actually possible to drive up there. Here is the view you are rewarded with..

zlG1H8q.jpg


klmtuvI.jpg


Anyways, definitely looks like you had an amazing time even if the weather didn't cooperate much. Would love to tour Europe like this one day.
 
I have been to French riviera and it is beautiful but it is not better. Unless you count number of Ferraris and luxury stores. I spend pretty much every summer on the Croatian coast and from this year on there will always be my bike waiting for me :)

I did similar tour on friends bike 3-4 years back and I had just day or two of rain in 4000km. I hope rainy summer is not a new trend.

Torcida, maybe I'll look for that billboard next year :)
 
Germax said:
Shipping bikes proved to be bit of challenge but nothing that some yelling or begging where appropriate could not take care of.
We shipped two bikes with air cargo to Munich from Toronto for 2700$CDN.
Initial quote was 2100$CDN but it changed. Shipping is better left for another post if there is any interest. One advice, do not plan to be on same flight as your bike. Plan to be on a flight that is day after. Otherwise you might have to wait on your bike when they don't load it on airplane because there is no room...
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great trip, one that I would like to do as well. How about that new post regarding the shipping? $2700 to ship by air doesn't sound too bad.
 
Supernam said:
Sounds like a great trip, one that I would like to do as well. How about that new post regarding the shipping? $2700 to ship by air doesn't sound too bad.
Click to expand...

That's horrible, its one way. I love my bike but not enough to take it around the world. I think what you missed is Germax shipped his bike to keep in Croatia and use each summer when he returns.
 
That was for two bikes, not too bad.... And in this case it is one time charge ;-) I'll write something up when weather gets really bad....
 
If you look at standard Moto shippers they want 2200$ US for single bike so is ok deal all things considered....
 
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