We will be taking the fast catamaran from Valletta to Catania, Sicily, early on the 26th July, arriving at about 9:00am. We should be crossing from Denmark to Sweden sometime on the 4th day after lots and lots of boring motorways. Our bike is a black Tiger 955i, and we’ll be two-up with Givi side-cases and an 80-litre drybag slung on the back. That will make us only slightly smaller than a heavy truck We usually cruise at about 80 mph om motorways which is perfectly comfortable on the Tiger - anything more is a strain for hours on end, especially on my wife at the back. Fuel consumption takes a nose-dive as well.

Once in Scandinavia we’ll be sticking to the main routes, as the distances are huge and I don’t think we should deviate a lot from the direct route to the Nordkapp. The E45 seems a fine route to take and if we make good time going up we can afford to spend a few extra days in the fjord region on our way back. Hopefully the weather will be reasonable, though we are well prepared with Goretex gear and plastic oversuits on top. We’re not much used to a lot of rain in Malta! ( 33 C 2 days ago)

I would like to place another question. Though I hope that I will not have any problems with the bike, and it’s never happened yet, it is good to have info on what to do in case of a breakdown, especially in Norway and Sweden. I imagine the distances involved are great, will it cost a fortune if the worst comes to the worst? What do you do in a case like this?

So I don’t think I will meet with you, Pedro, if you’re leaving on the 3rd week of August, but may cross paths with Paul. Looking forward to meet fellow travelers on the road …

Daniel