Greetings from Bulgaria!

[ogden]

Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Transfagasaran, Bulgaria, Black Sea, Istanbul, Asia, Greece, Bulgaria again...

10 countries, 10 days, and we're still about 2000 miles from home. Best bike ride ever.

[missyburd]

Wow. Probably picked a good time to be away from home too with yesterday's moment firmly implanted in history! Hope you've a few pics for us when you're home safe :)

[ogden]

First one will probably get me told off, so only click this link if you're over 18:

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q81/s720x720/1005598_10152056892719896_2141573655_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q77/s720x720/1010167_10152056894254896_1720849550_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q77/s720x720/10194_10152062437599896_292338059_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q83/s720x720/971314_10152062433154896_459932816_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q77/s720x720/1044487_10152063713469896_792633654_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/1044029_10152064924859896_233192351_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q71/s720x720/1004625_10152065145769896_453610271_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1011287_10152069361639896_929142935_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q71/s720x720/382564_10152076289874896_753479036_n.jpg

[ogden]

Oh, and these two...

http://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q81/s720x720/1014425_10152069360949896_896962798_n.jpg

http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q80/s720x720/1044197_10152066945719896_285325254_n.jpg

We're tweeting as @eldaifo, @stephenpackeruk, @simonweller and @_markr_ if anyone's interested in seeing what we're up to.

[Purity14]

Im setting off on the 25th of july
France germany austria slovenia croatia bosnia serbia romania transfargen hungary poland germany france then home :)

Hope your having a good time, i know i will be!!

Im literally gasping to set off hahaha

[ogden]

You'll love it. I'd recommend adding Bulgaria to the route as well, you can cross into Romania via the bridge at Ruse, as it's been the unexpected highlight of our trip so far.

Be prepared for some awful road surfaces in Romania, as in they sometimes just turn to rubble. The transfagasaran is a bit dubious too.

[ogden]

CBA to write the trip up yet, so Storify can do the heavy lifting -
http://storify.com/eldaifo/istanbul-and-back

[DJ123]

CBA to write the trip up yet, so Storify can do the heavy lifting -
http://storify.com/eldaifo/istanbul-and-back


Good read :)

Sounds like it was an epic adventure

[Serdna]

Mega jealous! Have fun, ride safe!

[ogden]

ride safe!

Where's the fun in that?

Riding through Istanbul in a tshirt was a highlight.

[Skybaba]

Good read :)

Sounds like it was an epic adventure

+1 on that!!

[ogden]

I've just finished the proper write-up. It's a bit long, but if it's half as interesting to read about as it was to do, it'll be worth a look.

The story starts here: http://eldaifo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/istanbul-or-bust-getting-ready.html

[philbut]

Looks like awesome fun mate. It's been far too long since I got to explore on the bike. Didn't want to do it on the GSXR though? Ideal bike for all those gravel roads no ;-)

[philbut]

We also had insurance issues in Bosnia and Serbia - but met a nice policeman there who basically said no one will be able to read your insurance policy anyway so just carry on - nice!

[ogden]

Serbia was OK, it's on track for EU membership now so no special insurance needed. For Bosnia it wasn't so much legality that I was worried about, as the odds of needing to call on it.

Lovely country though, totally not what I expected.

[ogden]

Oh, and the gixer... when it looked like I wouldn't be able to take the KTM, I did think about taking the gixer. It would have looked awesome with a set of TKC80s front and rear.

More a question of luggage really. Doing a trip like that with soft panniers and a tailpack would have been a real pain in the ****.

[philbut]

Yeah, Bosnia was really nice. Havent finished reading your blog yet, so don't know if you got to Mostar, but that was really beautiful. The huge graveyards everywhere were quite haunting though.

[ogden]

Havent finished reading your blog yet, so don't know if you got to Mostar

Part 7, Expectations Demolished.

[philbut]

Finished now. what a great trip (I might nick your route). You even beat us by 150 miles, right, can't be having that...

Seriously, that really made me long to go off on a long trip again. Nick (Warthog) has finally admitted his SV is rubbish and is getting a new bike that actually works, so we are going to try and organise something - realistically for next year, but hey ho. I don't know if your zumo does, but my 660 logs everywhere it has even been (and speed worryingly). its amazing to load it up onto mapsource and see where you went, with all the detours and wrong turns etc.

