California to Turkey
 

The first 900 miles of my journey from California to Turkey saw me driving to Vancouver International Airport Cargo terminal. The plan was to leave the bike, a 2005 R1200GS, with Swissport to be shipped via AirTransat to Glasgow, Scotland.

This was a little more eventful than I would have liked, as SwissPort could not find my booking. Fortunately a call to my shipping agent, Mike Mandell from Motorcycle Express, sorted out the issue. He got on the line to the AirTransat Operations Director who handled it personally. I smiled and joked with the cargo staff, as getting stressed would have been pointless.

The drive from Boulder Creek, California to Vancouver was pretty uneventful. The Givi windshield mounting bolts broke, but zip ties in my tool kit are providing a temporary fix. I may replace the Givi with a factory windshield if I can pick one up en route.

The bike speedo is also misbehaving - fluctuating wildly, but not all the time. This is an ongoing issue. I think there is a kink in the wiring loom, but the dealer has been unable to find it despite weeks of trying. It seems worse when coming off the throttle. My solution is to put my secondary GPS in front of the speedo so I can’t see it!

Other than that, I stayed at three non descript AirBnBs in Medford, OR, Ferndale, WA and Vancouver, BC. Oh, and the traffic through Seattle is REALLY horrible. Especially as WA doesn’t allow lane splitting.

I wandered around Vancouver after leaving the bike. Great weather and fantastic scenery. I walked a long way, which I thought would loosen me up after 18 hours in the saddle.

I fly out tomorrow. Fingers crossed, the bike will be waiting in Scotland for me….

That's a good start to the ride and welcome to the UK. Any specific route planned around Scotland? I am down south of England. Any help required , do give a shout out.

Ride safe and enjoy!

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I have a day in Glasgow to recover from jetlag, 3 days in Edinburgh, leaving 3-4 days to explore Scotland. I wish it was more. Suggestions would be great!

Welcome to the UK I'm sure that you will enjoy yourself. I cant speak for the rest of Scotland but with only 3 - 4 days maybe try the area around Loch Lomond. Its a very beautiful part of the country.

Glasgow
 

The GS was delayed in shipping and lacked the required UK temporary import permit. This meant a couple of hours of frantic emails and calls to the very helpful UK Customs service and to a local import agency. None the less, the bike will not be joining me here in Glasgow for three days.

After praising Motorcycle Express, the missing C110 import permit lies at their door. This seems to be a very obvious ommission. AirTransat’s lack of organization is at fault for the bike not arriving in Glasgow (by truck from Manchester) on time. The personal involvment of their Operations Director, while helpful in problem solving, indicates a lack of process. I think the lesson learned is to use Air Canada, which I would have done if their flight schedule had been published earlier.

All that said, spending two more days than planned here is probably a blessing in disguise. First, it is a great city to wander around taking pictures. The architecture in particular is fantastic, in a brooding way. Second, it allowed me to recover from jetlag - aided by local beer and haggis. Finally, my journey should not be all plain sailing and deadlines. My time in the highlands will be cut short unfortunately, and I will need to buy an additional change of clothes as a lot of my gear is with the bike.

For bikers intending to stay here, budget $60-90 for a hotel. AirBnBs were in the $40 range, but there weren’t any in the city center. Beer is about $5 per pint. A big fried breakfast is around $7. Almost all coffee shops have free wifi. I picked up a SIM card from the O2 store for my old dual SIM Android phone. My credit cards work everywhere, and a PIN was only required once so far.

On the road, at last - Scotland
 

After passing an additional random customs inspections, my bike is finally on the road in Scotland. I headed from the WFS cargo facility at Glasgow airport to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. It was cold and wet, and there was even snow on the hills, but it was great to be riding at last.

This kind of weather also makes it a special pleasure to stop for food. I can definitely recommend the Falls of Dochart Inn, where I had a great steak sandwich, home made soup, and tea. With salad and fries it came to about $15, for a very large plate. We are talking US large ...

One initial observation is that there are a lot of two lane roads with slow drivers who do not pull over for faster traffic. This includes caravans and the white vans that The Missenden Flyer is always going on about on YouTube. It makes covering distance hard, even on a bike.

Gas is about 30 % more expensive than California, at around $5.50 a gallon. Gas stations operate on a trust level. Pump then pay.

On a detail note, the Garmin GPS loaded with free open source maps is working perfectly. No speed limits are displayed, but that is about the only limitation so far.

[QUOTE=selecw;600046]After passing an additional random customs inspections, my bike is finally on the road in Scotland. I headed from the WFS cargo facility at Glasgow airport to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. It was cold and wet, and there was even snow on the hills, but it was great to be riding at last.

This kind of weather also makes it a special pleasure to stop for food. I can definitely recommend the Falls of Dochart Inn, where I had a great steak sandwich, home made soup, and tea. With salad and fries it came to about $15, for a very large plate. We are talking US large ...

One initial observation is that there are a lot of two lane roads with slow drivers who do not pull over for faster traffic. This includes caravans and the white vans that The Missenden Flyer is always going on about on YouTube. It makes covering distance hard, even on a bike.

Gas is about 30 % more expensive than California, at around $5.50 a gallon. Gas stations operate on a trust level. Pump then pay.

On a detail note, the Garmin GPS loaded with free open source maps is working perfectly. No speed limits are displayed, but that is about the only limitation so far.[/QUOTE

Welcome to Europe :D

The average speed in the UK is very slow - it gets a lot worse when you leave Scotland and enter England and even worse when you get to the South East.

There is a great ride report on the ABR forum from 2 Americans - called Left To Live - on a ride round UK and Ireland.

Your average speed will increase on the continent. I guess it’s something you’ll adapt to.

Enjoy :thumbup1::mchappy:

Interesting notes from an American perspective. :) Ride safe, enjoy and keep us updated. If you around Scotland still, drop into a distillery , anyone will do for a start :)

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Edinburgh, Scotland
 

The highlights of my time in Edinburgh were two European Championship games watched in the pub with a rowdy crowd of locals. Yes, Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and the Royal Mile were impressive - but watching Liverpool and Tottenham defy the odds to knock out Barcelona and Ajax and reach the finals was magical. Great food and great beer heightened the occasion.

I stayed in Appin House, a nice AirBnB, 20 minutes walk outside the center. They served a great full cooked breakfast, had a hidden driveway which helped keep the bike secure and had lots of tips on where to go. Although my room was small, I had a huge bathroom with a free standing tub. I really needed the tub to ease the riding aches and pains and to warm up as Edinburgh was cold and wet.

I can recommend picking up a go anywhere day bus pass for 4 pounds. For free wifi, try the city galleries and museums, which are free to enter. It breaks up the coffee shop routine.

Manchester, England
 

I arrived in Manchester after a 4 hour ride through the Scottish borders. The scenery of green rolling hills and forests was good and I love the local brick homes and farms. I should have allocated more time to the ride. The roads were all two lane meaning a low average speed. It was somewhat chilly, but no rain.

In Manchester, it was time to pick up my wife, Jill, from the airport. She is joining me for a couple of weeks on the road in England and France. With Jill and her luggage, the GS is now super heavy. It definitely took some getting used to - particularly working out how to get her on and off without putting the bike in danger of tipping over. The solution I have come up with is for me to get on first to stabilize the bike and then have her climb on board. Having the sidestand down as a safety measure works, although the suspension is so compressed, it can be hard getting the sidestand up again. Once underway, the GS handles well and the weight is well balanced and not very noticable.

I took in Manchester United’s last game of a disappointing season - an unsurprising 2-0 defeat to already relegated Cardiff City. I was lucky to borrow a season ticket from a local. Chips with salt and vinegar before the game were great. I used the local tram system to get to the game - it was fast and very affordable.

I also walked along the canals around Sale, where we visited relatives. The narrow boats were particularly interesting. The weather was great. Sunny and warm!

Gear overview
 

I thought you might be interested to see a picture of the gear that I have packed for 4 months on the road, so here is a pic.

The grey BMW bag liner has my clothes.

The canvas bag has my camera gear (Sony A6000 with 4 lenses), my phones (iphone SE and Huawei Mate with various SIM cards), my iPad, a universal charger amd my documents.

The SWmotech City tank bag has spare gloves, glasses, note pad and pen, and wallet.

The small green pouch has tools that work alongside the tools I have under the bike seat as well as spare keys and my disc lock.

I also have a small blue backpack that I mainly use to store my laundry!

The Malverns, England
 

En route to friends in London, we took a leisurely ride from Manchester, beginning with a lunch stop with my sister in Mansfield, followed by the Malvern Hills and Cotswolds.

A continuing theme of the journey is to wander somewhat off the beaten tourist track - which was how we stayed in an excellent AirBnB in Ledbury. My host was a total “petrol head” with a collection of Porsches and race cars. Topping even this, the owner of the Y fish and chip shop in Ledbury is an ex Chelsea player.

Try to keep that "joked with the staff because stress was useless" attitude. People respond better to a smile and a joke than they do to some stranger being a bitch.:)

London, England
 

While in London, we stayed with a friend in Lewisham. This proved an excellent base for exploring - and Lewisham itself was an interesting, culturally diverse area.

So I parked up the bike, used the train, and walked a lot. This included trips to Blackheath, Greenwich and London’s South bank and Soho.

The closer we got to known tourist attractions, the worse the crowds became. The area around Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square was appalling. I managed a quick browse of the National Gallery, but after that stuck to back streets to avoid the hordes. God only knows what it is like in July….

