As much as I would have loved to write about the motorcycle tour during the actual trip, by the end of the day, I was either exhausted, wanted to enjoy the destination or simply not in the mood. Thus I’m writing everything after returning to Poland. Instead of one monster post, I’ll breakup the trip into several smaller posts, since some regions were more interesting than others.

When purchasing my most recent motorcycle last year (2015 BMW S1000R), I inquired about long distance travelling. While mine is better for shorter distances and the occasional day on the racetrack, the sales guy recommended the BMW F800GS Adventure for longer distances. It’s built for comfort, long treks on the highway and even some off-roading.

As fate would have it, the only interesting motorcycle available to rent for this European trip was a BMW R1200GS Adventure, the “big brother” of the 800GS. “Big” was the key word; this puppy was HUGE! Even at 6’1″ (183cm), I could barely touch the ground when stationary. Plus it was a fat fuck, weighing 564lb (256kg) without luggage. Navigating at slow speeds was stressful, along with reversing, turning on slopes and sandy roads.

In fact, it took several days to learn how to ride it properly. On the highway, it purred like a over-sized kitten, was able to handle tight curves fairly well and easily overtake vehicles with a quick flick of the wrist. It effortlessly absorbed bumps and the “sport mode” was 10x more comfortable than the “comfort mode” on my motorcycle. On dirt roads, it was quite smooth, provided the terrain was relatively firm.

After previously experiencing less-than-awesome vacations, I’ve learned the best way to avoid most issues when traveling with others is to set expectations BEFORE the trip. Thus my travel companion, Weronika and I sat down and discussed our hopes and dreams for the 21 days. We agreed on the following:

  • She really wanted to see Lake Balaton in Hungary, Zadar and the nearby islands in Croatia, some famous mountain passes in Italy and Lake Bodensee in Switzerland. My list was the Adriatic Coast in Croatia, Lake Bled in Slovenia, Tuscany and Lake Como in Italy. We planned our route accordingly.
  • Since I’ve been riding a motorcycle for 15 years and Weronika for just 3 months, we would each travel at our own comfortable speed on curvy roads, and I would occasionally stop and wait for her. On straighter roads and highways, we would keep to the speed limit, mostly.
  • We would avoid travelling at night and didn’t book anything in advance. Each day, and a few hours before nightfall, we would find a suitable place to sleep. Staying in hotels, guesthouses and bed & breakfasts was preferred, but we brought a tent and camping gear in case we wanted to rough it for a few days.
  • To keep expenses low, we also brought plates, cutlery and cooking equipment to have picnics along the way. This would be a great way to further enjoy the scenery and take some much needed breaks.

Day 1

I started the journey alone in Warsaw, and joined Weronika in Katowice. She was attending a Kizomba dance class there and arrived a few days earlier. Polish drivers are challenging to predict and Polish roads are mostly straight and boring, so I was really happy to get out of country as soon as possible.

Day 2

Traversing the Tatras mountains, we spent the day chasing curves and spent the night in a cute chalet next to some ski slopes. The lady at reception wasn’t happy I used her wifi to get a better rate for the room than she could offer.

Day 3

Unfortunately, I dropped the bike 🙁 It was after a long day of riding, night had fallen, I was travelling uphill on a narrow pebble road and was tired. When attempting to turn right, I turned too widely and ended up on the elevated shoulder. Then I got nervous and stopped, but didn’t notice the shoulder on the left side was significantly higher than the ride side, so when my right foot touched the ground, the bike was already leaning too far. The beast came crashing down, and I rolled out of the way (like a ninja, of course).

The damage was minimal, but I felt like a fool for dropping it. It was only the 3rd time I’ve dropped a bike in the last 15 years. Luckily Weronika and I were able to pick it up and continue to the nearby guesthouse for the night. Perhaps out of sympathy, or perhaps because she was also tired, Weronika also dropped her bike in the guesthouse’s driveway. We can laugh about it now, but we were closer to crying at the time.

Day 4

Aside from the beautiful Balaton lake in Hungary, and a pleasant picnic by the water, there wasn’t much else to admire.

To be continued…