Hey gang,
Can anybody help me out? I am doing a wee trip to the Harley rally in Croatia this May-yes, I know, a Harley on HU.... I 've previously ridden from Florida to Ushuaia on a HArley , 50,000 trouble free miles...so, anyway, does anyone have any good suggestions for a scenic route? I have maybe four days to get there and three to get back. Also, anyone know how a Garmin Zumo works, I'd appreciate some help!
Happy riding all
Dan Shell

In three or four days you will not have too much time for a scenic route-it's a long journey! Do parts on faster roads and then you will have at least some time on more interesting roads
As for the Zumo,
You can download the manual and read that, then you will know more than most people who own the things. Oh and call in at our place on the route for a or three!

John

I'll second that, last time I wnet I was hammering it and from Sheffield I had two nights in France (one north and one south), two in Italy and then I was in Split. I could have done it in a day less - I got waylaid in Italy by a bottle of Grappa. I wasn't taking the scenic route, just mile-munching.

I met someone on the ferry who had just done London - Madrid in a day delivering documents but they were on a blade, and reckoned they were running at about 150 mph on the autoroutes. Great fun until you have no license!

Me and my girlfriend did the trip last year, but in a car. Not sure about crusing speeds on a Harley, but we did London to Salzburg in a (long) day and then headed south through Slovenia. Salzburg is a fantastic Austrian town to visit, as is villach in th south - another good stopover, and lake bled in Slovenia is an essential stop on the route if you like blue lakes and lush scenery!

We did London to bled over two nights, but we were in a rush as we've already done Austria and our goal that trip was to tour Bosnia and croatia.. We didn't hang around on the way there or back!! Good luck with the trip.

Dan:

I've ridden from Switzerland to Croatia many times.

When planning your route, I suggest you try to avoid riding on the motorway that goes across the top of Italy as much as possible. That motorway is boring as heck, the scenery around it is boring as heck, and the towns around the motorway are also boring as heck.

I usually do the west to east travel through Switzerland and the Western tip of Austria, then I drop down into the Dolomites and the Julian Alps and travel west to east until I am more or less above Slovenia. From there, I go south to Croatia.

The very northern part of Italy that comprises the Dolomites is superb riding, awesome twisties, great hotels and food, wonderful culture. Likewise the parts of Austria and Slovenia that you will pass through as you transition from the Dolomites to the Julian Alps.

Routing this way avoids almost all of Italy except the northern provinces that comprise the Dolomites, and the area around Trieste.

It is a bit longer route than taking the motorway, but the difference in the quality of the ride is like night and day.

From London, 4 days to get there and 3 to come back is kind of tight. You could do the route I propose on the 4 day trip outbound, but it would be difficult to do on the 3 day return. In fact, I would say it will be darn hard slogging to do Croatia to London in 3 days even if you take the least desirable motorway routes.

Michael