View from the West Coast Island of Orust
The ferry trip took
about 24 hours to Gothenburg although we could have disembarked at
Christiansand and travelled overland to Sweden which several hardy souls
from some English sections did. We arrived at 5 o'clock in the
Gothenburg rush hour which was near total gridlock. It was quite
warm and all the standing in traffic queues played havoc with clutches and
engine temperatures. Filtering in heavy traffic where you are not
sure of where you are going and with seven in the party was not practical
and after asking several people for assistance , it took us almost an hour
to travel the short distance to our hotel. Although I did not
realise it till later this journey probably caused my dynamo failure.
After problems during the journey, Dave spent some time fault
finding and fixed a carburettor fault, but his clutch had taken a beating
and was slipping a bit for the rest of the trip.
Unplanned Roadside Maintenance Session
The first evening we were met by a business contact of Barry's who told us about Sweden & Mora
where she was originally from, showed us the most scenic routes to take to
Solleron and where to eat and drink. In all we had a good meal
and a very pleasant evening.The next morning we pushed off into the
mid-morning traffic which was still quite heavy and started on the first
leg from Gothenburg to Karlstad. A few miles up the road we pulled
over as Dave and Steve had got separated. Alf went back to try and
find them without success so, after leaving messages and texts on
their mobiles we pushed on. We went through the islands of Tjorn and
Orust and up to Munkedal. This was a really stunning ride on a
beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately the rain started after this point
and Ivor's bike started cutting out and we got separated from Ivor
and Bill. It was becoming just a little scary as we had started of
as a party of nine and now we were down to three! We did eventually
meet up with Ivor and Bill again but with 80 or more miles still to go
time was getting on.
View from Coffee stop en-route to Karlstad
It was nearly seven when we
reached the camp site at Karlstad where we were met by Steve and
Dave. Dave's bike started playing up again just after joining the
motorway and he pulled off to sort it with Steve. After they
had fixed it they went on directly to Karlstad. On the way Steve's Speedo
drive gearbox worked loose and seized . Luckily the cable snapped and he
was able to continue after some adjustments to the wheel, albeit now
without a Speedo. Dave stripped his gearbox on arrival at the site
as it had also been giving trouble. In all a quite eventful
day. The empty roads and wooded scenery make touring in Sweden an
great proposition , but as anywhere, the main route stretches did
become a bit monotonous.
Cabin at Karlstad
On Thursday morning we left the site quite early and set off for Solleron. We decided to take Margarite's advice and follow the '45' road to Mora and Solleron. On another glorious day with mostly empty roads and some stunning views, we kept together quite well during the first part of the ride, but after our first stop the faster riders pulled ahead and left the slower group to follow on. I was part of the slower group as I need every ounce of concentration to drive at any speed and would therefore see very little of the scenery. The route we took climbed over the mountains which were covered with trees and had miles of road with no towns or groups of habitations at all. It was quite noticeable how little litter and mess there was and how neat everything looked. We caught up with the others at our roadside lunch stop where we sat in the sun and ate our purchases from the small shop.
Stop at lakeside viewpoint
After lunch the faster group pressed on and left us to our own leisurely pace. The only problem we had today was Bill's bike did not seem to be charging any more, but he was able to continue on battery alone. We arrived in Solleron in the late afternoon to find the faster group had sorted out the cabins and all we needed to do was unload our gear, unpack and get sorted out. The local supermarket was still open and we wandered down, all seven of us , to buy food for our evening meal and for breakfast. With the limited cooking skills admitted to by our group, meatballs and beans were seen as the most sensible choice given the basic equipment provided in the cabins. A wander round the small site saw us meet up with others who travelled direct from Christiansand an other routes. We chatted about problems with bikes and inspected the Rally site which was still being used for a local football match and not strictly speaking open for us.
View of Solleron
The Friday I spent recovering from the 470 odd miles of the last four days by inspecting the G11, adjusting the handlebars, going for a walk and chatting with the other rally goers. We went down in the afternoon and registered and got our itinerary. In the evening there was a BBQ and music with much of our time spent looking at the other bikes and meeting more of the arriving rallyers.
