Summary

Daily distances

I traveled on the motorways in Austria, Germany, most parts of Denmark and Sweden. But there weren't many motorways on my way in Finland and Norway.

If you drive between 600 and 800 km on motorways a day, you need from 8 to 11 hours, including breaks for refueling, rest and food. When you drive on the main roads in Norway, you usually cover about 60 kilometers in an hour.

These are my trip stats:

• Two days of 1000 km per day

• Two days with more than 800 km per day

• Three days with more than 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 more than 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 Scandinavian country. But they have road cameras everywhere. Although these cameras record from the front, meaning the camera cannot see the motorcycle's number plate, I have been alerted to occasional police patrols measuring speed with hand-held and portable radar devices.

My hosts in Norway told me about two young Americans driving down a road with a 90 km/h speed limit followed by a 60 km/h speed limit. They slowed down, but the police patrol still measured the speed at 85 km/h at the 60 km/h sign. They had to pay a 3000 euro fine or spend 14 days in prison!

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

Fuel price and consumption

My motorcycle uses 95 octane gasoline. You can rarely find it for less than €2 per liter. Usually the price was around 2.2 euros per liter. The average consumption was 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. On the main Norwegian roads with strict speed limits, consumption was below 4 liters per 100 kilometers.

Costs for cell phone calls, SMS, and internet data

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

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

Costs

The total cost of this trip was just under €3 800. It may seem like a lot, but you have to realize that Scandinavian countries are generally expensive. Accommodation is the major part of the expenditure. A frugal traveler could cut these costs by camping or sleeping in a shared room. I wanted to have my own room, but I tolerated the 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 didn't have this option, these accommodation costs would be 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 costs proportionally.

I should mention that motorcycles in Scandinavian countries are exempt from paying tolls and taxes for the traffic load of cities. Motorcycles also do not pay for tunnels in Norway, while other vehicles have to pay a toll in some underwater tunnels. If you are traveling by car or motorhome, this can result in significant additional costs.

Food in restaurants is also expensive, so budget travelers tend not to eat in restaurants.

Ferries in Norway are relatively cheap for motorbikes, and the easiest way to pay is to create a profile with FerryPay. When you board the ferry, they take a photo of the license plate and charge the credit card associated with that registration.

Where I had access to a kitchen, I also bought groceries and prepared my own food. I spent some money on tours (tickets) and gifts. Other costs were not high. Tolls include Austrian vignette and tunnels in Austria. Parking for motorbikes is free in most cases, so most parking costs include the Nordkapp parking/entrance fee (€29). If you use the EasyPark application on your mobile phone, you can use it to pay for parking in Norway.

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

I used public transport in Copenhagen and Stockholm, which works very well there.

The weather

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

It also rains a lot more in Scandinavia. During the first nine days of my trip there was not a day that it did not rain. But the weather changes very quickly. Rain showers come and go quickly.

July is statistically the driest month. I was quite lucky with the weather. I only had two days where I rode in the rain most of the time. But when it rains all day, temperatures can drop to 12 degrees, which can be uncomfortable when riding a motorcycle if you don't have the appropriate equipment for this weather, and heated handle grips on the motorcycle are also a great help.

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

Impressions

When I was preparing for this trip, I mentally prepared myself to drive long distances in bad and cold weather. Fortunately, I only experienced two such days. The rest of the route was cloudy and sunny with occasional short periods of rain. Overall, the trip was less difficult than I thought it would be.

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

Everything fell into place, my motorcycle worked well, I didn't have any difficult traffic situations, I was able to stick almost entirely to my carefully prepared itinerary.

I gained a lot of valuable experience that will help me in my future travels. I know one thing for sure: I will return to Norway if circumstances permit.