The Dekatria Project - Greece 2013: a 4400 mile ride to the Underworld

[DekatriaProject]

With the final few weeks until departure under way I thought it to be a good idea to put the cause behind the project into the spotlights again. So here goes (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.com/2013/07/heart-of-darkness.html)!

Prep-wise it's going good - the Alp's now had the majority of the preflight maintenance. Just the oil + oilfilter to go, and then it's just running around panicking for the final week until July 19th :D

Oh, and all help around the Thessaloniki area is still more than welcome by the way :)

[motomaniac]

With the final few weeks until departure under way I thought it to be a good idea to put the cause behind the project into the spotlights again. So here goes (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.com/2013/07/heart-of-darkness.html)!

Prep-wise it's going good - the Alp's now had the majority of the preflight maintenance. Just the oil + oilfilter to go, and then it's just running around panicking for the final week until July 19th :D

Oh, and all help around the Thessaloniki area is still more than welcome by the way :)

I live in Veria, is a town 65km far from Thessaloniki and only 15-20km from Vergina, where is the tomb of Phillip, Alexander's the great's, father. if visit that i can join you!

[DekatriaProject]

Veria is actually precisely on my route! I'll be there around the 5th-6th of August, so it's perfectly possible to meet up :)

[motomaniac]

Veria is actually precisely on my route! I'll be there around the 5th-6th of August, so it's perfectly possible to meet up :)


perfect! if i am in town it will be sure that we will meet. :D

[argiris34]

hi Greg

just discovered this topic iam sure you will saviour the trip for many years Greece is a wonderfull place , the only problem is that you will want to come again as one trip will only scratch the surface of all the monumets and beautiful landscape (sea and mountain)
iam in patras so whatever you need when you pass through dont hesitate
everyone here will be glad to come up at least for a hi

be well

ps since you will come through the west coast dont forget to visit Aherontas river the gate to hades according to the myth and the dodona oracle

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acheron

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodona

[DekatriaProject]

perfect! if i am in town it will be sure that we will meet. :D
Super :) do you know of any good motorcycle tire shops in the area? Right around the time I'm in the Thessaloniki area I'll be needing fresh tires...

hi Greg

just discovered this topic iam sure you will saviour the trip for many years Greece is a wonderfull place , the only problem is that you will want to come again as one trip will only scratch the surface of all the monumets and beautiful landscape (sea and mountain)
iam in patras so whatever you need when you pass through dont hesitate
everyone here will be glad to come up at least for a hi

be well

ps since you will come through the west coast dont forget to visit Aherontas river the gate to hades according to the myth and the dodona oracle

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acheron

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodona
Welcome to the topic, and thanks for the tips! I was already aware of the Acheron, but the Dodona oracle was still unknown to me. Patras is going to be a busy stop for me, lots of contacts are from that area :D

[Smith]

i wish you all the best.. you`ve got the best motives in any case, so just enjoy it !

[motomaniac]

Super :) do you know of any good motorcycle tire shops in the area? Right around the time I'm in the Thessaloniki area I'll be needing fresh tires...


tires only in Thessaloniki. But if inform me some days earlier i will contact the local (friend's) motorcycle workhop to have a better price for you.
i am sure that you are already aware of these bit in case..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergina

and where you can drink a coffe if you have the time. http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587507103/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587507299/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587506847/

doesn't that look like sea?

[DekatriaProject]

i wish you all the best.. you`ve got the best motives in any case, so just enjoy it !
Thanks Smith! I'm sure I will :D

tires only in Thessaloniki. But if inform me some days earlier i will contact the local (friend's) motorcycle workhop to have a better price for you.
i am sure that you are already aware of these bit in case..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vergina

and where you can drink a coffe if you have the time. http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587507103/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587507299/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elia-veria/6587506847/

doesn't that look like sea?
Looking awesome! I sent you a PM to exchange details, so we can keep in touch.

