Zündapp KS600, KS750 and BMW R75

We spend a lot of time planning motorcycle journeys. One day it became clear, that our next goal would be the Iceland. We found some descriptions about trips around this country and decided that it would be a perfect place to go with our Zündapps. With normal vehicles we’d have to drive only on the beltway, and would not see the interior of the island. The other roads are usually non-asphalted and there are no bridges over numerous rivers and streams.

I’d start the description of our journey from where it really started, which is placed in the northern Denmark port Hirtshals. In the morning various off-road vehicles started to arrive, equipped with fuel canisters and sophisticated devices useful in case of a trouble. There were also motorcycles. Ours KS 750s with comparison to modern “enduro” looked a bit unusual. Especially because apart from one rope wrapped around a boat, and one camp shovel, we had nothing indicating we’re planning long and hard drive. We just couldn’t find anything, beside our bikes original equipment, what could help us in the event of a problem.

We were looking curiously at our bike-friends and their machines. We were curious how those motorcycles, with big trunks weighing down rear axle, would do off-road. How would the drivers would do when the passengers join them. I bet they had similar questions about our veterans. We, meaning me, Guido and Has-Peter, had all our equipment and food for five weeks packed in the boats and tins placed in the back of the bikes and on the sides of the boats.

After three days spent on the M/S Norrön ferry, which is the only way to transport vehicles and their passengers to the Iceland, we landed on the Faroe Islands. We had there two free days, because the ferry goes from here to Bergen in Norway, and then comes back and goes to The Iceland. We spend our free time driving around the islands and sleeping in charming placed in the north Giov village. A paradise for the anglers and eyes, feasted on the landscapes.

After next 36 hours of the journey we landed in the Seydisfjördur port. The Iceland greeted us with beautiful, sunny weather and 15 Celsius degrees. The Iceland means of course “the land covered with ice”. The first thing first travelers from Europe saw there, was probably the glacier, covering about 13% of the island area. Funny thing that the Greenland, the largest island in the world, almost totally covered with glacier, showed to its first visitors small scrap of a free from ice land, so it was called a “green land”.

During the customs clearance we had to declare if the engines of our motorcycles are fueled with gasoline or if they’re diesels. The answer was easy – gasoline. We got stickers informing about the kind of a fuel and date of our arrival. Drivers with diesels have to pay about 90 DM per week. Diesel oil is very cheap on the Iceland, so this charge is a compensatory tax. We were also informed, that we can drive only on appointed roads, but not off-road. I’m still wondering what did the customs officer thought saying “roads”. For us everything turned out to be off-road later.

There is only one way out of Seydisfjördur, covered with asphalt for the first few kilometers. We were soon passed by men on fast motorcycles, waving friendly to us. They disappeared in the distance, and then the asphalt ended. The road was covered with thick, loose rubble, sloped for about 18 degrees. Then we met first of those who overtook us. Some of them fell of their bikes, others were barely climbing up on march pace. Passengers were walking alone, to relieve the motorcycles. Our Zündapps were doing great, and with no problem we could keep the speed of 50-60 kilometers. After about 30 km we reached the beltway no.1. It’s bypassing the whole island, it’s 1420 kilometers long, and only about 200 kilometers of it is asphalted. The rest is just loose rubble or rolled sand. On the crossroad we had dilemma: we could go north with milder climate and less precipitation or south. And so we chosen windy and rainy south. Direction: Vatnajökull glacier.

First night made us appreciate quality of our sleeping bags and tents. Treeless huge expanses let the wind blow freely. We found great shelter among waterside rocks. Drinking “strengthened” tea we analyzed our first day on the Iceland. We made almost 250 kilometers and used about 5,8 l of gasoline per 100 km. consumption of oil minimal. Our motorcycles did the great job, so we were in great moods.

We got up early next day. We wanted to reach a camping placed in the Skaftafjell National Park (the head of Vatnajökull glacier). Last 20 kilometers to our goal were horrible. We knew that some kinds of surfaces require specific speed. A few kilometers too slow or too fast and shaking is unbearable. Nothing pleasurable. We were driving a bit faster than 60 kilometers. Sliding of the bikes and awareness of full control over them felt really fantastic. Our good mood couldn’t be destroyed by Peter, who stopped and showed us a torn off mirror. Guido said calmly: “It had to tear off, original Zündapp never had a mirror”. When we stopped at the entrance of the camping, my friends kept asking: “Tadek, didn’t you feel like the road for the last few kilometers was sloping rightwards?”. I didn’t, but one glance of on eye on my motorcycle’s joint between the bike and side-car explained their sarcastic tone. The spherical pin holding the front part of the side-car was broken.

