Travel test Stockholm-North Cape-Stockholm

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Travel test Stockholm-North Cape-Stockholm

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The dream: through Scandinavia to the North Cape. Seven tourers, seven drivers, the midnight sun and much, much more.

Just before Uppsala keep right, past the pyramids of Scandinavia, the burial mounds of the medieval kings, always following the E4N, heading north. “Once in a lifetime, every rider has to do this trip.” The wistful words of our rather matter-of-fact Italian colleague Claudio in the ear, he, me and five colleagues, together seven testers from Sweden, Italy, Spain and France, start on the 4th. July from Stockholm towards the North Cape. Hunched over for sports tourism on a Triumph Sprint ST, I get my first impressions. Colored wooden houses line the street, here too, in the densely populated part of Sweden, dense and green shimmering lakes tell of the spacious character of the largest Scandinavian country.
We are forming a caravan to the polar finale of Europe, far beyond the Arctic Circle. A caravan to explore the long-distance travel talent of seven motorcycles: the touring enduro bikes BMW R 1150 GS, Cagiva Navigator, Honda Varadero and Triumph Tiger, the sports tourers Honda VFR and Triumph Sprint ST, and finally the tourer Yamaha XJ 900 S Diversion. For example, the BMW and Yamaha carry fully loaded case systems, the VFR a top case, and the Varadero even both. Incidentally, the small payload is incomprehensible? around 190 kilograms – almost all travel steamers tested. Only the two triumphs make notable exceptions.
The eight-day marathon leads about 4600 kilometers to the Cape and back. “You can’t go faster than 100 km / h, maybe 120 on the highways. The police are omnipresent. Cold? Not particularly, probably between twelve and 30 degrees Celsius. ”Well, after about 100 kilometers we purr very quickly, while a breath of cold slowly creeps into my textile suit. We didn’t see any more police officers during the following days.
Rumbling with Porsche, the sporty, crisp ST follows the well-developed route. Overtake? Whoops, over. But does the gearbox have to be that fickle? And it should also offer a little more wind protection, especially in the local weather conditions. The next 200 kilometers, mostly straight ahead, bring Triumph and I behind us in sweet harmony. The system changes when you stop for fuel.
First stopover: the second longest suspension bridge in Europe, which impressively spans one of the many bays of the »Hoga Kusten«. Be amazed once, then take the side road that leads in gentle curves along the coast. Off the long-distance route, the asphalt is immediately bumpier, which immediately shakes the driver of the tightly dampened sprint, me ?? now on the comfortable Triumph Tiger – but hardly bothers you. The quite high positioned footrests, which force a fairly small knee angle, are more annoying. What is nice, however, is the good overview and, after the sports tourer from the same company, the downright unbelievably good wind protection. And it is always remarkable how perfectly the Triumph triplets digest load changes.
Driver change. The VFR confirms the experience with the Sprint: On long-distance travel stages, the sports tourers can neither play to their good handling nor the reserves of their chassis. Comfort and weather protection are more important here, and here the Honda – albeit a bit more comfortable – can just as little keep up with the Tiger as the Sprint.
A little shaken I roll towards Wilhelmina, where a surprise awaits us. To the airport, aha, and then? We stalk between the hangars onto the airfield. This is where Sune Anderson, a Swedish stuntman of international standing, resides. Hello, hello, coffee, cake, then a show! Rubber whimpering, engine screeching, speed staccato on the limiter, wheelies down to the rear light, one-handed stoppies over more than a hundred meters, with partner Anne backwards on the pillion, then suddenly a break on the runway. Sune explains laconically that an airliner is about to land. A minute later, the twin-engine colossus glides majestically past us barely twenty meters away, and ?? the show goes on. Not for the last time I think that the clocks in this country tick much, much easier and damn nice.
Early in the morning on July 5th, we set off from Wilhelmina towards Kiruna in the glorious sun. Curve after curve we penetrate the country, it quickly gets darker, the thermometer of the brilliantly equipped VFR reports only ten degrees Celsius. Then drizzle, the mountains hide in gray clouds of mist. To howl with us, the inhospitable weather here has a lot of charm, the grandiose landscape quietly pulls through consciousness, rugged snow peaks, lakes the size of the sea, now and then the monumental brick cuboid of an old post office.
With handle shells and heating, the BMW R 1150 GS makes such passages through the pit very pleasant, and the feet are also spared the worst. The drops behind the windshield swirl on the visor, well, you can’t have everything. In addition, the superb Bayern chassis, which, similar to the VFR, robs the wet, curvy asphalt much of its problem, quite unimpressed by the luggage load. Then the powerful engine that pushes forward smoothly and sonorously in long sixth gear. Suddenly signs, road construction, gravel. Instead of braking, our Swedish enduro cracks step on the gas. What to do? Take a break and afterwards of course! The faster, the easier, gently lurching, the GS moves over loose, albeit broad and clear terrain, easily sailed on the wide handlebars. Hasse Svensson waves it away, “No, no, because of Enduro, this would also work with a GSX-R.” Well, he has to know the way he lets the VFR fly.
A little later we pass the Arctic Circle, another eight degrees. Two moving hours later, I roll into Kiruna, half frozen. Moving because the luggage load of the Honda Varadero forces the actually good chassis to its knees. Even at the limit of the adjustment range, underdamped and too soft, the Honda oscillates from 140 km / h, sometimes twitching the emotionally almost relieved front wheel. In addition, the Honda, which incidentally is incredibly comfortable on such long stages, does not cut a good figure in terms of consumption. So go straight to the gas station, then clean the mopeds, oops, the deep-drawn radiator of the Cagiva Navigator looks pretty gravel blasted. Eight o’clock in the evening, a very, very low-slung Fifties Chevy leads us a bit through the small mining town at the foot of the gray ore mountain. Fish and french fries, plus one or two beers worth 13 marks each, life here isn’t exactly cheap. Surprisingly, the landlord announces the last round, outside meanwhile sunshine again, the Erzberg in the most beautiful red, oh God, one o’clock, midnight sun, we left the night at the Arctic Circle.