[motomaniac]

pm's changed and Greg will propably stay at my home in august!
:)

[DekatriaProject]

pm's changed and Greg will propably stay at my home in august!
:)
And many thanks for that! This leaves most of the stops in Greece accounted for, with Tenaron, Lamia and Ioannina as camping days :) quite extraordinary!

Just two weeks until departure!

[spyrakos35]

go greg go!
:beer:

[DekatriaProject]

Getting closer and closer :D

One of my colleagues came with the original idea of a 'picture send-off' - you can tag yourself in this Facebook picture (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=574464015926018&set=o.261737250503676&type=1&theater), and using your profile pic she will draw you into the picture of which the original will be auctioned off in September as well. The more people get involved, the more awesome it will be, so please pitch in!

[DekatriaProject]

295806

Well, this is it. The moment I've looked forward to for 3 years is finally here. Sometimes I thought to myself just how big a nutcase I am for doing this. Hell, there have been times I wanted to just throw it aside and do stuff regular people do... but I knew that wouldn't make a particularly exciting story to read, right :D

The beast has now got fresh rubber, wheelbearings, oil and oilfilter as well, finally getting it at full strength for the 4500 mile ordeal that lays ahead.

And me? Well the coming month, I'm just going to take it as it comes. As is usual with whenever I go abroad, I never watch any video or photo material from other people that have visited the countries in question - this way, I have no expectations. It's like going out to see a movie without having seen the trailer... I already know I want to go, and that's all the motivation I need.

If circumstances permit, I will post small updates on the project Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thedekatriaproject) when I'm on the road. Rest assured though that after the trip, I will post an extensive ride report here, along with all the photo and video material.

If you haven't done so already, have a glance at the auction goodies (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/1996/11/donate.html) that will go under the digital hammer in September. Or tag yourself in the send-off drawing (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=574464015926018&set=o.261737250503676&type=1&theater). It's all for a good cause, right ;)

Basic itinerary for the road down (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.com/2011/05/route.html) is as follows:

19th of July - Belgium
20th of July -Luxembourg - France - Germany
21st of July - Switzerland
22nd-29th of July -Italy
30th of July-7th of August - Greece
(31st: Patras, 1st: Kalamata, 2nd: Cape Tenaron, 3rd: Athens, 4th: Lamia, 5th: Thessaloniki/Veria, 6th: Ioannina area)


Everything after that is up in the air. I plan to be home around the 18th of August, but it could be earlier or later depending on how things go.

Take care, and maybe see you on the way!

[spyrakos35]

may gods of mototourism be with you..... :D

:beer:

[akis_trevor]

ride safe greg.we are waiting for you!!!

[tigionapas]

: Beer: well done

[DekatriaProject]

Hello my Greek brethren!

Yesterday I reached Brindisi, which means that tomorrow evening I will board the ferry to Igoumenitsa where I will arrive on July 30th at 4am in the morning.

The itinerary as it was remains the same: Patras 31/7, Kalamata 1/8, Tenaron 2/8, Athens 3/8, Lamia 4/8, Thessaloniki/Veria 5/8 and Ioannina 6/8. There's time to stay somewhere longer though - it's flexible :)

See you soon!

[motomaniac]

Hello my Greek brethren!

Yesterday I reached Brindisi, which means that tomorrow evening I will board the ferry to Igoumenitsa where I will arrive on July 30th at 4am in the morning.

The itinerary as it was remains the same: Patras 31/7, Kalamata 1/8, Tenaron 2/8, Athens 3/8, Lamia 4/8, Thessaloniki/Veria 5/8 and Ioannina 6/8. There's time to stay somewhere longer though - it's flexible :)

See you soon!

Hello Greg! unfortunately i haven't have any news for the tires yet. the good thing is that i know we can have it one day after we order. tomorrow morning i promise i will have news for the price. have a nice trip until we meet. will it be on august 5th?

