#4 North Cape Harley Tour – From Bergen to Leardal in Norway
A beautiful morning begins on the Norwegian Sea coast of Bergen, from the hillside we can look out to sea and start the new day well rested. For breakfast we want to go to downtown Bergen, where there is a good bakery at the harbor. A good and extensive breakfast is a real priority for us; if that doesn't happen, a bad mood is inevitable.
The day is said to have a few surprises and a shocking moment planned for us. But now we start towards Bergen harbor, when we arrive in the Hanseatic district of Bryggen we first take a look at the beautiful district and here you can also find the good baker Brun, who is recommended.
In this district you can walk through the streets and shop in the small shops.
There are many typical Norwegian things, for example Norwegian sweaters, it could still be cold on the tour.
Well fortified, we set off for our Harleys. We still want to drive a few kilometers today, but first we should get a lesson in how small the world is.
On one of the ferry crossings we met an Italian who was touring alone, and guess who we bump into? Exactly, the Italian.
As if that wasn't funny enough, he was no longer alone. The days before, we had met a biker from Bavaria near a hydroelectric power station who was also touring alone in Norway.
The Italian and the Bavarian also met somewhere and then drove on together and met the three of us in Bergen at the harbor.
That was all too much for us early in the morning, now after a short chat we went straight to the Harley-Davidson dealer in Bergen, picked up the next coffee there and let's see what T-shirts they had gives.
The dealer is just outside Bergen, but exactly on our route north. The Harley dealer has a really cozy bar in Bergen, where the winter months can certainly be endured happily and humidly.
Now we have had enough coffee and the journey can continue, our general direction is Alesund / Trondheim .
Dream route or longest tunnel in the world?
We drive the E16 and decided to drive to Undreal , which is a very small village, beautifully located on a fjord, the landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village has the smallest stave church in the world, there is also a very special goat cheese and there is a restaurant on the pier that fits.
There's something beautiful about the whole place and the way there, there's a whitewater river running parallel to the road, it looks cool, it's worth it. A little tip, at the pier we got very good coffee and also baked waffles with cream, that's one of those things that the Norwegians are very good at. It's a great view of the fjord, it makes you feel like you're right in the middle of it all.
And now we continue to Aurlandsvangen, the place is also on the fjord, from there we want to take the mountain road up to the Stegastein viewpoint. Up there there is a mega panoramic view over the Aurlandsfjord.
We could have continued on the E16 and driven through the longest road tunnel in the world at 24.51 kilometers, but we didn't feel like doing that at all, we had the feeling that half of Norway was tunneled under and we would probably have fallen off the wagon in the hole in the ground without an oxygen mask .
THE ACCIDENT ON THE MOUNTAIN ROAD
But first you have to go up the mountain road and this is where our blood should freeze in our veins. I rode the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra ahead, it was really narrow and steep.
Not really a problem for the Road Glide if a coach didn't suddenly come from the front that actually has no business being there. Normally only the sprinter buses go up to the viewing point and the Swede said he could do that with his bus too.
I stop and don't do anything at first because an Ultra fully loaded on a slope isn't exactly intended for reversing. Now I wanted to see what kind of idea the bus driver had. He didn't have any, because he just drove on briefly and painlessly, he just ran me over, I was completely shocked and I still am when I see the video.
There I was lying on the mountainside, after Hermann and Ernst had made it long, I was finally freed from my predicament. I was stuck between the bike and the mountain wall, but I survived it well and so did the Road Glide, the crash bars were broken Luck prevented worse things from happening.
A few serious scratches on the fairing and a bent brake lever, but nothing that would prevent us from continuing our journey. Ultimately it is his fault, we made that clear to him again, that he is lucky that we can continue driving.
The personal details were exchanged and he had a hand in lifting the 500 kilos out of the ditch. A few other bikers also noticed this and, as a precaution, gave me their details as witnesses.
It's annoying either way, the machine is only three months old, you don't really need an accident like that. The plan is to take the Milwaukee-Eight to the North Cape and to be one of the first up there in 2017 with the new 107 engine.
THE SNOW TRAIL – AURLANDSFJELLET
The program continues, up to the Stegastein viewpoint and now take a deep breath.
The Norwegians have built a viewing platform into the slope, there is usually a lot going on there, the point is an attraction for many tourists. At times even really large cruise ships appear in the fjord. The next question is whether this is necessary in this beautiful nature. In any case, the view is really breathtaking, the path is definitely more beautiful than driving through the long tunnel.
What we didn't know before is that we now have one of the most beautiful routes ahead of us, it goes higher and higher and suddenly we have snow around us, luckily the road is clear and the weather is perfect except for the temperatures. We drive the pass road from Aurland to Laerdal, the road is only open from June 1st until sometime in October.
The route is 48 kilometers long, twice as long as if you drove through the tunnel. On the route, in addition to coaches, which actually have no business here, you have to be particularly careful about sheep; they generally run around freely on the mountain passes and the further north you go, the reindeer join them.
After all this excitement we stopped in Leardal and rented a campsite at the Leardal Holiday and Leisure Park.
We can set up our tent right next to the water. The space is pretty normal, but it's perfect for showering and rearranging. The supply is also secured here, we don't want to experience anything more that day and are happy to have gotten through everything so well. Now we're experiencing a great sunset at the lake again, what could be nicer than enjoying it with your best friends and a cold beer on the table.
Goals:
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Google Tour Map from Bergen to Leardal
Thank you for the kind support of our tour partners, Visit Norway , Color Line , The Rokker Company and Tallink Silja Line .
Photo gallery from Bergen to Leardal
#5 Part of the North Cape motorcycle tour
