Custom Bikers Cruising the World

2011 in review

trosten — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:58:33 +0000

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

MC-fair 11-13 Mars 2011 at Lillestrøm/Norway

trosten — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:40:21 +0000

Daytrip from Halsenøy island to Rosendal June 2011

trosten — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:47:35 +0000

The Manor from 1665

In 1658 there was a wedding between Norway’s wealthiest heir, Karen Mowat and a poor but proud Danish nobleman. Karen Mowat and Ludvig Rosenkrantz were given the farm Hatteberg as a wedding present. They built their home here, and called it Rosendal. It was finished in 1665.

King Christian V of Denmark-Norway gave the estate status as a barony in 1678. There were more than five hundred farms in its domain. Rosendal was an entailed estate owned by the Rosenkrone family from 1745 to 1927, when it was donated to the University of Oslo.

2007 – Europe

trosten — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:47:43 +0000

Sunday 24/6

Only a transportation leg from Bergen to Kristiansand, but chose to take the route that uses the longest time in the runtime, but the shortest in the km, it goes via Stavanger with embedded ferry breaks.

Monday 25/6

I drove out from the ferry in Hirtshals to cloudy weather. I have driven so much in Denmark in the past that I wouldn’t spend some time on it this time, and spent 4.5 hours down to the border. It rained well on the way – something that eventually should be a review melody.

I crossed the border at 16.30 and mess around outside Flensburg in search of a room, because I couldn’t set up the tent in this shit weather now. I became a refuge for a waterfall under the roof of an abandoned gas station. Now it bucket down from above not just “cats and dogs” but it came in buckets and buckets with the bath tub on the top. The manhole covers in the square was standing on a 5 cm high water column of the pressure from below, and I just waited for it to sail away. As I stood there despondent and cursed the weather gods, there arose a couple on another motorcycle. It turned out that they were from Vadsø in North Norway, and was down to the Mosel Valley. Sigrunn and Kjell Knutsen would also stay in the area, and we beat ourselves together in search of rooms. Kjell plotted on GPS’s and we started when the rain calmed down a little, but had not gone many meters before the road was blocked by police because of water height. We had to take off from the original route, and stopped to coordinate the GPS, when it stopped a female MC driver who wondered if we needed help. She guided us to a wonderful Gasthof with the sounding name of Corfu. They had cheap rooms (€ 30.00 including breakfast) and an incredibly nice staff. After the turn and hang various garments to the dry we met over a beer that quickly became four with Greek dinner, Greek wine and ouzo + coffee to the tidy sum of € 30 per person.

Sigrun and Kjell was heading west towards the Mosel Valley, and I was going south to Austria, but with the extreme weather that evolved in the south of us, we found out that I would go west with them. There was the fact not as bad weather as the south of Flensburg. It would certainly be a few extra kilometers for me, but who was in a hurry.

Sonja was a dream to drive on Danish motorways, but would she hold when the Germans put in, and would she deal with alpine roads and 2500 meters high?

Tuesday 26/6

We tried to fled westward from the rain, but we did not come far today because of rain and wind. about halfway between Bremen and Dortmund. As we drove in rain and strong winds on the Autobahn we saw a motorcycle that nearly became the sticker to the hind limbs on a trailer. He was in well over 200 km/h when a truck took a field change of a passing. The biker had really to brake hard and suddenly and the blue smoke stood by his tires, and he managed to stop a meter behind the trailer.

Wednesday 27/6

Good driving weather today and we parted outside Koblenz. They ought to have the Mosel, while I was on to Karlsruhe.
I heard from the German news of the extreme weather in Germany and England. It turned out that the area south of Flensburg, where I should have run, it was full hurricane, but we had driven in the outer edge of it and had the rain and wind storm strength. No wonder that we felt that there was very strong wind yesterday.

Thursday 28/6

Started north of Karlsruhe and drove through Stuttgart, Ulm, Kempten and Fussen before Austria and the mountain pass to the Tyrol. Talk about delicious ways. It was like driving on Norwegian farm roads. Narrow and sharp turns, up and down to the great gold medal, but the difference from the Norwegian peasant ways and here is that on some of these routes you can really drag on. Drove through Innsbruck to a small place just west of Kitsbühel called Brixen Thale, tiny little cozy alpine village. Now I had a great time in fine weather and 20 degrees at 7pm and a good cold beer out, while I looked over and up against the Alps, where I was going the next day.