[zioan]

A big HI from THESSALY dear friend GREG . Thessaly is middle greece (meteora , etc) . it will be my owner to lead u to the meteora and everything else u want . If u want to stay in my town trikala 25 km from meteora or stay in meteora let me know and if i can i will help u with sleep .

A) you must drink everything (ouzo,tsipoyro,wine)

B)In greece u will feel like home that is our cultura

i will wait your message
:sun:

[DekatriaProject]

Hello Greg! unfortunately i haven't have any news for the tires yet. the good thing is that i know we can have it one day after we order. tomorrow morning i promise i will have news for the price. have a nice trip until we meet. will it be on august 5th?
I think so! We'll be in touch, surely :)

A big HI from THESSALY dear friend GREG . Thessaly is middle greece (meteora , etc) . it will be my owner to lead u to the meteora and everything else u want . If u want to stay in my town trikala 25 km from meteora or stay in meteora let me know and if i can i will help u with sleep .

A) you must drink everything (ouzo,tsipoyro,wine)

B)In greece u will feel like home that is our cultura
Thanks for the offer!! All help is welcome, you could PM me your phonenumber so I can be in touch :)

[akis_trevor]

ο greg ειναι στην πατρα και ειναι εδω μαζι μου.στις 7 εχει κανονισει να παει σε καφεδοσυναντηση απο αλλο φορουμ στο θεατρακι.αν καποιος πατρινος επιθυμει να παρεβρεθει,απλα ενημερωνω.αυριο πρωι θα φυγει για καλαματα.:wave2:

[zioan]

Καλωσ τον να κ ας αργησε......
καμια φωτο να βαλουμε

[akis_trevor]

του εδωσα ενα τελευταιο αυτοκολλητο που μου ειχε μεινει και αμεσως τοποθετηθηκε!

296768

και "the beast" οπως το ονομαζει :D χτες το πρωι πριν αναχωρησει για νοτια πελοποννησο.

296769

[argiris34]

greg welcome
sadly i wasnt in patras the other day
we will meet the next time
yes iam sure it will be one

[motomaniac]

i keep Greg! if you want to see him alive again try to give gim everything he needs. a shelter, a house a washing machine anything. or else i will marry him with a Veria girl he liked so much!!!!

[motomaniac]

Hello all. i ordered a pair of metzeler tourance for Gregs Transalp, but he didn't need it at all. so i have to get rid of them as i paid them new. it is dot 2013 and you can take a look here http://www.car.gr/parts/view/3976592/

Γεια, παρηγγηλα ενα ζευγαρι λαστιχα metzeler tourance για το Τρανσαλπ του Γκρεγκ αλλα τελικα δεν τα χρειαζεται, και αναγκαζομαι να ξεφορτωθω μιας και τα πληρωσα. ειναι παραγωγης 2013 και μπορειτε να τα δειτε εδω http://www.car.gr/parts/view/3976592/

[DrEvil]

Hello all. i ordered a pair of metzeler tourance for Gregs Transalp, but he didn't need it at all. so i have to get rid of them as i paid them new. it is dot 2013 and you can take a look here http://www.car.gr/parts/view/3976592/

Γεια, παρηγγηλα ενα ζευγαρι λαστιχα metzeler tourance για το Τρανσαλπ του Γκρεγκ αλλα τελικα δεν τα χρειαζεται, και αναγκαζομαι να ξεφορτωθω μιας και τα πληρωσα. ειναι παραγωγης 2013 και μπορειτε να τα δειτε εδω http://www.car.gr/parts/view/3976592/


He's going to need them eventually.
Once you both had a communication and agreement about it, I think it's best that he takes them and use them at his convenience.

[motomaniac]

He's going to need them eventually.
Once you both had a communication and agreement about it, I think it's best that he takes them and use them at his convenience.


i prefer Greg have more days on the road travelling instead of taking that tyres. anyway i may already sold them. i will know in the satyrday!

[DekatriaProject]

My hat goes off to you, Dimitris :) the tires are still fine as of today!

