This is how I learnt about Malle Moto, which is basically racing the Dakar on your own without mechanics or any other support than getting your tools and stuff carried from stage to stage. Those guys spend the day racing and the night preparing the bike, with few hours of sleep. It’s probably the hardest way of racing the Dakar.
The video is about Lindon Poskitt racing the Dakar 2017 in Malle Moto. Lindon is a guy that is going around the world in his off-road motorcycle, joining competitions along the way. You can follow him in his facebook page or his website, Races2Places. By the way, sorry for the late notice, but he is currently competing in Malle Moto again.
I could never do Malle Moto because it looks like you still need the resources and skills that I will never have. But I also learnt about a much more amateur and cheaper competition, the Budapest-Bamako Rally. This one takes place every two years and is happening right now. Maybe some day…
Finally, the moment I start writing about the actual trip. I hope I haven’t forgotten much about it. Actually, to prevent that, I wrote a journal.
You should already know that the goal of this blog is to provide useful information for off-road motorcycle drivers. If you read my previous posts, you will see I mainly write about roads and routes. I intend to do the same here. This doesn’t mean I won’t write about sights, meals, accommodation and similar things; but don’t take me as a definitive source of information for that. I used a Lonely Planet guide for that, and you should look for your own good sources.
Because I have so much to recount, I will do it in several posts. I haven’t planned how many, we will see how it goes. In every post, I will go day by day. I thought it would be useful to share all the trip expenses, so I took note of them and I will be able to give you quite detailed information. Nevertheless, despite my utilitarian approach, I have experiences to tell and I will try to make it entertaining. I hope you enjoy it.
Day 1 (7.7) – Helsinki.
This trip starts on July the 7th, taking a Viking Line night ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm. The return trip costed 337 €, including motorcycle, cabin, and buffet. I was lucky to find friends to share some dances at the ferry’s venue, I had a great time. I spent 17 € in drinks.
Day 2 (8.7) – Stockholm to Vadstena
The first thing I did when I arrived to Stockholm is filling the tank with 12.5 l for 17.2 €. Fuel is cheaper in Sweden. Then I found my way to motorway E4. It was rainy and I stopped to buy a wall USB charger and have a lunch at a Max burger in Nyköping.
I really wanted to mention Max burger. For a big hamburger chain the quality is good, the service fast due to the use of digital ordering terminals, the selection big including vegetarian hamburgers, and they are everywhere. Specially by the roads, making a very convenient quick stop for food. I ate at Max several times while I was in Sweden.
By recommendation, I stopped for a sleep-over at Vadstena. And what a great recommendation it was. Vadstena is a beautiful town by a lake with nice things to see, including a castle and monastery ruins. I paid 9 € to visit the castle.
Vadstena castle (Sweden)
I had time to walk around the town, eat pizza for dinner and have some drinks and ice cream. In total, that day I spent 25.7 € in food and 19.4 € in drinks and the castle.
I stayed at Slottsgården. Without booking, they only had a room without bathroom in an old train carriage. It costed 45 € and it was actually quite nice.
Accommodation in Vadstena (Sweden)
Day 3 (9.7) – Vadstena to Gothenburg
I filled the tank with 18.2 € and continued my way to Gothenburg. The views of Vättern lake were nice from the motorway. In Gothenburg I ate at Max again and left my bike for the night at an open unwatched parking for 13.5 €.
Gothenburg is a big city full of contrasts. There are old areas, new areas, hills, water channels, parks… really nice and worth visiting. I walked the center visiting the main sights, including Skansen Kronan and the port with the old ships (which could be visited but it was late). I liked Gothenburg’s old trams, which I found ugly but charming.
Tram in Gothenburg (Sweden)
I looked for some food in the area of my Hostal too late, everything was closed. I remember having a beer at a bar, but I forgot to write how much I spent. The night was in a bunk in a shared room in Linnéplatsens Hotel and it costed 42 €.