Brixen Thale

I have only become more and more impressed with Sonja and her handling. She acts on the Autobahn as the queen she is, and has tackled the little mountain pass from Germany into Austria beautiful

Friday 29/6

Started from Brixen Thale at 8.15am and it is wonderful warm and cloudless blue sky.
Does Sonja notice that there was a special day, for she was not quite as usual? She noticed that I was a bit tense in the body, for the day today was the day with a big D. It was the day when Sonja really should get to show what she was to make the cut. We got us smoothly through the Kitzbühel – we took time for a little sightseeing in the city – ran over a small alpine pass and down to Zell am See. Here we drove a bit off, but not worse than that we had messed us up in the right direction. After Zell am See we followed the signs to the Gross Glockner, and finally we were able to turn onto the road to the Gross Glockner.

We stopped and looked with reverence to the white peaks that shone in the distance. I stroke Sonja carefully along the tank, while I whispered: “It is now to show what you are good at”, and noticed a slight shaking of Sonja, as if she jumped over a piston stroke or two.

The road was relatively flat, but twisty at first, slowly began the climb, and the curves continued at the same pace – and which curves. Quick, sharp, long, small size, hairpin bends, yes what the heart and the bike must covet. Sonja slipped through as if she were born to it.
Suddenly, the idyll was broken in that we came out on a large plateau.

Fantastic views, Alps with snowcapped peaks, steep green mountain slopes, restaurants and the zoo, but the sight that so suddenly destroyed was an enormous toll. € 18.00 for MC costs the glory. Well, we had not come so far to be stopped by a toll road. Speak a little with the people there, and they tell me there are only 5 degrees on top. OK, so then it is driving from 25 to 5 degrees in short time. I had to put on with the super underwear.

The road continued up and up and up in the 12% increase with continuing fantastic curves.

Some really hair pin curves that it only fit 2 cans beer between the road shoulders, and I let Sonja wander through them. Known throughout her that she protested, but it was actually the drivers fault. I would have two things at once. For the driving experience and at the same time enjoy the fantastic nature, band nature won.

Such a trip should be mandatory at least twice. Once for the nature experience and once for the driving experience.
The view after every turn was just more and more magnificent, and lost track of the number of stops on the way to enjoy the view and take pictures. For each stop I noticed that Sonja was more and more impatient, it was as if she loved the way and just wanted to lead, and she came to the top and with style.

What a sight that met us at the top, breathtaking views

– but what is it with Sonja, she jerked and jerked and would not like to give in where I’m sitting at her and looking out. Then I see the sign – Bikers Point, and my eyes follow where the sign points. Wow – we’re not yet on the top. I let Sonja take command and we’re running into a narrow and hairpin cobbled road.

Wow cobblestones at 2500 meters high. Amazing.
We wind us up in curve after curve at a pace that had been a moped worthy. We got to the end of the top 2571 m. and Sonja seems finally satisfied.

Indescribable is the word. Edelweiss Spitze bears its name deservedly. What a viewpoint.

I lose the count of the peaks around me with the Gross Glockner as the highest, with its 3798 meters. It’s just an impressive sight. No less impressive is it when you see what’s housed in the fauna here. Gross Glockner is a national park, and apart from Edelweiß you can find Capricorn and Marmot. The animals are protected and Capricorn has no natural enemies, and is not afraid of humans. I got a glimpse of Capricorn when I drove down the other side against the alpine village Heiligenblut.

The road down to Heiligenblut on the other side was no less spectacular. Before main descent I drive through a tunnel, and what a magnificent piece of a tunnel. Forgot almost the way, and was just driving and looking at the ceiling.

The entire roof was covered with stone, and this they did in 1935. What if modern tunnels could look so aesthetically out as this today?

Now Sonja was tried on a similar way, but this time it went straight down, and with curves that could satisfied a racing bike. What a road. No wonder that this is called for bikers Mecca and I notice that Sonja really enjoying this.