One point on bike parking - permits are not required in Lewisham if you park perpendicular to the kerb. Maybe this applies to other boroughs too? I saw some dedicated bike parking areas around the city, but not as many as I had hoped.

Nice pics. [emoji106]

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Normandy, France
 

After our time in London, we set off South towards the English Channel and France.

I looked at Eurotunnel and ferry options, and decided on a 32 pound P&O ferry crossing. I decided this would be more of an interesting experience - and it was indeed great to watch the cliffs of Dover receding behind us and the harbour in Calais approaching. The ferry takes about an hour longer than the tunnel, but has lots of food options and lots of places to lounge around during the journey.

The ferry requires you to strap down your own bike using a ratchet straps. Straight forward enough. There were 4 other bikes on the boat with us - a real mixture of nationalities and bike types. We were the only US bike needless to say.

We had decided on a few relaxing days in Normandy before heading south, and that brought us to the seaside town of Mers Les Bains. Lots of sea food, croissants, cheap wine and Leffe beer followed..

Mers Les Bains has an excellent seafront of gaily painted villas. 1km down the coast is Treport, which has an interesting fishing harbor and some great restaurants.

Mers Les Bains was a great base for riding along the Normandy coast to explore the many small towns. We drive to Dieppe on our second day, and it is certainly worth visiting for its architecture, cathedrals, castle and harbour.

Good start to your journey, enjoy the ride:scooter:

CDG, Paris
 

After a great time in Normandy, it was time for my wife Jill to end her vacation and fly back to the States. She was a lot more adept getting on and off the GS pillion perch after two weeks, and I was MUCH better handling the weight and balance of the bike. She will certainly be back for more. Maybe Greece next year.

We found a really nice hotel next to CDG - a converted farm - with a pretty good restaurant for her final meal. She took a 10 minute cab ride the following morning, which was a lot easier than gearing up for the short trip.

And so, with a MUCH lighter GS I headed south to Orleans to meet my long lost friend, Mireille.

I thought traffic in the Bay Area was bad, then I hit Paris ..

Orleans, France
 

I was lucky enough to have a great hostess to help me explore in and around Orleans. Mireille runs a successful language school and chauffeured me for several days in her (stick shift) Renault Clio. She lives in the countryside outside Orleans and I felt extremely spoiled by her cooking and her tour guide skills.

Orelans is on the Loire an hour and a half south of Paris. It is probably most famous as the city besieged by Jean d’Arc...

My push south saw what should have been a 4 or 5 hour ride from Orleans to Lyon, take much MUCH longer due to a GPS issue. Somehow I entered a massively incorrect end point in my Garmin, and as the road was so fantastic … I just lost track. No pun intended. A dinner party in Lyons was waiting for me.

Every cloud has a silver lining. DEFINITELY take the time to ride through the Livradois-Forez Natural Regional Park. The twisting roads, rolling hills and small towns were fantastic. I would ride them again.. and again. I saw a LOT of bikes.

To digress .. after a month on the road in Europe, I have seen a lot of Dutch and French bikers. A couple of Swiss and a handful of British. None from the US of course. There have been a surprising number of Harleys - all have been Dutch - and cruisers. There have also been a large number of GS and GSAs.

My windshield is still held together with zip ties. My speedo still works intermittently. My heated grips now have the same (wiring) issue.

I rode for an hour in a torrential downpoor. This showed the strengths and weaknesses of my gear. Watch this space for more detail ….

Gear Review
 

Here is a summary and review of the riding gear I am using on the journey. I bought it over a period of years and tested it both on an off road. I needed it to be capable of handling hot and cold weather. I prefer to buy excellent condition used gear where possible as I can use the money I save for other things - wine and competitive shooting mainly ..

Forma Adventure boots
I love them as they are incredibly comfortable and - so far - waterproof. That said, they do not offer great ankle protection. The GS fell on me during a Rawhyde class and I certainly felt it. So far, for my riding which is 80% on road, I would give them a thumbs up. They are certainly great value.

Shark Vision-R helmet
After many years of ownership, I love it and will buy another. Fit is excellent for my medium oval head. The flip down visor just works - and I wear glasses for riding. The helmet is quiet for long distance highway riding (I always wear ear plugs). It is cut for headphones, which I have. Great quality overall. I wish they had better import support in the US.

Klim Induction Gloves
My mos5 recent purchase, I bought these for the trip about a week before leaving. $129. They are my only impulse luxury purchase. So far, I love them. Good ventilation. Super comfortable. They are not meant to be waterproof, but I bought them for hot weather riding. I have small-ish hands and have the medium size. They ooze quality.

Alpinestars Gore-tex gloves
I bought them so long ago, I cannot remember the model name. They are comfortable and totally waterproof. Quality and durability is excellent. I wish the cuffs were wider to fit more easily over my jacket cuffs. They could be a little warmer too. They still look new. Through northern and central Europe I have worn them 75% of the time.

Rev’it Sand 2 Pants
I bought these as new from Ebay for $50. They are comfortable and rugged. They came with a waterproof lining which works well enough to keep torrential rain at bay for 3 hours (the longest downpour I have been in so far). They also have a thermal liner which works really well, but I did not bring on the current trip. I have been down in them a handful of times off road with no damage. More venting would be nice, and when the weather heats up, the waterproof liner makes them sweaty. They also have lots of nice pockets. Anyway, a big thumbs up.

Dainese Jacket
Pretty much everything I said about the Rev’it pants can be send about this jacket. Used from Ebay, it cost me under $100. I can’t find what model it is. The same effective and sweaty waterproof liner, but with lots of venting options. The same durability. Lots of inner and outer pockets. The jacket gets heavy from rain but dries out quickly in the wind or within 3 to 4 hours after riding. One pocket button fell off, and I cannot find a factory replacement, but that is my only gripe. I left the quilted liner at home. This is a great jacket.

Lyon, France
 

I was able to spend a couple of days with friends in and around the city of Lyon. The highlights were staying in a fantastic old farmhouse, and once again enjoying great meals cooked by French friends.

I spent an afternoon in Lyon working on my street photography with Stephane, toured his vegetable garden and met his horses. Butternut squash and a chard dish from his garden. I still have no idea what chard is …

I drove Raphaelle around the small country towns in her Peugeot 3008 (she has a bad back).

This is the last part of my trip with friends, so I made the most of it. It was time to head for Italy ...

Verona, Italy
 

To get back on my original journey schedule, which had been thrown out by me basically having too good a time in France, I had to do big miles from Lyon to Budapest.

So with a heavy heart I decided to use the peage and ride 900 miles in two days, with a break (recommended by Steph) in Verona. Riding motorways is, of course, to be avoided at all costs.

The first day went smoothly, despite occasional spells of rain.

My peage technique is now pretty good - credit card and peage ticket stored in my map pocket, usable even with gloves on. I have not been listening to audio books or music while riding, so I can think about “stuff”. I take a break every 2 or 3 hours - which coincides with fuel stops on the GS.

Riding through the Alps, Mont Blanc is breaktaking. I took the Mont Blanc tunnel, reminding me of a similar journey about 30 years ago on my DR750 when I rode from Milan to Birmingham in one day. The GS is more comfortable and my gear is better (this time I did not need to stuff old newspapers inside my riding suit for warmth), but I inexplicably yearn to get another DR .. and a 600 Tenere .. and an original Africa Twin. They are over 25 years old now meaning they can be imported into the US - and with the help of a French friend, this may actually happen.

I stayed in a decent, cheapish Italian hotel that offered secure parking and a free breakfast.

I had about 4 hours to wander around the city. I grabbed a great pizza (of course) washed down with house red (cheap and great) and wandered around in the gathering dark. The Roman amphitheatre was the star amongst a lot of incredible buildings. There was a lot of cafe life, and a lot of “Romeo and Juliet” tourists.

With 500 miles to ride the next day, I wanted to make an early start..

Learnings - part 1
 

This will be a three part post covering what I have learned in my first five weeks on the road. Or to put it another way, what I will do differently “next time”. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but hopefully you will find it useful. I was actually surprised at just how many things I ended up writing down.

Let’s start with clothes - for on and off the bike.

I would avoid waterproof liners in jacket and pants. They work but have two disadvantages. First, the outer layer becomes heavy with water and takes time to dry out. Second, the waterproof layer traps sweat, and can be uncomfortable if worn next to the skin. Are waterproof liners even an option on the latest gear? I don’t know, and mine was bought used from Ebay. I left non-liner gore-tex gear at home because it was not sufficiently vented for hot weather riding,

Next, I suggest you bring a thin waterproof jacket for leisure wear. I didn’t, choosing a thin insulated jacket instead. That would have been fine, if it had never rained on the trip…. So, I’ll be looking for something light, waterproof AND insulated.

Finally on the clothing front, bring sandals or flip flops. They are a must after a hard day of riding - or walking. I went back and forth on this one during my planning, but DID bring some flip flops, and it was a totally good call. Oh, and they are good for the shower too..

If you pack light and are on a long trip, you WILL need travel wash for your clothes - unless you use the dishwasher. Don’t ask me how I know. I have not figured out how to dry clothes fast in the absence of a dryer. I thought about the over, but it sounds risky. Of course, if you choose your clothing fabrics correctly, you will really alleviate this problem. I have convertible pants/shorts and they dry SUPER fast even in coolish temperatures.