Day 4 (10.7) – Gothenburg to Hirtshals
I started the day filling the tank as usual (19.8 €). Then I took a Stena Line ferry to Frederikshavn that costed 73.4 €, one way because the return was going to be through Copenhaguen. I had some chips (2.7 €) and a beer (5.4 €) at the ferry.
From Frederikshavn I went to the northern tip of Denmark in Skagen, a sandy place where I had been before so I knew it was worth a visit. I paid 4 € for a coffee and a muffing at the kiosk in the parking.
Pinzgauer parked in Skagen (Denmark)
There I saw the Pinzgauer of the picture above. The most unusual thing about it is that its occupants used intercoms like in an airplane. I wonder what the reason was, could the engine noise be so unbearable?.
Then I went to Hirtshals to stay overnight waiting for the ferry. Hirtshals is a little town with quite a big port and not much to do or see. I hadn’t driven much from Gothenburg, but I filled the tank again (7.2 €) because it would be cheaper than in Iceland. Then I had dinner for 32 € and ice cream for 3.5 €.
I saw many off-road vehicles parked around, which made me excited about what was awaiting me. Actually, it seems the town gets almost fully booked before the departure of the ferry to Iceland, so I recommend you to book in advance. I didn’t, so it took me a while to find a room that costed 95 €.
Days 5 and 6 (11.7-12.7) – Hirtshals to Seyðisfjörður
The following morning I had breakfast at the hotel and got into the ferry. At the time of my trip, Smyril Line from Hirtshals was the only way of getting a vehicle to Iceland. The return ticket with the cheapest accommodation and all the meals costed 1020 €.
The cheapest accommodation option is a bunk in a cabin of six, like the picture below. These cabins have saloon-like doors and are connected by short corridors in groups of four, and these corridors have proper doors to the rest of the ship. Either men or women are accommodated in a corridor. So I shared a more or less open space with 23 other men. Contrary to my expectations, nobody snorted, coughed or made any noise at night in any of the trips, I slept quite well. I hope the others can say the same about me.
Bunk accommodation in the ferry to Iceland
The trip takes 48 hours and there is not much to do in the ferry. This is when the e-reader came handy. I also paid 21 € to have Internet. Besides that, I spent a total of 27.5 € in beers and a cappuccino; and 14.5 € in water bottles and a bag of Twix bars. Drinks were not included in the meal reservations. I found out that buying water in the shop and taking it to the meals was quite cheaper than buying it in the restaurants.
The afternoon of the second day the ship docked in Tórshavn. The stop is just long enough to unload and load the ship and I had decided to skip the Faroe Islands in order to get more time in Iceland, so all I saw was from the ship. Still, I got a spectacular views of fjords and steep shores that made me more excited about what was awaiting me.
Tórshavn (Faroe Islands)
And finally, on the morning of July the 13th, I landed in Iceland.
It took me long to prepare this post about my Icelandic trip. I thought it would be useful for others to share a detailed list of all the stuff I carried with me. It was my first long trip, so I had no idea of what I was going to need and made the list by guessing and asking people. I obviously ended up missing many things, and carrying many more that I didn’t need.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any proper gear or many of the things I needed, so I had to buy them for this trip. The good side is that I can tell you what I paid for almost every item.
I have divided the list in sections to make it more manageable, and I include comments based on my experience. Those items I don’t make comments about, it’s because they served their purpose and I was happy to carry them.
I made quite an investment in good gear, but I think it was worthy. I’m not going to repeat what you will read in most reviews in the Internet. My only complain about the Sidi boots is that the plastic doesn’t protect the spot where I touch the shifter, closer to the tip. The leather is getting worn there, so I bought a cheaper pair of enduro boots for my day trips.
I can’t tell whether the neck brace was worthy, I only saw one rider wearing a much smaller model. I wore it attached to the jacket with the connection kit. This made the jacket bulky and slightly more difficult to put on and off. It’s one of those things you better never really need.