Anyways, back home, it's time for the ride report to get going! First, a prologue (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/2013/08/gr2013-prologue.html):


GR2013 Prologue

It's kind of strange how quickly things can go. Two years ago, I didn't even have a driving license or motorcycle of my own, but now, I was to embark on the largest and longest journey of my life, going further than I'd ever gone, all alone on two wheels. The time for prep and training was over, time to get to the meat of things.

To me, it didn't feel particularly special. I guess it's the same effect if you climb a mountain on a flight of stairs - at first you look up, and you think you're never going to pull it off.
Then you just take it step by step, slowly going another step higher, and you still feel you're not really doing anything monumental. Until you look back after some time has passed, and see from where you've come.

I was reminded of this the day before departure, when a radio station called me to inform whether I was available for an interview, either at the studio or by phone (if you can understand Dutch, you can listen to it here). I guess the project had slowly begun to grow bigger than I originally anticipated.

I didn't really expect anything from the trip, myself. I feel it's best to go in with an open mind, and let things just surprise you. Greece had already gained an insane reputation - for 5 of the 7 scheduled nights, people from various Greek motorcycle forums kindly offered a place to stay or volunteered to be a guide. I guess they don't have their reputation for hospitality for nothing.

Most apprehensive and yet curious I was about Albania - a country most people I spoke with seemed a little dubious about. "Albania, are you sure?" was an often heard question. But the people that had gone down the same route were adamant - I had to go back through the Balkans, I wouldn't regret it.

And the way I saw it: on a trip like this there has to be a part that's slightly outside your comfort zone... as that's the only way you're ever going to push yourself to the limit. Besides, if I went back through the Balkans, there would be no time limit in Greece or the route back up. I could take as long as I wanted.

298083

In any case, my route eventually turned out to be even better than I previously anticipated. The bike surprised me in a number of ways, alot of countries surprised me in a number of ways, and I almost had a fatal accident... but you'll read more about that (and alot of other stuff, like the story behind the above picture!) in the coming weeks.

Tomorrow: the first two days!

[motomaniac]

My hat goes off to you, Dimitris :) the tires are still fine as of today!

Anyways, back home, it's time for the ride report to get going! First, a prologue (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/2013/08/gr2013-prologue.html):


you lazy.. start writing. tyres are already sold! now write to us about everything. and post photos. (tell me you din't take photos of girls?

[DekatriaProject]

Writing is well under way ;) you can expect the first installment on this particular page (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/2011/12/the-2013-ride-to-greece.html) as of tomorrow, with daily additions for the coming 2 weeks leading up to the auctions the second week of September. So keep your eyes open :D

[DekatriaProject]

Currently the ridereport is halfway (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/2013/08/gr2013-day-13-14-tenaron-astros.html)! The best is still to come though :)

[DekatriaProject]

The ride report is at long last completed (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/2011/12/the-2013-ride-to-greece.html), so go ahead and check it out! The trip compilation has also premiered, and it's just 1 more day until all kinds of niceties are up for grabs (http://twowheelsthirteenreasons.blogspot.nl/1996/11/donate.html). So get to it!


http://youtu.be/FlFP_d6cH-Q

[@ngelos]

I think you'll have many great memories to keep you going for the winter ahead.
Once again,it was a pleasure to meet you.
Be safe.

PS.Awesome musik those "Demians"

[motomaniac]

idiot?????????? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pN8hroU4BB8/UiByjxwSVjI/AAAAAAAAC8E/BEJm_e8eHAY/s1600/TL005843.JPG

you forgot to take photos of my garage.. :P

[DekatriaProject]

I forgot to take pictures of the women in Veria, that's a far worse predicament ;) cheers Angelos and Dimitris!

By the way, the auctions for TWLOHA have begun (http://www.ebay.com/usr/thedekatriaproject)! In a week's time (on Friday the 13th) they will close... so get on bidding (http://www.ebay.com/usr/thedekatriaproject)! Starting price for most items is $13, or 10 Euros.