[Purity14]

Im in brasov right now, passed through belgrade, and just completed the transfargen, i have it all on headcam.. Did it twice both directions..
Road surface is abit ****ty, just chilling at draculas place now, and ive done on road, gravel, and all on a cbr600 streetfighter.. No real luggage to speak of, no spare clothes.. Lol

I broke down in romania in a little village total electrical fail, the rattling had destroyed wire connection blocks, namely the ignition, so its hotwired to a switch.. All whilst being molested by a horse, 2 wild dogs, at 42c... Thanks to the woman with the stick beating the dogs to keep them away though it only took me an hour and a half to figure out what was wrong and fix it..!

Thought i was gonna get stranded but managed it.. Setting of to budapest tomorrow towards krakow, im on pr3's same as my sv, they have held the road well even on bad wet surfaces!

My garmin satnav is broke too, the roads killed it, so its cable tied in place.. Ill upload some pics in a sec

Gonna do a full ride report when im back in england maybe next week sometime

[Purity14]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/31/9ehy2y5e.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/31/epuhy2er.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/31/utyjapy4.jpg

Cant wait to see the helmet cam pics and footage.. :)

Met up with some Italian bikers on the way to belgrade the other day, and met them again today.. About 15 of us carving up little romanian villages.. Heh

[ogden]

I don't know if your zumo does, but my 660 logs everywhere it has even been (and speed worryingly). its amazing to load it up onto mapsource and see where you went, with all the detours and wrong turns etc.

The 350 does, but it seemed to roll over the trip logs at some point and I only had stuff from the last few days.

We didn't have too many navigation cockups, other than Mark's general sense of direction failure. Most, I suspect, because it's easy to tell when you're on the wrong road out east - it usually has no surface. Not infallible (most of Romania, for example) but it usually works.

[ogden]

Looks like we were a bit luckier with the weather than you, Purity41. Bright blue skies the whole way from Nuremberg to the Black Sea coast. Sounds like you're having fun though.

Poland's on my list for next year, thinking of a tour round the Baltic rim, maybe including a dip into Russia. This bike's going to be worth nine tenths of sod all by the time it gets to needing its first MOT!

[Purity14]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/31/6ysu5u8y.jpg
Bit of hotel room combat ;)

And the transfargen was fine yesterday, sunny skies.. Today i went up it, and it was foggy with cloud and rain, slightly unnearving.. I use a garmin 60cx.. Maybe not as awesome as a real sat nav, but you can scroll around the map or have it lock to your position.. Handy for knowing there is a hairpin in amongst the fog :p

I have the same routing feature so i know where i have been, im looking forward to downloading that when i am home..

Traveling through romania takes a long long time...

[ogden]

Traveling through romania takes a long long time...

Doesn't it just. Not so bad when you're off the main trucking routes or on the motorway, but when the traffic builds up (or if you're paying any attention whatsoever to speed limits) or on loose surfaces the pace really drops. We were down to 3 or 4 mph on the Bucharest ring road, and the SMT doesn't really do anything less than 13 without slipping the clutch. Painful.

Plenty in Romania to look though, so even when it's slow it's not boring.

[Purity14]

I havent been to Bucharest, the only major city here i have been to is pitesti.. But if i didnt filter through traffic my bike was overheating.. The countdown timers on trafficlights are awesome though!!

The remainder of my time has been through villages, if you do 50kph as the signs say you get overtaken, if you do more one of the many policemen will spot you and call ahead..

Having no one else to talk to ive been laughing to myself that i think there are more police than watermelons.. But anything to keep me sane :p

My average is up from that, ive been tagging onto locals through villages where avaliable which is the only place i have seen speedtraps, and thats anywhere between 50-80kph then outside its full bore just to cover ground.. But like you said.. The road can get abit tricky now and then.. Wouldnt have enjoyed it on the sv.

Im going to try and make bucharest from here in brasov tomorrow.. I can only try!

[dyzio]

Traveling through romania takes a long long time...

Not really, I was pressed for time, but I went from Bucharest to Oradea in a day via the Transfagaras road.
Of course if you get off the main roads it'll take you time. You can get cought out on the main roads as well (E79 :smt076)

Bucharest ring road,

Road?
:smt044 :smt044 :smt044

;)

[Purity14]

I meant Budapest in Hungary, typo btw :)

[Skybaba]

Quite inspiring, I'm still working my way through the detailed write-up and it makes a very interesting and inspiring read.

Thanks for sharing!