I hope I find the time to write a post about all my gear some day, then I could tell you more.
Trangoworld thin raincoat (Bought it years ago, I think it was around 100 €).
Adidas Gore-Tex Trekking boots (Bought them years ago, I think they were around 150 €).
Here is my first big mistake: I was warm with the motorcycle gear, I was warm sleeping in the bag, but I was freezing in the morning and evening with these clothes. It was July and I needed, at least, a better sweater.
A friend told me that I only needed three changes of clothes; I took five, and he was right. The thing is that it’s very difficult to dry your clothes in the Icelandic humid weather, specially during the night. So you better have just one change of drying clothes per day, meaning that you must wash yesterday’s clothes every day. Thus, you don’t need more than three changes.
Another good advice from the same friend was to use gym tights as underpants. That way you can change your trousers out of the tent without being in underwear. There had been occasions in which I had to stop anywhere and take my motorcycle trousers off to put or remove the Gore-Tex layer.
I didn’t use the merino wool tube scarfs. The cheap tube scarfs that I had for riding were enough.
If you are riding a motorcycle, you want to keep your gear out but protected from rain. Mine did the job, but a smaller tent with a bigger vestibule would have been better.
The broom and dustpan were a recommendation to keep the tent clean. It was useful, but bulky to carry despite it was a small hand set. I’m not sure if I would take it again.
The rope did its job to hang the clothes, but now I think I should have taken something shorter and stronger that I could also use to pull the motorcycle in case I needed it.
I used the bag to carry my wet clothes, hanging in my back from my neck brace. Quite useless for drying them, but at least they stayed ventilated and the rest of my stuff didn’t get moisted.
Carrying wet clothes in Iceland
Utensils, drugstore products
Camping cutlery set (4 €).
Tupperwares. One of 1.8l, two of 1.2l, 5 smaller ones (12 €).
Roll of 20l plastic bags (1 €).
Toiletry bag (8 €).
Mirror (2 €).
Soap bar (3 €).
Wet wipes, 2 packs (4 €).
Personal hygiene items.
Washing machine bag (2 €).
Insect repelents and kill sprays (26 €).
Antihistamine and painkillers.
I only needed the three bigger tupperwares. The roll of plastic bags and the soap bar proved to be very useful, I used the later to wash myself and my clothes. The washing machine bag was an alternative when I didn’t know what to do with my wet clothes, but I only used the other bag. I often got my hands dirty, the wet wipes were very useful but I only needed one pack. I also took too many medicines. Insects are an issue in Finland but not in Iceland; I left the repelents and kill spray in a guesthouse during the trip because they were just a big waste of space.
I was planning to do some several-hours trekking some days, but at the end I never had that much time and I chose to ride the motorbike to places instead. I only used the binoculars and the flask.
No matter how you plan to travel and what you plan to do, binoculars are a must in Iceland. They will give you a better view of mountains, glaciers, cascades, birds…
I used the flask to carry water when riding. At the beginning I also carried a 1.5 liter bottle, but 1 liter is enough to make it to the next free source of water. Actually, considering the temperatures, I didn’t really need a thermo flask. A plastic bottle would have been enough.
I didn’t use that compass, but I still want to fit a compass in the motorbike in a place where I can always see it. It would have been useful when my phone broke and I didn’t have GPS.
For a long time I considered taking my older phone as well, for back-up. At the end, I didn’t because I thought that the odds of the new one breaking were minimal. And, in the middle of the trip, the Google phone started failing until it stopped working. I think it was because of me taking pictures under the rain, together with the humidity of the night. The phone was moisted every morning. I later discovered that my sleeping bag had an inner pocket, I should have kept the phone there. In any case, having no phone means no GPS, no Internet, no way of calling emergency services; it really made travelling difficult and risky. Next time I will definitely have a second phone.
