Hi all, I am trying to plan a trip to Sibiu Romania in June 2012 for myself and a friend or three. We want to watch some of the Romaniacs race (spectate only). We currently race hare scrambles here in Minnesota, and are trying to find a place to rent fairly lightweight, powerful dirt bikes to use during our trip (2 or 4-stroke). We want to enjoy 4-5 days of good off-road and forest riding during a 8-9 day trip. I'm sure that we would have to ride the bikes we rent on the street, at times, to get from one trail to another. Does anyone know if a license plate is required in and around Sibiu during the race week? I see a place online that rents the kind of bikes we are looking for - www.endurotours.ro - Just wondering if anyone of you has experience renting from endurotours ? Or renting these kinds of bikes from somewhere else in Romania? I'm not sure I want to be on a guided tour the whole time, maybe just for a few days, then on our own to explore for a few days, on our own schedule. I have a friend who lives in Romania that might be able to help with logistics somewhat. Hopefully, we can keep the costs low. Thanks, Mark
So, I take it no one has ever went to the famous Romaniacs race in Romania and rented a dirtbike while there?
There is a group of us from Canada that is thinking of doing a Romaniacs tour. Given time constraints and the low cost of tours, we are most likely going to do a 5-7 day tour while the race is on. Please keep this thread going and we can exchange some info. I do recall there is a KTM dealer in Sibiu that may rent bikes. Good luck
Well, good to hear from someone who is thinking the same thing! Lets try to get this ball rolling before any rental bikes are spoken for during race week. I have one other rider that is in. Since no one has stepped up to vouch for www.endurotours.ro , I think I might try a post in the main section, and also have my Romanian friend give them a call. I rented a xr400 in Peru once, thing needed rings really bad, no chance for a wheelie, bald tires. Just want to avoid that kind of stuff.
We are thinking of doing the KTM Romaniacs tour. Looks to be up our alley for ease. I think we have about 4 or so riders at the 2/3 level. Should be fun.
I am also planning on going to Sibiu during the Redbull Romaniac with 4-5 other riders. Most of them just want to participate as spectator, but I myself willing to go a step higher, could be Tourist or Hobby class maybe. Does anyone know what spectator class and Tourist class are? Romaniac website does not give any detail explanation at all, just the list of classes. We will also need to rent dirt bikes during the time of the event. I hope we can share more information in this forum. I found an information that last year a rental bike cost 1200 Euros for the race, and it's a 2009 KTM 450EXC. It seems a bit high for a two years old bike 4-5 days rental. However, bike service and minor repairs are covered. I hope more information can be shared here. Cheers, Rudy Poa
Hi Rudy, I don't think we are going to enter the race, being this is our first year riding in Romania. We just want to get in a lot of good riding, exploring on bikes, and watching the race (and I'm sure a few fun nights mingling with the locals ). It is easy to go on a trip like this with a budget of 300 euro per day, but I am hoping to keep it down to 150-200 euro per day max. Did you find some low cost tours? I sent an email to endurotours.ro and received a reply, so I am going to follow up with them, even though I have found no one that can vouch for them yet (anyone?). Their week and short-week options look to be about about 250 euro per day total, once you add in meals, gas and bike rental to there two options shown on http://www.endurotours.ro/book.php?perioada=120 That strikes me as expensive for the services in a place like Romania. I would hope we could find some cheaper options. We are also at the 2/3 level, mid 30's, race B class currently. Let me know what you guys find. Mark
I contacted Barbara from KTM internattional tours(on their website). Romaniacs 308R tour will be available but it has not been listed on their website. She said it would be up soon.
I read about the 308R tour from last year, sounds great! No price info online that I can find yet though. Keep us posted.
Guys! I know it's late, but mabye you'll consider it this year. http://www.xventure.net/ This is a very reliable company from Sibiu, and if i'm not mistaken, it's owned by the guy that oraganizes the RB Romaniacs. Give it a spin, Also, not far from Sibiu you'll find the city called Cluj. I know for a fact that some American riders rented BMW' GS's from there and toured Romania. I am from Constanta, Romania, on the Black Sea coast. Ill be there for the Romaniacs this year. Let me know how it goes and we'll have beers.I'm buying! Mihai
The folks in Cluj are here: http://www.motorcycle-tours.travel/ You'll see, mostly "organized" tours, some "soft-enduro" and/ but they do independent rentals and have recently updated their rental fleet (not shown on website). Just another option.
