Your comment about the H-D Ride Planner had me stumped as I thought I gave it a go some months ago and got an error message. For the fun of it, just tried it now and WOW .....it appears to work 
!
It doesn't work in some countries - Russia for example - but should work for the area you want.
I've already purchased the Garmin City Navigator Europe NT DVD and loaded it into the Zumo. If it'll accept the Ride Planner "sync to GPS" command ........I'm good to go !
Hope you got the current version (2012.2 from memory), though it may be updated again before your trip.
I'd forget the "sync to GPS" - which it will do - and use Tyre for that part. Works far better.
http://www.janboersma.nl/gett/download.phpRemember, a lot of us have been here before, most of us use Garmin 550/660 or the Road Tech version, and we've worked the bugs out of planning these routes, from which you may benefit!
Good tip on the Speed Camera files. I've confirmed that the pocketGPSworld solution will work with my Zumo ! Hopefully, it'll be compatible with the H-D Ride Planner files as well.
Yes it will - again, lots of us have been there/done that/got the t-shirt, so no need to re-invent the wheel by checking these things. They are all things we know will work for you, or wouldn't suggest them!
I'm also working with Steve at Fullsac Performance for a solution to mellow the sound of my Stage I pipes.
Not necessary - don't give it a 2nd thought. However loud your pipes are, you'll hear a lot louder here in Europe!
The insurance I've been quoted is called GREEN CARD and is good for most EC countries. One exception is Hungary.
That's a little unusual; normally a green card would cover all EEC countries. I assume you've made sure it's fully comprehensive, and not just the basic legal cover, which is third party only?
That's important, for very obvious reasons!Appreciate your reassuring comments on the availability of lodgings with safe bike parking. Hopefully crime/vandalism is less of an issue out in the rural areas?
Again, it's not really a problem in inner city areas either - there will be good parking at all inner city hotels, but always chain your bike at overnight stays, just in case.
We're still planning the route ......... [snipped]
Yes, you'll want to cut back on the daily miles for this trip. 200 to 300 will be more than enough. You don't want to be spending time on long straight boring freeways, seeing nothing. You may find on some days, that 250 miles = 10 hours!
Maybe, in some locations that you plan, hotel prices are more than you have budgeted for, so using Trip Advisor to sort out cheaper ones is a good idea.
I'd suggest the Dolomites for your Alps/Northern Italy stuff - fantastic scenery and rides there, and Innsbruck is not badly placed for that, or you might prefer to be a little closer - somwhere between Innsbruck and Bolzano would be ideal. But Rome and back in a day from the north of Italy.... I don't think so. You need to be a little further south; Ferrara is OK, but still a bit far, or Bologna, but really somewhere further south, like Sienna or thereabouts, would be necessary to put you within day-trip distance of Roma. Also, riding in Rome will scare you shotless!! You will not have encountered driving of the type that you will meet there, anywhere. Be VERY careful! For Monaco - far too expensive to stay in the principality itself - it's tiny too. Not an awful lot to see there, except expensive yachts, the casino, and of course you can tour the palace. The palace did have a disgusting zoo that I once went to. If it's still there, and if you love animals, stay away. It would distress you. The whole area is expensive, but I'd recommend that you find somewhere inland a little (I do mean a little, just a few miles), and perhaps a little west too. In the hills north of Nice would be good.
In Switzerland and Austria you need to buy a vignette - a permit to use their roads - best not to forget (Don't ask me how I know!)
For your last leg - the Riviera to Normandy, Jacques (Bisonours on here) is your man. He lives half way between the two. I suggest the Route Napoléon northward for the 1st part of your journey stopping overnight at the most fantastic hotel, as recommended by Jacques, near Lyon - the Chateau Chapeau Cornu. A night there is a real treat! (Find it on Trip Advisor). From there, I like to go a little east of the main routes - much more interesting, but depends on how quickly you want to get to Normandy. There are many other things to see on the way there, and the WW1 stuff is far more interesting to me than the D-Day stuff. A visit to Verdun would be a very sombre and humbling experience for you too, but
so worth the visit.
Lots more that we can discuss once you firm up your route a bit - just ask!
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Topic: "Mother of all Road Trips" - Hawaii to Europe and back (Read 2793 times)