Travel report from Iceland: As part of the Honda Adventure Roads 2022, McGregor whips the Africa Twin through the wild volcanic landscape of Iceland for four days. He experiences wonderful moments and adverse conditions.
Is Iceland worth a visit on a bike, despite the high prices and cold temperatures? Which bike do you need for Iceland? McGregor explains what makes the volcanic island so special, what types of bikers it is suitable for and what to look out for in the far north. The Honda Adventure Roads event is also highlighted.
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High in the North in the middle of the Atlantic there is a place full of contrasts here the North American continental plate is moving away from the Eurasian continental plate and cracking the earth’s surface in the process liquid rock emerges meets water and ice and solidifies into black rock we are talking about
Iceland the world’s largest volcanic island is impressive in many ways there are 30 active volcanic systems here but also the largest glacier in Europe the land of Ice and Fire but how well does this spectacular scenery get on with us two wield adventurers we In Some adventurers tackle Iceland alone and armed only with a tent While others treat themselves to a little more luxury and join organized tours in any case what you need for the roads of Iceland is off-road ready equipment in my case this is a 2022 Honda CRF 1100 L Africa
Twin with DCT transmission as I am taking part in the Honda Adventure roads trip in Iceland this is Honda’s most ambitious adventure trip which invites only Africa twin owners to travel to spectacular places every 2 years after the North Cape in 2017 and South Africa in 2019 Iceland is now the destination of the third Honda Adventure roads or H for short with pre-organized accommodation luggage service guides and
Mechanics on board Adventure purists may turn up their noses and think that this is not a real Adventure as a journalist I am taking part in the second half of the Iceland trip and after 5 days in AO 1200 km I can tell you that Iceland can offer a
Lot of action and adventure even without cold tent nights and meager meals reason number one for this is definitely the weather we expose two-wheeler Riders are usually not fans of cold and wet weather which is why some of us have probably already abandoned the idea of a trip to Iceland
Yet Iceland is very mild for its location the oceanic climate is influenced by the warm minger current which keeps Winters mild with daily maximum temperatures of around 2° C and Summers cool with an average of around 13° C we were in Iceland in July and I can
Confirm that on good days the therometer can just about scratch the 20° Mark however the real challenge in Iceland is not the temperature but the changeability of the weather as the saying goes you can experience Four Seasons in one day in Iceland due to the Island’s sparse vegetation and exposed location in the
Middle of the sea clouds pass over it very quickly and sunshine rain and even snow can alternate every minute depending on the region annual precipitation ranges from 600 mm in the northern plateaus to 4,000 mm on Europe’s largest glacier vokul with such rapid changes and strong Regional differences weather forecasts
Are quite imprecise and sometimes you are simply lucky or unlucky for the first 6 days of the H 2022 the sun shines from a blue sky but as soon as I join the Convoy it rains every day on the first day as we drive from husvik in the north across the country
To the South there is also the strongest crosswind that I and many of the other participants have ever experienced Dave Thorp three time 500 cubic cim Motocross world champion and guide at the HR 2022 comments on the weather that day this is quite possibly the worst conditions I’ve ever ridden in With wind speeds of up to 100 km per hour the gusts whip us along the gravel road leading across the barren Plateau at times the wind pressure is greater than the grip of The Wheels on the ground and several Riders are simply blown off the road it’s an incredibly
Horrible feeling when you’re leaning fully Against the Wind and can still feel your tires sliding towards the edge bit by bit when the planned route over a mountain pass is blocked by snow the first day shows me why some bikers shy away from Iceland tours you have to want
To do it we mercilessly had to take a detour and by the end of the day we had covered 528 km more than 250 of which were off-road due to the poor visibility we couldn’t even enjoy the spectacular scenery which is why everyone is so glad to reach the shelter likee accommodation
For the night or even even the hardened Icelandic guides congratulate us on our endurance but apart from such possible but rare weather extremes Iceland is also very rideable by motorcycle however experience in unpaved terrains certainly doesn’t hurt as most of the roads away from the coastal Ring
Road and the main country roads are unpaved the route on the HR 2022 varies from coarse gravel to deep fine grained volcanic sand Riders cope with this to varying degrees although the participants are all Africa twin owners and off-road experience was taken into account in the
Runup to the race there are still big differences in riding ability at the front former Motocross Champions and experienced Riders shoot over obstacles at high speed or on the rear wheel while at the back some are fighting for survival the Deep Sandy fields in particular are a major challenge for many
So how much skill do you need on your bike to get through Iceland well I’m an average Rider at best and get through quite easily as long as you can ride reasonably relaxed on gravel roads 90% of Iceland is within the realm of possibility but it’s probably also worth
Getting to grips with sand beforehand riding in sand is something very special the front wheel feels uncontrollable but all it really takes is a bit of practice the right technique and courage put your weight back look far ahead grip the handlebars Loosely and open the throttle the more speed you have the
Easier it gets but regardless of your riding skills you shouldn’t travel Iceland alone there are always rocks sticking out of the ground that are difficult to see and can quickly damage your tires or cause you to crash you’ll also want to be accompanied if you have any other problems because
In extremely sparsely populated Iceland you sometimes feel like you’re alone in the world and then there are the sometimes very tricky River Crossings the lateral water pressure is considerable deep sand or Boulders lurk beneath the water surface and the best route for crossing is sometimes not easy to