On Saturday the main ride out was scheduled for a 9 o'clock start. The general opinion was that this was just a bit early! The weather was terrific and the stream of bikes left Solleron for Mora , the first stop. Going through Mora it was as if the Circus had hit town, with the residents stopping and staring at the seemingly endless parade of old British machines. We arrived at a local park where an autojumble was taking place. As we entered the roadway was lined with gleaming paintwork and shining chrome of a great display of American cars of the 50's & 60's, We parked up in a specially prepared compound and were then free to wander amongst the exhibits and stalls for about an hour, in the blazing sunshine. I was looking for a small battery charger as my dynamo was u/s . I could not find one on any of the stalls, so when I heard that one of the rally organisers was taking Roy Butcher to get a battery, I asked him to get me a charger as well and this item was in almost continuous use for the whole rally by all and sundry.
Viking Museum at Solleron
We then travelled up to Orsa along the side of the lake and on mountain roads to the Bear park where we wandered around the exhibits and had lunch. We then continued our journey to Nusnas where they produce Dalahast horses, the symbol of Sweden. We toured the factory and watched how small lumps of wood were turned into intricate ornaments, I was particularly impressed by the highly skilled lady who decorated the horses at an incredible speed. The driving was at a pace that anyone could keep up and through some great scenery with mostly good surfaces, although in places subsidence made for some interesting handling. The greatest impression was of quiet tree lined roads and some sharp bends. Afterwards we were left to make our own way back to Solleron. I followed Bill Curry who, once on good quiet roads , gave me some real trouble keeping him in sight and testing my limited skills. A great ride though. The evening was then spent at the rally site socialising and relaxing.
At the Autojumble
Sunday dawned clear and bright and the sight of a deer and two young grazing 30ft from our cabin window was a reminder of the stillness and quiet of this country spot. After a leisurely breakfast I assisted as best I could in fault finding Bill's bike. The general opinion, after we spent a lot of time with a simple bulb and wire test equipment , was that one of the alternator coils was not working. A close inspection failed to show any obvious damage so , after a lot of discussion , Bill decided to proceed with total loss ignition and swap batteries with Barry (who had a near identical battery) to keep on the move. I went for a very pleasant walk and saw some more of the truly pretty island. The rest of the day was passed variously in sleeping, sunbathing, chatting and a little shopping for our evening meal.
View from the Bear park
Monday morning and back to Karlstad as early as we could manage with a couple of stops for photo opportunities; well that was the idea!. Dull clouds and quite cold air made us scurry around packing our things and cleaning our cabins. Eventually we were able start our machines and top up our petrol in preparation for the trip ahead. Then the gremlins struck with Barry's bike first. This had been fettled already for poor valve lifter operation and thus difficult starting previously, but now refused to start at all. Then it stared snowing! After some fault finding Alf diagnosed sticky points and once cured, the Bike burst into life. Then Ivor's bike would not start. This bike had been giving intermittent trouble throughout the whole journey and now refused to start for more than a few seconds at a time before cutting out. Fault diagnoses was not so clear cut and took a bit longer before some dirt was found in the electronic ignition. By now the snow was falling fairly steadily and beginning to show some signs of starting to lie.
The Jampot line up at Nunsas
Fault Finding in the Snow
Alf went on and found that we were only about 5Km from the town of Vansbro where he found a cafe. The cafe Dido at Vansbro did us proud,. While snow still fell steadily, they pulled! us in and encouraged us to hang up our wet kit . A good helping of hot food and coffee from their buffet did much to raise my spirits and the loan of sealskin socks from Bill Curry enabled me to pull on soaking wet boots and continue this trip. The guys at the cafe also offered accommodation and, were I on my own , I would certainly have stayed. From Vansbro we continued to lose elevation and the snow turned to rain. Although the rest of the trip was difficult for me, by comparison it was just a tiring and dreary time.
