Trip around Finland on a -81 GS850G

[Juke Nukem]

It was about 70km drive to Haaparanta/Tornio which is divided in the middle by the border. I didn’t stop anywhere on the way except to take a picture. This time when crossing over to Finland there was a stop with Finnish customs officers asking everyone where the were coming from. They looked at me like the idiot I was when I told I had just crossed over from Ylitornio Later I heard that people coming from southern parts of Sweden were required to show the certificate of vaccination. At this point I was getting pretty tired so I made good speed to Oulu, where I got to spend a great evening and night at my wife’s relatives place. Sauna, a dip in the river and a warm bed were really welcome!


distance covered: 384km / 238mi

[Juke Nukem]

This morning started the last leg to home. I noticed one of the side box fixing brackets had come loose and the other half had fallen off. Made a quick fix with steel wire and headed off. It was going to be a boring transport between points A and B. Now it was most important to get home in time to say good night to the kids.

[Juke Nukem]

The notoriously boring road number 4 was just as boring as ever. Stopped only for food and petrol and adding oil. It was again pretty cold and when I got home at 9:30pm I was just about cramped into the driving position. Kids had waited up and later some food and sauna felt absolutely great. Some summary and more (and better quality) photos to follow!


edit: distance covered 648km / 402mi

[Juke Nukem]

Two weeks have passed since I returned, and I've had some time to reflect on the trip. First of all it was really exhilarating to step outside the super-busy family life for a whole week, on a motorcycle, with only a rough idea of where to go. All the uncertainties about where to sleep, eat and will the bike hold together, only made the idea more fun. When traveling with family, all of these things would have to be planned and sorted out in advance. So, starting the trip was actually one of the best experiences on it, a hollow feeling in my belly but a grin on my face.

On the first days it was also cool to see how motorcycling connects people. On just about every petrol station someone would come over and ask about the bike and maybe tell what they had driven in the past. On my first stop for petrol I actually left my tank bag on the rear seat and started driving, and it of course fell off. When I noticed, I turned around and found the bag few km back. Another Suzuki driver (TL1000) had stopped and picked it up from the middle of the road and was trying to find contact information on it to return it. After 1.5y of limited social contacts due Covid all this was very moving.

In southern Finland the scenery and roads felt familiar and the wobbling handlebar took some of the joy out of driving. When I had the issues with my front tyre sorted, and got around to the arctic latitudes, there was some really good bits of driving which I will remember always for sure. It was a special feeling, going on some totally empty roads in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by rough scenery, the 40 years old engine buzzing on day after day. I would often stand on the footpegs for long periods of time and try to take it all in.

Crossing to another country made me feel almost guilty somehow since it has been practically banned for so long. This combined with the presence of the exotic arctic sea made the Norwegian part of the trip extra special. After crossing back to Finland, the last few days were just about getting back home. The long days and many poorly slept nights were taking their tax. I was surprised that I didn't get any back, leg or arm problems at any time. I guess the driving position is really natural. Anyway, returning home was great, but now I'm already planning where to go next . Some random pictures below.

P.S. I also got around to subscribing to an image hosting service, and have now changed all the pictures on my previous posts to a higher resolution.


The route on google maps.



A bonfire on the first night, at the Japanese classic bike club meeting.



Some fellow travelers in Kuusamo, with more modern machinery.



The eastern border has many memorial sites about the war against Soviet Russia during WWII.



On this road to Raate took place one of the most famous battles against the Soviets in January 1940.



The border control between Finland and Norway is pretty relaxed...



Kirkenes, Norway. The hotel in the picture was full unfortunately, but I got a room from a nice place a bit further away from the shore.



Road to Pykeija, Norway.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Great story. And the pictures are awesome now. Keep them coming. Looking forward to more of your journeys.

[2BRacing]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is interesting to see all the beautiful scenes in your country.

Your trip shows how reliable these 40 year old bikes are!

What was the total distance of your trip?

[GSXR7ED]

Great pics to go with your story. Thank you for sharing.

Ed

****

[Juke Nukem]

Thanks everyone for your comments!
Total distance was just under 3500km / 2175mi

[steve murdoch]

Quite the adventure!
The distance is impressive enough by itself but when you factor in the difficulty quotient....take a bow.

[gs scott]

Congratulations on a safe and successful road trip, and thank you for sharing! Great descriptions and pictures - such beautiful scenery. It's very exciting and rewarding to head out with minimal plans on sleeping arrangements, which is great for flexibility, but a bit worrisome when it starts to get late - even more so if the weather isn't cooperating. Sounds like your GS did fantastic overall, and critter / deer avoidance was equally successful. All in all, sounds like an awesome and very memorable trip, and you have some really beautiful pictures of your adventure! Thanks again for sharing.

I did a similar, not-well-planned adventure earlier this year and this is motivating me to share that as well. I could have taken my 1100ES but I ended up taking my 2018 Gold Wing. Next time...

[SophieWillow]

This is brilliant. Works so well for this kind of job.

[GSDoubleDyl]

Juke, the story and pictures of your adventure were a great read. Many thanks for sharing.

Your country looks as rugged and beautiful as I imagined. I am amazed by how similar the terrain looks to here in Newfoundland, Canada. Even the coastal villages look like they could be here.

Congratulations on completing your epic journey.