Next up, tips for eating …

When it comes to eating, I prefer to eat in local restaurants 80% of the time, and cook 20%. Once I reached and headed south from Budapest, it became cheaper in general to eat out, with a prix fixe meal coming in at around $4.

Order whatever food the locals are eating, or choose the dish of the day from the menu. You can’t go wrong with either approach. Even if it looks like something you would not normally eat, go for it - you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Make sure that you are eating enough fruit and vegetables, whether cooking for yourself, or choosing options on the menu. The occasional salad is a good idea!

Drink wine instead of beer if you want to keep your gut in check. Anyway, a couple of glasses of wine a day is actually good for you.

And on a somewhat related note ...

… think about your exercise routine. I go to the gym several times a week when not travelling and wanted to avoid becoming a tub of lard on the road. I will typically walk about 6 hours a day after I reach a destination - looking for good pictures primarily. This certainly helps burn off the calories. But I also brought a jump rope and do push ups, sit ups etc. Riding the bike is also good exercise (really - research it).

A wonderful trip report. Thank you for the hard work in telling us about your great adventure. Fantastic!

Looking forward to hearing about your further travels.

Travel well!

So here is part 3 of my learnings to date. This is a mixed bag of everything else I could think of.

Let’s start with electronics:

Phone based GPS is better for finding specific street addresses. At least compared to the open source maps I have been using on my Garmin.

I have been using an unlocked Huawei Honor 10 Lite that I bought in France, and an O2 “big bundle” SIM card I picked up in the UK. So far it has been great as a phone and uses very little data while acting as a GPS.

The O2 card has worked in all countries so far, but it will be interesting if it stops providing coverage in the Ukraine and Turkey. Topping the card up en route to keep it functioning after an initial 30 days requires a UK credit card which I don't have (my wife does), but 02 customer provided my first top up via a free voucher.

Next let’s talk about pre trip bike and rider prep:

Give your bike a 1000 mile shake down before leaving. It will show you anything that needs attention. Also, if you thought something “might” break - it will. This was the case with my intermittent speedo (it is back on for the moment). Now all that said, two of my Givi windshield retaining bolts broke, and I had that on the bike for years - but what I had NOT done, was sustained high speed freeway riding.

I recommend you practise two up if you will be doing any. The bike will handle differently (worse) and the suspension will need adjustment. Work out the technique for how the pillion gets on and off the bike with luggage in place - this caused a static drop of the bike the first time my wife got on, but with practise became straightforward.

Cash?

Change your credit card PINs to 4 digits before you leave home. Get a small stash of local currency in each place you visit. You will feel a lot better knowing you can pay for that beer if your card doesnt work..

How about electronics?

I will certainly minimize my camera gear next time. I brought too many additional lenses for my Sony A6000, but use the 16-50 for 90% of my shots.

Just one other note on photography - avoid the tourist traps, unless you really like crowds or want to take the same picture of the Eiffel tower that everyone else did. If I am in a touristy location, I look for articles from travellers who went off the beaten track. I also choose to walk away from crowds. Now, that said, I realize this is a VERY personal decision.

Finally, a couple of points on trip planning ..

Somewhat plan your tire and oil changes. Know where you can buy tires and get them fitted. Sometimes this will mean removing tires with a LOT of tread left.

DON’T book all your accommodation in advance (like I kinda did). Two reasons - one, if you have an issue your schedule of bookings will be really messed up. Second, it is good to be spontaneous. Leaving a place early or later than you planned can be a really good idea.

With your phone you may want to switch to Vodafone - Turkey is included in your basic EU contract so the calls are a reasnoable price and when you are in the Ukraine they are cheaper than most of the competition.

O2 charge £2 per minute for calls to America & £7.20 per MB of data from the Ukraine and Turkey.

Vodafone costs in the Ukraine are £0.60 per minute to call America & £0.12 per MB - calls and data in Turkey are included in the bundle you bought.

Three are £3 per minute &£6 per MB in Ukraine and £1.40 per minute & £3 per MB

EE are £1.80 per minute & £5 per day for 20MB in Ukraine and £1.80 per minute & £6 per day for 500MB in turkey.

There may be local SIMs that you can pick up that are a great deal cheaper - but they may require proof of a local address.

I am really enjoying the reports - thank you.

Good info. Thanks! I will definitely check out Vodafone and local SIMS while I am traveling.

All of the ones that I have listed will work across the EU as the EU has made the phone companies stop ripping the public off - it used to be the prices for Ukraine everywhere in the EU until a few years ago. Oddly, the phone companies didn’t collapse as they said they would. The Vodafone brand is pretty big in Turkey and their prices are OK generally. I’m not with them myself but would run away from them if their offering met my needs when changing contracts.

If you use social media much then they have an associate brand that uses their network called Voxi that can give you stunning deals with unlimited social media access illustrated reasonably priced normal data. Guess who has a daughter that wants to change phone company?

Budapest
 

I spent 5 days in Budapest in an AirBnB apartment. In hindsight this was two more days than I really needed, as I tired of the crowds of tourists. That said, the city has a very scenic location on the Danube and many many fantastic buildings, squares, avenues and bridges - like the Parliament Building, Heroes Square, and Buda Castle to name but a few.

After checking the bucket list items I tried to get off the beaten track a little more. The ruin bars were fun. So too was watching the UEFA and Champions League finals in various bars. I also
visited an excellent David Lynch photography exhibition at the Kunsthalle.

For any of you that stay here, buy a multi day metro pass. It allows you to travel on all the subways, trams and buses. I parked up the GS for my entire time in the city (this was probably a mistake - I should have used it to explore more far flung locations).

Food was very good and cheap. A two course meal was about $4. The local hungarian red was about $3 and was acceptable. I did notice that when I went to the very local bar near my apartment, the beer price was massively less than the downtown price - 60 cents for a pint vs $2.40.

I managed to pick up a RAM X mount for my Honor Lite 10, which has made it much more usable. I got it from a Honda dealer close to where I was staying.

Zagreb, Croatia
 

I had a couple of days in Zagreb and one important task to accomplish - new tires.

With the last minute help of Dooby, who runs a hotel, tourism and motorcycle services company in the city, tires were ordered and fitted. The price of the tires themselves was comparable to the US, but fittingwas cheaper at about 45 EU total. I went with Michelin Road Trail 5s to replace the Road Trail 4s I had been using.

My rear had about 1,000 miles of tread left, and the front probably 4,000. It was irritating to “throw away” a half used front, but I was not sure of my next chance to get any tires. The rear also had a lot of tread left except for the middle section that had suffered from too many freeway miles (the Trail 5s have been redesigned to avoid this) I also have many more miles to ride..

With that job done, I also picked up a tire repair kit from Viktor Motorcycles. I had not been able to take one on the airplane due to the compressed gas cylinder, and it had been nagging at me since. Viktor are a KTM dealer, and I took another opportunity to sit on a 790 Adventure R, which I will surely buy once back in the us.

Oh, and I did manage to lock the front wheel while braking on some gravel on the way to Viktor. Fortunately my off road reflexes kicked in and without even knowing it I released the front brake and the bike slid back to vertical.

Zagreb itself is a grimy kind of city, with some nice architecture. I wandered around fairly aimlessly taking pictures. I would probably skip it as a destination, but maybe I was still recovering from 5 days in Budapest, which was kinda similar but bigger ...

The GS
 

I have not really described my bike much in this blog. So I’m going to put that right:

It’s a 2005 R1200GS which I have owned about 5 or 6 years. I am the third owner. It has 34,000 miles on it now, of which I have done about 10,000. In California it was mainly used for commuting, while my 2017 R1200GS and 2012 K1600GTL handled my long distance needs.

Here are the mods in no particular order

The ABS has been removed as it is a known issue with the bike. This hopefully makes the bike more reliable and … lighter!!

I removed a Remus can in favor of a stock exhaust. The makes the bike quieter and .. heavier!!

I removed a Sargent seat and put a low factory seat on it. This makes it easier to handle for my 5’ 8”s and is only slightly less comfortable.

I removed a throttle lock as using it on the move was a pain. I thought I would miss cruise control more than I do.

Clearwater lights. I installed them as my commute included a narrow, dark 5 mile stretch followed by a 10 mile wide, dark stretch. They were expensive. I also use them in freeway traffic to make myself visible. They have lens covers fitted to protect them, although the covers attract condensation.

Heed crash bars. Inexpensive, fit well and so far totally durable. They have 3 mounting bolts per side, which should spread impact load.

Givi V46 top box. Big and it works. I check the mounting bolts regularly to ensure they have not loosened up, which they can do over thousands of miles. The lock was getting a bit stiff which might have been dirt related. I should probably give it a squirt of WD40 .. if I had any with me.

Givi screen. The mounting bolts on the lower front edge broke. I use zip ties to secure the screen. The failure was due to sustained high speed cruising. I will be reinstalling the factory screen due to this failure, which is a pity as the Givi offers good wind protection and adjustability. I also love being able to slide the upper screen off to wash off all the bugs.

PivotPegz. They are awesome. They provide a very wide surface area, work well when standing, and are comfortable when touring. They are also really easy to fit.

Barkbusters handguards. They have some cheesy screws for the plastic bits but supposedly will hold up well in a fall and preserve the brake and clutch levers. They have not really been tested yet ..

SW Motech bag mount (for my City bag). Unobtrusive. Works well.

Rock straps. Excellent. Carry whatever you want. Easy to fit. Easy to adjust. I usually use them to mount a small backpack to the rear seat, which frees up room elsewhere for groceries.