Transferring 64 gigabytes from the camera to the phone over WiFi is slow, and so is uploading the videos to the cloud. I had to delete many of the videos I took, just to make space to record new ones. I still haven’t figured out a good solution for this.
The camera bars and clamps were meant to mount the camera in the motorbike in a way I could record myself driving, but I couldn’t find a way that made me confident that I wasn’t going to loose it. So I just used a small mount that comes with it, stuck on top of the visor of my helmet.
The earbuds were for listening to music under the helmet, but it takes many attempts to put the helmet on without them falling off. I wanted to buy a Sena 10C EVO bluetooth system, but it didn’t reach the market before my trip. The watch was useful, specially when I had no phone.
The e-reader was good for the tedious 48-hours ferry trip between Hirtshals and Seyðisfjörður, but I didn’t have much time to kill the rest of the trip.
From the toolbox, I only took the tools that fitted the bolts and screws of the motorbike. They fitted nicely in the toolbag.
The fire extinguisher was a safety measure when I thought I was going to carry 10 liters of gasoline in external containers. But that didn’t happen, so it was a rather unnecessary weight. I didn’t see a extinguisher in any other motorbike.
The lock is perfect for locking the helmet to the handlebar. Maybe too much for a country like Iceland, but something I still use at home.
I used the bungee cords to strap a bag to the rear rack, and now and then for other things. I think it’s worthy to carry a set of different sizes, they are handy.
The cable ties and duct tape were for emergency repairs. As you know, the former served their purpose. Fortunately I didn’t need the tyre repair. I was often in lonely roads far from any town, it could have saved me in a bad situation.
Considering my motorbike has double headlight, I think I shouldn’t have taken any spare lamp. I could have managed with any broken lamp until the next shop. The vibrations and bumps could have easily broken any of the spares. I didn’t need a new set of fuses either, I later learnt that the bike had spares and where they are located.
So, enough about the preparations. From the next post, I will finally start telling you the actual trip.
I haven’t forgotten about my trip to Iceland, but it’s taking me a while to gather the data for my next posts. Now I’m going to tell you how I prepared the bike for the trip.
Vacaburra near Djúpavík (Iceland)
You already know about the Holan panniers and my experience with them. I stuck white front, red rear, and orange side reflectors on them. Tuareg Rear Rack Extension was a good spending of 73 euros. It was the perfect platform to strap a Richa H2O 40l bag with bungee cords, that cost me 50 euros. On top of the tank I had a Richa TS 011 bag that cost me 45 euros. I bought both Richa bags in a local shop, and I have no complain about them.
Tuareg Rear Rack Extension
have been wanting to change my tires to something more off-road. I wanted Mitas E-07 Dakar but I couldn’t get them due to supply shortage. At the end I chose the more radical Continental TKC 80 and I’m so happy with them I will probably put the same in my next change. It’s true they don’t last so long, after 7200 kilometers of trip to Iceland I think they are three quarters worn. But the handling is so much better off-road… As a precaution, I have reduced my maximum speed on pavement to 100 km/h, 80 if it is wet. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, but for me it’s a good trade-off.
I had wild dreams of reaching Sigurðarskáli and doing the F26. I was concerned about the range of the tank, so I bought twoRotopax Gasflask that fit nicely on top of the panniers and gave me almost 10 liters extra. With their straps and import taxes, they cost me more than 300 euros. It turned out to be a waste of money, because when I saw the rivers I had to cross I cancelled my plans. I did the F35 and other shorter routes, for which I didn’t need extra fuel. Maybe they come handy in some other adventure.
It was very clear that I needed some kind of cushion to endure the trip. After some search in the Internet, I decided to buy Airhawk 2 Cruiser Small pad. What a great product, I was riding several hours everyday with no problem sitting. My mistake was that I spent 170 euros ordering it from the US (taxes included), and then I found another suitable model of the same brand in a local shop for half the price. Oh well…
I could have lived without spending 180 euros in a pair of Pivot Pegz Mark 3, but I’m happy I did. A great product that makes off-road riding more comfortable and safer, and I recommend.
