Hi Y'all!
This is a total 'newbie' here to this website, came in via adventure motorcycling and glad I did!
I am planning a tour of Eastern Europe in the spring of 2004...yeah I know it is an age off, but there is a lot, as you all know, of planning to do..
Like get time off work, (!!!) find the right bike etc..
my ideal plan is to get to Germany, ride through Poland, Czech republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegroa, yugoslavia, Romania and back to germany Via..
any idea of the situation in Montenegro?? It's somewhere I have wanted to go for ages!
Idea of a bike..only 5'6", would like something that has electric start, but not too worried, how about an XR400??
I have no touring experience..tho biking experience is loads of green laning and a handful of enduros/hare and hounds..
I know I'll find loads of answers if I spend hours searching all this site ( which I'll do any way) but just hoped someone could set me going in the right direction!!
Finances will fall in place early part of next year ( after christmas, MOT (!) and snowboarding!)hope to get the 'right' bike so I can get some long distance riding in..
this bike must be usable for greenlaning, m'be a bash at a few Rallyes, tours etc..
Thankyou for listening to my 'newbie' rambling, I'll try not to make a habit of it, but I am sure you know what it's like when an Idea grips you..
Thanks


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heaven won't have me...and hell's too afraid I'll take over!!

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heaven won\'t have me...and hell\'s too afraid I\'ll take over!!

HI!If you want to travell in Roumania and do you have some questione aboute this country,just fell free to send my by e mail,i can help you!From Roumania DJ

email address removed by Grant - use link above - see http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/faq.shtml#notify for why.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 29 November 2002).]

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DJ

Hi ;

I have prepared some travel notes for the Balkans. Although i seems that i wont be ableto do it in 2004, still should be prepared. Who knows maybe i will win a lotery. Anyway, if you want i can send you Romania and Bosnia if you want. From the house..

Hi,
You're definitely in the right place. I've got my first big (for me) trip in April - UK-Germany-Czech-Poland-Lithuania-and back. Have you got Chris Scott's book yet? Well worth getting even if you're not (yet?) planning a desert crossing. Lots of good info on preparing a bike and yourself for long distance travel.

Are you getting a new or used bike? Reading through the travel reports on the Adventure Motorcycling website is quite useful for an indication of he good/bad points of bikes that have actually been taken on long trips. Much better than magazine reviews!

It's worth getting a bike to suit/match the bikes of the people you're travelling with. Being on (or with) a slower bike can be annoying as one person is alway hammering it and the other is always going slower.

Check out the Trip Planning link on the left hand side of the page ( http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tripplan/ ), lots of the basic information already sorted for you in readable chunks. Saves you searching for it.

Every time I open the map of Europe at the moment I keep seeing places I want to go to. My trip is getting longer everytime, I may still be on the road in 2004....

See you around,

Doug


[This message has been edited by DougB (edited 28 November 2002).]

Hi!
Thanks for the replies!!!
yes Dougb , I have got Chris Scotts book!
Do you want a pillion for your trip!!!Believe me , by april, I'll need a break from work!
The bike...probably a Tenere, as new as I can afford!
I won't be getting the bike until spring..First I need to get a flat or house with a garage!! Secondly, the snow is coming and my 'snowboard' and I need a white powder fix!!!!
A gentleman, you know who you are!!, has been totally brilliant with advice and addresses..But I will e-m everyone who has offered advice etc..Thankyou!!
Right, back to waxing the board, practicing those 360's and trawling through 'BikeTrader' and TMX!!
Roll on the spring!!
An

[This message has been edited by Snowind (edited 02 December 2002).]

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heaven won\'t have me...and hell\'s too afraid I\'ll take over!!

There's a bike at my work for sale (Reading, Berks). Honda KLR which (I think) has about 16K Kms on the clock. It's got £1500 ono stuck onto it, but it's been sitting there since the summer so I guess the guy will happily take less. It's not mine, and I don't know the seller, but I can get you the number if you're interested.

Cheers,
Doug

thanks for that Dougb..To be honest I like the Tenere..From what I have heard it has a good reliability record..as for a Honda KLR??????? I have heard of the Kawazaki KLR but not a Honda??
Thanks again..
An

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heaven won\'t have me...and hell\'s too afraid I\'ll take over!!

Was out the night before I posted that....sorry. it's a honda xr 650