Well down in Heiligenblut I find a Gasthof, where it says “MC Willkommen”, and what more needs someone who is tired of all the impressions and execution of the high alpine pass.
I saddle of Sonja and only glances at the bed. The time is now 2pm and next time I look at it is the 3pm – gosh, where disappeared that hour?

I’m wandering around in Heiligenblut. It’s done in 5 minutes to stroll through the city, a very marked tourist center. Even with the tourist feel, a lovely village which is built on a gold mine and the church here is one of the holiest in Austria

While I sit and write this on the terrace of the guest house and enjoy a cold beer, then suddenly I hear thunder in the distance. Huge black clouds gather between the peaks in the west.
The host of the guest house comes running and says: Come on, put your bike in the garage, it will rain. As said so done and as he closes the door it starts.

The rain comes, and it is horizontal. The trees bent and it splashed down. 15 minutes after it start to rain the sun is shining again, but it is still black clouds in the west and fog at the head of the valley.

As Bergenser I am mighty impressed by nature’s way to act on and one that grew up between the mountains – well, here after called simply small hills – only creep to the cross and say that we are not the best in everything.
The evening ends with another beer, and Austrian schnapps.
The most important of all – Sonja passed, and for me she is a bike with a large B.

Saturday 30/6

The way down from Heiligenblut to Lienz is just beautiful, fine roads and scenery.

Detects when I approached Lienz that the sole of one boot was loose, ie almost half the base was loose. I cannot drive with this, and when I came in towards Lienz I took the main road, and it carried right into the center. Stopped at a gas station and asked if they knew whether there was any motorcycle shop nearby. The man behind the box just grinning and pointing with his thumb over his shoulder as he says that there is one on the back of the station. Is it possible to have that kind of luck?

Around the station and into the store. Nice young girl asks if she can help me. I just lift the foot, and she looks at the sole. I said that I can’t drive with this and must have new boots. Should they be waterproof I get questions about. Of course, I answer back. Then she looked at me with big doe eyes and say they are very expensive. Does not matter I reply, I must have new ones. I found great pair who is soft and stiffened at once. I take these, I say, and where she once again points out that they are expensive. Okay, but what’s the price I ask. She goes a little on it and says: “€ 110″. I start laughing and saying: “Expensive? No no no, it is cheap”. She is just standing and looking at me as if she did not believe her own ears. I explained that these would in Norway cost at least € 250, and she just sits down on the chair with the box. She is still there and shakes her head when I go after having paid.

Finding the way to Innsbruck again and now the next bit is a transport stage to the Swiss border. I’m holding nice speed on good roads with typical alpine landscape. Small villages that pop up like pearls on a string, and I’m driving into one of them and start to look for a cafe where I can get me a cup of coffee. Looking at people and houses and just enjoying the nice weather.

”What the hell”, the brakes cut in, and I sudden stop. Looks with big eyes above me, and looked down at the map, and up again. On the sign in front of me lighten it against me with capital letters: ITALY.

“But…” I say aloud to myself. Open visor and scratch me on the nose, I*m investigating the map and see that I can drive the road and then turn onto the motorway through the Brenner Pass. “Pool puddle” I say to myself and strokes Sonja along the gas tank “its vacation, and a country from or to do nothing at all”.
Cross the border – had completely forgotten coffee thirst – and is driving against the highway that runs through the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck.

Brenner Pass is a beautiful sight, and I make a note to me that once I have to take me more time there and run the old road through it where castles replaces castle. Innsbruck passing and driving directly against Switzerland, and are coming to Feldkirch, located near the border to Liechtenstein. I stop there because the city looks very exciting. There is such an old castle from the 11^th century that’s worth a visit, and it function as both a museum and restaurant.