Pivot Pegz Mark 3
I had to replace a broken mirror, so I spent 40 euros in a couple of folding mirrors. These mirrors have a joint that allows me to have them in a more upright position than the stock ones, being less exposed to falls. They have already survived a few without touching the ground. A cheap improvement that I can recommend.
Folding mirror
I had a car-lighter socket, but I decided to replace it with a double USB socket that I installed in the center of the handlebar for better rain protection. Having two USB was very handy to charge the camera’s batteries while keeping the phone connected. It cost me 12 euros and it wasn’t difficult to install. I’m not sure if I did it quite right, because it still gives power with the keys off. I suppose it doesn’t drain the battery if nothing is connected.
USB charger sockets
I definitely should mention the heated grips, even though they are not part of this trip’s preparations. They were already installed when I bought the bike. I had good winter gloves and I still I couldn’t have survived without them, given the Icelandic weather.
I ordered a polycarbonate headlight guard, but there was a supply shortage and Rugged Roads kindly cancelled it. I was considering other protection parts from the same shop, but I thought I had already spent too much money. At the end, I didn’t need them.
In my next post about the trip, I will give you the detailed packlist of all the stuff I carried with me, including prices and my experience with the items. I took me a while to compile it, but it’s almost done.
This post is about my bad experience with Nomada Cases by Holan. I had some old plastic panniers that I used in my trip to Estonia, but I thought they were not good for Iceland. Too small, and probably neither waterproof not strong enough. I decided to invest in a new metallic set, and after considering several options I chose Holan‘s panniers. I liked their looks, the cut edges, the many strap hooks, and the available extras of straps, bags, bottle holders and bottom boxes. I made an investment of 1329 €, divided as follows:
If you just buy the pannier system and locks, the price is pretty much the same as other panniers in the market. It’s the extras what made it so expensive. With everything installed, it looks like in the picture below. The reflectors are not included.
Gothenburg, on my way to Iceland
The first issues I noticed when I installed the rack are related to the bar that links both sides. The “flaps” with holes for the screws are not well aligned, and the bar touches and pushes the plate holder back. You can see this in the image below. Notice that the tight screw and bolt are pushing the flaps together, the misalignment was bigger when loose.
Holan Nomada Cases rack
This picture was taken after the Iceland trip. I was worried that the misaligned flaps would put extra force in the bolts that could make them break, but so far they have survived fine. The plate holder has scratched the paint from the bar, though.
Another issue is the weakness of the bottle holders. As you can see in the first picture, I was carrying a fire extinguisher and a 1-liter flask. The picture below shows how the holder bent down after the Iceland trip. Compare it to the unused holder in the background. The other holder that I used was bent the same.
Holan bottle holder bent after Iceland
The biggest issue was that the right pannier started getting loose and falling in bumpy roads. The picture below is a composition of one of such incidents, together with the wheel that Holan uses to tight the panniers. Loosing a pannier is a extremely dangerous thing, because it causes a sudden shift of weight that pushes you sideways. Fortunately this happened on bumpy roads with almost no traffic.
Loosing a Holan pannier in Iceland
The first time it happened I thought it was my mistake for not attaching the pannier tight, but it kept happening no matter how tight I twisted the wheels with both hands. At the end, when riding on bumpy roads, I had to stop every half an hour to make them tight again. I don’t know why this happened only with the right pannier; but in my opinion, relying on a wheel staying tight under vibrations is very risky and a big mistake. There should be some kind of safety lock or pin.
Another issue, related to the bottle holders, is the weakness of the locks. They are made of the same metal with the same thickness. The locks are designed to work as hinges as well, but one can notice they are not quite strong to even hold the weight of the open lid. The picture below shows how the hooks of the lock of a bottom EXP-box bent after the trip to Iceland. Those little hooks hold the weight of the box, and I was carrying tools in it. It never actually opened, but I used flanges to be safe.
