What a terrible risk to take.

[BigAlMacMac]

Reading the GSers forum I know we were stupid but me and me old dad took our 04 1200 GSs to Europe. You know the dodgy ones with all the reliability problems.

We visited 6 countries and did 1800 miles in 10 days, 8 if you mean riding days and here is our list of problems:-






None... well we did have to refuel them a few times and half a litre of oil each...

Anyway we were planning to go to the Alps but the forecast was terrible so we went to Norway instead. Which starting from Scotland and getting ferry to Zeebrugge was a bit mad. But we only decided to swap destination on the morning of the trip so was a bit frantic.

Some observations

Dont go to Norway.... unless

You are independently wealthy or a lottery millionaire.
You are tea total
You can live off air and can sleep on the bike.

It is phenominally expensive... we have all heard about the cost of booze but that is nothing. Try getting a hotel for less than £100. We stayed in a small place in a very small room out of season, and were fleeced £170 for one night. Norway don't do B&B. You can stay in a Hutte but that will be £100 per night too.

Then the groceries. Try two bags of shopping from the local CO-OP. £50. I am not kidding.

And don't plan to eat on the ferry back either. Admittedly through a slight misunderstanding but our dinner for two on the ferry cost £110!!!

The scenery is fantastic and our weather decision was spot on. Wall to wall sun, while France and Italy are still in the rain.

I kept a blog which is here. You need to read it in reverse

http://alpinemotoaventure.blogspot.com/

And some excellent photos here. Hit the slideshow button for best effect

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/AlanMacMackie/08MayNorway

Hope you enjoy.

 

[squid]

Sounds like Russian roulette to me, I know some people go on about doing big trips on vintage machinery but risking it on a 1200 deserves credit

 

[fishburger]

Sorry you had a bad trip moneywise,beeing a Norwegian,I can relate to your spenditure.
I travel 3-4months a year at least 3months in Norway\Sweden each year.

Tents you can put up for free almost any place,use the toilets in the gas station for a liverpool shine in the mornings.
Alternate with dedicated caming grounds with showers\laundry\sauna when needed.

Food,what I cant understand is that so few bikers dont fish,I would take me less than an hr to catch enough for dinner along the the whole of the coastal area,and its free,no need for a licence.
The German tourist have made a businees out of it,bringing back something like 2000 tons of fish each year in campers\mobilehomes with big freezers instaled.
Goverment had to put a limit on it ,maximum 15kg of fish filet pr person is what is allowed now.
Not to talk about the thousens of lakes full of throut(need fishing lisens in the south,nobody bothers up north)
Bring you own choice of spice or buy the spice called "Piff" which contain something like 15 different spices,very good on chips too

In the unlikely event of no fish,I revert to my dehydrated meals,they come in many flavours and is a full dinner,only need to cook some water,cost around 6£ in Norway probably cheaper in UK,get them in any sports store.

During the day,sandwitch with egg and bacon \ sausage and vegetables\fruit,get a bacon called "skogsbacon" that is heavy food and keeps you going a long time.and still you have the trusted oatmeal porride with raisins and yougert,one bowel in the morning keeps you going to late in the afternoon.cost about 90p a meal.Throw in some nuts\suger\cinnamon.
Buy fresh bread in any store ,the foodchain store called REMA1000 is the cheapest or Kiwi\Rimi.Get what you like for filling like ham\cheese ie.
A loaf of bread is about 1.5-2£,almost every store have an electric slicer no need for a knife.

I usualy dont travel on a budget,but apart from the gasoline which is heavely taxed like 70% of the price going to the goverment,it is easy to get on foodvice on 15-20£,if you spend 30£ a day you can live well.A full dinner in any cafeteria is about 8-15£ including full dinner\no desert and at most places they throw in free coffee.

To all you who likes a drink in the evening,bring from home or buy taxfree on the boat.
Going to the local grocery store you have to pay something like 2£ pr pint in cans ,any brand.
Spending money in the pubs are as you said for millionairs and the like,you get the same buzz from the same beer at a fraction of the cost buying in the stores.

Guess you have to live here for awile to know the systems,and where to get your consumables from,same thing all over the world.

Being a norwegian going to other countries I must admitt being amazed every time I go to the Alps\Austria\Italy\Germany of the cheap hotels\food\beer,its a bargain ,singel room 3 star hotel including 3 coarse dinner for 40-45 euro.
I have been able to get a singel room no dinner , but breakfast in the morning for around 40£ up north early june\late august,in Norway
Cottage\"hytte" varies from 200-500kr a night but can sleep 2-4 depening on the standard,tends to be cheaper up north of the Polar Circel.The same goes for the camping fees for your tent.

