TRF Forums

Greetings,

I came across this driving article and video on the internet.

I think that there are many similarities with riding on some of our green lanes, it is only a short video so perhaps take a look for tips, common even with the UK,;

http://sadcars.com/en/read/2012/03/12/h ... of-iceland

TTFN

Hugh.

The Guide i rode with in the Pyrenees last summer also does Dirt Bike tours to Iceland and I had a look at what was on offer. The scenery certainly looks magnificent. However, i still crave rather more excitement than the type of terrain called Roads in Iceland. So I had a look at the Mountain Bike sites for Iceland and wow what a difference. There is plenty of interesting riding on those tracks if you are allowed to do so on a motorcycle.
A bit like Motorcycling in Morocco. I had the opportunity of riding there a few years ago and after careful research decided it was not for me - reaffirmed when speaking with my friends on thier return. The reason being very little exciting riding. Again the Mountain Bike sites show far more technical trails which are both interesting and exciting and yet I cannot find any videos on youtube or info. on the internet of people or companies doing that type of riding.

I suppose it all depends what you want from Trail Riding. I enjoy interesting and technical riding but not as hard as the riding in extreme enduro events. For me the best riding is around Finale Ligure in Italy - about an hour and a half from Nice. Weeks of exciting trails await those that are willing to explore.

I did a tour of Iceland on a bike about 30 years ago. It was a Suzuki GS1000 with sidecar. I have never been shy about using a road bike for greenlaning. The only tarmac roads in Iceland are(were?) in the towns, there is only one main road: which goes all the way round the coast. I went through part of the interior, most of which is uninhabited, on minor roads, some sections of road were actually in rivers! I did get stuck in one ford where there was a steel climb out; I managed to clear it by turning round in the river and taking a good run at it flat out.
The scenery is incredible and virtually no traffic. One day in the mountains I did not see another vehicle or person; I am glad That I did not get stuck or crash as I was travelling on my own.
I will try to scan some pictures and post them, I have been meaning to dig out the slides and show them at my local TRF meeting.
Rod

I take my Landcruiser to Iceland every year, this August I am trying to get a heavy duty rack to fit on the rear crossmember so I can carry my crf 230 as the tracks are quite spectacular, especially when going inland and up to the north west which is virtually uninhabited.
Going it alone is a definite no no for the obvious reasons.
Actual 'off roading' is not permitted although in the winter when it's all covered in snow you can go wherever you want, the locals have a blast in the monster trucks over there.
The permitted routes are graded for difficulty, see attached image. Some of the more extreme routes are quite a challenge for bikes, believe me. Some of them go on for up to 60 kms without a break. Very varied terrain, steep hills, rocks and lava sand not to mention the rivers
Personally, I would not go there with just the bike unless the plan was to stay more or less around 'civilised' areas. Reason being once out in wilderness you are at the mercy of the weather, blizzards can come in August and the rivers are glacial so if camping you could end up having a bad time to say the least.
It is a fantastic place, often described as Scotland on steroids. I used to go to Morocco but this place has put paid to that.