Croatia's coast roads deliver gobsmacking panoramas of majestic islands whether you're riding right down at sea level, metres from the water's edge, or high and dry guiding the bike through smooth curves of tarmac atop severe cliffs. You can split the Croatian coastline into two marvellous sections. Each takes less than a day to fully explore, giving you time to backtrack and perfect the odd mind-blowing sequence of corners. Prepare for variable tarmac, but expect good weather and inexpensive pizza.

The upper section runs from Rijeka to Starigrad just north of Zadar. Here there isn't much traffic as inland motorways take the majority of the load. Leave Rijeka using the E65 to the south and continue past the turn-off to the island of Krk. That's a whole other beautiful ball game. Straight and well-surfaced single carriageway lets you warm up the tyres and drink in the view, but when you pass the little port of Senj the curves start demanding your attention. If you're riding to the coast from Zagreb or futher east, you can ride directly to Senj from the motorway down the labyrinthine Route 23. It's full of blind bends, fickle surfaces and the odd tourist bus: a real brain challenger.

Recharge in Karlobag after around two hours of riding. You owe it to yourself to take it easy for a while and enjoy a light lunch (don't be swayed by a cheap but champion-sized pizza) on the quayside. Most of the traffic heads off back up to the motorway here using the Stelvio-style Route 25 and the following section of the E65 is blissfully empty. Add to that an incredibly smooth and sticky shower of recent tarmac and the corners turn from stimulating to sublime. One sequence between the villages of Baric Draga and Tribanj is particularly world-beating. The road curves inland and back out in tight and smooth arcs following headland after headland jutting out into the sea. Again and again these corners will have adventure bikes grinding pegs and sports bike riders eating through their knee sliders. I turned back at Tribanj and rode the sequence twice over on my KTM RC8.

Ninety minutes of motorway take you to the next stretch of coast road. If anything above single carriageway isn't your style, try a few inland passes rather than keeping next to the sea: between Zadar, Sibenik and Split, villages and low urban speed limits are everywhere. Further inland the Route 1 between Gracac, Knin and Split doesn't disappoint. The tighter corners around Peruca Lake are very quiet.

Split itself is a Disneyland party town – bars, clubs and pubs stuffed into the old Roman citadel at all angles. It thrums during the night and lazily bakes its red roof tiles by day. I wouldn't recommend taking your bike into the city at night if you're planning to return to a hotel on the outskirts later: scant street lighting makes the complicated road layouts hellishly complicated in the dark. Even trying to escape the place during the day takes courage. Get to Route 8 and follow signs for Makarska.

Here begins the lower section of Croatian coast. Adventure bikes will cope better with the uneven road than sportsbikes, softer suspension skipping over tar snakes and allowing rear tyres to find grip. Be careful on blind bends: cars will pull out of hidden parking areas with only a cursory glance over their shoulder. The elevation keeps on changing. One moment the road is sparring for space with tiny beaches swarming with bathers in the high season, the next it is stretching up and over cliff faces, helped on its way by the odd strategic feat of explosive engineering.

Don't let scare stories about the Bosnian section put you off continuing towards Dubrovnik. I was told that insurance was needed for passing through the 15km Bosnian coastline. Riding up to the border I was half expecting to be told to turn right around and go back to Opuzen to buy insurance. But the Bosnian side of the border control was simply un-manned. Croatia is only 20km wide at this point and all sorts of traffic will be building up on its way to Dubrovnik.

And what a city it is. Countless of its Romanesque vistas, marble-lined streets and narrow alleyways have been used in all five seasons of hit TV show Game of Thrones. And it does feel just like a living, breathing, fantasty film set. Stay for at least a night here so you have time to walk through the old city, jump into the sea from the walls' granite foundations, and eat sumptuous fresh fish. The Lokanda Peskarija restaurant serves a mixed platter that arrives in a big black cauldron.

The coast road continues south east towards the Montenegrin border. Stop after leaving the outskirts and look back towards Dubrovnik for terrific views of the old city, day or night. For the intrepid riders, Montenegro's Bay of Kotor is next. The hills here drop right down to the sea, forcing the road to balance itself right on the edge of the land. Next stop, Albania.

Words & Pictures: Ben Lee.

Discover the charms of the Croatian Coast:  http://www.motorcycle-diaries.com/en/trips/charming-adriatic