There are speed cameras in Bulgaria - both mobile and fixed.
As of Jan 2012 there are approx. 25 fixed (the police have 60 mounted enclosures and swap the cameras in them).
There are also 60 police cars with cameras/radars on the dashboard, so if you see a police car parked along the road - slow down.
Radar detectors are legal in Bulgaria, but they will work only with the mobile radars (X-band). Fixed cameras work on Ka band and when the detector screams it will be too late.

here is a link to the list of fixed camera/radars - Cameras in Bulgaria

Great report, Thanks for that PanEuropean, I might go there as soon as next week, was planning to go during summer but plans have changed! Romania is the highlight of my trip, shame I probably wont be able to do Transfagarasan Highway!

I just saw this thread for the first time. I thought it was a great report, with plenty of in-depth information that other riders would want to know. Very good and thanks.

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

Hi Bruce:

I also live in Victoria, BC (Sidney, to be exact) - if you would like to get together for a coffee sometime in our home town, just send me an instant message.

Because of the nature of my work, I am out of the country a lot (I'm in Santiago, Chile at the moment, having been through Siberia, Japan, Guam, Micronesia, and Tahiti in the past month) and I'll be heading off to the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Europe and Libya for most of April. But, I am sure that we can figure out some way to connect between now and the summer.

Michael

Hi: We're Saltspring residents and shipping the bikes over in March to tour Italy to Turkey and enjoyed your informational approach.
I'm hoping that you can help with a roadblock that we have run into with ICBC. They are saying that we can't keep a BC plate on the bikes unless it is insured but they do not insure for Europe? Its a Catch 22. How did you manage this? My bike is insured until July in BC and I would like a refund for the period that it will be out of the country. They say no problem, just turn in the plate... We are going around and around on this.
(I'd PM you but don't post enough to be allowed access.)
Thanks,
Steve.

Juts pay the money. My Aussie bike has to be registered and there is no way to get a refund for the 12 months while it is out of the country

You cannot turn in the plate so you will have to live with it.

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www.travellingstrom.com

Steve:

Uh, I'm a Sidney, BC resident (about 5 km from you, as the crow flies), and I have a much better idea: My moto is already in Europe, with Canadian plates on it - maybe you should just use mine, and while you are away, I can ride yours around the Saanich Peninsula...

Anyway, the way plates work is like this: In theory, you should keep the BC plate current (in theory - more on that later). As you point out, your ICBC coverage is useless to you in Europe (no North American insurance company, anywhere, offers North American coverage that is also good in Europe). So, you buy a European insurance policy. These are offered for "out of Europe" vehicles (vehicles plated outside of Europe) at quite attractive prices, however, they only provide liability insurance, not fire, theft, etc.

There is a discussion here in the forum about how to get this insurance - have a look at this link: Here is where you get the cheap european green card insurance. See posts #49, 83, 116, and 126 in that thread, I won't repeat it all here. I buy from Mototouring in Italy, you can trust those people.

Now, about the BC plates: You need to keep your BC plate (in other words, your ICBC coverage) current in Canada simply because it is required by law that you have insurance to operate a vehicle in Canada. However, there is no benefit whatsoever from keeping the ICBC coverage valid when your vehicle is in Europe - first, there is no law saying you need (non-existent) ICBC coverage while you are in Europe, and second, you are not riding on the roads of Canada - hence no need to pay any form of road tax that might be collected via the licence plate fee. Your licence plate is tied, in a way, to your ownership of the vehicle, and your ownership status does not change when the plate sticker is expired.

So, if you plan to have the bike out of Canada for a long time, just remove the ICBC sticker from the plate once you get to Europe. Most European plates do not have any kind of validity sticker on them, the police are not used to looking at or looking for such stickers. Just drive around with the 'naked' licence plate on the back, and the European green card insurance coverage in your pocket. I've been doing that for many years (with an Ontario plate), and have never had any difficulties.

On the other hand, if you only plan to have the bike in Europe for a few months, it might be more trouble-free to keep the ICBC coverage in place, so that you can throw a leg over the bike and ride it home after it arrives back in Canada. I believe that you can call ICBC and 'suspend' the coverage for periods of one month or more - this will prevent you from pouring money down the drain paying for Canadian insurance cover when the bike is in Europe.

If all else fails, cancel the policy today and hand in the plate, buy a new policy (with one month validity only) one month prior to your planned departure to Europe (gets you a new plate and lets you ride the bike to wherever you plan to ship it to Europe from), then let the policy expire the day your bike flies over to Europe. When the bike arrives in Europe, just remove the stickers from the licence plate using a hair dryer and a little bit of solvent. When you return to Canada, go to ICBC and renew the policy - that will let you ride the bike out of the air freight shed and get it home. Be aware that it is horribly expensive to leave a moto in an air freight shed (fees of $50 to $100 a day for storage are not uncommon), so perhaps take your paperwork with you when you fly home, to allow you to renew the ICBC coverage before the bike arrives, so you have the stickers to put on the plate when you go to the freight shed to pick it up.

Michael

PanEuropean Thanks for the heads up Good info to know .