Our start point for the European End to End

This Icon of World travellers was to be the start point for our 'flower sniffing' version of a European End to End. Just after we took this shot the place was innundated with 'Blue Rinse Brigade' from the two cruise ships in the harbour for Mid Summer Mid Night Sun; we got out of the hords way just in time. The ease to get to Nordkapp these days does in some respects detract the achievement but how you get here envigorates that achivement. At the high end of the scale is the walkers, we met two young Danish girls who had walked here; then the cyclists and there were lots of those (as an aside I wondered how they got through the tunnels?) then I think came us on our motorbikes, then the cars, then the Camper Vans (never seen so many camper vans in one place) then finally those whisked in on an organised coach trip. But whatever form of transport floats your boat none can compare with the firsts. To get here at the turn of the century must have been something. A weird sight was the Tai exhibit recounting the King of Tailands visit in 1907. The road got here in the early 1950's, and the new road, with the 8km tunnel, was opened in 2001 - next step will be a train station!

Now we ride South.

	Drying Salmon		Close up of the Salmon
	All that is between us and Tarifa - The Open Road		Finally got my Moose shot; he stood quite still whilst I took his portrait!

We only managed a shade under 500 miles on our first days riding but with 80kph strictly enforced speed limits and only riding 12 hour flower sniffing days it was OK. Our overnight in Lulea, Sweden, during a local mid-summer holiday, meant finding an open restaurant was difficult but a small thing like a bank holiday will not get between me and my stomach!

Greg had been experiencing lost oil on his 2008 CVO Glide. I diagnosed a leaking base gasget on his rear cylinder. So just topping up the oil we keep him going but I had been getting a ticking sound from somewhere. I have been riding Harley powered bikes long enough to know if you think something is wrong eventually that something would manifest itself in a more dramatic fashion! My strategy is keep riding 'till it stops. Well 580 miles today and it has not stopped but it is very sick.

The exhaust header pipes are loose and this in turn has broken the collector header from the exhaust box. It sounds like a tank, so as I tap away here on my lap top in the morning of day three of the FSEE2E (Flower Sniffing European End to End) with only about 1,045 down and 2,300 to go then we are in decission time mode.

Bev has elected to push on alone (he always wanted to do a SS2000 after last years failed attempt due to a puncture) and now was his golden opportunity. Greg wants to get his base gasket changed and I need a new exhaust. There are three Harley Dealers in Stockholm, our current location, but I'm afraid they may all be closed on a Monday as is usual in mainland Europe. We shall see.

Jen spotted that SPOT had not moved and called in to see why; so the gizzmo done good.

During our overnight Bev decided to push on alone for the EE2E and attempt a SS2000 that a puncture had ended for him last year with us. Greg and I would get to a Dealer to ascertain our best options concerning the sickly bikes. Using the HOG European touring book we found lots of locations in Stockholm to try, these are all not shown on the European POI's (Points of Interest) loaded into our Garmins so although a useful file from HOG Austria not as complete as one would like. WE elected the Stockholm centre location and on arrival found several things, it would open today at 11:00, but we could see no workshop, there were cafes and ATM's around. Luckily we met a regular biker at the store who gave us the good advise to go to the main workshop for HD Sweden at Taby, about 20km North of the city. It is here we had th good fortune to meet 'Long' Lars, more formerly known as Lars Hallstensson, the main man when it comes to fixing Harleys and Buells in Sweden. It was Lars who made us realise that a leaking base gasket is only a sympton of something awry inside the motor and with a major engine strip down, maybe even having to split the cases his best advise regarding this '08 CVO Glide was to get it back to our dealer in Newcastle for major investigation by the shortest route. He then went onto my apparently more simple problem.

The situation developed with a lost bolt from the front exhaust support bracket, this led to the heavy exhaust being held up by the four flange bolts that hold the header pipes to the cylinders. The rear stud sheared under this extra weight and the three other bolts lossend off. Finally the collector box fractured where the header pipes are connected to the exhaust box. Lars welded this break, replaced the lost bolt holding the front bracket on and re-torques the remaing three flange bolts. Of course the exhaust pipe gaskets were not able to do their job properly and the bike sounded like I'd fitted Vance & Hines Long Shots! My advise from Lars was also to get the bike home so a permanent repair could be executed. The charge for all this work and sound advise FREE! What a guy.

	Bev strikes out alone		This was parked outside the Worksop Dealers in Taby Photo by courtesy of Greg Holmes
	1947 Mack Truck also parked outside what is not only a Workshop Dealers but also HQ of HD Sweden		Greg checks to see if there is a replacement CVO Glide inside!
	You can always tell if a workshop will deliver and this one is one of the best; here is their airbrush and paint facility.		Our on road change facility or as Badger would say a Bus Stop!

So the end of day 10 on the road and the decision to get home via the shortest route was reluctantly made.

FSEE2E is officially terminated for Greg and I; away you go Bev with our best wishes for a safe and successful ride.

Move with me to Phase 3 the home run.