The All-Star Motorcycle Circus & Expedition

Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church)

Dean — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:55:27 +0000

Route:

14 km R/T from KnopfTours to Heidelberg Cathedral and back

Money:

- Germany: Euros €1 = $1.2527 USD or $1 USD = €0.7996

Weather:

– Sun: Sprinkled through lunch, and since I’m are not really riding, it’s a beautiful day!

- Mon: Sunny blue sky, white cloud day.

Ride Stats

Total European Mileage

Start: April 27, 2012-Heidelberg: 38,660 miles

Finish: June 18, 2012-Heidelberg: 48,822 miles

Total miles = 10,162 miles

Countries – 13

Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Fuel Prices

Highest: Italy – €1.96/liter or €7.43/gal or $9.26/gal USD

Lowest: Russia- RUB 32.50/liter or RUB 123.18/gal or $3.81/gal USD!

Most of our fill-up were in Germany: ~€1.60/liter or €6.06/gal or $7.70/gal USD.

The stock V-Storm fuel tank is 22 liters (5.8 gal). A 5-gal fill-up (reserve indicator ON) averages €30.30 or $38.50 USD!

Overall impression of European Moto Travel

It’s more expensive! With the Euro €1 = $1.2527 USD or $1 USD = €0.7996 everything seems to be 10-20% more expensive.

Sun-Jun 17, 2012

Basically, my Strompasourus (’04 Suzuki V-Strom DL1000) ran with minimum issues. The odometer reads almost 49,000 miles. This is the “salvage” bike that traveled the TransAmericas in 2010/2011. It has aftermarket HyperPro front and Ohlins rear shocks.

The sprocket was an up-coming maintenance that I was expecting. It just happened sooner than later.

I’ll probably need a clutch before the next Europe Ride-About. The clutch lever disengages at ½” of open lever. On occasion, in 1^st gear, at medium RPMs the clutch cycles through rapid engagement/release. Jerk – jerk- jerk before it engages. This happens a couple times a day. This never happens in any of the other gears. All other gears are fine even running autobahn speeds of 130+ kph (80+ mph).

Storage Prep

I spent last night and this morning prepping for long-term storage. Yes, the Strompasourus will reside in storage at KnopfTours for at least a year … maybe longer. I plan to return several times a year to continue my European Ride-About.

1. Wash/clean bike getting all mud, chain grease, etc. off the bike.

2. Fix any problems or make arraignments to be fixed. To consider: tires, clutch, oil & filter change, brake pads, lights & bulbs

3. Removing all bags, panniers, and placing them in the down-stairs “long-term” storage. Long-term storage motos are moved to another storage location.

4. Make the tough decision on what to take home and what to leave here. Electronics (GPS, SPOT, all 12V cables), boots, jacket, pants, helmet, tools, all are bulky and heavy.

5. Make list of things to bring next time.

The B&B at KnopfTours is full!

There are a group of 5 Americans here for a week long ride. All are retired military and now work together. Four arrived last night and one had his flight from the US cancelled! He is supposed to arrive this morning. Four of the guys rented bikes from Stefan – BMWs. One is residing in Europe and has his own – a beautiful Ducati. The plan a one week loop from Heidelberg to Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, and back via the Black Forest to Heidelberg. They invited me to join them for dinner. Thanks and safe riding guys!

Troy Wright, Mark Foelker, Steve Cameron, Chris Martin on a 7 day whirl-wind tour of Europe! (I left before the 5th guy showed up.)

Historic Old Heidelberg

In the early afternoon, I ride 7km to the historic Altstadt (old town). I park the moto next to the Old Bridge and walk 300m to the Marktplatz (Market Square) area to absorb more kulture.

Parking for auto’s is a nightmare, but parking for motos was readily available all around the bridge and cathedral.

Behind me is the historic Alte Brucke (Old bridge) and the Neckar River.

Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church)

The Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church) bell tower from where my moto is parked.

Back of Holy Ghost Church. The Marktiplatz is where the umbrellas are and Herkules-Brunnen (Hercules Fountain) on right poking out of umbrellas

A massive organ with trumpets high above.

The alter inside the Heiliggeistkirche.

Herkules-Brunnen (Hercules Fountain), 1706, in center of Marktplatz.

Kornmarkt Madonna with Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle) in the background.

The Carl Theodor Bridge over the Neckar River. Originally a wooden bridge (1284) that had been destroyed 4 times by floods and fire, rebuilt and destroyed again. The first stone bridge was built in 1788 destroyed by retreating German solders in 1945 and the final version rebuilt in 1947.

“Alte Brücke” (Old Bridge)

Brückentor (Bridge gate) seen from the Cathedral. The two tall towers were once part of the town's wall.

Alte Brucke (Old bridge) and Brückentor (Bridge gate) viewed from the cathedral bell tower.

The Brückentor (Bridge gate) from center of bridge.

On the south bank next to the Bridge Tower Gate is the Bruckenaffe (Bridge Monkey).

This modern Bruckenaffe (Bridge Monkey) was erected 1979.

This symbolism appeared back in the 15^th century. It is believed that if you touch the fingers of the Bridge Monkey you will return to Heidelberg, touch the mirror for wealth and the mice to ensure fertility. I touched everything except the mice.