This failure confirmed two facts. First – Zündapp is built in a way which allows further driving in hard off-road conditions even when one of the most important elements of the construction is broken. Second – even the best, original parts can’t last forever and would break in time, and because of the metal fatigue. But all’s well what ends well. Looking for a way to repair my pin we ran into one of the Icelandic farms. We could weld my motorcycle there. We cut a short talk with the farmer (speaking English You can communicate on the Iceland without any problem). We learned that the farmer was breeding foxes and feeding them with a fish waste. He was also breeding sheep. Sheep are fattening on the pastures freely in the summer, and in the fall lambs are sold to the butchery. There are only about 200 mothers left, and this number is limited by the amount of hay the farmer is able to gather for the winter time.

Up to 1974 travelers driving bypass no. 1 had to cover this section on horseback. there were no bridges which would allow to pass the streams with different means of transport. Good connection between the west and the east part of the country came into being when the construction of bridge system (most of them wooden) was finished. In 1996, after the eruption of volcano hidden under the glacier, most of the bridges were destroyed by a high wave.

After approximately 100 kilometers the landscape changed. Strange formations of the set lava appeared. In the city with a name impossible to pronounce – Kirjubaejarklastur – we left the bypass and directed north, on the upland. Roads there are closed to the late spring. First vehicles approaching here in May are bulldozers. They’re leveling surface washed off by spring thaws and covered with rocky blocks. Thanks to them other vehicles can use the roads. Almost all of the rivers and streams have to be carefully forded. We were checking the depth every time when we were about to cross. Long angler boots turned out to be pretty useful. We had to choose the shallowest places. The shortest sections from one bank to another might have been the ultimate one.

The deepest water we were able to cross was app. 50 cm. it’s not much but one must remember, that the highest point of the motorcycle, the fuel inlet plug, is at the height of 95 cm. air filter is much lower and sucking just a bit of water by the engine leads to its complete destruction.

The more kilometers we drove the more experience about crossing the rivers we had. And the experience induces inattention. It almost ended with drenching the engine for me. I was sure that this next stream could be crossed at once. I was very surprised when after 2 meters my bike sank to the height of its seats. Only immediate turning off the ignition rescued my Zündapp from serious consequences. Water in that place wasn't very deep, maybe 20-30 cm, but the ground consisted of small pebbles which sunk under the weight of the vehicle. Thanks to the Icelandic driver and his truck's help we could quickly let my Zündapp off the hook. Less lucky was French driver of Rover, who thoughtlessly choose the narrowest cross. A dozen or so meters farther I crossed that river without effort. "Drowned man" was pulled out of the water thanks to heavy Volvo. Rover sunk to the height of top edge of windows, all equipment wet, all photographic materials destroyed. When it was drew to the bank and when the driver opened the door, from Rover's interior mobile phone Motorola majestically flew out, and then sank back in the river current. Fortunately, engine wasn't destroyed.

I can say that our motorcycles turned out to be more durable than we ourselves. During one of the next crossings, Peter forgot to open the petrol tap. He noticed this in the middle of the river. Fortunately opening of the tap and kicking the lever of the starter without getting off the motorcycle was enough to start the engine.

We was circling around fizzled out volcano Eldgia and still active Hekla for three days.

We all admitted that baths in warm springs and streams were very pleasurable breaks in our journey. The weather favoured us more than we expected. Temperature was about 24 Celsius degrees. in summer on the Iceland there is light day and night. We were often driving "at night", what gave us more extra-sensations. Between 10 P.M. and 3 A.M. the light was especially "soft" and golden, what made already beautiful landscapes even more charming.

We had returned to the by-pass in the vicinity of Hella city. It's a typical place, similar to other modern estates, made up of villas and detached houses situated down the streets devoided of pavements. The church, post office and filling station with supermarket make up the city center. All around reigned silence and stillness.