Garmin X / RAM mount for my Honor Lite 10 smartphone. Great mount and the phone works well as a GPS. I wonder about the durability of the rubber phone retainer.

RAM mount for Garmin 2595LM GPS. I love its adjustability. The GPS cradle is also now acting as a windshield support.

USB two port power supply. Cheap And from China. It works fine, although it is now zip tied in place as the original bar mount broke after not much use.

SW Motech Side stand extension plate. The aluminum has bent during use, and it can make the stand slightly more difficult to extend, but overall I like the added sense of security it provides - on soft ground in particular.

Here are the current issues with the bike, and things I might change:

The speedo works intermittently. This is almost certainly a wiring issue. The dealer has had the bike twice and failed to fix it. It seems worse when it is cold and wet - but don’t we all. I no longer worry about it.

The heated grips started to work intermittently on this trip. Also wiring I think. Also working at the moment. I no longer worry about this.

I need to rotate the factory bars and maybe also fit bar risers to help when I am standing on the bike. It will also stop the horn button hitting the tank on full lock.

Split, Croatia
 

Split is full of tourists thanks to the cruise liners that dock there, but I could not resist getting some shots of the old Roman ruins, at the center of which is Diocletian’s palace.

I stayed in the hills overlooking the city, which enabled me to get away from the crowds and enjoy a cold one at the end of the day.

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 

A quick overnight stop in Mostar to photograph the old bridge. It was totally worth it.

I stayed at a basic AirBnB, but it was cheap and had secure off road parking, which is high on my list of requirements. It was about 30 minutes walk into the center of town, but I like this after time in the saddle.

The weather is really heating up. It will be interesting if my riding gear handles it well. So far the signs are good.

Berat, Albania
 

Berat was on my route as a photo opp to capture the “city of a thousand windows”.

That turned out to be a disappointment. There just aren't enough windows, and the backdrop just isn't good enough for my meagre camera skills.

However, I did stay in a great AirBnB complete with turtles and a walled garden. And I made the truly gruelling trek up to Berat Castle, which made me feel virtuous.

Tirana, Albania - Part 1
 

Getting from Mostar to Tirana took a lot longer than I anticipated. What should have been a 6 hour drive became 10.

My green card - purchased well in advance of the trip - did not cover either Bosnia, which I was leaving, or Montenegro, which I was driving through.

I was able to purchase additional coverage at 30 EU for Bosnia and 10 EU for Montenegro but only by driving to a different border control point that had the necessary services. This was my own fault for not studying my Green Card well enough, not being diligent with my research, and changing route to go through a country (Montenegro) that I had not planned to.

That said, the scenery in Montenegro was great, especially Skader lake, so I do not regret it. Actually the scenery for the whole day was fantastic, with mountains, lakes, rolling hills, bunkers and buildings shot to pieces, you name it. Bosnia and Montenegro go to the top of my list of biking must.

I really felt like I deserved a big cold beer that night, and with the help of my host, had a fantastic meal for about $12 in the Blloku district.

Tirana, Albania - Part 2
 

I work up early on my second day in Tirana and decide to hit the streets and get some s.. done.

First up was a SIM card.

Navigating into a big city without a GPS is hard. How did we manage it in the good old days? Well to answer my own question, we used a map, pen and paper.
No one was more surprised than me to find my inner city AirBnB with minimal delay. Early the next morning I was in the Vodafone story buying a SIM card that gave coverage in Albania, and enabled my phone GPS to do the heavy lifting

Next up, it was time for some GS mods..

The bars on my GS had been annoying me for a while, as they were oriented too low, meaning they hit the horn button on full lock, and make standing on the pegs hard.

Fortunately my apartment was right next to a bike store, iMoto, and they adjusted the bars for free. The new position will take some getting used to but should be much better.

Then the excitement began...

During my city photo stroll, I first found myself in the middle of the protest marches surrounding the cancellation of Albania’s election...

Imagine my surprise when I then realized I was at the start of Rally Albania’s liaison stage ..

Himare, Albania
 

Himara is a coastal resort in southern Albania. It has a very nice beach, but the local restaurants REALLY want you to eat pizza. I think this is because they are primarily geared to meet the expectations of Albanian tourists who don’t want “local” cuisine. So, despite not wanting to, I ordered spaghetti. What a disappointment!

It was pretty much the same story at my AirBnB, which was half finished - building in anticipation of the Albanian tourists, who arrive in July, and leave in August.

My room had ants, and one of those crazy showers that sprays the whole bathroom, with a big drain hole in the middle of the bathroom floor. Call me a sheltered Ameican, but WTH is that all about :)

That said, it was $17, including a welcome beer, farewell coffee and some really nice dried fig snacks (with nutella dip)! In addition, I had a really long conversation with the owners son, who had just returned from working in Glasgow (Glasgow again!).

Oh, and I found a great Albanian cabernet sauvignon in the local supermarket. No joke, it was excellent!

Patras, Greece
 

Are all Greek cities covered in graffiti? Are they all filled with cool old bikes?

Maybe, but Patras - my entry point into Greece - definitely is.

I wandered around the city, taking pictures and then had an excellent early dinner at a local restaurant - a pea/potato mix, with beef burgers.

Looking at all the bikes, the original Africa Twin is probably very close to the top of my wish list of bikes. I saw a LOT of them. So if I ever want one, I know where to buy it.

I stayed in a pretty crappy apartment, in what I thought was a bad neighbourhood. That said, with graffiti (and trash) everywhere, who knows, it may have been upper middle class.

Camera gear
 

As my hobby is photography, I thought long and hard about which camera or cameras to take on my trip.

My initial plan had been one film and one digital camera, but I didn’t have the carrying capacity.

I settled on the Sony A6000 mirrorless 24MP as it is smallish, accepts E mount lenses and I already had one!

Then I had to decide which of my lenses to take. I primarily needed to handle street photography, some landscape and architectural shots and general purpose bike on the road shots. This was where I made a mistake - I took WAY too many lenses, when in fact I could probably have survived with only one….

Here is what I took:

Rokinon 12mm 2.0 manual focus - for landscapes
Sigma 19mm 2.8 - for street photography
Sony 16-50 3.5-5.6 - general purpose
Rokinon 85mm 1.4 manual focus for street portraits - for street portraits
Sony 55-210 4.5-6.3 - general purpose

In hindsight, the 16-50 would have been fine as my one and only lense, and I would have saved a TON of space. Roughly enough for a sleeping bag or tent.
For future trips, I will probably go with that setup, or maybe my Canon 5D Mark 3 with a 16-35 L lense. The Canon is a lot bigger, but has a lot better battery life and is more “fun”.

At the end of every day, I downloaded all shots to my iPad, and then used Lightroom to edit the best. Some of which you see in this blog. I used Sony’s ImagingEdge app for the file transfer, coupled with the A6000 built in wifi. The whole set up worked well. Better in fact than if I did go with the 5D..

I have 3 batteries for the Sony, each of which is OK for a days shooting. I brought a LOT of memory cards, but 2 months into the trip, I have only filled one 32GB and and am in the process of filling up a 64GB card.

Lefkada, Greece
 

I headed south from Patras to Lefkada, a Greek Island, but connected to the mainland via a bridge. The bridge opens at one end to let boats through. This was extremely cool to watch.

I had a great place to stay - well, a micro sized room, but a swimming pool!! I immediately plunged in. What a relief from the Greek heat.

After I cooled down, I drove narrow (often very narrow) winding (often very winding) mountain roads to Katsiki, which is in the south of the Island. What a view! Breathtaking, and definitely up there with the highlights of the trip to date.

I went back to Lefkada for dinner (grilled lambs liver, yum yum), and got some good sunset pictures too.

Tsitsiras Castle, Greece
 

The castle was built in 1820. I was the only guest. Did someone say haunted…

It was a good base for exploring nearby towns and beaches, in particular the beautiful Gerolimenas, which had been my original destination based on the advise of a Greek advrider. Very few tourists were around.

I had a dubious cured pork salad in Gerolimenas. I wanted Mousaka but resisted. Bad move. I was saved by a neighbourhood dog hanging around my table...

The host, an ex merchant navy radio operator, was super informative. He gave me the telephone number of every hotel for miles around as I discussed. Y next destination. Sadly, I ended up not using any of them.

Monemvasia, Greece
 

A mini island complete with a mediaeval fortress/town connected via a short bridge to the mainland. Amazing. So too were the huge sea turtles swimming in the harbor. Not so much my first Mousaka in Greece …

Feral cats were prevalent once more. It is gut wrenching for an animal lover.

The temperature hovered around 30 and so was not too terrible. I found a deserted beach outside the town and managed a quick swim, before - shockingly - clouds hid the sun for the first time in weeks.

I also met a British couple in a mini van, which was one of the few British cars I had seen. We exchanged horror stories of expensive green cards. A lot of intrepid Dutch and German travellers. Three German bikers - 1100GS, 1200GSA and a Tiger something or other.

Mycenae, Greece
 

My original goal had been Nafplion, but at the suggestion of the hotel owner in Monemvasia, I tweaked this and instead headed for the “nice” seaside town of Tolo.

Also at his suggestion, I decided not to book accommodation in advance.

Both were huge mistakes. Perhaps it was the long weekend, but the entire population of Greece also headed for Tolo. It was packed. To be honest, it didn’t actually look that nice - densely packed with hotels and bars.