The Bridge Mouse are the artist's signature but it has been incorporated into the old legend..

Bridge Mouse and placard

The placard reads “Why are you looking at me? Haven’t you seen the monkey in Heidelberg? Look around and you will probably see, more monkeys like me.”

Why are you looking at me?????

Rathaus (Town Hall) is on the other side of the Marktiplatz.

Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle) seen from the Old Bridge.

Tomorrow is Monday. I’ll check out the Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle) and the Heidelberg Berghahnen incline tram.

Kulture – Bamberg in 30-minutes!

Dean — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:30:02 +0000

Route:
Fri: No riding today! Clean, wash, repack, what to take, what to leave
Sat: Ride to KnopfTours

Money:
- Germany: Euros €1 = $1.2527 USD or $1 USD = €0.7996

Weather:
Since we are not riding, it’s a beautiful day!

As we all know, good things do come to an end. My first European ride-about is almost done …Today is the last day in Bamberg.

Here is my rough schedule

Saturday – June 16: Ride from Bamberg to KnopfTours, Heidelberg in the early afternoon.

Sunday – June 17: AM prep bike for storage

Monday – June 18: Kick back/maybe explore Heidelberg, PM travel to Franfurt

Tuesday – June 19: Frankfurt tourist

Wednesday – June 20: Depart to LAX via US Airways early afternoon

We went to dinner last night at a beer garden. The ladies thought I needed more culture so they took me on a quick 30-min walk through the cathedral area. Here are a few photos of the evening.

The quest for the best apple strudel continues.

The Emperor Henry II and Emperess Cunigunde's tomb in the Bamberg Cathedral.

The Empress Cunigunde had to prove her chastity while the Emperor was away by walking over flaming irons without injury.

The Emperor Henry II declared this spot to be the center of the holy Roman Empire!

In parts of the castle courtyard, they used wooden pavers (on end). Very unique.

A famous garden with more castles on the horizon.

Bamberg Cathedral

This classic Jaguar was a winner at Le Mans car show 1981-3.

I gotta go pack!

Family Around The World

Dean — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 05:48:57 +0000

Route:

Bamberg, Germany-E48 to Prague, Czech Republic, E50 into Slovakia

Money:

-Germany & Slovakia: Euros €1 = $1.2527 USD or $1 USD = €0.7996

-Poland: Zloty 1 = $0.289 USD or $1 USD = Zloty 3.46

Fuel:

-Germany: €1.64/L

-Poland: Zloty 36.70/L

-Slovakia: €1.55/L

Weather:

Mon: Mostly a lightly overcast day cloudy, and 3-4 brief patches sprinkles.

Tue & Wed: Overcast and rain all day.

Thu: Overcast and occasional heavy rain from Dolny Kubin to the German border.

The world is shrinking!

I’m riding to Slovakia to visit family. My daughter-in-law’s parents live in Nizna, Slovakia. They don’t speak a word of English and I don’t speak any Slovak. We’ve been together before and managed to understand a little.

My daughter-in-law sent me this list of Slovak words:

Toast: To your health = naz drovia
hello = ahoy, chow
goodbye = do-vi-den-ya, chow
yes = ah-no
no = ni-eh
thank you = dock-we-em
please = pro-seem
good = do-bray
very good = velmy do-bray
hungry = hlad-nee
thirsty = smad-nee
beer = pivo
wine = vino
water = voda

At most gatherings there will be English speaking family members who will translate for us.

Monday, June 13, 2012

We depart at 0620 for Slovakia. On Garmin’s Basecamp it’s 804 km (500 miles). From Bamberg, Germany to Prague, Czech Rep it’s 70% autobahn. From Prague to Nizna, Slovakia it’s 40% autobahn. The rest are very good 2-lane roads with plenty of passing opportunities.

Speed limits is 50kph (31mph) towns, 80kph (50mph) country roads, and 130kph (81mph) autobahn.

The forecast for lots of rain in the Czech Republic turned into cloudy skies with remote sprinkles. But in the Dolby Kubin area of Slovakia it is pouring!

As we cross into the Czech Rep we stop at the first gas station to get a vignette. We are told that moto riders do not need a vignette.

This is the Czech Republic/Slovakian border. The EU borders are just these little blue signs. Easy to miss!

We’re 4 km from Nizna and cars flashing their lights at me. I’m thinking, “Are my headlights bothering them in broad daylight?”

As we pass through Podbiel, a village 2.5 km from the family home, I roll past a police roadside radar and camera. I never see him. My mind must have been focused on getting to Nizna, it just around the corner. It’s a 50 km (31 mph) zone and I’m doing 80 km (50 mph). The police officer clocks me, photos me, then tries to wave me down. He had a little red paddle and tries to wave me over but I never see him and zoom right past him. My riding partner sees the whole keystone cops scenario and gets waved over.

Policeman: “Call your colleague, he is speeding!”

Partner: “He doesn’t have a phone!”

After a couple seconds, I look back and there is no one behind me. I pull over, wait for a minute and turn around backtrack a kilometer and see my riding partner, the police car, radar on tripod behind a little sign, and two police men (one very grumpy).