Alf kitted up for the seasonal May weather
On arrival at the site in Karlstad things were dry and the weather had turned again in an all together more pleasant direction. The kind lady in the restaurant gave us large portions of filling hot food which tasted great, washed down with what was one of the best selections of beer we saw. In my explorations of the site I found a laundry with tumble driers which at this point was just what the doctor ordered.
The woodland setting of the campsite
What a contrast Tuesday was with the sun shining brightly over the campsite in the morning. After a good solid breakfast at the restaurant we went off for petrol and in Bill's case to obtain another battery as Barry's didn't seem to have taken a charge overnight. Steve took us to a large shopping centre along the wrong way on a one-way road only meeting the one upset Swedish motorist on the way. This did however take us straight to the shopping centre. After getting petrol we split into two groups. Bill, Barry & Steve went off to source a battery while the rest of us pushed on to Gothenburg.
The Gang minus Alf
This journey was taken at greater speeds as the roads were either motorway/dual carriageway or good A class roads. The views were not up to the same great standard as on the way to the Rally, but very pleasing just the same. Along the way we stopped at a roadside cafe and petrol station which another Matchless twin and Honda mounted friend were already using, but the café was closed and the unmanned petrol pump had taken their money and was refusing to give them petrol! Not being able to read Swedish and with no living souls in sight we all pressed on to Trollhotten where we found a shopping centre restaurant to give us a bite to eat.
Lake Vanern
The long 100mile trip had left me quite tired and after some discussion , Ivor and Dave decided to go direct to Gothenburg while Alf & I would find a suitable roadside place and attempt to meet up with the others. On the way out of the town we saw the Matchless Twin and his friend stopped at the roadside, Alf found out they had just repaired a puncture and were now pumping up the tyre. Rotten luck as they were hoping to get a 4 o'clock ferry in Gothenburg. Cracking on , we sped by the neat Swedish fields till it was about time for us to stop and wait for the others.
Swedish Services
The services we stopped at were quite picturesque and as we sat in the sunshine it seemed very good to be alive and travelling on such a nice day. At ten to three I saw the Twin and his friend making good time towards Gothenburg. With about 32 miles to go , they were cutting it fine for the ferry. I waved them on their way. After a wait of about an hour and a half and some text messaging, we decided to get on to Gothenburg ourselves as we would end up in the rush hour traffic again if we waited any longer. The trip into Gothenburg was not too bad and with only one wrong turning, we found the Hotel and could then relax.
Hailstones as we wait for the ferry
When the others finally came in we caught up on their event filled trip, which included in no particular order; re-setting Barry's timing, replacing Bill's battery and replacing the capacitors on Steve's magneto! Meanwhile Dave's clutch was still giving some cause for concern and Ivor's bike had an ominous knocking from the bottom end, Alf assured me that this was pretty much the usual pattern for these events!
Stop at Carfrae Mill before we parted ways
After another nice but rainy evening in Gothenburg , we left early for the ferry and successfully avoided any rush hour congestion. We met up with members of some the English sections on the ferry and had a good crossing. A steady 120 mile trip up the A697/A68 for the five who live in central Scotland, was completed uneventfully and we separated as we returned to our homes without, in my case , driving through some really quite heavy showers which were lurking in the distance.
Favourite moment - I had actually made it!
This rally was my first outing to a Rally ever and therefore the first time driving my G11 abroad. At the end of the trip I travelled 980 miles in ten days and had become much more at home in the saddle and confident on the road. It was a great experience and I will do it again if I get the chance. The bike performed very well and apart from losing a dynamo end cover and a couple of screws the G11 survived intact. The problem with the dynamo must have been down to a poor contact as no fault was found after testing and reassembly.
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Rogues Gallery
Barry's Bike, G3, 350cc Single
Ivor's Bike
My Bike, G11, 600cc, Twin
Alf's Bike, 500cc Single
Dave's Bike
Steve's Bike, 350cc AJS
Bill's Bike, G80, 500cc Single
Steve, Dave & Ivor star in can't cook, will cook meatballs!