My 2800-km trip in Dolomites and Croatia WITH PICTURES
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:32 am
I don’t see too many European riding experiences here, so I figured it would be nice to tell a bit about my great trip to the Dolomites (part of Italian Alps) and Croatia. First, I have to say that the Rockster is a fantastic bike. I really started to reach the (or should I say my) limits of the bike 
. Feet/steps hitting the ground and wear on tires visible over the complete width of the tire. Occasionally, I felt the ABS kicking in on rear tire when entering hair pins and felt that the rear tire was breaking out when accelerating out of them again 
. Man, I love this bike.
For those of you planning a ride in the same area, here is what a friend and me did:
Leave from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf (about 220 km) over the German autobahn. Boring but nice to check out the top speed: 205km/hr on the gauge with my head on the tank. I should mention that before reaching this top speed I learned about what the fuel light is for…
I ran out of gas on an exit ramp and needed my friend to search for a gas station and get a small jerry can of gas. Luckily, we had plenty of time and we didn’t miss our auto-train to Bolzano, northern Italy.
First day in Italy we drove from Bolzano over the Passo di Mandola (1363m) to the Passo del Tonale (1883m). From there over the Passo di Gavia (2621m) to Bormio. We spent the night at a B&B in Grosio. The next day on to the famous Stelvio Pass. That is 45+ hairpins, 22% steep slopes and lots of curves reaching an altitude of 2757m above sea level.
I was glad that I was driving a BMW that had no carburetor problems (like other bikers)
. Down via Merana to Bolzano and into the Val d’Ega to reach the Passo di Costalunga (1745m). Lunch in Canazei and from there on to Cortina d’Ampezzo via the Passo di Fedaia (2057m) and the Passo di Giau (2233m). That one is really nice, not too many hair pins but full of great curves 
. We spent the night in a small hotel in a tiny town 8km south of Cortina. The third day, we drove over the S51 and S52 Tolmezzo. From there, south to Udine over S13 and continued to Trieste on S305 and S14. We continued via the E61 into Slovenia. From there crossing into Croatia onto Rijeka. From Rijeka we followed the coastal road (E65) to Cricvenica. Roads very busy and in bad condition 
, but nice to explore. Fourth day from Cricvenica to Pirovac. Part of this coastal road is brand new. Nice curves and great views. Great riding in this desolated area. Unfortunately, due to the strong wind part of the road was deviated. We got lost and ended up on a dirt road. Well, dirt road is not the correct name. Let’s call it a footpath. Not a good idea…
Although the bike did fine on this very rough and steep road with many loose rocks, I would have definitely preferred a GS for this type of work. After entering tarmac again, I checked my tires and found a nail in my rear tire…](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
Hmmm. I was not amused, especially since the BT020 was practically new. Anyway, we continued our ride, ended up in another poo-hole and asked the local bikers about tire replacements and repairs. Mind you guys, this is Croatia, and a new tire takes two days to order… Fortunately, in the town of Senj, we found a repair shop. I had barely parked my bike on the middle stand, and the wheel was already off. 
Long story short: for 100 kuna (14 euros) I had a hot-fix and the mechanic assured me that it was ready for top speed again… Great service. We spent the night at a B&No-B close to the camping in Pirovac where we met up with friends.
Day five, we drove to Split. Again all coastal roads. We found the best restaurant with sea view in Zadar but unfortunately we weren’t the only ones who had found it
. The place was packed and after 40 minutes without seeing a waiter we decided to continue our trip. In Split we took the ferry to Hvar Island. The 2-hour trip was a nice change. What was nicer was that our bikes didn’t tilt over in the swell. The following 4 nights were spent night in a B&B in Hvar town. Nice apartment, not more than 30 feet from the sea. Time to relax! 
We explored Hvar Island (80km west to east) on day 7. On day 9 we left the Island, visited the old Roman Palace in Split, which was very well worth the visit and drove over the newly built toll roads (A1) to the world famous Plivitci Lakes. We left the highway at Gospic and drove on the 25 to Plitvice where we stayed at a very nice B&B where the local Croatian family cooked dinner and breakfast .
We explored the lakes on the morning of day 10 and later continued our ride over 42 towards the two-lane highway via Rijeka and Trieste to Belluno in Italy. That was a lot of highway, but we wanted to skip the boring part quickly and enjoy the Dolomite Mountains again. Day 11 was another great mountain riding day. Mountain pass after mountain pass . We just couldn’t get enough of it. From the S203 over the Passo di Campolongo, Passo di Gardena, quick lunch in St. Cristina, and the Passo di Negro.