The sun is holding up when we set out for Norway on the morning of July 6th. Yamaha XJ 900 S, a pleasant surprise. Complete equipment, powerful engine, comfortable seating position ?? Truly, not a bad bike. If it weren’t for the mercilessly underdamped spring elements, the cardan steed would circle extremely cleanly in and through the radii, so it sways and oscillates after every longitudinal shaft. Quite casual, however, so there remains a lot of attention for the huge landscape, where huge rock massifs divide the landscape and huge glacier tongues lick the lakes.
Then the revelation, just in time for the millions of curves in the Norwegian inland: Cagiva Navigator, fun on two wheels. As the only one tightly damped and yet comfortable, blessed with a Hans Dampf engine that bites very hard, which can be annoying in narrow vertices, but is otherwise a sheer joy. Comfortable too, low footrests, a bench that never squeezes, the best wind protection, plus the great overview that only enduros offer. And so agile, almost impetuous, the rider has to restrain himself constantly to avoid the ?? brrrraaaab! – succumb to the navigator’s temperament. However, a bit more equipment wouldn’t have hurt. Grips, for example, or a main stand. And there is also a need for attachment options for luggage, at least with the basic version.
Sometime in the afternoon, while refueling, there is the usual chat with local residents. Almost all Scandinavians speak excellent and open-hearted English, so we stupid Germanic peoples could cut off a few friendliness slices from. A maybe 16-year-old Michel from Loneberga loosens up our sausage break with stunts with a 50s, a cornucopia of talent, this Scandinavia. Lots of wet curves follow, and finally we take a ferry towards Lofoten.
7th of July. Already tired in the morning, we explore the islands. It’s damp, cold and still beautiful. In a moment of exhausted inattention, the aggressive brakes of the Sprint ST take their toll, and whoop, Massimiliano lies on his nose. Small damage, big shock, nothing happens and on. Offroad to the lookout point, a domain of the GS. The difficult Varadero takes the slippery rock passage surprisingly calmly, and the stiff Navigator gets along quite well with its low ground clearance. Only the soft tiger causes problems. In principle easy to maneuver, it dips deep and, darn it, comes up with an oil filter and oil lines. Unimaginable when the filter breaks somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Well, none of the big ships is really suitable for off-roading, but it can be a bit thick and thin. As a reward, there is dried fish from sociable locals, a very tasty snack. when you have nothing else.
In the deep evening we meander towards the destination North Cape, the landscape becomes barren and barren, along the North Sea, in which the fjord mountains lie like sleeping giants. The temperature drops to two degrees, it is drizzling, very uncomfortable conditions, which the light-footed VFR can cope with but inspires confidence. A tunnel falls headlong under the sea, rises just as steeply towards Mageroya, the North Cape Island. A toll of 35 kroner there and back, plus 175 admission to the site, equates to a good 60 marks admission. In the evening at eleven, after 15 hours on the road, the enthusiasm is limited. The end of Europe is dull in the fog, we take the obligatory photos, then it’s home, it’s another 200 kilometers to the hotel.
Overtired on the Sprint ST, half past twelve at night, exhausted driving off, freezing cold, but then it happens. What makes such a trip the highlight of a biker’s life. What motorcycling can be. That which rarely happens to you and which you never forget. The midnight sun bathes this ice world in a soft light. Then the cold and tiredness disappear, the stress, everyday life, exhaustion in the subconscious, all that remains is driving, as if intoxicated. Crystal clear and completely unadulterated the swing, the vibrating power of the three-cylinder, the lean angles, the feeling of the rolling tires, the language of the road, an experience like in a dream, dreamlike safe, reduced, pure, crystal clear, an intoxication of the senses, alone with the sleeping world in the sun-drenched night, that’s how flying should be. Really, nothing like it. The short sleep is happy and relaxing, the next morning we overtook tiredness.
We head south lively, we quickly reel off the kilometers. Gradually, favorites are emerging, in fact, after 3000 kilometers, comfort outweighs driving characteristics. In most cases, these are sufficient, because even with our sometimes heavily demanded chassis, everyone swings past a group of belligerent, knee-dragging sports Italians who would probably secretly like to swap their cars for one of our sedan chairs.
This was also a long day, with another surprising outcome. Instead of going to the hotel, Fredrik leads us over gravel to the blockhouse and landing stage, where a fire is already igniting by a secluded lake. We meet Thomas, the homeowner, P.G. Lundmark, the Swedish KTM rally driver and last year’s Paris-Dakar stage winner, as well as his wife Eva, a gifted reindeer cook. A hearty delicacy, served with fried potatoes and homemade “Hojt” from the canister, super tasty, super rustic, to climax in the sauna and then in the tub to talk and laugh. As I said, the Swedes know how to live. P.G. tells about his plans, Dakar 2001, financed by thousands of Swedish fans via the homepage. He also organizes enduro safaris on slopes and trails around Avidsjaur, almost like in Senegal. Departure, and the dream of coming back grows even while driving to the hotel.
D.he last two days are inconspicuous, the group swings along in the rut of the long journey. Everyone still wants to play with the Navigator, but nobody wants to play with the Sprint anymore, which is simply too uncomfortable with all chassis strengths. Behind the Cagiva Funbike, the BMW ?? simply a mega all-rounder – and the Varadero ?? simply a sedan chair – the favor of the seven travelers, who also like to drive Tiger, XJ and VFR. Such a long-distance trip is not an evening pleasure trip on the home route, other laws apply. What is left to tell? Whole volumes could still be filled, from annoying legions of mosquitoes, from dreamlike landscapes, from delicious food and the sometimes steep prices that make Scandinavia an expensive travel destination. And from the Scandinavians themselves, who make their country an experience, especially by motorcycle.

