Norsebound Forever

Although Norsebound was a short-lived venture - 2018 was our only operating year - the goal with offering motorcycle hire and tailored tours was always to share a lot of what Norway has to offer and, ergo, give others the opportunity to experience riding in this country. It’s gratifying to know that I appear to have succeeded. Dusan and Jana were just one of three couples that took a leap of faith contacting Norsebound. This year, despite Covid-19 restrictions, they returned to a Norway almost devoid of tourists. Here’s what Dusan wrote of their 2020 trip:

“It all started in 2018 with me and my wife planning a Norway motorcycle adventure. I quickly found out that motorbike rental is virtually non-existent in Norway. Luckily, I was able to find Norsebound - Stuart Duncan's motorcycle venture sporting a very fitting bike for such a trip: a KTM Adventure 990. Back then I didn't know the beauty had a name - Black Betty - but being a KTM Enduro 690 rider I instantly admired her ;-)

The rest, as they say, is history. My wife and I happened to have our best vacation in 19 years. We must have been radiating this. Why else would a Danish biker suggest, during a chat on the Melbu-Fiskebøl ferry, getting our own adventure bike? So when Stuart announced putting Norsebound on ice for twenty years, that suggestion actually became our most viable option for returning to Norway. We were blessed to be able to come back this summer on the back of a brand new KTM Adventure 1090 and despite the Covid-19 travel restrictions. Our expectations were high after 2018 but Norway stood up to it. We've seen countless lakes, creeks, rivers, mountains, fjords, canyons and waterfalls - and we have never stopped wondering how beautiful they are.

We rode through the south and west of Norway before we headed to Hardangervidda, Romsdal, Trollheimen, Rondane, Jotunheimen and Valdres. We covered some 3720 kms in Norway this year and we have enjoyed every single one of them! Do you need more proof that we are norse bound for ever?”

Thanks, Dusan. I look forward to hearing more stories in 2024!

See you in 20 years' time

Norsebound was only ever meant as a side project to the normal trappings of everyday life. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, a new born son and the desire to only deliver the very best product to potential clients, I have decided to put Norsebound Motorcycle Ventures on ice for twenty years! I will restart this Project again in my retirement. If you are curious about riding in Norway, however, I would be happy to answer any questions. All the best and happy riding. Stuart Duncan, Owner and Guide (Norsebound Motorcycle Ventures)

Everything on Your Doorstep

The Norwegian riding season looks like it is finally at a close: the rains have returned after a very dry year; the temperatures have dropped, especially up in them there hills; and the nights are closing in. Thank goodness then, that Karen and Peter, from Sydney, Australia, caught the last of the good weather to squeeze in a five-day motorcycling adventure exploring the very best of what the west coast has to offer. Their four-night on-the-road itinerary took in such notable sights as Hardangervidda, Geiranger, Trollstigen, Ålesund and the Jotunheim National Park, covering a total of 1620kms. Even if the riding season isn’t quite finished, Norsebound’s unfortunately is. Thank you to Gail, Nolan, Dusan, Jana, Karen and Peter for putting their confidence in our services. I hope the images and memories speak for themselves. See you next year, possibly.

*All images courtesy Karen Price

To Senja and Back

What’s better than having your first clients on a new venture than driving to the airport to receive your second? Dušan and Jana, from the Czech Republic, arrived barely a week after Gail and Nolan’s departure and is testament to the interest for adventure motorcycling here in Norway. They too chose to head north, this time making their own itinerary with Senja, a large island lying off the coast of Norway just south of Tromsø, their ultimate destination. Senja is often overlooked by many tourists as it is logistically quite difficult to get to. On the back of a bike, however, can often be the best way to see this country; it allows you to access areas very much off the beaten path but still worthy of a visit. They were rewarded with outstanding views and took the time to hike in Senja’s beautiful landscape. And, like Gail and Nolan before them, they were treated to yet more outstanding weather. Even on their ride home, via the Lofoten Islands, they were blessed with blue skies and an agreeable riding temperature. They returned to Bergen on Friday 3rd August having covered 4142kms. I didn’t need to ask whether they’d had a good time; it was written all over their tanned, tired but satisfied faces.

Norsebound's Inaugural Motorcycling Adventure

On Saturday 30th June 2018, Gail and Nolan, from Boston, U.S.A arrived in Bergen, Norsebound’s first official customers on Norsebound's first motorcycling adventure. Wanting to get the most out of their stay, the guys opted for a two-week bike rental with a bespoke riding itinerary. Given that Norsebound is just a fun project I started through a passion for adventure biking and my adopted homeland, they took a huge leap of faith in me, putting their confidence in a relative stranger to build an itinerary and holiday to remember. I hope I delivered.

In a year that has seen temperatures around the world go through the roof, Bergen and Norway has been no exception. So it was immensely gratifying to see Gail and Nolan set off the next day under what can only be described as sumptuous riding conditions. From Bergen to the little-known island of Vega on the west coast and onward to the Lofoten Islands, where they spent two days off the bike hiking and enjoying the scenery, the guys covered 4126kms, returning to Bergen on Saturday 14th July. Black Betty never missed a beat during the trip and I think they arrived back in the U.S. in awe of what Norway has to offer the motorcycle rider.

Thieves With Impeccable Taste

On Sunday 17th June I awoke to devastating news: thieves, albeit ones with impeccable taste, had overnight helped themselves to my primary Norsebound-ready KTM 990 Adventure. And they’d done so two weeks prior to the anticipated arrival of my first clients. I will never understand humans and their willingness to take away from another something that does not belong to them. Luckily, with two other bikes in a separate location, a frantic period then elapsed as I road-readied a back-up bike. Ironically, on the same day, I’d also arranged a viewing from a guy in Oslo to sell another motorcycle, so in a 24-hour period Norsebound had gone from three KTM 990 Adventures to one. Despite this set back, Black Betty, my last remaining KTM 990 Adventure, was ready to ride the night before my first clients arrived. Phew!

An Early Spring "Coast Tour" Reconnaissance Trip

I took the opportunity to mark the end of the long, cold and dark Norwegian winter to carry out a reconnaissance trip north of Bergen. The purpose of the long weekend was to validate some client accommodation and check out gravel trail alternatives for inclusion on the Norsebound "Coast Tour" itinerary. I was not disappointed, and neither will you be.