Find and there are many rivers to cross in the right areas on my second and third day of driving in and around the fridland falaki Nature Reserve we had to cross 14 and 16 Rivers a day from Deep to shallow torrential to babbling riders in their bikes kept
Going for a swim but with such a large group help is on hand quickly and in many different ways as a solo pilot however such days can also quickly end the journey or at least delay it considerably as an encounter in Iceland soon shows us we meet a Norwegian on a Yamaha tener
660 at the the 50 km long Elia volcanic Fisher we chat briefly and I say to him that he is very brave to travel alone in this area and whether he is not worried about the river Crossings no that’s fine I’ll be careful and take it slowly he says he sets off
While we finish our lunch break it doesn’t get far Two Rivers later we discover him waiting through waste high water to his tener which is stuck in the middle of the river at right angles to the direction of travel in strong Rapids luckily for him our Entourage comes to
His Aid with the gigantic accompanying pickups and a little later his Yamaha is running again nevertheless it is a good example of how travel partners are an advantage in Iceland despite Iceland’s adventurous roads you shouldn’t get the wrong impression genuine off-roading that is riding away from all roads is strictly forbidden and severely
Punished icelanders are very sensitive to their nature which is also due to the accelerated soil erosion in the past Iceland was largely covered by Birch forests but the Vikings needed Timber and firewood when they colonize the country and cut down almost all of the forests due to the Island’s exposed
Location the wind is constantly blowing and without the stabilizing roots of plants the soil becomes loose and vulnerable Iceland is home to the largest desert area in Europe a gray lunar landscape completely devoid of greenery driving off the Beaten Track here accelerates the decay of the landscape and is a danger to Iceland’s
Barren Flora on the HR 2022 we are riding the latest generation of Africa twins long suspension travel a high torque motor and plenty of equipment make it more than been ready for Iceland but what should the bike have to be Iceland ready first of all good wind and weather protection is an advantage
To keep the angry elements at Bay heated grips were also in almost constant use on my trip furthermore the suspension should be comfortable and high enough due to the many potholes but extremely long suspension travel is not necessary for normal riding I wouldn’t have wanted to do
Without crew control either as the speed limits in Iceland are quite low and the tolerances are small the engine power and weight are of secondary importance because in Iceland’s predominantly gently rising or falling terrain you can still make good progress even with weaker iron however the range should be
Over 250 km as filling stations are quite rare especially in the barren but beautiful Central area of the island the reliability and robust of the bike is also extremely Important the bike should still be rideable after the constant bumps fine sand in every crack and ideally even after involuntary dips in the river our Africa twins can take anything Iceland throws their way after an un successful River Crossing it is often enough to start the engine a fountain of water
Shoots out of the silencer and after a few minutes with the engine running they purr again as if nothing had happened during heavy Dives only the spark plug had to be removed and dried which was never a problem this indestructibility can quickly become not only desirable but even necessary in
Iceland a little more information about Iceland’s infrastructure in the southwest of the country where by far the most people live the density of all kinds of stores restaurants businesses petrol stations accommodation Etc is quite high in the highlands or in remote areas however you can travel for several
Hours without seeing any sign of human civilization other than the road you are driving on no Huts no fences no electricity pylons nothing nevertheless Network reception is surprisingly good in many places even in remote areas incidentally mobile internet and phone calls cost nothing for EU citizens as
Iceland is also part of the roaming agreement the price level in Iceland is one of the highest in the world as of August 2022 you can get 140 Icelandic croner for €1 Euro however you don’t necessarily have to use an ATM as card payments are accepted almost everywhere accommodation varies greatly
Depending on the time wild camping is not permitted in the protected nature but there are numerous camping sites in the country so Iceland will never be a cheap vacation but with a little abstinence and a landscape connected trip the local costs remain at a bearable level at the Honda Adventure roads 2022
The bikes are already waiting for us ready for departure you can treat yourself to a similar level of luxury by renting a motorcycle there is a ferry connection from Holz at the northern tip of Denmark directly or via the faroh islands to Iceland the journey takes 2
To 2.5 days it costs around 500 to €700 per direction for the simplest shared cabins with other passengers however prices vary greatly depending on the time of year the size of the vehicle and the number of passengers however it is never cheap and as motorcyclists only have a very
Limited time window in Iceland from June to September due to the weather you inevitably have to travel in the most expensive peak season however all the high prices and challenges of Iceland are quickly put into perspective when you drive through the diverse volcanic landscape in my 4 days of driving I have
Already seen incredible areas breathtaking Landscapes experienced adventures and driven through a completely foreign and unique world but this can only be seen as a teaser because Iceland has much more to offer than I got to see in such a short time there are over 100 large waterfalls in
Iceland alone active volcanoes can be visited glaciers and Ice Caves can be explored Whale Tours black beaches spectacular geological formations Mighty Cliffs hot thermal Springs boiling geysers cute puffins etc etc the list of things to see in Iceland is almost endless then there is The Adventurous at atmosphere of the Wild Island the
Feeling of being a Pioneer in a foreign World a feeling that you don’t often get to experience at least not in Europe that’s why it soon became clear that I would have to come back Against All Odds if you enjoyed the video leave us a like And subscribe to our
Channel thanks for watching and see you soon that
2 Comments
Great video 👍👍
First few seconds I had to check I was watching the right video, not NatGeo 😉