Holan bent lock after Iceland
One issue of the EXP-boxes is that they easily get water when crossing rivers and such. My tools got rusty. If they aren’t meant to be waterproof, I think they should have a hole to let the water out.
Speaking of waterproofing, the rubber sealing of the panniers gets peeled off when pulling full bags out of them. The picture below shows how. So far I managed to stick it back.
Holan pannier rubber sealing
I placed the order for the panniers on January 3rd 2017. I can’t remember when I received them exactly, a few months later. I only used them in my trip to Iceland, July-August 2017. On September 10th 2017 I sent an e-mail to Holan explaining these issues with attached pictures, and asking for a compensation or repair. So far I didn’t get any reply. I will update this post if I ever hear from them.
It’s a pity that poor design or quality in the details ruins what otherwise would be a great pannier system. This, plus their lack of response, makes me regret my choice. Actually, after my trip to Iceland, I think I should have used flexible bags like the ones made by Wolfman Luggage (Just an example, I’m not endorsing the brand). I thought flexible bags were too weak, but other adventure riders I met were happy with them and their resistance to falls. If you are unlucky, you can probably do an emergency fix with duct tape. My metallic pannier system adds a lot of weight and made handling noticeably more difficult, specially off-road.
This could be my last ride of the season, so I decided to have assured fun going to Kalkkivuori again. This is definitely my favourite area so far. I went to the same paths again, so rather than describe the route I’m going to highlight the best paths and spots.
It had been raining heavily the day before, so the soil was soft and muddy even though it looked dry. Thanks to proper tires and my growing experience I drove more confident than ever, beginning to accelerate in curves, controlling some occasional slides. I didn’t fall a single time. The bike doesn’t feel so heavy after driving it fully loaded in Iceland. It was my best day in Finland.
The best part of this area is not Mukulamäentie and Suurniityntie, but the multiple semi-abandoned paths that start from them and are not in Google Maps. Check out the screenshot of Geo Tracker below.
Forest paths in Kalkkivuori (Vihti)
For example, the picture below was taken in this location and shows a path with grown vegetation including branches, which was also muddy and slippery in some parts.
Forest path near Suurniityntie (Hyvinkää)
The best path was actually the one that starts in this location. It was covered with vegetation, sometimes slippery and so uneven I even hit the ground with my skid plate. It was long and I could have continued further; but I turned around because I was going deep in the forest and I got worried of getting stuck. Unfortunately I was so excited and concentrated with the driving that I forgot to take a picture of the best part, but here is the beginning:
Forest path near Mukulamäentie (Hyvinkää)
I went through Iso-Kairintie again. It’s really a great curly road to push the limits with some controlled sliding. This time the vegetation was so grown that I could hardly see the lake.
As mentioned, I think this was a perfect ending for the season. I will soon store my bike and hopefully I will have the time to start telling you about Iceland before I forget too many details.
For this day trip I looked at Google Earth again and decided to go west of Hyvinkää, not remembering that I have been there before. You may notice the lower quality of the pictures, taken with my old Samsung Galaxy S3 because my Nexus 5X was being repaired.
I took the E12 north to Hyvinkää and then 1361 west. The first gravel roads that I tried were the beginnig of Jauholammintie and Piilolammintie. They are the typical hard-soil and gravel roads, in this case narrow and with poor curve visibility due to the vegetation. Not worthy.
Piilolammintie (Hyvinkää)
I continued west in the 1361 and tried Kenkiäntie. Without pretending it, I was again in the road where I had the fall. I have come to hate these roads of gravel over hard soil, it’s like going over marbles. Treacherous and not fun.
Kenkiäntie (Hyvinkää)
I went west in Hirvijärventie. Until Rantala it is paved and with many houses by the road, then it’s again a gravel road and still many houses.