I then reverted to my original plan ans started calling hotels in Nafplion. All fully booked. Fortunately, I made all my calls from a. Ice bakery outside the city, so I didn’t waste time visiting them.

I took a deep breath, and came up with plan C. Mycenae. A cultural stop, and only about 15 miles. I found an excellent, reasonably priced hotel, with a pool, and the following morning visited the ruins of the city.

I learned some lessons from this saga. First, what a hotelier thinks is “nice” may be the polar opposite of his customer. Second, booking in advance is a REALLY good idea in touristy spots during peak vacation times. Third, don’t panic if your plans breakdown

Athens, Greece
 

I wasn't really in the mood for a big city, so I restricted my time in Athens to getting an oil change at the BMW dealership. I missed ALL the culture!! My excuse is that I had “done” that in a fairly recent business trip.

My headlight bulb had gone, so they fixed that for me too and adjusted the angle of the headlight, which somehow had gone nearly vertical. Probably when I was adjusting the screen.

They put 15w50 synthetic in the bike, which is good given the super hot weather I have been riding in. I had been running 10w40. The bike had used 1 liter of oil in about 5,000 miles, which I thought was reasonable (as did the dealer).

They charged $90 for all the above, including all parts and labor. I thought that was pretty good. Oh and they went out and got me a latte which I drank while I was waiting - which was only 45 minutes. So, a big thumbs up to BMW Athens - who also speak English!

In hindsight, I should have had them adjust the valves, but that would have meant waiting 3 hours for the engine to cool down. I may have to do them myself, and I have brought the tools. I’m not sure if I can do this without some way of capturing the old oil. Suggestions welcomed.

Thessaloniki, Greece
 

A big highlight in Thessaloniki was sharing a garage with an 88 Africa Twin (with 140,000 km on clock). There are a LOT of them in Greece, which is a testament to their reliability and I suppose to Honda’s marketing. By comparison, I saw no old Tenere or Super Tenere, and certainly no Suzuki DR750/800s. I am developing a plan to import old Africa Twins into the US, probably from Germany but maybe Greece too.

I spent time in the impressive archaeology museum. The gold collection was really amazing.

As ever, I spent a lot of time just walking around the city. The sea front promenade walk was great. Lots of locals out enjoying themselves. Lots of cafe life.

Skopje, Republic of Northern Macedonia
 

Driving north from Greece to the “Northern Republic of Macedonia” presented an interesting challenge..

I had no Green Card cover for the country, and despite pointing this out to me, the border control let me through without it. This was a BIG surprise.
I knew Macedonia (abbreviated from this point) was one of the most expensive countries to buy it for.

After the border were multiple kiosks selling the cards. Do I buy one or not? My concerns were, firstly, if I was stopped by the police without one … And, secondly, would I get out of the country without one (I faced this issue in Bosnia)....

Well, it was a 50 Euro decision. I played safe, bought it and of course did not need it at all during my stay.

Macedonian minor roads were in poor condition, with rocks and gravel everywhere. As it turned out (see a future episode) compared to Hungary and Romania, they were great!!

I had a great AirBnB host in Skopje, whose father gave me good food and home made Rakia. He spoke bad German, I spoke bad German. After a few glasses that no longer mattered.

Macedonia is inexpensive. The average wage is 3000-4000 EU per year. So if you avoid tourist traps, this is good news for the traveller. I was lucky in having a local NC750X biker guide who showed me the best places. Thank you Filip.

The Skopje statues were everywhere and according to Filip are part of a government money laundering operation. Good photographic backdrops ..

A final point - Skopje Is very safe for bikes according to the locals. Theft is really rare, so that can be a factor in planning your accommodation.

Belgrade, Serbia
 

I headed North from Skopje and into Serbia. The border crossing was pleasantly uneventful.

Belgrade has the post communist grimy feel to which I am now becoming accustomed. Graffiti, run down apartment blocks, trash on the streets. All good for photography. My apartment typified this, and was a complete hole. By far the worst of the trip. I wondered why it was so cheap!!

For lovers of street photography, I recommend the bus depot and old train station.

The weather was initially super hot and humid. Walking around the city center, I saw one thermometer reading 41 C - and it felt hotter.

A huge thunderstorm rolled in which kept me indoors. It did save me the task of washing the GS.

2005 GS vs 2019 NC750X
 

After riding in and around Skopje on an NC750X, I thought it would be entertaining and controversial to compare it to my 2005 R1200GS. Let me say up front, I enjoyed riding the NC and think it would we a good bike to take around the world, with certain tweaks ...

Let’s start with the riding position and comfort:

The seat on the NC is about the same height as my GS, which has a low factory seat.

The knee angle and leg room feels about the same on both bikes.

The GS bars are more upright and wider. The NC is still comfortable but its bars are too low for standing up while riding.

Seat comfort is similar - so not very :)

Turning to the engines:

The NC has less vibration through the bars than my GS. Both offer easy cruising at 70-80. I feeling of the “pulse” of the NC engine through the bars. The NC has no exhaust noise. Too little in fact. I would change the exhaust

NC brakes require more of a squeeze than the GS and cause fork dive. I had actually forgotten that the GS telelever removes dive.

How about handling? The GS felt more planted/stable at speed and around fast sweeping curves. The NC was lighter and more flickable in town. The GS suspension felt better all round

There is lots more noise from the NC screen. This might have been the after market tall screen on the bike I was riding, but I doubt it.

Overall then, the NC is much thinner and feels a lot lighter than the GS. Its controls have more of a budget feel..

If I bought an NC, I would add the following to make it suitable for long distance adventure riding:

.. crash bars
.. soft luggage
.. fog lamps
.. heated grips
.. GPS mount
.. cruise control

BTW .. the of a new NC in the US is about the same as a 2005 GS ...

Tarcal Winery, Hungary
 

Situated in the Tokai region of Hungary, the Tarcal winery was my overnight stop en route to the Ukraine.

The owner greeted me, gave me a tour of the winery and its cellars, and then brought a selection of his excellent white wines for a tasting.

It was a fun session and I recommend it. The winery is in a quiet farming town, and the location was very relaxing.

After the tasting, he dropped me off at a local restaurant. It was a little disappointing given its high end image, although the goulash soup was pretty good.

The Ukraine border - and no further
 

I left the Tarcal winery in high spirits (no pun intended) and headed for the border of Ukraine, with Lv’iv my destination for the day…

I was placed in a small room for an hour on the Hungarian side while my documents were scrutinized and then given the thumbs up to exit the country.

A bridge with an AK (Krinkov in fact!) toting guard marked the Ukraine entry point - and that was as far as I got. Ukraine was the first country on my journey that wanted to see my original title to the bike as well as the registration document. I only had the latter.

An hour of discussion - mainly by Google translate - and tqlk of “solutions” proved fruitless, and I went back to Hungary. Lesson learned. Either choose a smaller, less stringent border post, or bring your title (whether or not it is actually needed).

I now have mine with me - plus a a very good copy that I will be using if the situation reoccurs. I wilk be attempting re-entry late in my trip ...

Moto Camp Romania
 

So, with Ukraine off the itinerary, I had a decision to make. Where should I go next. I decided to head south to Moto Camp Romania, which I had wanted to visit anyway.

To summarize, the Moto Camp is a great guest house and grounds for camping, owned by Doru who owns a Honda Dominator and knows all the local roads that you will be riding.

It is super cheap and super good. Definitely check it out. I stayed there 3 days. It’s also located in a very pretty town. Actually, the whole of Romania is very scenic.

This was the perfect base for riding the two Trans passes - the Transalpina and Transfagarasan, both of which offered spectacular views and excellent windy roads.

The Transfaragasan pass was not officially opened for another week, and to ride it I had to squeeze the bike through a pedestrian access door. Totally worth it. I was lucky enough to see a brown bear on the way down, which was unexpected.

I also took the GS off road for about 15 kilometers. As I had road tires, there was a certain amount of pucker factor involved.

One small hiccup was that I over filled the GS brake reservoir, and spent a pleasant morning stopping every 5 minutes to wipe off the spilage. Lesson learned - check the fluid level with the bike on the center stand!

Moto Camp Bulgaria
 

A great facility but lots of Americans!!

“He who travels the most” is their moto, and their lives center on HUBB and its events. They were riding VStroms, GSAs, Africa Twins, KTMs and by no means last, a DR650 heading to Mongolia.

By the end of my stay, I longed for the company of Europeans unable to speak English :)

The camp also has a lot of British visitors - both riders and local residents.

The day following my arrival from Moto Camp Romania, I lounged around with only a quick trip to the nearby (and very impressive) fortress in Tsarevets. After three consecutive 8 hour riding days, it was great to rest.

On day three, I rode to several nearby communist built monuments, all of which were visually impressive (and reached by truly terrible roads).

It is worth noting that Bulgaria has a lot of police on patrol running speed traps. Allegedly for road safety reasons.

Moto Camp Bulgaria lacks the spectacular roads of Moto Camp Romania, but it has a loyal clientele who return frequently.

It is VERY easy to stay there for a long time as it is very relaxing, cheap AND they really take care of you and your bike. They have beer, ice cream, order in food, a washing machine, a mechanic and bike storage. I had to force myself to hit the road again, but I will be back!

Belogradchick, Bulgaria
 

I wanted a couple of stops between Moto Camp Bulgaria and Bucharest. After looking for green bits on the map chose Belogradchick In Vidin province, in north west Bulgaria in the foothills of the Balkan mountains.

