Balkan - Romania Tour, June 2025

At the end of June 2025, the time had finally come. Between June 23 and June 25, all participants in this tour gradually arrived in Trogir. As promised, each of the nine participants was personally greeted at the airport in Split, picked up, and taken directly to the hotel in Trogir.

To kick off the upcoming adventure, we first enjoyed a cozy welcome dinner together in the old town of Trogir. With lots of laughter and sharing of experiences, we were able to prepare ourselves for what lay ahead.

The handover of the motorcycles from our BMW fleet, stationed in Trogir, not far from the airport near Split, was carried out in the usual uncomplicated manner. Each participant was able to use the motorcycle at their leisure, including, of course, to get acquainted with the new motorcycle (fully equipped).
On Friday, June 27, at 8:00 a.m. sharp, the journey finally began.
Nine experienced riders from Canada joined the party. It's worth mentioning the guys by name, and for the sake of good order, we will of course list the names alphabetically:

Daryl Alexander - BMW R1250GS
Ed Bulpitt - BMW F850GS
Frank Killoran - BMW F850GS
Geoff Parkin - BMW F900GSA
Jeffrey McCord - BMW R1300GS
Martin Lebl - BMW F750GS
Miles Murray - BMW R1250GS
Robert Wells - BMW R1300GS
Scott MacDonald - BMW R1250GS

The route had been specially designed for this group. It was based on our regular Romania tour, which takes place every August. However, due to work commitments, this tour had to be shortened by two days and moved from August to the end of June.
As expected, we set to work and created an extraordinary 10-day tour for this private motorcycle group, starting in Croatia and heading deep into the Carpathians and back.

What the riders then experienced together is best seen in the pictures provided.
 

However, this trip had a slight downside.

On the same day, on the same place, and at almost the same time, something very sad happened.
It is generally known that brown bears live along the mountain pass, the Transfăgărășan in Transylvania. The reason why the bears are along the road is certainly OBVIOUS. Tourists who are NOT familiar with nature and wild animals feed these bears. As a result, the bears become accustomed to being fed by “humans” and become too lazy to hunt. It is even more disastrous for the cubs, because the older animals no longer teach them how to hunt. Everyone can imagine what the consequences of this are.
Cars, motorhomes, motorcyclists, and even cyclists stop along the road to feed the bears. Small children reach out their little hands from the rear side window to feed the bears.
We are at a loss for words when it comes to such actions, because this is not like feeding a horse, dog, or cat. These are still wild bears, even if they are fed regularly.
And then the inevitable happened. It was a sad day, because on that day a motorcyclist took a selfie with a bear in the background. The bear did not understand the situation and only wanted to protect its cubs. The motorcyclist was grabbed by the bear, dragged into the forest, and killed.

We are very sorry for the bereaved and all those who now must endure this suffering, but to put it bluntly.
Bears are wild animals, and even in a zoo, NO ONE would enter an enclosure to feed the bears.

So, stay at a safe distance from wild animals and enjoy motorcycling instead. These bears have been living there longer than we have been riding motorcycles, and in the past, a bear has NEVER starved to death!!!