Hirvijärventie (Loppi)
I went up and down Pitkäjärventie. This a more interesting forest track with some stones and grass, only too short.
Pitkäjärventie (Loppi)
I took Hirsmäentie and Nyynäistentie north until road 54. They didn’t have so many houses as Hirvijärventie but they were the same kind of roads.
Nyynäistentie (Loppi)
I took 54 west (which is an asphalt road) and then Kaakkomäentie and Ourajoentie north. Same again, hard soil, gravel, few houses.
There are some hunting posts that I used to place my camera and take videos of myself passing by. In this location the forest was covered with moss and I could take the nice picture below.
South of Takalammentie there is another nice short track that doesn’t exist in Google Maps. In this location I took a picture of it that you can see below.
Track west of Sylkkiöt lake (Loppi)
I decided to call it a day so I took roads 2832, 132 and E12 back to Helsinki. I must say that, if you like asphalt, 2832 is a nice slightly curvy and hilly road with good pavement and little traffic.
So, not a good area for off-road driving. The few nice tracks were too short. At least, I know where not to waste my time again. The season is coming to an end, so next time I will probably repeat Ylimmäinen or Kalkkivuori.
Sorry for this long break, but I was in Iceland! Check out the new header picture, taken here.
Road 643 near Djúpavík (Iceland)
I have a lot to write about the trip, and it’s going to take me some time. In the meantime I would like to draw your attention to the Youtuber HectoeFIN. He is Finnish and rides a XRV 750 too. He has amazing riding skills.
He is good at making videos of his rides, don’t miss any in his channel.
He has buddies to share a trip, some of them also ride old Africa Twins. I wish I could meet and try to follow them, some day.
After 10 years and several thousand kilometers, I have to stop saying I never fell off the bike. Yes, I dropped it many times, I even landed on the floor myself; but I was going so slow that it didn’t have many consequences. Like this:
It happened the first day I could go on a trip this season. I decided to explore the area west from Hyvinkää. I guess I was too excited, because I fell on the first unpaved road I found, Kenkiäntie. Right here.
Fell off the bike in Kenkiäntie (Hyvinkää)
As you can see in the picture, the road is wide and with gentle curves and I probably didn’t account for the amount of loose gravel on it. I arrived to this curve too fast and I tried to break. Then it happened so fast that I don’t remember exactly, but my next mistake was probably touching the front brake. The front wheel slided and the bike landed on the left side. I fell face down and the bike and me slided out of the road.
At first I didn’t notice anything wrong in me, so I removed my helmet. It was full of sand and gravel, like the front of my clothes. I can’t understand how much sand got inside the anti-fog layer of the visor. It was a sad view of a brand-new helmet.
Helmet after falling in Hyvinkää
My motorcycle leaks fuel in the horizontal position, so I went into picking it. At first I couldn’t due to the uneven floor. I managed to drag it around by pulling from the rear and finally I was able to pick it. I’m relieved I always succeeded after learning the technique. I took some time to rest and calm down while I checked the status of the bike. The front fairing was broken and twisted; the left side full of dirt and scratches; the rear indicator twisted. I noticed I couldn’t turn the handlebar right because it was hitting the bar that holds the indicator. I fixed that by forcing it. I was able to start the bike and all the lights and dashboard were working.
Motorcycle after falling in Hyvinkää
As I relaxed and cooled down, I started noticing pain in my left hand. I considered calling for help but since the bike was working and I was able to ride it, I thought I better went on my own. As a precaution I avoided the motorway and drove rather slow. It took me a long hour to arrive home. I took a shower to get rid of the dirt and a friend took me to the Emergency Department of a hospital. X-ray showed that I had a partial fracture of the triquetal bone, so I got a plaster that I must wear for four weeks.