After few hours of driving, heading north again, we turned up in area which could serve as a scenery for science-fiction movies.

Puddles filled up with hot substance of thick sauce consistency, hidden underground pipes, from which every few minutes comes out steam with laud hiss, concealing all neighbourhood with opaque mist.

We were heading for Reykjavik, capital city of the Iceland. Road was bumpy and undulating. It was only possible to drive in the march pace, and at the end of the day our bodies were aching. Bath in the artificial lake, replacement for the geothermal power station, brought us a wonderful relief.

The lake fills hollow, which bottom consist of set-lava rocks. Hot and salt water carried our bodies on the surface so we didn't need to swim.

We spent only one night in Reykjavik and then we went where everyone who visits the Iceland wants to be. Our destination were geysers. "Geysir" is a proper noun of one of the sources, which at regular intervals threw away fountain of hot water. It named all phenomenon. Actual Geysir isn't active nowadays (although it may be awaken by throwing in 250 kg of liquid soap). Its younger "brother", Strokur, still throws away every 7 minutes water and steam at the height of 25 meters.

After passing majestic Gulfoss waterfall we headed towards Akureyra, the biggest city of the northern Iceland.

Drive through the upland made us aware of the fact, that Zündapp's constructors deeply analyzed construction changes introduced in the middle of production. Rear silencer in the beginning had fumes mouth placed at the top. It made getting water inside while crossing rivers much harder, but at the same time it made harder throwing it away, when it already got in. So the mouth had got placed at the bottom. Water can easily get in when the engine doesn't work, but it's automatically throwing out while engine is started. As good initiative was replacement of the wet-air filter by rotational one. Every evening we were removing filter’s inlets and dumping out the dust.

Drive of the side-car wheel with differential enabled us to overcome both loose sands as sticky bottoms of the rivers. Hydraulic brakes of the side-car and rear wheels were loosing much of their efficacy after crossing the water. We had to drive slower and more careful, until the friction lining got dry. But exactly then there would appeared the next brook, and play went on. We started oftener, with splendid effect, using of the first off-road gear as a brake. We applied this method many times later, during extreme runs in the Pyrenees.

Landscapes we drove through at the end of our journey were probably beautiful. We couldn't see them, because for two days we had been driving in full mist. We remember only humidity, temperature about zero degrees, steamy glasses and the truck emerging from the mist with terrified or maybe only surprised driver inside. A little bit of space on the right side of the road saved us, fortunately. With snub side-cars we stole by the violently braking truck.

After 200 km of murderous ride we counted up our losses. One tin handle damaged, but usable, torn off mirror in Guido's motorcycle, and my carburettor, holding on with one screw.

After such exhausting test we deserved long rest. We found a good place in the hostel near school. There were swimming pool in the open air and bathtubs with hot water drew from the sources. Sitting in the warm water we exchanged experiences with motorcyclists who started visiting the island from the north. It turned out we had more luck with weather driving south.

It's a pity I wasn't able to reach Akureyra on my – and my Zündapp's – own. Suddenly, on the steep drive, the engine gave an anguished grown, and the only thing I could do was to turn off the ignition. Pistons wasn't blocked and crankshaft could move in limited range, so we came to conclusion that it had been typical for the original used shafts defect – complicated damage of the connecting rod, caused by needle bearings. Further drive was out of the question.

Guido pulled me on the string to Akureyra. For his motorcycle, with sliding-bearing, despite steep slopes, it wasn't a problem.

(When I came back, in the autumn of 1987 I processed my engine with application of slidin-bearings and strengthened oil pump. From this time on I haven't got any more problems with the engine. Up to the summer of 1999, I had got 49 000 kilometers covered in really hard conditions). The last 300 km in the Iceland I had done as Guido's passenger while my Zündapp drove safely on the truck.

On our way back on the ferry, we met familiar faces. In bar we carried on long talks. We found out that we, on our veteran motorcycles, did better off-road than many drivers with their modern machines. Many vehicles with damaged or even destroyed engines was towed on board of M/S Norrón.

Nevertheless, many of us wanted to come back one day, because (like ma friend Hans-Peter Hommes said really accurate): "It's not enough to be in the Iceland, the Iceland needs to be conquested."