Now there are three languages going on – English, a little German and Slovak and a lot of hand waving. I’m apologizing; my friend (who is laughing out loud) is trying to explain that this guy (me) is from the U.S. rode from Germany to visit his son’s in-laws who live 2.5 km in the next little village. I’m informed that the fine is €80 ($100 USD) payable immediately. I’m asked for international drivers license, passport, vehicle registration.

Busted!

After 15 minutes of very friendly chat the fine was lowered to €20 ($25 USD) and we were allowed to go.

Family

The little village of Nizna is near the northern border in the center of Slovakia 115km (70 miles) from Krakaw, Poland.

When we arrive we are invited into the house and begin the first of many “naz drovia!” toasts with their national drink Borovicka. Tony’s niece Erika came over to translate. She was Sue/Dean’s translator when we came to Nizna in 2010 for the engagement party. Thank you Erika!

Maria (mom), Dean, Tony (dad), Erika (tony's neice and translator)

Borovicka - The preferred brand is on the left. This is the source of many "naz drovia" toasts and many times a song.

Tuesday-June 12

Múseum Oravskej Dediny, Zuberec-Brestová

Donly Kubin and Nizna are in the Orava Valley.

It rained most of Tuesday. Tony took us by car to the Múseum Oravskej Dediny, Zuberec-Brestová.

Museum Sign Post

Located in the West Tatra Mountains this is a recreated village. Each section has homes, barns, yards from different regions of Slovakia. A wonderful view into Orava’s past. There were several hundreds of school children on a day trip here.

Period water wheel mill

Homer, Tony, Dean & Michael (another cousin and translator)

Interior of a period church.

We continued up the mountain but came to a road blockade. A landslide closed the road. Next to the blockade was the Sindlovec Restaurant and Penzion but it was closed. Tony talked to the owner and she allowed us in for a beer.

This dark beer is the best so far ... but every last beer has been the best so far!

Sindlovec Restaurant and Penzion

She was making lunch for four workers who were in the back cutting logs to make tables. She was in the kitchen singing a traditional folk song and Tony joins in singing harmony.

Tony and restaurant owner singing a Slovak folk song.

Tony, Dean, Michael, Owner, Homer

We were all having a pretty good time and the owner offered us a “Slovakian Hamberger”.

Bread, a heaping spread of lard, and a pile of onions! A Slovak Hamberger.

Take a piece of bread, spread a thick layer of lard flavored with bacon, then heap a pile of onions on it! Tasted great with the dark beer! For us Americans, lard has a tainted reputation health-wise … but in moderation it’s quite tasty!

That evening, after dinner (and a few beers and a few Borvichcas) Erica (translator and my daughter-in-law’s cousin) invited us to talk to her high school “English” class tomorrow. We must have been just drunk enough . . . not sure why but we agreed. Tomorrow at 10:30 AM!

Wed-June 13, Move to Dolny Kubin

Today we ride 6km to meet with Erika’s high school “English” class then 30 km to Dolny Kubin to visit with sister Beta, niece Baya, and friend Milan.

We are storing our motor in Tony’s garage. As we prep our motor to ride out, up pulls a police car. And it’s the same officer who gave me the speeding ticket Monday!!!

Turns out they store the camera and radar units in a garage 2 doors away.

As we are inside the garage getting ready to move our motor out, up drives our policia friend! They store the camera & radar in a garage 2 doors over. We are laughing, Tony talks to the policeman. What a coincidence! As they leave, I'm reminded to slow down.

The term Gymnazium describes Slovakia high schools.

Talking with "English" learning students.

We talked with two “English Language” classes consisted of 20 students 14-17 years old. We spent 2-1/2 hours there. It was a lot of fun. There were many questions about our professions, our families and our motorcycling experiences. I was able to pull up the blog and SPOT Sat tracks to show our Germany loop, Italy loop, Nordkapp/Scandinavia loop and treks to Nizna, Slovakia.

I’m not sure they understood IBA’s “1,600 km in 11 days” slogan.

Beata, Baya & Dean

We ate very well. The Slovakian rope cheese is delicious.

Beata looks up a word.

Milan, Matej (translator), Dean & Beata

Matej is Milan’s good friend who is a pre-med student in Prada. He was in-between finals and came by to translate for us. Thank you Matej!

Horizon’s Unlimited Gathering

Dean — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:04:21 +0000

Route and Miles: Approx 280 km (150 miles) from Bamberg to Gasthaus „Zur Schneeburg“ 69509 Ober-Liebersbach  (30 min. north of Heidelberg)

Money: Euros €1 = $1.2527 USD or $1 USD = €0.7996

Fuel: €1.649/L = €6.242/US Gal = $7.81 USD/US Gal

Weather: Mostly a dreary overcast day cloudy, and brief patches sprinkles. Glorious sunshine in the late afternoon

World Travelers

I’m at the Horizon’s Unlimited – Germany http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/meetings/Germany2012.php

This is a 3-day gathering of moto riders who truly ride the world! Horizon’s Unlimited organizes these gathering all over the world. A few of these individuals have been on the road for years! Around the world several times! This is going to be real interesting.

FYI – The Horizon’s Unlimited “UK Summer” gathering in Ripley – the big one! July 5-8, 2012 will have over 700 attendees!

