We're back.
Got home on Wednesday night after 3,201 miles to be precise in 11 days with one day off out of the saddle. You may recall that I wasn't sure whether take the GTR or the ZZR but (and don't kick me off the site for this) I chose the ZZR1400 because I thought it might be a bit more fun on the twisties, and I could put up with not having the comfort of the GTR on the motorways. Jury is still out on whether I chose right...but here go's and apologies to Mogstar who must be reading these Blogs and thinking FFS...What's gone wrong.
Set off on Sunday morning from Chelmsford, put the bike on the best way across the Channel (the tunnel) with my mate on his Moto Guzzi and another on his TDM and set off for out first Stop. The rather beautiful (1) Strasbourg. No grey political masses anywhere just beautiful little restaurants and bars. Left early next morning and pitched up in (2) Innsbruck that evening. Bit chilly, grey, raining but pleasant enough.
Woke in the morning to heavy rain, but over the Brenner Pass and into the Dolomites and the Italian Sun came out. Rode through the snow line in the mountains and then back down the other side, into and through Slovenia, and stopped for night (3) in Rovinj in Croatia. This place is fabulous. An old town built around the church and Harbour. Left the next morning and toured all the way down the best road I have ever travelled by bike. The Dalmatian Coast route from Rovinj to Zadar is literally biking heaven. Mountains one side, sea the other and 250 miles of sweeping bends following the coast. Made for (4) Split that night and checked into the Port Town. Don't bother with Split would be my recommendation. I's a shitty Ferry Port , Eeuurgh. Spent and extra day there too thinking it was going to be nice. Wasted our day off which we should have used in (5) Sarajevo. Having crossed the border from Croatia to Bosnia early that morning we fell in love with a place that is like riding through Cheddar Gorge but for 200 miles. Stunning scenes, stunning roads but mind the Police Cops. It seems like all the Serb Bosnian Army boys have converted to Speed Cop Uniforms...they are everywhere.
Had lunch in the bombed and rebuilt Mostar before we made for Sarajevo. Slightly concerning to through open your curtains and see the wall next door 'bullet ridden and shell marked'. Left Sarajevo early next morning and headed North through the Repukia Srpska (Republic of Serbia) and through the ethnically cleansed villages, mine fields and shattered houses of North Bosnia. Slightly un-easy feel about it all, back through North Croatia and into Hungary stopping at (6) Pecs for the night. Aninteresting city, European City of culture actually but nothing visually stunning. Left the next morning and headed for Slovakia and (7) Bratislava City.
Scary or what ?. Although the old town was interesting enough, the outskirts are dirty, the roads are sh*te and Prostitutes line the truck lay bys. Nothing to write home about at all. Next morning we left for (8) Prague. Gorgeous Prague. It rained but the cafes, the bars, the whole city is like a Bohemian Fairytale city. It really is worth a visit for 2days. Another early start though and on to (9) Heidlburg in Germany.
Another old town, and not too dissimilar to Bratislava or Pecs really. Nice but we had made the mistake of not going to Baden Baden instead which we know to be not only beautiful but to have the best Naturally occuring hot springs and thermal baths anywhere.....and all of that with NAKED German Girls. Too good to be true, but not...if you understand.
And that was it, from Heidleburg back to (10) Chelmsford.
Feet Up, cup of tea and early to bed.
3,201 miles in 10 cities and not even a hint of a problem with the Kwacker.
Back on the GTR this morning for the commute to work....Reality ...oh well.
EssexBoy. Photos to follow !
Hi Essex Boy,
Sounds like you had a great trip, but you have omitted to report that you have warped your discs, that your tank is now rusty and that you used 3 rear tyres to complete the trip which happens to most when they find Europe
Coman
Rear Tyre looks a bit shagged, but no 'Chicken Strips'. The coast rode down through Croatia is just one long roller coaster of 'Ups, Downs, lefts and rights' at full tilt. Bloody fantastic and to be fair although I was on the ZZR my mates on the TDM and Moto Guzzi were throwing their bikes around the corners too.
In fact the corners were coming so often that you couldn't blast the ZZR up the road to get away from them before you were flip flopping again around some crazy Z bends.
The only problem that I have with my ZZR and it simply won't go away is the whine I get from 2,800 revs to 3,200 revs in second gear. Could be the gearbox or could be resonance. I have to check it out. Don't think it is caused by the Discs cos it only happens under accelaration.
But my handlebars were shaking when I took my hands off them......could that be warped discs or just unbalanced front wheel.
Go to Croatia, Go to Bosnia before it's too late.....
Essex Boy.
Glad you had a good time dood.... we are looking to go that way one year, but try and get all the way to Greece and see if we can get a ferry across to Italy and come back that way.... but Smarty will need to have a contract break :rolleyes: for that to happen.....
Sounds a good ride.
Doubt that discs would be the cause of the shaking - they would need to be applied to shake the bars. Not possible if not holding them.
