Have you ever thought of shipping your bike to Iceland for two weeks’ of exploring? We have, but Wil Linssen actually did it
When Wil Linssen’s adventure-riding friends planned to return to Iceland for another two-week ride around the dramatic island, he didn’t waste time thinking, ‘I answered the call,’ says the 43-year-old, decisively.
The group of seven Brits might have shared the same destination as Liz Salisbury (whose own Iceland trip we wrote about here ), but the journeys were very different. Liz rode north through Europe, as close to Iceland as was practical, then caught the ferry with her BMW S1000RR superbike. Wil’s gang had a different plan, ‘We shipped the bikes over, then flew to meet them. There were a bunch of dads in the group, so time away is a premium. Instead of using up days getting there, we maximised riding time in Iceland.’
Tim, the group’s de facto leader, had travelled to, and ridden around, Iceland several times before and handled much of the logistics and paperwork. Each rider took their bike to the English port of Immingham to load them into a container, to then be transported directly to Iceland. There were a pair of KTM 690s, Husqvarna 701, two KTM 450s, Honda XR650, an old Suzuki DR-Z and Honda CRF300.
‘We loaded everything on the bikes and left our riding kit, helmets, and camping equipment with them. We had very cheap flights with only carry-on luggage,’ says Wil. ‘The shipping company, Samskip does a great job, but all credit to Tim, who sorted out all the paperwork. There’s some signing of things to do at the port, but it’s quick and easy. We rented electric scooters and rode them to the port, then just rode our bikes, out of the shipping container straight to the trails.’
Once reunited with their bikes, the gang covered 1900 miles (3000km) in their two weeks. ‘There was such a mix of riding. The ring road is fast, and tarmacked, and we did occasionally hit it to escape some weather or reach some fuel. Generally, though we were on the f-roads: f is for fjall, Icelandic for mountain. They’re gravel tracks through the highlands that connect the inside of the island.’
The adventure took place in the height of the Icelandic summer, so, reasonably, Wil expected endless daylight and mild weather. He didn’t get it.
‘Apparently, we were there during a record-breaking period of wetness. Imagine the wetness it takes to be record breaking in Iceland,’ says Wil. All that rain meant there were a lot of sketchy water crossings. ‘We’d been travelling for about three hours through the highlands, and near to the end of the track, and the promise of a volcanic hot pool, when we came to a formidable one. Strong current, and water up to your waist. Sat next to it was a gleaming Yamaha T7, just parked up, no rider in sight. It turns out he’d tried to get through the previous day; drowned it and had to be rescued. That put us on edge. Well, all of us except Martin who ploughed through Leeroy Jenkins style.’
One particular crossing held bad memories for a member of the crew. ‘It’s not obvious where to cross some of these rivers, and we got to one that Paul had drowned his bike in on a previous trip to Iceland.’ Unfortunately, he dunked the Honda again. ‘People think that they’re the ones holding everyone up, but memories of us coming together and getting the bike running again where some of the strongest ones from the trip.’
Shipping the bikes was expensive, so the adventurers committed to camping every night. Sometimes wild, sometimes on campsites. ‘There were quite a few nights we were rained into tents. Thankfully there was whisky and Netflix, thanks to amazing coverage even in the middle of nowhere.’
Wil’s most important piece of advice was to talk to the locals every chance you get, and ask what’s interesting nearby. ‘We learned about a former US airfield with abandoned planes, old whaling ships that had been scuttled and left to rust, and an abandoned herring canning factory that was used as a location in a DC film, all just from stopping for coffee and talking to the locals while we warmed up.’
Despite the often disappointing weather, the trip wasn’t a wash-out. ‘There were so many highs! They’d often come after a low – you drown a bike, only to recover it and ride up into the mountains and have no view because the rain and mist were in. Then turn a corner, the sun comes out, and it’s epic!’ says Wil.
‘There was one afternoon that stood out for me. A long, fast day through the highlands. I was slowly building confidence through the turns and stepping the back out, cutting through sandy sections and generally having an ace time. We finally made it to camp late in the evening and hopped straight into the hot pool. We were even up late enough to catch a 2am sunset.’
Wil says the budget for the whole trip, including bike shipping and flights, was £2500, and says it was well worth it. ‘I live in the southeast of England. When I visit Wales, I think how grand and beautiful it is there. Then if you go to Scotland it steps up another notch, and the grandness becomes grander. Iceland is on another level again. I’ve never been anywhere like it, and I can see understand why it’s so photographed. It’s beautiful, and it’ll take some beating for fun on an adventure bike.’
Many of the riders on this trip relied on Kriega equipment. To carry enough equipment for two weeks of self-supported wild camping, Wil’s KTM 690 R Adventure was fitted with a model-specific OS-BASE ADV COMBO 36 – which is a OS-BASE KTM 690 + HUSQVARNA 701 + GASGAS 700 + 2 x OS-18 Adventure Packs. Kriega also offers COMBO 12 (2 x OS-6 Adventure Packs) and COMBO 24 (2 x OS-12 Adventure Packs). The OS-BASE and OS-ADVENTURE PACKS are also sold individually, allowing you to build the ideal rackless luggage system for your tours and adventures.
An orange ROLLPACK20 was mounted centrally to the OS-BASE. This lightweight, yet heavy-duty pack is a universal fit, ideal for just about any two-wheeler and any journey. It can mount to seats, racks, or the OS-BASE. ROLLPACKS are available in two sizes and five colour choices.
Hooked around the front ofthe KTM’s seat is a US-5 DRYPACK. Wil wears a TRAIL18 backpack.
To buy, order directly from kriega.com or head to your local dealer for a closer look
Kriega UK dealer network
Kriega Worldwide importers
The OS-BASE is an over-the-seat harness for mounting OS-ADVENTURE PACKS as saddlebags. This system provides a super-tough, lightweight, easy-fit solution from 6L up to 54L capacity, without the need for pannier racks.
There are 2 x UNIVERSAL-FIT OS-BASES: OS-BASE DIRTBIKE (for the latest enduro bikes) and OS-BASE ADVENTURE (for adventure bikes old and new ) plus 11 x MODEL SPECIFIC designs available for Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, GasGas, Husqvarna and KTM. If your bike isn’t on the list, then the OS-BASE ADVENTURE is for you.