At this event there are ~80 riders from all over Europe, the Americas, Asia. If they happen to be hear a HU gathering, they usually attend. Many to see ol’ road friends, all for meeting new ones, some seeking advice on an up coming countries/routes, or seeking help/assistance on mechanical issues.

This group is very similar to the Iron Butt family of riders. But the average age is much younger. Also many more female riders. All are brothers and sisters seeking far away horizons.

HU People

Jens Ruprecht – German HU organizer and Edelweiss Tour Director

Kris – GS 650 Dakar, Polish living/working England. New to riding he said he has, “a a girlfriend, a mortgage, a dog and a motorcycle.”

Bertrand Sargisson – Very friendly, knowledgeable world traveler willing to share his experiences. Made presentation on modifying BMW650GS & GPS presentations.

Mario & Sylvia – FJR1300, Spain – On a ride through Western and Central Europe

Hanno Krusken (Spooky) KTM LC4, Germany – Presentation on paperwork – Immigration, customs, visa’s and border crossings.

Fern Hume, England, just started an 8-month ride from England to New Zealand. She just had her Suzuki DR-Z400′s engine rebuilt. There is something seriously wrong with her engine. She will have to ship it back to England and start over.

Phillip, Austria – tent next to Homer. Round the world with sidecar. Blown engine and had to ship engine back to Austria for rebuild.

Konstantin, Russian working in London .

Rides

At least 50% of the bikes were BMWs. Most were mid-size 650 & 800GS Twins and a dozen 1150 and 1200 GS. Even some Airheads.

20% were Honda mid-size 750 African Twin, 700 TransAlp, XR-650L

The rest included 750 Super Tenere, Kawasaki KLRs, KTMs, Suzuki V-Stroms and 2 Harleys

The stickered pannier's are a sign of a motorcycle world traveler.

A Dakar style GPS and paper scroll for directions.

Honda African Twin

Honda 700 TransAlp

Additional storage front and back of panniers.

Safe-Lok netting is a common deterrent but if the thief really wants it the Safe-Lok will slow him down 30 seconds.

Accomodations

The camping accommodations were somewhat disappointing. We were in a cow pasture that sloped to a creek. Fresh cow pies everywhere! Rain on Wed and Thu made the creek side of the pasture a bog – wet and slippery.

This was Thursday morning. By end of day the cow pasture was full of tents.

6AM hot coffee every morning started our day. Rest of the camp did not stir until 8AM.

The only toilet facility was the Gasthaus „Zur Schneeburg“ (Tavern “Snow Castle”) which was closed from midnight to 8:00 AM. The “cold only” shower was in a cow-retaining trailer wrapped in blue tarp.

The only onsite meals were provided by the Tavern Schneeburg which were quite reasonable.

The presentations were made inside the Tavern Schneeburg (internet) and in a small circus tent across the street from the Tavern.

Watt’s Happening??

Bill and Susan Watt arrived at KnopfTours Friday June 8. We rode 30 minutes from the HU gathering to surprise welcome them.

KnopfTours, Heidelberg - Bill unloading their gear from the shuttle van. We surprised them at their arrival.

Stefan and Murf doing paperwork. Murf is holding the all important "green card" insurance.

Does all this actually fit on a KLR? No, most were stored at KnopfTours. That's the beauty of Stefan's operation.

A new European adventure for Murf and Bill. They have to ride back to the Franfurt train station where they load the moto and crawl into a sleeper and awake tomorrow in Italy!

HU Seminars & Workshops

Technical workshops on fix/maintenance on the road. Experience is one of the best ways to learn what you truly need in a tool kit.

Several GPS sessions – Using OMS-Open Map Source and creating Custom POI.

Motorcycle modification for RTW-Round The World rides – shocks, external fuel filters, research common failures on your particular motorcycle.

Hanno Krusken (Spooky) KTM LC4, Germany demo's his tool kit and explains how he packs for lightness.

Locations presentation were made on trips around Tunisia, Arizona to the Panama Canal, Cuba, Germany to Nepal – via Iran, Central Asia, China and Pakistan, Mediterranean Coast on €50, South America to Ushuaia, Round the world on no money (2-1/2 years, stopping to work).

Every night starting at 9:00 PM (sunset) there are two presentation on rides/locations.

“Nostrovia!”

The Cuban brother’s Luis and Carlos Saez show up! These are the guys we met at the Bertl’s Harley-Davidson, Unterhaid, Germany a month earlier. Last year they helped Edelweiss & Jens Ruprecht do a moto tour through Cuba. The only motos available are old Harley’s! Some riders were touring on a foot-clutch and tank-shift Harley.

L to R: Kris (Poland), Dean (USA), Louis (Cuba), Homer (USA), Carlos (Cuba), Konstantin (Russia)

In the early evening, there was a lot of beer drinking and international toasting. According to our new Russian pal Konstantin, “Nostrovia” is not a Russian toast! It is a miss-pronunciation of Russian word Na Zdorovie (На здоровье) which is traditionally used as a common toast meaning To good health or simply Cheers.

Didn’t matter … we Nostroviaed all evening.

Horizon’s Unlimited USA/Canada Gatherings

The next U.S. gathering is North Carolina USA, Stecoah, September 7-9, 2012. Registration open now!

Ontario, Canada – Details still being finalized, planned for September 13-16 2012 (NOT confirmed 100%).

