Last real ride of the season

[Ralf]

Well, after a whopping sad/pitiful aggregate of about 1,500 km this year, I guess this was also my first real ride of the season

Two friends and I rode down to Croatia over the weekend. Great weather in Bavaria/Austria/Slovenia/Croatia/Italy.

Some random observations:

Slovenia has great roads, twisty and billiard smooth.

Riders from the former east bloc "have arrived". Some 20 years following the end of communism, they seem to have enough disposable income to buy brand new machinery. I saw no eastern European rider with machinery older than 2 or 3 years (made me feel really good with my old '92 CBR ). They also have a predilection for superbikes and always wave/are very friendly.

My trusty CBR is really starting to get a little long in the tooth and enduros are good. I'm starting to long for a F800GS.

I'm getting old.

Decent beer can be had outside of Germany and the Czech Republic

[Ralf]

Here a couple of pictures from last weekend

Jürgen fixing the flat slide valve (lost screw) on his Cagiva Elephant's carburetor outside my folks' cabin in Austria



Frank looking on thinking: "I'm glad I ride a BMW and not an Italian bike 'full of character'" "



Riding up the Vrsic Sattel in Slovenia



Fun in Croatia

[Ralf]

Sella Nevea in Italy







Nockalmstraße in Austria







On the way home to Munich

[Orson]

Riders from the former east bloc "have arrived". Some 20 years following the end of communism, they seem to have enough disposable income to buy brand new machinery.

Somehow, that scares me a bit   Even coming from Saudi, where they drive like madmen, Romanian drivers are full bat loon crazy  

Frank looking on thinking: "I'm glad I ride a BMW and not an Italian bike 'full of character'" "

Italian bashing reported to moderators  

You know, Opatija used to host the Yugoslavian GP on the city streets. It was called the "Monaco" of motorcycle racing. Lot of racers killed there  

Looks like a great trip! Wish I was there  

Do you get tennis elbow from hoisting those heavy mugs all day?  

[stefrrr]

Wow, gorgeous and amazing! And if you're saying the beer is good as someone who live in Munich, it must be good!  

[Ralf]

Somehow, that scares me a bit   Even coming from Saudi, where they drive like madmen, Romanian drivers are full bat loon crazy  


Italian bashing reported to moderators  

You know, Opatija used to host the Yugoslavian GP on the city streets. It was called the "Monaco" of motorcycle racing. Lot of racers killed there  

Looks like a great trip! Wish I was there  

Do you get tennis elbow from hoisting those heavy mugs all day?  

Orson, you of all people, with your defamation of BMW, should not take my Italian bashing too seriously.  

The racetrack in Opatija is indeed very dangerous. I remember Reinhold Roth crashing there in 1990 and is now brain dead  

[Ralf]

Wow, gorgeous and amazing! And if you're saying the beer is good as someone who live in Munich, it must be good!  

There's a difference between "decent" and "good" beer  

[DogBoy]

Beautiful Ralf. The CBR still looks damn good to me.  

[Global Rider]

Frank looking on thinking: "I'm glad I ride a BMW and not an Italian bike 'full of character'" "

Apparently, the same applies to cars...

You know, when an Italian who works in the automotive industry in Italy tells you to buy a Porsche and not a Ferrari, you know he isn't biased. He said, "a Ferrari looks great, but you want a performance car you can actually drive and depend on".

So I went out and bought a Porsche Carrera a little over a week ago.  

[FJR-UK]

Nice ride photos, but what really stopped me was that plate of meat!   I can only presume that is for the whole table of, what, 10? to share!  

[Blunder]

The racetrack in Opatija is indeed very dangerous. I remember Reinhold Roth crashing there in 1990 and is now brain dead  

Wasn't that track also known as Rijeka?

Anyway, this looks like good eatin' and drinkin'.



I'm getting hungry.

[Orson]

Wasn't that track also known as Rijeka?

I think Rijeka was a purpose built race track, while Opatija was on city streets.

I could be wrong though  

[Blunder]

I believe it was Rijeka. There's a youtube viddy, but I won't post it.

[Ralf]

Beautiful Ralf. The CBR still looks damn good to me.  

All things considered (especially its age), it's a great bike. But I've had it for almost seven years now (as well as the same bike new from '92-95) and modern machinery seems to offer so much more ("time marches on")

Here a shot of the bike with some lovely dumpsters in the background  

[Ralf]

Apparently, the same applies to cars...

You know, when an Italian who works in the automotive industry in Italy tells you to buy a Porsche and not a Ferrari, you know he isn't biased. He said, "a Ferrari looks great, but you want a performance car you can actually drive and depend on".

So I went out and bought a Porsche Carrera a little over a week ago.  

Unfortunately, all I'm seeing is a small red "X", but: "Porsche. Es gibt keinen Ersatz"

[Ralf]

Nice ride photos, but what really stopped me was that plate of meat!   I can only presume that is for the whole table of, what, 10? to share!  

Yeah, you never leave the table hungry in the Slavic countries

[Ralf]

I believe it was Rijeka. There's a youtube viddy, but I won't post it.

It's definitely Rijeka where Roth had his horrible accident. It didn't realize Opatija was another track.

[Global Rider]

Porsche. Es gibt keinen Ersatz"

Genau!

And once you've driven one, one understands. I had to wait 42 years to find out.

[Papa Lazarou]

Invading Croatia again?