Belogradchick Fortress was constructed during Roman rule, and extended in the 14th and 19th centuries but incorporates a stunning rock formation. It’s the rocks that make it is so distinctive amd worth a visit. Be prepared for some climbing when you get there, and when the weather is in the mid 30s, it will kill you ..

In the evening I visited an excellent local restaurant, although the waitress kep my change without asking, earning a 40% tip. The meal was so inexpensive, I did not argue. I can recommend the sausages, which are a pretty safe bet wherever you go in Eastern Europe. This really is a local place, accessed through a hole in a wall. No tourists. Very low key.

The morning of my departure I rode to the nearby Venetsa cave. I was one of two tourists to get a tour, which was given in Bulgarian. As it consisted of many references to stalactites, stalagmites and onyx, I felt like I did not miss out hugely. Anyway, the caves were great, with very impressive, well lit rock formations and I got lots of good pictures. A side benefit is that you can keep your riding gear on as they are lovely and cool. They are really a hidden gem. Note, you will be going up and down steep ladders and squeezing down tight passages ..

Craiova, Romania
 

I get the impression that the city of Craiova is not often visited by tourists. For me it was a convenient stop on my way to Bucharest.

After a few hours of wandering aimlessly, during which I picked up a SIM card from Orange (36 gig for $7), I met up with a local GS rider.

He imported a line of designer line of Italian clothes, but his business was closed for alleged VAT fraud. So now he rides his GS, rents out various properties, and contemplates what business opportunity to pursue next.

We visited a great local restaurant, which just happened to serve up REALLY cheap ice cold beer. The locals like folk songs as they eat and drink, which took a little getting used to,

After that, as the dusk closed in, we took a street tour, seeing former flats of military intelligence officials. A case of privilege.

The next morning after visiting an excellent patisserie (apple strudel was great), it was time to head to Bucharest.

Bucharest, Romania
 

My AirBnB was next to Cismigiu park, which put most destinations within walking distance. It was comfortable, but old fashioned. It has no AC, but after riding in 30+ temperatures for a couple of months this was not a problem!

I started my visit with a service at Automobile Bavaria which is about 15km outside the city center. This came to $95 for a brake fluid change and valve adjustment. Both items were preventative maintenance. It had been 8,000 miles since I adjusted the valves, and I have not changed to fluid in the 5 years I have had the bike.

I decided to take the bus back into town and get the bike the next morning. It was a long walk to the bus stop, and I was caught out in a torrential rain storm with huge thunderclaps. I mean HUGE. I took shelter in a restaurant and so started the day with a hearty meal of potatoes and spicy peas. Odd, but good.

The bus journey required a small detour to buy a ticket, as you cannot do this on the bus itself. By detour, I mean I took an illegal journey on a bus with no ticket to a station where they actually sold them. The fine would have been about $11 if I had been caught. So I was not really panicking about it ..

After this experience I decided to take Uber for the bike pick up. It was $6 and well worth it.

So what did I do during my time in Bucharest?

The military museum was a highlight. It’s huge and crammed with planes, tanks, artillery, weapons, clothing and historical artifacts. The main building shows the evolution of the Romanian state. I spent about 4 hours wandering round it, and it was excellent.

For my photography, I took shots of park life using my 85mm 1.4 manual focus Rokinon. These turned out well. But then I tried various cityscapes, with my wide angle 12mm Rokinon manual focus and they were terrible - I am really bad at this type of photography

I sampled a LOT of pastries and cakes. They were all great. I drank no alcohol for 4 days - shocker - but cracked on my last night and bought a local Merlot.

I thought about a new helmet purchase as my Shark Vision R is old and starting to look a little worn around the edges. But 20% VAT makes buying back in the US more sensible.

I also purchased my Turkish visa online. $20, and it was immediately emailed back to me.

Next stop, an overnighter at MotoCamp Bulgaria on the way to Sofia….

Great story, can't wait for the next episode:thumbup1:

You know you can reclaim the VAT when you leave the EU don’t you? Here is a link

I did read up on it. Maybe I will have a look in Istanbul.

Moto Camp Bulgaria .. AGAIN
 

En route to Sofia ..

I probably should have chosen a more challenging destination, but I was too LAZY!!

This makes me ponder whether Moto Camps are a good thing - as you end up mingling with like minded people rather than the general population. They are fun, that is for sure. So, to answer my own question, they probably they are good - if taken in moderation. As it is, I am aware of camps in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Are they spreading? Please chime in if you know more.

Anyway, I thought I would be alone at the camp but then a couple of 1930s Harleys showed up ..

I had a VERY leisurely start the next day, as I was only riding 3 hours to Sofia.

There are 3 Harley's in that pic. But one is a bit more recent than from 1930.

Keep going, I'm enjoying your story :thumbup1:

Sofia, Bulgaria
 

Sofia, with the stunning backdrop of the Vitosha Mountain, was my home for five days. So far, it is second behind Tirana, as a street photography destination. The gypsies were kinda scary, so I had to be discrete...

I was staying in a Modern apartment near Lions’ Bridge with safe parking, English speaking TV - great for checking out the news - and a washing machine!

The bike stayed parked up for my visit. I quickly developed a breakfast routine of visiting the excellent nearby the patisserie and then walking the city streets. I had my first falafel of the whole trip - a VERY disappointing statistic. It was excellent, and cost $1.

I had one logistical mission - I needed buy new SD cards for my camera. I picked up a 64 and 32 Gig card. Prices were reasonable, $16 and $8 - so maybe I paid $5 more than in the US. Nothing too dramatic.

What was dramatic was using up the last of my English tea. So I have now transitioned to Nescafe 3 in 1 coffee. Not great, but it gets me out of bed and I don’t need to buy milk anymore.

I visited my second huge military museum. Again it was worth the entry fee if you like history and rusting soviet hardware.

I cannot help feeding and petting the feral cats. This is either a character weakness or strength. This is also why I have owned so many stray cats and dogs in the US.

In summary, Sofia is a cool town. It’s worth checking out for at least a couple of days.

I hadn’t heard of Moto camps before your thread. Thanks for that.

The road to Istanbul
 

I left Sofia early to ease the pain of Istanbul traffic. This plan did not survive contact with the enemy, and I spent 3 hours waiting at the border due to lots of Turkish expats returning home for vacation. I don’t like driving to the front of the line, despite lots of advice to the contrary, after all what gives me the right? This is my English upbringing and I am powerless to resist it.

I was charged $30 for 3 months insurance at the border. There was no way to avoid it. Cars pay 65 Euro, so I guess that makes me feel a bit better. Note, Yoyou cant buy less than 3 months insurance ..

In addition, the PTT charged about $26 for the HKS toll card which is required for motorways. I picked it up just inside the border. You are supposed to stick it inside your windshield. Mine fell off at the first sight of rain. I now have it in my tank bag and it still works fine, I think. TBH I am unsure of exactly how it dowa work, but I have not been stopped or charged so far.

It was cool and wet for the ride from the Turkish border to Istanbul. The city is unbelievably vast with amazing views over the Bosphorus. I have never seen anything like it.

And yes, the traffic is as bad as they say. And yes, the drivers are crazy. I was skeptical but am now a believer.

Too late I discovered bikes can’t use the Eurasia tunnel. I tried. An armed soldier stopped me. He was very helpful though, as he directed me back into the thick of the city traffic. I had chosen to stay on the Asia side of Istanbul, and it was about 8pm when I finally rolled into my AirBnB.

An iffy pizza aka “pide” and some expensive supermarket beer wrapped up my first evening..

Istanbul, Day 1
 

I began my first full day in Istanbul by buying an InstanbulKart which is good for all trains, buses and ferries. With the discount it provides, the first ride of the day works out to be about 60 cents, and subsequent rides that cay are even cheaper. It’s definitely worth getting, although the card issuing machines only take bank notes.

I then took the metro train from Maltepe and rode about 20 minutes to get a “breakwich” in the Kudikoy district. It was excellent, and the area is definitely worth checking out. Trains during peakish times are standing room only, so I subsequently tried to avoid those times

I was then a total tourist and did the “full” Bosphorus cruise, again using my Kart to pay. The cruise was 2 hours each way, and cost about $5, which is a bargain. Annoyingly there was a 2 hour wait (in light rain) for the return ferry, which gave the local eateries a captive market ..

It ended up being a full day and I fell asleep to call to prayers, which I grew to really like. It is strangely comforting. Don’t ask me why ...

Istanbul, Day 2
 

Day 2

My second day in Turkey coincided with a national holiday, which made the crowds at tourist spots and on the ferries even more insane.

I started the day by getting somewhat lost on my way from Maltepe to Taksim square as I gradually figured out how to read the bus and train route maps. I had no one to meet and nowhere special to go, so I enjoyed the experience..

The square itself was dull and full of tourists, but the surrounding back streets more than made up for it with their collection of cafes, restaurants, bookshops, antique stores - and, of course, local characters.

I tried Pide again, and got a much nicer one that on my first night in the city. I followed it with a trip to a specialized dessert store and had an amazing kofte. Look it up - but mine featured Coca Cola syrup and cream….

I also got the chance to try out some basic Turkish phrases I had been memorizing. Things like “the bill please”, “how much is it” and “who is your favorite Turkish footballer playing in England”. I think my pronunciation leaves a LOT to be desired but I am going to stick with it and make it something I do in every country.