California – 18-21 October – 3 very full days, Thursday noon to Sunday noon! Cambria, Central Coast near Big Sur. Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria, CA is set in 13 acres of Monterey Pine forest overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We’ll have over 25 presenters, plus lots of useful ‘how to’ sessions! Numbers are strictly limited! Registration is open now!

We leave Saturday afternoon to get to Bamberg that evening. We need a day to prep for our Monday ride to Slovakia. I’m gonna go visit family.

Maintenance (now what???)

Dean — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:07:09 +0000

On a putt around Europe do I really need to maintain the bike?????????

Route and Miles: Approx 75km around area for service & stuff

Money: Euros €1 = $1.2527 USD

Fuel: No fill-up today

Weather: Mostly a dreary overcast day cloudy, and brief patches sprinkles. Glorious sunshine in the late afternoon

Mileages so far!

These are nowhere near IBA or LDRider time and distances.

Total miles from Southern California, which includes ride to Orlando for moto shipment – 11,169 miles.

From April 27, 2012 to today, Europe only –- 8,590 miles.

Preplanning Maintenance

Early on I decided not to ship over oil filters, oil, chain, sprockets, tires, brake pads, WD-40, silicon chain spray lube, cleaning rags, etc. These are readily available in most of western Europe.

Post-Ride Maintenance

Monday, June 2, 2012 – We are at home base in Bamberg, Germany. First day back and in maintenance mode. Most of the last 14 days riding was done in the wet! Snow & rain!

Now I’ll admit that in rotten weather, I had very little desire to crawl around the chain drive area inspecting chain and sprocket. This from the guy who had a chain failure on the Dalton Hwy 68 miles from Deadhorse. Sooooo close, but so far!

I’m cleaning my 04 V-Strom DL1000 drive chain with a healthy soaking of WD-40 then rag scrubbing, repeating 3-4 times until the scrubbing/rag towel remains somewhat clean. Then a thorough soaking with a silicon lubricant spray. John Ryan, The Man Who Would Stop At Nothing, showed me this technique for cleaning moto drive chains on a chance meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska.

I have a Scott Oiler which continuously feeds oil to the main drive sprocket and chain. In the last 14 days the chain was cleaned 3 times and Silicon sprayed every other day. Scott advises to increase the flow when riding in wet conditions. Auto oilers are messy! The entire left rear of the bike is covered in oil grim and dirt.

Self inflected drama

So why would the main sprocket look like this?

Look at the zähne (teeth) on my rear kettenrad (sprocket)! Take a close look at each individual tooth. Notice the tooth distortion and how the tooth looks like a wave. Not good for a Saddle Sore attempt.

The individual teeth are very skinny. Notice the metal distortion.

Another wayward decision on my part. I know one is supposed to change the front/back sprocket and chain together B-U-T visual inspection showed very little tooth wear so I only changed the chain. Spank me!

Subconsciously I knew there would be no shortage of Suzuki motorrad dealers in Europe.

Truth be told, this is the same sprocket that went to South America! Now at 25,000 miles!

http://motorrad.suzuki.de/

showed a dozen Suzuki Motorcycle dealers within 100km.

I called the closest one (25 km away) and was surprised that they would not schedule me in until 1 week later – next Monday.

Autohaus Wagner GmbH
Bayreuther Str. 102
91301 Forchheim

Frank Wagner
Zweirad & Pkw Meister
Motorrad & Auto Service & Verkauf
09191-80824

It’s a combination auto/motorcycle dealer.

The closest Suzuki Motorcycle dealer is less than 25 km!

Turns out the Sunday and Thursday were holidays and moto service was in demand. That wouldn’t work. I’ll get the oil & filter and do it myself.

Me: “Do you have the V-Strom 1000 oil filter and oil?”

Frank: “Yes, I have!”

Me: “I’ll be there.” A half-hour later we were discussing Russia and Nordkapp as I purchased stuff.

Once back I stripped the moto of Jesse bags and was hand cleaning the sprocket when I noticed the teeth wear on the rear sprocket. “This sprocket will not make it the next 2 weeks!” More importantly, the mechanical skill level got much more complicated! I’ve changed all these myself twice in the comfort and security of my garage with correct tools.

I called the 100+ km Suzuki dealer and no, a V-Strom chain/sprocket kit (front Engine Sprocket, rear Sprocket and chain) is a special order and it would take 2-days with installation 1 or 2 days later.

Called Frank about a chain/sprocket kit – front Engine Sprocket, rear Sprocket and chain.

Frank: “Yes, we have the kit. I’m leaving for lunch so come at 2PM.” Back to the Suzuki dealer with just the well worn sprocket still mounted on the sprocket drum and now everything was much more friendlier. But it turns out that Frank did not have the chain kit in stock. After some discussion, the Frank said “If I order express I can get the chain kit by tomorrow noon. Do you have a master link compressor?”

Me: “Yes on the express order, No, I was going to buy one from a bike shop. (pause, with me having a look of desperation on my face) If I bring the V-Strom in this afternoon, will you install this chain/sprocket kit for me tomorrow when the kit comes in?”

Frank: (longer pause) “OK, I’ll install this when I get the chain/sprocket kit tomorrow.”

