Eastern Europe on a wing and a prayer

[Roberto]

Grez

Am in Croatia and on my way South at the moment bound for Albania (there's a BMW dealer in Split). If I can be of use to bring anything to you let me know, I'll PM my number.

Rob

 

[grez]

Final drive

Sorted and back on the road. Liberal use of hammer made me wince but as long as it gets me home I am happy. Next stop looks like Italy to be sure of making it.

 

[Dean]

Sorted and back on the road. Liberal use of hammer made me wince but as long as it gets me home I am happy. Next stop looks like Italy to be sure of making it.

Glad yr all sorted and back on the road

enjoying your RR


I like Italy

 

[grez]

Well I am now in Northern Italy. Got the bike back for lunch and ran up to Durres. What can I say, if you wanted to give the Adriatic an enema then Durres is where you would stick the hose. Shit place, shit people and the port is a shit hole full of beggars. Booked an overnight ferry to Bari in Italy and no cabin. Had a good spot picked out until some f*$kwits started playing local raghead music and singing like ladyboys. Got of this morning and just headed north as fast as I could and stopped near Verona. Did meet 2 guys from Northern Italy on DRZ400's who where at the hotel Brialant in Saranda. They had spent 2 weeks off road in Albania with kit on the bikes and said it was fantastic. Turns out they had been in Morocco and knew Mohammed Gorditos place in Zagora, small world.
So, 2 days and one night in the same clothes, you can only guess what my boots smell like. Shower, shit, food and sleep. Tomorrow it is Reims via Innsbruck, then home.........................hopefully

 

[grez]

HOME

Well I made it. 14 1/2 hours from Verona to the Hotel De Nations (posh title for a 1 star motel) just outside Rimes. Good enough for a night’s sleep and only 35 Euro. Took so long due to caravans on the alpine pass and getting stuck behind Germans who would not move over. Luckily Czech lorry drivers did so I made some progress. Rained in France so last 2 hours or so with the “excellent” GS headlight on unlit motorways and back roads. A few hours in the morning to the tunnel, get an earlier train and then home.

Thanks to all you guys offering help with my final drive woes, much appreciated and reaffirms my faith in human nature. Hope I get to meet some of you someday.

So in summary:
4,222 miles
9 countries
2 new tyres
1 new final drive output bearing

Final report to follow after some sleep.

 

[Roberto]

Grez, good to hear you made it home OK and that the Albanian engineering did the trick. Nice one

Don't forget the final installment now will ya