Hope you will be back an other time,speak with the locals to get around we more or less all speak english.
When in Rome do as the Romans

 

[talltony]

I've been to Norway twice now and will be going back again next month.As Fishburger says,it doesn't have to be expensive - it all depends on how you like to live I guess!
I take a tent,rent a hytte if the weather's not so good(usually around £25-30),
bring Wayfarer meals and some Scotch with me and buy fresh food as I go along.
I'll be taking a fly rod this year so maybe I can add trout to the menu!
Petrol is more expensive than here but it's such good quality that I have no trouble getting 75mpg


Tony

 

[Backmarker]

Did over a month in 2002. Tent, 3 litre box of wine in the tank bag on the way up, replaced in Tromso on the way down, and carried enough food for the two of us for more than half the trip.

I disagree with Fishburger about relying on the fishing. Took the rod and tackle, but could I get a spot to fish from? Could I feck. Anything within walking distance of a campsite was crammed shoulder to shoulder with people fishing.
Short of cutting down the daily ride and arriving somewhere very early, I wouldn't bank on getting a pitch fishing.

Far easier is to just do what the Norwegians do when they are abroad: Pay for a buffet breakfast and leave with enough bread/meat/cheese/fruit etc for lunch (and probably dinner).

 

[fishburger]

Far easier is to just do what the Norwegians do when they are abroad: Pay for a buffet breakfast and leave with enough bread/meat/cheese/fruit etc for lunch (and probably dinner).

Yes thats the way to do it,and the reason is that it is common in Norway when you have breakfast in the hotell in the morning,you are allowed to make up a" lunch box" to bring with you,all with in reason,dont empty the buffet tabel
Fishing is easy,but not on the camping ground,it is like trying to shoot deer in the middle of London,when all the deer is in the mountains
Use your imagination,fish dont line up to be catched outside campinggrounds even in Norway
Fishburger

 

[Farmboy]

i Will be in Scandinavia at the end of this month for a 2 week tour starting off in Stavanger up to the Arctic then a right into Sweden and Offroad back through Sweden back to Lillehammer and back to Stavanger.

Will be kitted out with tent and boil in the bag food so will be self sufficient for the whole tour ( depending on weather), helps keep the cost down to manageable amounts. The way things are with petrol its the only way I can afford to go such distances

2200 miles in total

Bring it on

 

[Johnny 46]

Hope your not going on a KTM you need a GSonyack

 

[Farmboy]

Well I will be thinking about that whilst your on your knees in the middle of a Swedish Logging track begging to borrow my tyre levers

Anyway if my KTM does break down we could always bungie to the back of your tractor

 

[ThorH]

Sorry to hear that you have had a less than good time here. But at least you were lucky with the weather, right?

Yes, Norway is expensive, no question about it. We have high salaries, and ridicolous taxes. But £170 for a hotel room is Oslo pricing. (I.e., slightlyt less than Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Amsterdam,...) Outside Oslo, you should be able to find a room at around NOK 7-800,- (£70-80,-), incl breakfast buffet and tax. (Don't take the bag lunch for granted, ask. I find they usually charge NOK 50-75 for that.) Try http://www.hotell.no A hut usually runs at NOK 3-600,-, but then it sleeps 4. (Bring a sleeping bag.) Youth hostels are often the cheapest alternatives (next to the free wilderness camping) can cost you down to NOK 170,-.

Not a lot of B&B in the cities, but you can find some. Contact the local tourist info. I guess our houses are too small, and we make too much money to bother... But in some areas, quite a few farms rent rooms.

Admittedly through a slight misunderstanding but our dinner for two on the ferry cost £110!!!...

Now, this sounds like a fun story! What did you do, order a gourmet meal at Hurtigruta?

Road food in Norway is expensive and crappy. Stay away from the roadside cafeterias, buy your lunch at the larger gas stations. (Look for "On the Run".)They usually have a wide selection of burgers, hot dogs, baguettes, sallads, etc. Still overpriced (duh!), but you only get half fleeced. Besides, after that big breakfast buffet, you don't need a big helping of meat with greasy chips, do you?

For dinner, note that the price difference between a bad meal and an acceptable/pretty nice one is smaller in Norway than in most places. If you can find it. Aren't good restaurants everywhere. But there is always pizza. It'll set you back at least a whopping £10, but it's usually edible.

Hope you'll be back!

 

[Mike L]

We will be going back!

I took the Wife on a tour of the west coast of Norway last year and we both loved it. She did get a bit sulky when I sent her into a bar to buy two drinks. Her face was a picture when she came out holding two drinks..... She was muttering about a bridging loan or something.

We found the best solution to meals was to eat a good breakfast in the mornings at the hotel. Then later in the afternoon buy some food from a petrol station when filling up the bike. we used the occasional road side cafe but not very often. Eight days touring and our food/toll/ferry/fuel bill came to about £700. Worth every penny!!! We are planning a return trip next year. We have a whole load of new roads we want to explore and return to some of the ones we were on last year.

Check out www.mightyfinecompany.com and do a search of their motorcycle tours of norway. They book the hotels for you and you choose how to go between them. We ignored their suggested route and found some fantastic back roads. averaged 300 miles a day