Even if this takes a couple days, this is much better than the 7-days originally discussed. If all goes well, I’m getting the chain/sprocket kit installed, oil & filter changed, replacing front brake pads, and adjusting the clutch.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 – I called at 1:00PM and everything is done! B-U-T during the test ride, Frank heard a noise. My rear tire bearings are so tired that they are kaput! (my German is getting pretty good). The clutch is also tired but good for another 2k miles. Another special for wheel bearings and the bike will be done tomorrow at 10:00AM.

The big Harley RoadGlide is in for an oil change too.

Exchanged e-mails with Martin. He is doing well as expected. He said he might be out of the hospital Thursday. w=We agree to have dinner after we get back from Slovakia.

Tomorrow, Wed, June 6, we are hoping to ride to the Horizon’s Unlimited – Germany meeting in Ober-Liebersbach – approx. 280 km. This is a 3-day gathering of moto riders who truly ride the world! Individuals who have been on the road for years! Around the world several times! This is going to be real interesting.

Another interesting sub-theme … Bill and Murph Watt are riding from KnopfTours, Heidelberg to Frankfurt Friday! We’ll be at the Horizon’s Unlimited – Germany gathering Friday. Bill and Murph will pass within 35km of our location!

This is my ritzel (front countershaft sprocket). It also needed changing. Notice the wave zähne (tooth) wear.

Pounding Kilometers – Getting back to Germany

Dean — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:23:05 +0000

Nothing casual about our route back to Germany. We visited Nordkapp and now need to get back to home base. It was a mini “sit here, twist that” 10-hours a day. Nothing Iron Butt style but made for long days in bad weather. We want to attend the June 7-10 Horizons Unlimited-Germany gathering at Gasthaus „Zur Schneeburg“ 69509 Ober-Liebersbach (30 min. north of Heidelberg).

Route and Miles: See last three days below

Money: Norway’s Kroner 1kr = $0.17 USD or $1 USD = kr 6.02

Swedish Kroner 1kr = $0.139 USD or €1 = 8.976 kr

Fuel: 14.93 kr/L = $2.48 USD/L = $9.39/gal

Weather: Light snow, rain, and brief patches of blue sky

Sunrise & Sunset: Finally! It was dark last night.

Border Crossings

With the EU “open borders” there are virtually no border crossing drama. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia borders were crossed at 60 kph.

Exiting Estonia and entering Russia required typical immigration visitors, visa checks and custom for motos. This consisted of an estimated 2.5 hours of lines and paperwork. There is none of the Central America border shenanigans of trying to find ways to get money from us. Exiting Russia was the longest border gridlock ever (3-4 km single-file stop for 60 sec move forward 10m and repeat. We lane split to avoid the 3-4 hour line.

Entering Finland, Norway, Sweden was done at 60 kph. The ferry to Denmark and ferry into German was a snooze.

Slow north, get back to Germany south

Our plan was to ride through Poland, stop at the Geographical Center of Europe in Lithuania and ride casual through Latvia, Estonia, and St Petersburg. The only stop planned for Finland was the Arctic Circle then ride hard to Norway and Nordkapp.

The return route through Norway was Route E6, similar to California’s Highway 1 along the Big Sur. The road hugs the coastline. On several of the large fjord opening to the sea it’s a kilometer across but to drive to the other side it might take 30-50 kilometers! Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday was poor visibility. Snow clouds were maybe 400-500m ASL. These were ride – gas – ride – gas days from 8AM through 8PM.

Other Riders

Tuesday and Wednesday we saw no motos through the day. Wednesday evening cold and tired we met two riders in the Narvik Hotel parking lot. They had just met earlier south and were riding together north. One lived in northern Norway and the other was from Spain. We had just come down the snow covered pass outside of Alta. We advised them that ride over the pass in the late evening would be not recommended. An hour later they were still in the parking lot trying to make a decision.

Lodging: Narvik Hotel, Kongensgt 36, Narvik 8514, Norway

Lady charge us only €25 Euros.

Wednesday – May 30, 2012

Narvik, Norway to Mosjoen, Norway, all on E6 – 537 km (334 miles) of coastal 2-lane in light snow and rain. One ferry €10 each.

Lodging: Hotel Milano, Vollanvegen 41, Mosjoen, Norway 75113910

Thursday – May 31, 2012

Mosjoen, Norway to Lillehammer, Norway, all on E6 – 766 km (476 miles) of coastal 2-lane in light snow and rain.

Stayed in camping cabin, €89

Our rustic camp cabin in Lillenhammer. This was the most expenisive kr 671 (€89 or $111 USD)

Lillehammer Turistsenter, Sandheimsbakken 20, 2619 Lillehammer, Norway, Telephone: +47 61 25 97 10

Mostly clear morning. Scattered snow, hail, rain in the evening.

Fri, May 1, 2012

Lillehammer, Norway to Gramersdorf, Germany – 967 km (601 miles) on E6. Just outside Lillehammer the 2-lane turns into a 2-lane 90 kph autobahn and near Oslo it is a 4-lane autobahn.