Hand after falling in Hyvinkää
Fortunately, I have time to recover and fix the bike for my Iceland trip. I will try to fix the bike myself, it seems a matter of straightening some bars with a hammer and taping the fairing cracks. Now I understand why Boano’s Rally Fairing is so narrow. This could be a good excuse to get it, some day.
The biggest material loss is the helmet. Arai’s Tour-X 4 isn’t cheap, and it was the first time I used it. It’s not easy to tell wether it is still safe to use, but I’m not buying another unless one of my insurances covers it. My motorcycle insurance didn’t, so I extended it for the next time this happens. I wonder if expending so much in the helmet was a good idea.
At least, it did its job. By all means, always wear a full face helmet. The most vivid memory I have of the fall is hitting the ground with the front of my helmet and then dragging it on the floor. The dirt and scratches clearly showed that. If I had a 3/4 helmet, the consequences would be worse than a broken nose and bruised face. I have a friend in the Emergency Services that has seen a few broken jaws.
The psychological effects will last longer, but are probably good. I must admit that my long history without serious incidents made me overconfident. It is good that I got this reminder that things can happen and have consequences, while it didn’t spoil my trip plans.
I recently met someone that is about to get a motorcycle driving license, so it’s a good time to tell how I became interested in motorcycling. It was late and unexpected.
Until 2006, I really had no interest in motorbikes. I never had one, watched races or even knew the models in the market. I just decided to give it a try, so I searched for one that I could drive with my car’s license. I also wanted one with manual gears, to be prepared in case I wanted to take the exam. I was very lucky to find a bargain of Honda CG 125 bought by someone that also gave it a try but hardly used it.
My first bike, Honda CG 125
At first, I felt very unsecure. I started driving it inside my building’s garage. Then I dared to go around in Sanchinarro (Madrid), the new area with wide streets and little traffic where I lived. And, finally, I started going to work and back. As I became experienced and confident, I enjoyed it more and more. It became my main mean of transportation. I used it to commute in Madrid’s rush traffic. I used it during the winter with near-zero temperatures and during the summer with 30 degrees Celsius. I used it when it rained heavily. I had a car but I didn’t miss a chance of riding the motorcycle.
The next summer I went to a driving school to prepare the exam, which for people with a car licence was a test with only questions related to motorcycles and a circuit of cones in a closed area. I passed the test easily and when I started training for the circuit I missed many cones but the teacher told me I was well prepared. The last day I did it all right every time. When I went to the examination circuit, I was surprised to see it was twice as ample as the replica in which I had been training, meaning it was easier and I passed it with no penalties. So I got my motorcycle licence, with a power limitation that got automatically removed after two years. Nowadays it’s way more difficult, one must drive in the traffic and after a while take another exam with a bigger motorbike to get rid of the power limitation.
I really take in easy in traffic, but it soon became evident that the CG 125 was underpowered for Madrid’s highways. I had a bad experience being tailgated by a truck that couldn’t overtake me, neither I could get away from it. I started looking for something better within the power limitation of my license.
The school’s driving and examination motorbike was a Suzuki TU250X, which I hated because it felt heavy, clumsy and ugly to me (that year’s model). Due to the good experience I had with the brand I looked for a Honda CBF 250, and again I got a good deal from someone that didn’t use it much.
My second bike, Honda CBF 250
I used to joke that the CG looked like an Asian chicken transporter. Compared to it, the CBF looked and felt like a real motorbike. I loved the looks and color, it had all the power I needed, it was still cheap to run and mantain… I couldn’t be happier. When the power limitation period ended I considered upgrading to a CBF 600, Yamaha FZ6, Suzuki Gladius, Yamaha XJ6, Kawasaki ER-6… but then I always decided that, as a city commuter, I didn’t need more. I drove it for more than 5 years and 20.000 kilometers until I had to sell it because I was moving to Finland. Unfortunatelly at the end it had an unusual problem with the gearbox and I sold it really cheap to a mechanic that could fix it.
What happened next, I told you in the post about Vacaburra.