If you had luggage or anything at rear of bike above the centre of gravity it is likely to cause such shake. Used to happen to both my Blackbird and Pan (occasionally).
Thanks for the good thinking Winston. Of course I had 2 very full heavy Givi panniers on the bike..colour co-ordinated (Thanks Nigelp for sorting me out) and a bag full of kit on the rear seat too.
So all the weight over the back and nothing on the front wheel, especially if I sat up and let go the handlebars.....hence the shake....seemples.
Thanks
EssexBoy
Great journey...at least you used a Kawasaki even if it wasn't a GTR..
I/we love Prague its a stunning city :yes:
Looking forward to seeing your pictures
all my photos are 4.29 meg and it says thats too big. Anyone know how I can reduce the meg so that I can post them ....thanks.
Essexboy
maybe you could upload them to an independant site, such as
http://photobucket.com/
and then post the link to the library on here ?
Sounds like you had a brilliant trip ... we are, I am sure, all very jealous !!
"Photobucket" is the place to go for putting your pictures on here !
Mr Wolf was of great help to me ( I am an IT dolt ) when I was trying to do the same .... PM me your home address and I can send you a copy of what he sent me ... too long to type here .... :laugh: :laugh:
pm'd you Rusty.
1ST OF MANY PICS TO FOLLOW ON THE TRIP.
ITALIAN DOLOMITES.
1. Prague rooftops
2. Bridge in Sarajevo where Arch Duke Ferdinand was killed.
3. On the road to Sjebrenica
1. Minefield in Bosnia
2. Church in Prague where the SOE trained assasins of Reinhard Heydrich hid
With thanks to Nigelp to show me how to get photos on the System. Won't stop me now !!!
BTW , my 2 fellow travellers in the pictures, Dickie and Graham.
And one more photo. (Told you I can't stop now).
This is in Northern Bosnia again and is proof that the Politican and Ethnic problems are still ongoing, but just not thought of these days. Serbian flags in Bosnia to de-note the Republika of Srbska areas, still controlled for and on behalf of Serbians living there, is constant proof of what is bubbling under the surface.
Villages still lay in ruins all around, Bombed, shot up, and mined .....just 17 years ago this horror was happening, and now we holiday there. 8,000 murdered in cold blood in Srebrenica just a few miles up the road. No wonder I wasn't sure about being left behind by my mates to take pictures.
Essexboy..
The bridge at Mostar.
Last one I promise. Only GTR pictures in future....of the best colour model....Racing Green :-)
They are looking good EB .. did you get my E mails with Mr Wolfs photocopied instructions ?? :smiley: :smiley:
Thought evoking photos there.
Sorry Rusty for late response, I have sent you an email to home address thanking you for help. I was out last night looking after some Icelandic guys.
Cheers for help, hope you liked the photos.
EB
Hope you liked them Lonewolf. I always try to read up a little about the places I am going to and the recent history of Yugoslavia's breakdown into total chaos from 1990 to the current 'peace' but with all kinds of things simmering below the surface is simply shocking. In many ways I sometimes feel a little guilty being a tourist taking snaps of what frankly were areas of huge suffering.
EB
Nice photos EB .. keep them coming. :wink:
Quote from: Essex Boy on June 10, 2012, 05:17:07 PM
With thanks to Nigelp to show me how to get photos on the System. Won't stop me now !!!
BTW , my 2 fellow travellers in the pictures, Dickie and Graham.
sounds like you had a excellent trip, I did the french,swiz alps and italy on my zzr1400 and I can't think of a better bike to do it on, taking all sorts of riding into consideration that is..! love to take my new zx6r around the alps but getting there would most likley finish me off :laugh: but I'm going again in august but on the gtr1400. sorry about the obvious following question, but dose your zzr1400 shake with the panniers and rear ruck sack removed? the reason I,m asking I had a fair bit of weight on my zzr1400 over the rear end and it made no difference, the zzr1400 is very front heavy, so my first guess would be front wheel balance. can't see it being warp discs if your not getting a pulsing feeling through the brake lever when braking!
Hi 2Kwacks. To be honest got off the ZZR1400 and parked it in the garage, washed her the next day and still haven't ridden her since the holiday. Been back on the GTR for my commuting. However the ZZR is booked onto a dyno tester at Essex Performance in Basildon on Saturday so I will ride her there and check that wobble minus the heavy back end opanbnier and kit.
Will then post up the result here. Going on the rolling road cos I am p*ssed off to the point of chucking the bike because of this noise that is so irritating that it ruins my ride (at 2,800 revs normally) but Kawasaki can't hear for some strange reason.
Last time they said to me, "Why do you ride at 3,000 revs on a ZZR ?", because said I that they should try riding a ZZR at 6,000 revs around town !. Duh.
It's real world sometimes.
Anyway Essex Performance have said £20 for 15 minutes on their rolling road.
Think I might talk about putting back on my new set of exhausts and getting it power commanded if we can sort the noise and find £500 !.
EssexBoy