Using Google Translate takes away from the encounter, and I try to avoid it, although it comes in very handy at certain times. Make sure you download the full language packs ..

I gradually worked my way back to Kardikoy via the back streets and the Bosphorus waterfront. After reading an article online about the cats of Istanbul, I decided that cat focused photography would be my theme for the day. It was fun to try something new.

Too soon it was time to head back to the Asian side of Istanbul. Sadly my quest for cheap beer on the way home was fruitless. I later realized there are punitive taxes on alcohol ...

Istanbul - Days 3 and 4
 

Day 3’s highlight had to be the bazaars and narrow crowded side streets around Eminonu. What an experience. You could wander for days and never get bored. The Turkish hospitality was also very much in, for example the free tea one cafe gave to me. No doubt because I looked so tired..

Less of a highlight were the mosques, including the Blue Mosque and Suleymaniye. From a distance they are certainly amazing, but the internal architecture and decorations were uninspiring. Am I being too harsh? Maybe it was the smell of all the sweaty feet .. Now, on the contrary, I found the smaller mosques to be very tranquil and worth visiting just to sit and collect my thoughts.

On day 4, I walked around the Bala and Ferer districts in search of their painted houses. Both were very “hip” districts. Perhaps too much so as coffee shops outnumbered the visitors! The Ada cafe is worth a lunch stop. I had very good stuffed peppers, meat and potatoes - although a friend told me rather unkindly that this is the equivalent of good old beans on toast.

I also visited a specialist Baklava store, and stuffed myself with three different deserts - all in the interest of research ..

My last day in Istanbul
 

For my last day I decided to take a couple of ferries and check out the fishing village of Arnavutkoy.

I had gorgeous weather for the trip, which involved changing boat in Besiktas, which I had heard about as they have a football team.

I didn’t see a lot of fishing going on in Arnavutkoy, but there were a lot of boats offering day cruises. I had a swordfish kebab for my lunch .. the swordfish must have been unlucky to have been caught there.

TBH it was a pretty dull trip and would skip it next time. Then it was back to the apartment to get my gear ready for the following morning’s departure. I did buy a final can of cat food on my way home There is a family of three cats that are really going to miss me ..

For those of you visiting Istanbul, have at least 5 days for sightseeing. You will just be scratching the surface. Unlike me, I suggest you stay on the European side, as this will save you an hours commute each way - although the commute is very interesting and the ferries are great. Park your bike up, as the traffic is an “experience” even to someone like me that rides in big cities a lot.

7 Lakes, Northern Turkey
 

I said farewell to Maltepe and to my feral cats, who wouldn't be if I stayed a few more weeks ..

Istanbul’s urban sprawl is vast and it took a full 90 minutes to clear it as I headed to the East.

I had read reviews of the 7 lakes area and this was my goal. After reaching Bolu, the road began an ascent into the mountains. As if often the case in Turkey, the further you go from major roads, the worse - or at least the more inconsistent - is the road surface. Holes and gravel patches were common.

Towards the top of the mountain, I had a great lunch/snack of “gozleme” - flat bread with cheese - and cay from enterprising peasant with a roadside shack. I was also given a big pack of dates from a Saudi guy that happened to be driving past with his family

As I travelled further towards the 7 Lakes, I was rewarded with spectacular steep sided green valleys and mountains. It was a really great ride.

And that’s where it all went downhill - literally and figuratively. I rode down a 30km section of heavily potholed road/gravel, with cobbled sections past the 7 lakes themselves. It was bad and bumpy enough to break my Givi top box mounting bolt, although I did not realise until I had finished riding for the day.

This has convinced me that a rear seat bag is the way to go. And also (given my windscreen failing) that Givi gear is OK for casual touring.

I finished the day at a fantastic AirBNB in SafranBolu. The (Indonesian) hostess, Sari, made me great spaghetti while her Bulgarian husband made a beer run. I enjoyed a good chat with them (and their friend, who had recently visited California) over a few cold ones. The following morning she also me breakfast!!

If you happen to be in the area, check them out ..
Bağlarbaşı Mahallesi, İncekaya Caddesi No:3, Safranbolu, Karabük 78600

Goreme, Turkey
 

My plan was to head south from Safranbolu to Goreme/Capadocia and then drive an anti clockwise loop around Turkey. This would take me as far east as the border with Iran, while I would come somewhat close to the Syrian border in the south. I has decided to save western Turkey for a future trip.

Why Goreme? For the balloons and strange rock formations of course!!

I arrived after a 6 hour drive, only to find my Travelocity hotel reservation was incorrect. They had expected me a day earlier! Probably my fault, but who knows. The Hotel was very helpful and found me a very cheap basic room in a neighbouring hotel.

I drove and wandered around the town, grabbed a meal, took a few pics and then went to bed quite early as the balloons lift off at dawn and that’s what I needed to see.

So 5am saw me hiking around the town to get balloon and rock pics in the 2 hours that the balloons were in the air and the light was good for photography.

There were LOTS of Chinese couples getting wedding pictures, and LOTS of tourists watching them watching the balloons. I was, of course, one of the them.
Capadocia is very touristy and whole flocks of them ride around the rock formations on ATVs.

I returned to the hotel and had a great 8am breakfast, feeling proud that my mission in the town had been accomplished.

I drove out of town around 9am...

Although I was checking from time to time, this subject is the reason I'm becoming a member. Tapatalk took some time to recognize my membership so a bit late I assume,but anything you want to ask, I'll be here as a local rider.

SM-N960F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi

Malatya, Turkey
 

From Goreme, I had a 400km ride East to my next stop at Malatya.

The roads were empty and well surfaced - a mixture of brown plains, brown rolling hills and low mountains.

It was while crossing one of these low mountains that I picked up my first speeding ticket of the trip. Radar logged me at 102kmph in a 90 zone.

According to the very friendly cop (it was surprisingly cold, and I was trying to convince him to move to California), anything up to 99 would have been OK. I was given a fine of $50, but taking advantage of a 25% early payment discount, it came out to about $37.

And no, early payment was not giving the cop a handful of cash :) The whole system was on line and so I made the payment later in the day from my hotel. It was a small amount, and if you DON’T pay there can be “issues” when you enter of leave Turkey as they look up your license plate at the border. I intend to come back to Turkey in future, so paying was the way to go.

For the rest of my time in the country I was on the lookout for speeding traps and there are a LOT. They use a fixed or car mounted radar that logs you, then a couple of miles down the road another cop flags you down. As the speed limits are relatively low, you really need to be disciplined and on your guard.

I arrived in Malatya and escaped the heat in a quite luxurious (by the standards of the trip) hotel. Kind of like a business class Hilton.

I ate kebabs at a nearby neighbourhood restaurant, and then played a solitary pool game as there was no one around in the hotel.

The following morning it would be an 8am start to avoid the heat - temperatures reached the mid 30s by noon.

Tatvan, Turkey
 

As I drove east to Tatvan there were a LOT of military checkpoints with soldiers decked out in full combat gear. I saw G3s, M16s, MP5s, and many armored cars with .50 cals. There were troops with AKs patrolling the fields and mountains bordering Syria. There were LOTS of hilltop military posts overlooking the valleys and mountains.

All the troops manning the checkpoints were very friendly - the routine was a quick diversion off the highway into an area surrounded by blast shields. I received a cursory search one time, and was pretty much waved through the rest after a quick hello.

The terrain was heat scorched brown fields and mountains. I started riding around 8am and once again the temperature was in the mid 30s by noon. Nothing too terrible, but certainly warm.

I had one strange encounter with a group of local men in a fairly remote gas station. I was given tea, as often happened, and then the subsequent conversation had many references to Allah, Trump and I think the twin towers ..
They were friendly enough, who knows the errors Google Translate was feeding me, but I tried to keep my answers very neutral, especially when asked about Erdogan.

My front wheel skidded twice on hot slippy tarmac as I was driving through one town. After that, I rode more cautiously.

Tatvan turned out to be a working class town. The Royal Tasar hotel was a pretty decent business class hotel with secure parking. At $20 including breakfast, it gets a thumbs up.

I had my usual dinner of kebob, tons of bread, salad and ayran. It came to around $6. There was no alcohol in evidence in the restaurant, hotel or town. I could have really used a cold one.

Finally, the further East I got, the more stares I got. In Tatvan I really stood out when walking around the town and during a stroll down the lake front.

Dogubayazit, Turkey
 

Dogubayazit (try saying that after a few kebabs) was the furthest eastern point of my tour around Turkey. It is about 20km to the Iranian border, and equally close to Armenia. In my original route plan, his would have been my crossing into Iran, but the border is closed to big bikes right now, and even if it wasn’t, it would not be the best idea right now for an American to enter the country. Hopefully I can do it next year.

It is overlooked by the spectacular, near 17,000 ft peak of Mount Ararat (of Noah fame), and has the feel of a grimy frontier town. It was also the site of an incident H5N1 bird flu! I avoided eating the chicken ..

I stayed Hotel Butik Ertur. Why it is a “butik” I am not sure as it had no AC and was pretty basic. But it was OK in a cheap functional way. There was a guard to personally watch cars, and the hotel owner was shocked that I put my bike lock on.

After resting up, I rode up to the Ishak Pasha Palace which sits high on a hill above the town. The view is worth the price of admission. I also checked out the neighbouring ruined castle before turning in for the night.