Daytrip from Halsnøy island to Røldal – April 2011

trosten — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:50:21 +0000

Utåker ferry pier, where we took the ferry over to Skånevik

At the ferry

Skånevik

At Røldal

Laangfoss waterfall. The fifth highest waterfall in Norway. Along the Åkrafjord on E134

Bente at Langfoss waterfall

Along Åkrafjord, on the other side of Langfoss Waterfall

Along the Åkrafjord

At Halsnøy island

trosten — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:17:05 +0000

This post will not be for any particular year, but include all my trips to the island and country side around

Bente at the Ranavik Quay march 2011

At Halsnøy island monastery - April 2011

A boathouse at Halsnøy island in the evening - April 2001

Sunset at Halsnøy island - April 2011

Red Sonja with her little sister QT50 - april 2011

Scotland summer 1986

trosten — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:23:36 +0000

This was my first trip with my first bike,
a Yamaha XJ 600. I drove around in Scotland for 2 weeks.

YCC – Mountain Ride, June 2009

trosten — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:28:52 +0000

YCC - Mountain Ride, June 2009

In September -08 Øivind came with a proposal if we should try a 4 days trip around in the Norwegian mountains. This was very popular, and John and Øivind guided us through the winter with information about the tour and where to sleep. Because all the members are spread out over whole Norway we suggested a meeting place midway between Bergen and Oslo in a little tourist place with name Fagernes, where east meet west and the road to north starts. We were 24 members on the tour, including 2 from Sweden.

Thursday 18/6 came with cold weather and heavy rain – 10 degrees Celsius, but we had top motivation and a fantastic mood. We drive from Fagernes and in to road 51 over Mt Valdresflya. The nature is overwhelming, and t he road is perfect for motorbikes. When we get higher it is noticeably colder, and soon the rain changes to sleet, and the temperature is now only 3 degrees. The snow is alongside the road and there are clear traces of new snow. We stop at Café Valdresflya for coffee, waffles and get away from the cold. Some finds old newspapers and put them in to their boots, some changes socks and put their feet’s in to some plastic bags, but the mood was top.

On the road again we continue on road 15 through Ottadalen, over the hills to Lesja and in to E6 and to Mt Dovre and Furuhaugli Turistcamping.

Well inside after a cold and wet tour I could see friends drying cloths and warming feet with hairdryer.

Friday arrived with sunny weather. We took the road back to Dombaas and in to E126 through Romsdalen with stop at Sletta Waterfalls, Troll Wall and Aandalsnes. Now it’s 25 degrees and really enjoyable to ride a bike on tour.

Friday arrived with sunny weather.

We took the road back to Dombaas
and in to E126 through Romsdalen with stop at Sletta Waterfalls.

The tour continued to the Mt. Troll Wall

After a brake in the beatiful weather we continued in to Åndalsnes. Now it’s 25 degrees and really enjoyable to ride a bike on tour.

After a fatastic lunch we continued to the Troll Road.

and up we go. Curve by curve to the top.

Aftert a short brake,

we follow road 63 to Valldal and Linge
where we take the ferry to Eidsdalen, together with many HD bikers, and to Ytterdal Camping. This camping is down with the fjord and where the ferry arrives.

Me – and yes it was cold. We had a great evening eating pizza at the quay

Ready to hit the road again

It was also a fantastic weather at Saturday, but some places we had some local rain
this day. We continue on road 63 to Geiranger where there is hundreds of HD bikers because a HOG meeting.

We continued through Geiranger and up to Mt. Sogn. The mountain road over Mt. Sogn is the highest mountain pass in Norway at 1434 meters, and open in 1938

The tour continues to Lom and in to road 55 Sogndal and the ferry at Mannheller. We take
it over to Foldnes and from there in to Laerdal. For the first time on the tour
there was some disagreement where we should drive. Some want to cross Mt
Laerdal, but some wants to drive the world’s longest tunnel, the Laerdal tunell
to Aurland. It is 24.5 km long (15.22 miles). We split and will meet in Aurland
at Vangsgaarden Guest House for the last night.

Sunday we split and drove each way. Some west on E16, but most of the
group take road 50 south to Hol and then road 7 through Hallingdal to Halling
Gate where the last split up.

It has been a fantastic tour with beautiful route and fantastic nature.

Summer tour Europe 2011

trosten — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:22:28 +0000

The tour will start Friday July 1 when I will drive from Bergen to Oslo where I will meet Ronny. This blog will be updated during the trip with pictures.