Finally, after a nap on the top of Passo di Lavaze, we drove back to Bolzano to catch the night train to Düsseldorf. Our last day, day 12, we drove back to Amsterdam. Guys: the Dolomites are one big playground for grown ups with bikes. I can’t wait for the next bike-vacation…
. Feet/steps hitting the ground and wear on tires visible over the complete width of the tire. Occasionally, I felt the ABS kicking in on rear tire when entering hair pins and felt that the rear tire was breaking out when accelerating out of them again . Man, I love this bike.For those of you planning a ride in the same area, here is what a friend and me did:
Leave from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf (about 220 km) over the German autobahn. Boring but nice to check out the top speed: 205km/hr on the gauge with my head on the tank. I should mention that before reaching this top speed I learned about what the fuel light is for…
I ran out of gas on an exit ramp and needed my friend to search for a gas station and get a small jerry can of gas. Luckily, we had plenty of time and we didn’t miss our auto-train to Bolzano, northern Italy.First day in Italy we drove from Bolzano over the Passo di Mandola (1363m) to the Passo del Tonale (1883m). From there over the Passo di Gavia (2621m) to Bormio. We spent the night at a B&B in Grosio. The next day on to the famous Stelvio Pass. That is 45+ hairpins, 22% steep slopes and lots of curves reaching an altitude of 2757m above sea level.
I was glad that I was driving a BMW that had no carburetor problems (like other bikers)
. Down via Merana to Bolzano and into the Val d’Ega to reach the Passo di Costalunga (1745m). Lunch in Canazei and from there on to Cortina d’Ampezzo via the Passo di Fedaia (2057m) and the Passo di Giau (2233m). That one is really nice, not too many hair pins but full of great curves 
. We spent the night in a small hotel in a tiny town 8km south of Cortina. The third day, we drove over the S51 and S52 Tolmezzo. From there, south to Udine over S13 and continued to Trieste on S305 and S14. We continued via the E61 into Slovenia. From there crossing into Croatia onto Rijeka. From Rijeka we followed the coastal road (E65) to Cricvenica. Roads very busy and in bad condition , but nice to explore. Fourth day from Cricvenica to Pirovac. Part of this coastal road is brand new. Nice curves and great views. Great riding in this desolated area. Unfortunately, due to the strong wind part of the road was deviated. We got lost and ended up on a dirt road. Well, dirt road is not the correct name. Let’s call it a footpath. Not a good idea… Although the bike did fine on this very rough and steep road with many loose rocks, I would have definitely preferred a GS for this type of work. After entering tarmac again, I checked my tires and found a nail in my rear tire…
Hmmm. I was not amused, especially since the BT020 was practically new. Anyway, we continued our ride, ended up in another poo-hole and asked the local bikers about tire replacements and repairs. Mind you guys, this is Croatia, and a new tire takes two days to order… Fortunately, in the town of Senj, we found a repair shop. I had barely parked my bike on the middle stand, and the wheel was already off. Long story short: for 100 kuna (14 euros) I had a hot-fix and the mechanic assured me that it was ready for top speed again… Great service. We spent the night at a B&No-B close to the camping in Pirovac where we met up with friends.Day five, we drove to Split. Again all coastal roads. We found the best restaurant with sea view in Zadar but unfortunately we weren’t the only ones who had found it
. The place was packed and after 40 minutes without seeing a waiter we decided to continue our trip. In Split we took the ferry to Hvar Island. The 2-hour trip was a nice change. What was nicer was that our bikes didn’t tilt over in the swell. The following 4 nights were spent night in a B&B in Hvar town. Nice apartment, not more than 30 feet from the sea. Time to relax! We explored Hvar Island (80km west to east) on day 7. On day 9 we left the Island, visited the old Roman Palace in Split, which was very well worth the visit and drove over the newly built toll roads (A1) to the world famous Plivitci Lakes. We left the highway at Gospic and drove on the 25 to Plitvice where we stayed at a very nice B&B where the local Croatian family cooked dinner and breakfast .
We explored the lakes on the morning of day 10 and later continued our ride over 42 towards the two-lane highway via Rijeka and Trieste to Belluno in Italy. That was a lot of highway, but we wanted to skip the boring part quickly and enjoy the Dolomite Mountains again. Day 11 was another great mountain riding day. Mountain pass after mountain pass
. We just couldn’t get enough of it. From the S203 over the Passo di Campolongo, Passo di Gardena, quick lunch in St. Cristina, and the Passo di Negro. Finally, after a nap on the top of Passo di Lavaze, we drove back to Bolzano to catch the night train to Düsseldorf. Our last day, day 12, we drove back to Amsterdam. Guys: the Dolomites are one big playground for grown ups with bikes. I can’t wait for the next bike-vacation…
It's a stunningly beautiful area and your post just made me want to go back again!