We booked with KTM tours. It is a little less than Xadventure, although I suspect that they would be awesome. Bring on the fun times in Romania. Flying out of Canada on the 9th of June and returning around the 20th. See you in Sibiu for a beer? b
I am a little confuse about the different tour or rental package deal. Will you guys be participating in the actual race or just riding your own guided tour/adventure outside the race? I plan to join the race, maybe at the lowest or slowest possible class but considering the extreme trails, I prefer to rent a new bike or fairly new like a year old at most. Can you tell me the link to KTM Tour? Thanks Rudy
@ Millhaus: Ill be in Sibiu for the RedBull Roamaniacs 2012, whenever that is. Count me in for some riding and cervezas!! Here's my email, let me know: mg.alexe@gmail.com All the best, Mihai " 'cause tramps like us, Baby, we were born to run. "
Sorry for not posting recently, its nice to see some of the options laid out by the recent posts. I have almost given hope for a trip to Romania this summer. Seems like the costs are pretty steep on average. Can you guys please post what the costs are of these various programs offered, including dirtbike rental, and the airfare options to Romania if your coming from North America? I really don't think myself, and just about every guy I race with can afford a 8-9 trip to Romania. Airfare in June is looking to be about $1600 from Minneapolis to Sibiu (perhaps I can fly to London or Germany and take a train to Sibiu and save some money). Then 5 or 6 days with a tour company is about 250 euro ($320) per day total, when you include the tour operators fee, the bike rental, gas, and food and drinks, and a place to sleep. 5 x $320 is $1600, then add on the cost for the other 2-3 days of non-riding, and I think it adds up to about $4000-$4500 for the complete trip. I really don't know if that is worth it. I might just come to spectate and try to bum rides on extra bikes, or offer cash on the spot for a impromptu bike rental. Stay in a pension somewhere. Hate to say it here, but a guy can get a good deal of adventure spending $4000 dollars on a number of other trips I can think of (scuba diving, flying aerobatic Yak-52's in eastern Europe, hunting wild boar, etc). I guess I was under the assumption that wages in Romania were low and local guys with a decent extra dirtbike would be willing to rent it out for a reasonable price (have not heard anyone mention that option yet). I'll keep looking, and have sent email off to Barbara at KTM enduro tours.
I've been emailing back and forth with Barb at KTM. Looks like you get a lot of value for 1270 euro ($1600) - 7 nights at Hotel Ibis in the center of town, breakfast and dinner included, riding a 2012 KTM 450 or 350 for six days, gas included (groups of 8, tour is limited to 24 people). Pick up at the airport on a monday, and dropped off the following monday. Think I'm going to go for it.
1. The tsuica is a lot stronger than advertised. Don't spill it on your bike's plastic. 2. Never eat the cherries out of the bottom of the vishinata jug. 3. There is a cheap in-country air carrier Blue Air. Let us know after the trip how it went. I would have gone this year, but got scheduled over. drum bun (sort of like have a good road)
This is why I love ADVrider; info on anything I can dream. I got it into my head the other day that I want to do a dirt bike tour in Romania and this is the first place I though of. DirtBaller, I sent you a PM to see how your trip planning was going and if you have any tips.
Sorry guys, I neglected my duty to update my post until now. I am all booked on my flights. I almost cancelled (would have lost only %20 of $1600 if canceled by April 10) because the flights from MSP to Sibiu and back were looking damn expensive for a few months. I started an automated search/alert on Kayak.com back in January when it was about $1620 for the cheapest flight. I was hoping it would go down as April 10 approached but it actually went up to about $1750 or so. But a few weeks ago, on a whim, I tried a kayak search MSP to Sibiu, with the return two weeks later from Istanbul to MSP, and that flight was only $1500 complete, plus I get to see Istanbul for 6 days and 6 nights. Taxes were good to me, so I pulled the trigger. Pretty stoked! Tarom.ro is a Romanian airline that has a flights from Sibiu to Istanbul for 135 Euros. I had read back in January a theory that says often prices on flights are cheapest 2 months before the departure, that could be true, I just checked and right now there is a RT flight MSP- Sibiu -MSP for $1480. Anyways, back to the trip planning I was mistaken in saying the 308R tour has 6 days of dirt bike riding, it is actually only 5, which is still plenty. Monday 6/11 is arrival day, Wednesday 6/13 is observing the prologue, Monday 6/18 is departure day, the rest are riding days. My friend from Phoenix is going to join me as a non-rider through the program organizer, he is getting a heckuva a deal, sharing the room with me and also getting the 7 breakfasts and dinners for only 245 euro's. He is more of a street bike rider (will actually be coming directly from observing the Isle or Man TT). And plans on renting a street bike or dual-sport to ride around on, and to take what is said to the the Greatest driving road in the world, just 25 miles from Sibiu - the Transfagarasan (look up the hilarious Top Gear episode on this road). I think I might have to rent a street bike for a day myself! @Xylx , my buddy here brought back 6 liters of tsuica after visiting his Romanian friend, drank a lot of the stuff last year and cant wait for more! Be surprised if you can't run a 2-stroke on it.