Saturday July 2

Today it’s down to Gothenburg and the ferry to Kiel, then it’s straight path down to the Alps. Yesterday was a very wet shit distance from Bergen to Oslo with idiotic tourists who consistently was 20 km under the speed limit and lots of muddy construction roads. A place I stood in line for a mud hole in the rain, waiting for a truck to move. When it finally was ready to run the bike was just spinning in the mud. There were two construction workers that would help to push, with the result that all the ass on the bike spun out to the side and both I and the bike was to floundering in the mud. No damage to any of us, just a dirty and wounded pride.

This is the planned route

Aaaaah, at last an internet connection so I will try to remember every detail.

Ronny on the ferry and a little fortress on a little island just outside Goethenburg.

Sunday 3

We arrive in cloudy weather but it soon started to rain and we had small rain the whole way down to Kassel. We stayed the night here because of an accident with a caravan in the highway, and the whole highway was blocked for hours.

Monday 4

The morning came with sun and we had sunny and warm weather the whole way down to Berchtesgaden in the German alps. We arrived 16.30 at Gasthof Gute Farht and the weather was very sultry. We went out for dinner a couple of hours later and the town was crowded with people and musicians on every pub and corner. We soon learned that it was like this every monday when we met to fantastic people, Georgia and Raymondwhom we talked with the rest of the night.

Tuesday 5

After a thunderstorm at night we wake up to sunny and warm weather. To day we visted The Kehlstein Hous, better known as the Eagle Nest (one of two Eagle Nest’s that excist). We took the bikes up to Obersalzberg where we parked, and took the bus the rest of the way.

Okay folks. I do it the easy way

This is part 1 of our tour

Part 2

Part 3

We took the road D2204 from Nice and straight north (do not take D2204A, B or C) to Sospel. We found Hotel De France, the best hotel, the best management, best bar, best food at the whole trip at this place up in the alps. If you ever are in the south alps of France please check in at this hotel. You will not regret.

From Sospel we took D2566

Totaly we drove over 12 alpine passes in Germany, Austria, Italy and France

YCC – Sweden/Denmark June 2011

trosten — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:19:28 +0000

YCC Rally Sweden-Denmark with International Meeting
for YCC, Star and Virgo bikes. Also known as
Yamaha Custom Group Europe

We (Bente and I) left the west coast of Norway Thursday June 2 and arrived at Inger and Per’s campingplace in Daftö in Sweden at the afternoon. Kirsti and Jan was also meeting us there. The day after we was driving, together with Per, up to Hebbe in Karlstad. We stay for the night and drived all four together to Stockholm at Saturday. Hebbe and Per should drive to Monica and Tomas to meet the YCC Colombian there, but Bente and I would meet them at Sunday.

PART 1 – The ride to Stockholm

Sunday June 5 we met the Colombians together with the swedish YCC at a guided bus tour in Stockholm. We finished the tour in the Old Town where we had dinner later in the evening.

PART 2 – Stockholm

Monday June 6 we drove from Stockholm to Solviken and we had fantastic sunny and warm weather. At Solviken we where entertained by a Swedish Folk group.

Part 3 – The trip to Solviken

Tuesday June 7 we drove from Solviken to Hanksville Farm at Skåne in southern Sweden, and stayed the night there. Next day we drove down to Kåseberga outside Ystad in South Sweden. YCC was found there in December 1997 by Stig “Gunner” Gunér and Tommy ”Blondie” Nilsson.

Part 4 – The trip from Solviken to Hanksville Farm, and then to Kåseberga

We continued from Kåseberga to Lynge in Denmark where we stayed for the night.

Part 5 – The trip from Kåseberga to Lynge in Denmark and YCC-Denmark

Thursday June 9 we drove from Lynge to Jels, and stayed at the Rally to Sunday. The Colombians drove together with the Swedish back to Stockholm, where some of the Colombians traveled to Norway and visited YCC-Norway.

Bente and I drove up to Hirtshals and took the ferry to Kristiansand and drove the coast up through Stavanger and to Halsnøy island, just south of Bergen.

Part 6: Jels (the last video)

The end