Summary

Daily travel distances

I have traveled on motorways in Austria, Germany, most parts of Denmark and Sweden. There were not many motorways on my route in Finland and Norway.

If you cover between 600 and 800 km on motorways in a day, you need between 8 and 11 hours, including breaks for refueling, resting and eating. When driving on main roads in Norway, you usually cover about 60 kilometers in an hour.

These are the statistics of my trip:

• Two days with 1000 km per day

• Two days with over 800 km per day

• Three days with well over 600 km per day

• Four days with significantly more than 400 km per day

• Three days with more than 300 km per day

• Four days with over 200 km per day

• The rest were days with less than 200 km per day

Speed limits

I have not seen many police patrols on the roads in any of the Scandinavian countries. But they have road cameras everywhere. Although these cameras capture you from the front, which means that the motorcycle's license plate is not seen by the camera, I have been warned about occasional police patrols that measure speed with portable or detachable radar devices.

My hosts in Norway told me about two young Americans who were traveling on a road with a speed limit of 90 km/h, which was then reduced to 60 km/h. They slowed down, but the police patrol still measured a speed of 85 km/h when they passed the 60 km/h sign. They had to pay a €3 000 fine or spend 14 days in prison!

In all Scandinavian countries, people stick to the speed limits and you rarely see anyone speeding. Norway is one of the countries in Europe with the fewest road casualties in relation to its population.

Fuel price and consumption

My motorcycle runs on 95-octane gasoline. You will rarely find it for less than €2 per liter. Normally the price was around €2.2 per liter. The average consumption was 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. On the main Norwegian roads with their strict speed limits, consumption was under 4 liters per 100 kilometers.

Mobile phone and Internet data charges

All the other countries I traveled through on this trip, except Norway, are members of the European Union. This means that roaming calls, SMS and internet data will only slightly increase your monthly bill if you live in the EU. Norway has its own rules, and roaming charges can be very high unless you have a plan that includes calls, SMS and data in Norway.

I don't have such a plan, so I bought a physical SIM card in Norway and topped it up with a prepaid amount that includes unlimited calls, text messages and 12 GB of internet data. My phone doesn't support e-SIM, but it does support dual SIM cards, so I can use the phone with two SIM cards at the same time. I chose the "mycall" SIM card and was able to set it up on my Samsung S10e phone in about 10 minutes without any problems.

Expenses

The total expenditure for this trip amounted to just under €3 800. That may seem like a lot, but you have to realize that Scandinavian countries are generally expensive. Accommodation accounts for most of the expenditure. A budget-conscious traveler could reduce these costs by camping or sleeping in a shared room. I wanted my own room, but I tolerated a shared bathroom when the prices for rooms with private bathrooms were too expensive. I would like to add here that I stayed with friends for 8 days. If I had not had this option, this accommodation costs would have been even higher.

Fuel is the next big expense. My average fuel consumption was 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. If you have a vehicle that consumes more, you have to increase these expenses proportionally.

I would like to point out that motorcycles are exempt from paying congestion charges and tolls in the Scandinavian countries. Motorcycles also do not pay for the tunnels in Norway, where some of the underwater tunnels charge tolls for other vehicles. If you are traveling by car or motorhome, this can lead to considerable additional costs.

Food in restaurants is also expensive, so this can be avoided by budget-conscious travelers.

Ferries in Norway are relatively cheap for motorcycles, and the easiest way to pay is to create a profile with FerryPay. When you board a ferry, a photo is taken of your license plate and your credit card is automatically charged.

When I had access to a kitchen, I also bought groceries and prepared my own food. I spent some money on sightseeing (tickets) and gifts. Other expenses were not high. Road tolls include the Austrian vignette and tunnels in Austria. Parking for motorcycles is free in most cases, so most of the parking costs include the parking/entry fee at Nordkapp (€29). If you use the EasyPark application on your cell phone, you can use it to pay for parking in Norway.

I paid quite a high price for the SIM card and prepaid calls and data. I wanted to make sure I had enough data for a month, so I went for a 12 GB package. I actually used about half of it.

In Copenhagen and Stockholm, I used public transportation, which works very well there.

Weather

The average maximum summer temperature in Scandinavia in July is 18-20 degrees Celsius, the average minimum temperature is 10-12 degrees. That's almost 10 degrees colder than the temperatures I am used to in Slovenia.

It also rains a lot more in Scandinavia. In the first nine days of my trip, there was not a single day when it did not rain. However, the weather changes very quickly. The rain showers come and go quickly.

Statistically speaking, July is the driest month. I was pretty lucky with the weather. I only had two days where I was out in the rain most of the time. But when it rains all day, the temperatures drop to 12to 15 degrees, and that can be uncomfortable when riding a motorcycle if you do not have the right equipment for this weather, and heated grips are also very helpful.

Overall, riding a motorcycle in temperatures just below 20 degrees is ideal. It's not cold, it's not hot. When you stop, you do not sweat under all that protective clothing. Norway is the ideal motorcycle destination for the summer.

Impressions

As I prepared for this trip, I mentally prepared myself to ride long distances in bad and cold weather. Fortunately, I only experienced two such days. The rest of the journey was in cloudy and sunny weather with occasional shorter periods of rain. Overall, the trip was less strenuous than I thought it would be.

The places I saw and the people I met were unforgettable. The farmland in Denmark, the endless forests in Sweden, the big cities and small towns and villages I drove through, the days getting longer and longer the further north I got until there was no real night, the beautiful Norwegian coast with its fjords, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, the diverse nature... Simply unforgettable.

Everything fell into place, my motorcycle worked well, I had no difficult traffic situations, I was able to stick almost completely to my carefully prepared itinerary.

I was able to gain a lot of valuable experience that will help me on my future trips. One thing I know for sure: I will come back to Norway if my circumstances allow it.