I agree about phonsavan, town is nothing but the plain of jars is cool, and the road to it is nice as well. IIRC the road from Vientienne to Luang Prabang is decent, and there aren't many alternative routes--most of the smaller roads run perpendicular to this main road. When I was there, in January a few years ago, the dirt roads were dry and OK, but in a rainy period they could be a mess.
I didn't have much time and didn't get beyond Luang Prabang, but I was able to leave the bike there and fly back to V rather than riding back; you might consider the same if you want to spend more time in the north.
I didn't have a GPS and don't think one is strictly necessary, although of course they are handy. Jim also sells decent paper maps of Laos.
I also have a blog post from Laos that might help. See Jan 2009 at www.motoreiter.com
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