Again, no border stops/checks. Norway, Sweden, 25-minute ferry €25 each, Denmark (skirted around Copenhaugen to avoid Friday evening traffic, 45-minute ferry €55 each, to Germany.There were a dozen separate riders on both ferry’s heading north. On the ferry from Denmark to Germany, there were motos specific tie-downs next to the walls. This crossing was much rougher and I was glad to have the ability to anchor the motos down.

Moto tie-down instructions.

Ferry from Denmark to Germany had moto tie-downs.

Moto tie-downs and floor rings all along the side of the ferry. I always bring ratchet straps just in case.

Ferry from Sweden to Denmark, 25-minute ferry €25 each.

Ferries are a way of life in Scandinavia.

30 km off the ferry, we stop at Hotel Gremersdorf – Zum Grünen Jäger, Bankendorfer Weg 1, 23758 Gremersdorf, Germany

Beautiful sun stream array through the clouds.

Hard to see but at the horizon are hundreds of wind mills! Reminder, to view photo enlarged, click the image and when the photo is isolated, click image once again.

First day in 6 days we did not ride in some form of snow. Had rain 10-15% rain with strong crosswinds in Denmark.

Sat, May 2, 2012

Gremersdorf, Germany to Bamberg, Germany – 679 km (422 miles) – Autobahn all the way! 4- and 6-lanes of high-speed chess. Posted speed is 120 kph (75 mph). That was for us slowpokes in right lane. Center lane was maybe 160 kph (100 mph) and the left had big dogs running 190+ kph (118+ mph).

A fitting end to an amazing Russia, Scandinavian and Nordkapp adventure.

5% of todays ride had light sprinkles.

Ride Summary

10 countries – Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Lativa, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark.

Start Date: Sun, May 20
Finish Date: Sat, June 2
Total Days: 13

Start Mileage: 41,941 miles
End Mileage: 47,199 miles
Total Mileage: 5,258 miles
Avg Miles per Day: 404 miles/day

Arctic Circle and a Fan Club

Dean — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:52:34 +0000

Wed, May 30, 2012

Route: Route E6 from Narvik to Mosjoen

Mileage: 676 km (420 miles)

Money: Norway’s Kroner 1kr = $0.17 USD or $1 USD = kr 6.02

Fuel: 14.93 kr/L = $2.48 USD/L = $9.39/gal

Weather: Light snow, rain, and brief patches of blue sky

Lodging: Hotel Milano, ‪Vollanvegen 41, Mosjoen, Norway

Sunrise & Sunset: 24-hour of sunshine!!!

I got word that some of you are bored with the weather reports. Terms like snow flurries, hail, rain, North Sea winds, wind chill factor are too boring for some of you. This far north, the weather is kinda important. Not being able to cope with 0°C can put a person in a precarious situation.

The speed limit in rural Norway is 80 km/h (50 mph). Every town and village posted speeds drop 60 km/h outside of town to 30-40 km/h in town. And oh yes, there are speed cameras in most little towns. This and the abundant animal life next to and on the road keeps our daily average around 60 km/h (37 mph)

As we wait at a ferry loading ramp at Skarbergret to Bognes, a tour bus rolls up next to us. It’s a huge ramp with 6 lanes but all there are is a couple cars, half-dozen commercial vehicles and another half-dozen RVs. The tour guide comes out to talk. He’s from Riga, Estonia and spoke perfect English. The tour had Austrian, Canadian, German, Korean and Americans. They were at Nordkapp Sunday and we were there Monday. After he learns where we were from and the we were in Nordkapp he goes back into the bus and tell everyone what we were doing. All 30 eyes were looking out the windows at the two bikers dressed in snowmobile gear. On the ferry many came over to talk to us. When we left they all waived goodby. The ferry cost 75 NOK (€10 or $12.53 USD)

25-minute Ferry ride on E6.

Artic Circle, Norway – Polarsirkelsenteret

The Arctic Circle is the parallel of latitude that runs 66° 33′ 44″ (or 66.5622°) north of the Equator. Above the Arctic Circle there is a brief period of time in June when the sun never sets and in December the sun never rises!

We have the unique experience of approaching the Arctic Circle from the north. It’s on a high plain total covered with snow.

Arctic Circle was on a mountain top high plain and snow covered.

This was the original marker but now there are markers (official and unofficial all around).

In the horizon, there is one fancy and many home-made markers/stone piles.

Another official marker in front of the Tourist Center.

As we’re getting ready to leave the tour bus pulls up with everyone waving at us. We have a little fan club. We stop in Mosjoen at the Hotel Milano for the night. The only sunshine of the day was at the glorious Arctic Circle.

Can’t get enough of this wonderful Norwegian Snow!

Dean — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:23:37 +0000

Tue-June 29, 2012

Route: Hammerfest to Skaidi then N6 to Narvik

Mileage: 683 km (424 miles)

Money: Norway’s Kroner 1kr = $0.17 USD or $1 USD = kr 6.02

Fuel: 15.68 kr/L

Weather: Overcast, light snow, hard blowing North Sea winds!

Sunrise & Sunset: 24-hour of sunshine!!!

It’s snow sprinkling when we wake up in Hammersfest. Still snowing when we depart Hammerfest. It’s a fluffy kind of snow that melts when it hits the ground.

At speed it builds up on the windshield and face shield.

It’s 59km to Skaidi where Martin’s H-D Sporty is stored. We deliver keys and original registration so it can be shipped back to Germany.

