Hello

Go for spikes, 4-5mm.
Rubber on snow/ice = no grip, very dangerous
Spikes on tarmac = some grip, like street tyres on gravel
Spikes on snow/ice = fun, fun, fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPFVJctkhvk

At first I used manufactured tyres and on the rear I lost the middle part of the spike by going 100 kmh on the black road.
Now I go not faster than 60 kmh on the black road.
I would recomend to use self-screw spikes and a MX tyre (Mitas C02), so you can replace wornout spikes yourself.
Also when the tyre is done you can use the spikes that are still good for the next tyre.
The spikes of the manufactured tyres can't be reused, so on the long run more expensive.


The problem ist that the roads are not all white, often it has just a litte stripe of ice in the middle of the lane, and that is where the grip is. With the long spikes it's important to stay on the white roads or they get wornout very fast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FN6Uf9PRak

If you stay off the main routes like E6 the roads are more likely white.
Sweden is better in the south than Norway along the coast.
Little snowfall and lots of traffic is bad for good white roads.
Coverd with snow, even the forrests with heavy lumber areas in Sweden are very nice to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjBPFZTV2GE

I did two trips to southern Norway and Sweden up to Trondheim/Ostersund.
First trip was late dezember 2014 with short daylight, 0° to -28° at night, average -10° to -15° on the bike.
Second trip was in february 2016 with more daylight, +5 to -15° at night, with rain where it was supposed to be -30°.
Both trips were 2 weeks return from Switzerland so 4-5 days lost just to get there.
I stayed in hostels that I booked online just for the next days.
Wanted to go further up north but the affordable acommodation is getting to sparse.
I'm dreaming of doing it with a tent next time, but let me tell you:
"It is f*****g cold up there on the bike".
I was dressed in many layers and it worked on the bike when sitting still/riding, but I can't imagine to build up/down a camp like that without getting soaked in my perspiration. So the clothes get wet and will freeze at night in the tent.

Have fun
sushi

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

I hope Jamie doesn't mind me hijacking the thread for a bit, but I've got a question that maybe some of you can answer or give a rough idea what the expect.

Unlike Jamie, I plan to get to Nordkapp before the winter really begins next year. The question is: how likely is it that there will be considerable snow en route to Nordkapp in the first half/middle of October?

Will be travelling by car and winter driving is nothing new. Just would love to get some idea before I hit the road in the beginning of summer.

__________________
Frank

just for a taste of the fun

Webkamera | Statens vegvesen

__________________
My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

I would say its a fair chance that you will meet snowy roads at some point. Worse is that you can meet extremely slippery roads where it first have rained and then the overnight temprature has been below zero so those places you will hav a thin almost invisible film of ice on the roads. Extremely dangerous! Thats actually the worst road conditions that time of year.

Anyhow - with a car theres not much challenge driving up to Nordkapp in the winter. People who lives in northern Norway drive cars all year round. Winter tyres with or without spikes are mandatory though (not by law).

__________________
In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Yes, black ice is the worst.

Well, there's a difference between a car and a car. By the time I get to Norway I'll have driven around 45 000km in a rust bucket. Will take two studless tires as spares and was wondering, if I should get two more when I hit Scandinavia. Guess I'll just have to see and take it carefully. Considering the winter tires are allowed from mid-October in Northern Norway, then I should be more or less fine.

__________________
Frank

I rode to Nordkapp few years ago in June, but since then everything talking about this fantastic place, and last year I've seen something on TV (maybe Arte or some similar channel) about a travel to Nordkapp on a motorcycle I'm winter but arriving at the gate down the pass to Nordkapp was closed due to heavy snow falls but the guy carried on after having paid something like 500€ to accompanied by a snowplow and a rescue van.There's a village not far away from that gate (the most northern one in Europe) with an hotel, maybe a good place for for a base camp.So make sure not to have to stop 25km from the Graal.
Ride safe and cool

Tires and oil are not the only technical problem. If your bike is parked outside with the battery in over night and the temperatures drop below -10..-15dgr C you won't have may attempts in the morning to get the engine running before your battery is dead. I have so far only done two trips in extreme cold, but this was "only" around -20dgr nighttime temperatures on a KTM 690. I was very lucky the engine started at the fifth attempt, because much more than six would not have been possible. I had not changed the engine oil, which was probably a mistake.

One person who did this trip successfully on a KTM 690 is Martin Leonhardt, who is currently on a RTW trip in South America. He has an article in German still available on his homepage:

Skandinavien 2011 › Freiheitenwelt

You might want to contact Martin to get some first hand tips!

Hi Jamie,


My wife and I are on our way for our honey-moon already heading tomorrow to the Ferry to Helsinki. Our plan ist to be there the 3rd of January...


NYE we are at the ice Hotel.


Would be great to meet with you up there and we are looking Forward for a PM.


For interested People, you can follow us :


www.eisreise.wordpress.com


Have a save trip up North and hope to see you.


Jan

Hi Jan, enjoy your honeymoon ... as a half Finn I prefer to spend the Finnish winter in a sauna ... but if its winter there its summer here, so I ride in a t-shirt with no helmet around the village here in Bolivia. A hug mika