Forget Icelandic volcanoes and check out the adventure motorcycle opportunities on this island in the middle of the north Atlantic.
About 10 years ago I picked up my backpack and flew to Iceland with a couple of mates. We took a bus to the northern coast of the island disembarked and then started to hike through the interior to the southern coast.
Along the way we had to cross huge expanses of wilderness and swollen glacier melt rivers and at the time I thought 'I'd love to do this on my motorcycle'.
In the following video keep a look out for the river crossing with the camp site in the background, this is the start of the The Landmannalaugar Trail which heads over to Thorsmork and then up and over what is now an infamous volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. This is where we finished our walk and stood on top of the volcano which is now causing all the air travel chaos.
If you fancy riding Iceland then you can take your bike with Smyril Line ferries from Denmark. Riding around and across Iceland is only feasible from June to the end of September – the have a lot of snow up there. Oh, and Iceland is one of the few countries in which I've suffered from heat stroke!
I led an motorcycle expedition to Iceland in 2006 crossing the interior from East to West and then from North to South. For that trip we used 125cc Hartford machines just to prove that you could have a real adventure on very simple bikes. They performed exceptionally well, outperforming a KTM900 in the soft sand and at the deeper river crossings. An article about the trip was published in several magazines but the UBG version is available on our website - www.trailquestadventure.com Travel by ferry from the UK to Iceland is interesting but expensive and a huge waste of time. When I return I will fly out and hire bikes out there.
Now I have had a chance to watch the video clip - some good examples of how not to cross rivers! Top tips - 1.Walk the ford first to check depth over the entire width of the crossing, pot holes and large or loose rocks.
2. Check up to twenty meters either side of the main entrance to the ford. Frequent vehicle use can make the main fording area more tricky whereas a few metres up or downstream may be easier (and narrower).
3. Waterproof the bike before crossing.
4. Keep revs high and avoid splash - looks good on film but in reality not sensible. Keep a finger over the kill switch.
5. Unless you are very confident remove all luggage/panniers etc that you need to keep dry. This also makes the bike easier to handle.
6. Consider walking the bike across with yourself on the upstream side of the bike in fast flowing water.
7. Be very wary of crossing rivers when travelling solo.
8. Ensure you have practised these procedures before setting off on your adventure.
9. Know how to deal with a drowned engine if the worst happens and you fall off or drop the bike in the water.
good advice there. What basic steps would you suggest to waterproof the bikeG
Alun ,
June 08, 2010
+0
Waterproofing
Preparing the bikes electrics should be done as part of your preparation prior to setting off on your adventure - even simple precautions can help such as taping a plastic bag over exposed electrics (which are mounted low on a 650GS)and a liberal spray of WD40 before entering water are useful. If riding across water keep revs high. If pushing through deep water disconnect the battery, ensure engine valves are in the closed postion, block the exhaust pipe, take out the air filter and tape up all breather hoses (another use for the essential roll of black tape!). If you can get help pushing do so and if you can attach a rope so that someone can pull from the other side that also makes life easier.
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Forget Icelandic volcanoes and check out the adventure motorcycle opportunities on this island in the middle of the north Atlantic. 