Out of Skaidi we take E6 south. Another amazing day in the snow! 30-40 km out of Skaidi we crossed over a high plateau pass that was solid white. All around us snow and the low snow clouds merged with the horizon. Only a ribbon of road cut through the white. As we climbed the plateau the wind was from our right. Snow spill over from the right made the road narrower and narrower. Finally near the top, the entire road has a thin cover of snow. Thicker on the right, thinner on the left. A couple of vehicles before us cut a tire path in the snow. We gravitate to the left but occasional oncoming vehicles moves us back to the right tracks. I locked onto that tire path as we descended down the other side. Our speed was 10-20 kph. It was a total of 15 km across the plateau summit and down the pass on the other side.

Snowed the entire first 7 hours down the west coast. Last 3 hours snowed only on the inland-pass crossovers to the next fjord.

Hammerfest, Norway - We were here!

After many hour of riding in light snow, the clouds lifted and we can finally see mountain tops.

Looking forward.

This is where we came from.

Our goal tonight is Mo I Rana, Norway. Approx 300 km. Still on E6.

Nordkapp – The Northern most road in Western Europe

Dean — Tue, 29 May 2012 06:07:09 +0000

Mon-June 28, 2012

Snow – Nordkapp – Snow – Nordkapp

Route: Hammerfest to Nordkapp and back to Hammerfest

Mileage: 431 km (268 miles) RT

Money: Norway’s Kroner 1kr = $0.17 USD or $1 USD = kr 6.02

Fuel: 15.68 kr/L

Weather: Entire day — light snow, rain, hail, and hard blowing North Sea winds

Sunrise & Sunset: 24-hour of sunshine!!!

Martin is in good hands.

We head for Nordkapp.

The road to Nordkapp is paved all the way.

There are several tunnels on the way but the final crossing to the island of Mageroya is 6.8 km under the ocean! It’s a toll tunnel NOK 145 each way.

At Nordkapp there is an entry fee of NOK 235.

The weather conditions were extremely challenging. Light foo-foo snow 75% of the day. But the wind! There was a steady 40 km/h (25 mph) wind but gusting up to 70 km/h (45 mph).

The entire day avg temp was 2-3°C. Wind chill was -2°C. No snow on the road! Heated shirt, grips and Hippo Hands rule!

Most of the ride was on the east side of the peninsula. Wind was from the northwest. So we were in the shadow half the ride but anytime exposed … an immediate adjustment is required to stay on the road! 100% concentration =:o

We were the only motos at Nordkapp. Visibility at the “globe” was 200m! Wind, snow, hail made it tough to stand on globe. Modern tourist center at the top. Large indoor viewing area, restaurant, shop, coffee bar, history display, etc. Hardly any traffic. We encountered maybe a total of 30 motorhomes. In another month there will be thousands of motor homes and trailers going to Nordkapp on the narrow, twisty 2-lane road.

In the far background is the Nordkapp "Globe". It's blowing so hard the snow flakes hurt!

The Nordkapp Globe at the most northern road in Europe. I'm holding on to the frame because the 70kph gusting wind makes it hard to stand alone.

An international tribute to children just off to the right of the visitors center.

Road to Nordkapp.

On our way to Nordkapp…

Dean — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:15:22 +0000

Today is Tue, May 29, 2012.

I’m way behind on the daily stuff so this is a digest version. Some of you may notice our last few days have centered around Hammerfest, Norway. Like all rides major events change goals and directions.

Long story short, on Sunday, May 27, ~5:00 PM, we were riding through a forest area and a large rain deer leaped in front of Martin. The impact was instant and Martin went down sliding 40 meters on the road.

I did not hit the SPOT “Need Help” or “Emergency SOS” because we had help immediately.

Within 1 minute two emergency phone calls were made. Within 5 minutes we had 2 nurses, a paramedic, an off-duty policeman, plus 2-3 drive by stop to help. Ambulance took 40 minutes to arrive from Hammerfest, Norway. Martin had three visual wounds -1) on the right foot 2) right knee and fingers. All the visible wounds are from road rash! The two nurses dressed the 3 wounds. The paramedic asked all the head injury questions and Martin responded well and was aware of everything, joking and helping the nurses while they covered his wounds. By the time the ambulance arrived he was stable, covered and laying on the side of the road.

The ambulance guys did everything again while talking to the paramedic and nurses. The off-duty policeman called the tow-truck and began writing his accident report.

I followed Martin to the hospital in Hammerfest, a 50-minute drive. Homer stayed with the bike and gave all the info to the tow truck driver. Homer followed the truck to the place where the bike will be stored and shipped back to Germany.

We check into the Thon Hotel in Hammerfest. Finally internet!

The Harley Sporty is not rideable. Visibly no front brakes, no headlight, broken clutch control lever, broken front and rear turn signals, bent right rear shock.

ER X-rays showed no broken bones. The road rash wounds are pretty deep. Homer and I will stay and leave Tue because Monday is a holiday and the moto storage place is closed. The moto storage need keys and vehicle registration to ship bike back to Germany

We’ll check in with Martin Monday morning and he is in good spirits. He will fly home from Hammerfest Tuesday. We then ride out to Nordkapp. We are a good three hours away.