Ani and the Black Forest and .. crashing in Turkey
 

I headed North parallel to the Turkish border with Armenia. My goal was to reach the mountainous Black Forest region, with a stop at the Ani ruins on the way.

The day began well with a spectacular view of Mount Ararat as I headed out of Tatvan. The scenery was barren, rocky, and at times volcanic, with generally good empty roads. As ever, there were hilltop military positions and checkpoints in all the towns - one even had a soviet era BTR APC, which was the first I had seen.

The good start changed dramatically during a 30km shortcut along a road that was under construction. The surface was a mixture of dirt and gravel, but nothing too challenging.

I passed a construction truck in a cloud of blinding dust, probably at around 25kmph. The road had virtually no traffic and so, although I could not see through the dust cloud, the truck was going so slowly I thought the maneuver was going to be OK. Imagine my surprise when I cleared the dust cloud and discovered 6 goot pile of dirt in the middle of the road.

I had no time to react, and certainly not to brake. My life flashed in front of my eyes. This was going to be hurt…

Except it didn’t. The bike went down and so did I, both of us ploughing into the dirt… which turned out to be as soft as hitting a matress. Aside from being covered head to foot in grey dirt, I was unhurt. Even more importantly so was the bike, which was now grey, not red.

This led to an interesting challenge - how to pick it up? The right side of the bike was now embedded in soft dirt… I began by removing the left pannier and top box to shed some weight. Then, after positioning my butt on the seat, I was able to walk backwards and get the GS into an upright position. Just like in my training!

I definitely had a lucky break. If it had been a pile of rocks in the road and not dirt, I could have been seriously hurt. Lesson learned - don’t overtake unless you can see what’s around the vehicle!

The Heed crash bars did their job - they lost some surface finish, but had not moved or bent. The right side Cleawater light and its mounting bar had moved, but twisted back into position without damage (although the light protective cover was slightly scratched, and so this turned out to be a great purchase). The right indicator had popped out of its mount, but popped back in again.

I plucked up my courage and continued along the road to the 10th century ruined city of Ani, which turned out to be interesting and impressive. It was originally Armenian, and at one time one of the world’s largest cities. It is well worth a visit.

After Ani, I stopped at a gas station to use their air compressor to blow the bike clean of all the grey dust. And there was a LOT of it,

For the rest of the day I was rewarded with a great ride through winding mountain, forest and valley roads. Definitely some of the best scenery of the entire trip. The Black Forest gets a BIG thumbs up.

To nitpick, there was a lot of fresh tarmac and grit that sandblasted the bike. When I reached my overnight stop in the mountains, I actually washed it. I managed to get the rest of the dust off, but not the fresh layer of tar.

The stop in Velikoy was great. A cabin, kofte, beer (praise the lord) and (with Google translate) conversation with an Istanbul motorcycle cop who was on vacation. In particular we laughed over the thrashings of Fenerbahce and Besiktas by Manchester United and Liverpool.

In summary, an action packed day with a happy ending!!

The ride back to Bulgaria
 

After my stay in the Black Forest, I headed northwest, down from the mountains to the Black Sea coast.

The coast road is boring and fast. A four lane, well surfaced highway, with the Sea on the right, and a succession of coastal towns on the left. My average speed approached 110kmph. I would recommend the road if you want a fast trip to the East or West through Turkey.

I stayed overnight in Trabzon, then cut slightly inland to Amasya. I stayed in small but pleasant “butik” hotels both nights, after averaging 6 hours riding a day.

I had a quick stroll around both towns, but my goal was to get north of Istanbul and within striking distance of the border with Bulgaria. Having picked up a slightly queasy stomach, I defaulted to potato chips and chocolate to keep me going .. hey, it works for me!

So it was that on my third day of riding, I negotiated the urban sprawl of the Turkish capital and reached Luleburgaz, about 90 minutes from the border. I had been concerned about the traffic I might encounter, but it was fine. So, if you are riding around Istanbul, Sunday is a good choice. If you are going north across the border, Monday works well.

The border crossing was interesting in that the customs officials examined my US bike title - the first time of the whole trip. On every other occasion the registration document had been sufficient. Ironically I had given them a high quality photocopy and had the original title safely stowed in my panniers. They even held it up to the light to look for a watermark! The “forgery” held up. I suspect that they really did not know what they were looking at.

Anyway, with a grateful sigh, I (re) entered Bulgaria.

End of Part 1
 

And so it was that the California to Turkey trip came to an end .. 3 ½ months, 17 countries and 18,000 km.

I deposited the GS at Moto Camp Bulgaria, who are storing it for me until next April, when Part 2 of this story will begin: “California to the Stan and Beyond..”

48 hours later I flew out of Sofia to San Francisco via Milan. Middle seat, 12 hours, nice (avoid cheapoair.com).

I have learned a LOT on this trip, and I will finish by making a couple more posts on those learnings. Watch this space.

Great stuff! Thanks, I enjoyed following your trip every day!:thumbup1:

It has been an interesting trip to follow. I hadn't twigged that you were going to be returning next year but it makes sense.

Thanks for the reports.

Hi Steve,


I enjoyed reading your travel story and I am looking forward to read about your next trip. Maybe with some more photo's ? :biggrin:

What will I do differently next time ....
 

This is the first of several posts on the journey I made from California to Turkey, that will help in the planning of my next trip. The GS is waiting for me in Bulgaria ..

I will start by considering what I will do differently. I had hours on the bike to think about this.

First, I will take camping gear. Yes it will help save money. Just as important, it will give greater flexibility in where I can stay. I will not be restricted to hotels and AirBnBs, and towns that have them. I also like the idea of eating out less as it became a little boring, and taking a camping stove will help with that.

Second, I will book fewer places in advance, and very few FAR in advance. Again, this helps keep the route flexible. If I like a place, I can stay longer. If not, time to move on.

Third, I will be “reconfiguring” the GS:

I will be switching to soft luggage. Although the Vario panniers worked well and are more theft proof, soft luggage will crash better and will less damaging to my legs in a fall. I like the look of the Mosko Moto Reckless 80. I will probably find a pannier rack from a GSA to help keep the bags away from the exhaust.

I will be removing the Givi top box, as the mounts did not last well, and will use a bag mounted on the passenger seat. Given that I will be taking a tent, sleeping bag, stove, and sleeping mat, I will gain back some space by dramatically reducing my camera gear to the Sony A6000 with just the 16-50 lens. There is a new 6500 replacement on the horizon, so I will definitely look at that as an upgrade, although it is not really necessary.

The reconfiguration also entails switching out some after market gear for factory. If it breaks, I can at least hope to get spares. So, the Givi screen will be removed. A factory GPS mount will be added.

Reconfiguration means switching to 50-50 tires. Probably Heidenau K60 Scout. This will improve my confidence in off road sections and give me the most flexibility in the routes I choose from day to day.

Fourth, and finally for this post, I will plan spares and maintenance better.

I was pretty happy with my tool selection for the Turkey trip, but having a dedicated tool container would be great. I am not sure where to fit one on the GS, especially after the move to soft luggage.

I will have a location for a tire change locked down. I will also carry a spare oil filter and 1l of oil to top up the bike.

OK, those are the big ticket changes. In the next post, I will look back at what went well in the trip, and what did not ….

What went well.. and what didn’t
 

This post will help me prepare for my next trip - to the “Stans” - by pointing out things to change and things NOT to change..

Let’s start with the positives:

First, my 2005 GS, which ran like a champ. No issues and it even survived a crash no worse for wear. It uses 1l of oil every 6,000 miles. It finished the 11,000 mile trip trip with a little more than 40,000 miles on the odometer.

Second, my mindset. I was positive, kept my sense of humour, and except for a few mild cases of boredom, held up well. I rode 3 months alone and two weeks with my wife, so it was a pretty good mental test. I think it would have been nice to have ridden with other bikes for some of the trip, but this has downsides - in particular having to ride at someone else’s pace.

Third, using phone-based GPS instead of the Garmin I started out with. True it meant buying multiple SIM cards. But they were cheap and easily found. With the phone, I had much more precise navigation - particularly when finding addresses in cities. I also had integration with route planning software such as Google Maps and maps.me.

Fourth, the Sony A6000 performed brilliantly. Excellent image quality in a very compact package. It represents great value compared to the 6400 and 6500. I edited on my 2016 iPad Pro with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, both of which are powerful and easy to use.

Finally, a combination of Travelocity, AirBnB, Booking.com made finding accommodation a painless task, even when booking with less than 24 hours till arrival.

And now, the negatives

I pre-booked too much of my accommodation and did not leave enough time for “exploring”. I could also have used 50-50 road/off road tires, which would have allowed me to be more adventurous in my route selection. Heidenau K60 Scouts will be used when my journey resumes.

I spent too much time in big cities. This is a double edged sword, as I got a lot of good street photography opportunities. But I could have been more balanced in searching out great scenery off the beaten track.

I could have sought out more local contact, by being more outgoing. Now, I met a lot of people and did make some good new friends, but I will only give myself a 6/10 here.

I did not exercise or read enough during the trip. Both had been my pre trip goals. I had enough time, but did too much web browsing instead. This is down to a lack of mental discipline. I lost 2lb in weight, probably down to eating nothing between meals, and (unfortunately) not drinking too much alcohol. I did manage to eat healthily, with lots of fruit and vegetables. I had a slight cold for two days, and a slightly queasy stomach for three - not bad!

That’s it for what went well and less well. I hope this was useful!