Technical data – BMW R 1150 GS

Engine Air / oil-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine, crankshaft lengthways, one overhead camshaft each, four valves per cylinder, engine management, regulated catalytic converterBore x stroke 101 x 70.5 mm, displacement 1130 cm³, rated output 62.5 kW (85 PS) at 6800 rpmMax. Torque 98 Nm (10 kpm) at 5300 rpm Power transmission Hydraulically operated single-disc dry clutch, six-speed gearbox, cardan shaft Chassis Load-bearing motor / gearbox unit, telescopic arm guided telescopic fork, adjustable spring base, two-joint single-sided swing arm, central spring strut directly articulated, adjustable spring base, double disc damping at the front Rear disc brake, tires 110/80 R 19; 150/70 R 17 Chassis data Steering head angle 64 degrees, caster 115 mm, wheelbase 1509 mm, spring travel f / r 190/200 mmDimensions and weightsSeat height 850 mm, weight with a full tank of 264 kg, payload 196 kg, tank capacity / reserve * 22 liters. Driving performance Top speed 200 km / h , Acceleration = -100 km / h 3.7 seconds, = guarantee one year with no mileage limit Base price including VAT 20,250 marks Additional costs 479 marks Plus: Minus:

Caution

A long journey through northern Scandinavia is full of pitfalls. It is advisable to drive with foresight in every respect so as not to fall into one or the other trap. The police presence is small, but if it shows up, it can be very costly. So keep your eyes open, especially on the highways. The fuel gauge or the trip meter should also always be in the driver’s eye, because the gas stations, especially inland, are sometimes more than two hundred kilometers apart – beware of crossing reindeer or even moose. Reindeer are almost ubiquitous, mostly appearing in herds that follow their herd instinct across the street according to the lead animal. Accidents are common, reindeer and even more moose are massive. Not a funny thing, such a crash, especially since a doctor first has to cover the distance to the scene of the accident. You should also think about the condition of the tires in good time. The asphalt is rough, replacement tires may not be available everywhere. In a country whose population density is twelve times smaller than ours, motorcycle tires are correspondingly rare, especially in special dimensions. Anyone making a detour on one of the many gravel roads or off-road should be aware of the off-road suitability of their vehicle. Damage in the middle of nowhere requires a talent for improvisation at best, in case of doubt a rescue helicopter. After all, a short equipment check is part of the evening program after every day’s stage, because bumpy surfaces and vibrations sometimes loosen one or the other screw, for example the VFR topcase holder broke.

That’s how it is

4600 kilometers, not an ordinary test distance. Gradually, performance, sporty, stiff chassis or snappy brakes are of secondary importance, seating comfort, chassis reserves under load, suitability for everyday use and equipment come to the fore. The BMW fits in with the travel role with flying colors, goes well with the luggage system, can do almost everything, a good one Tour guide. The VFR is also popular, although it has to bend comfortably to the enduros, but its agility sets it against it. The Varadero can do a lot, but it suffers from the weak rear shock absorber, which simply doesn’t have enough reserves for the luggage load. Nevertheless, it is one of the favorites, super comfortable and casual. The Sprint ST, usually a potential test winner, is losing friends: too hard, too uncomfortable, at least for such long distances. The Tiger is always popular, a humorous travel companion, but with a very soft chassis that reaches its limits when loaded. The situation is similar with the Diversion, comfortable, well equipped, low-maintenance thanks to the cardan shaft, powerful, but rather spongy in handling. However, the favorite of all seven testers is called Cagiva Navigator: Tight, but comfortable, agile and with a super powerful, super spontaneous engine ?? a fun bike for long distances too.

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