“It’s a unique way to experience motorcycle riding. And it’s a way to remind yourself what the most important things in life are.”
Thomas Hansen is a Norwegian photographer, video editor/filmmaker and content creator, who specialises in motorcycle touring, based out of Bergen.
His YouTube videos explore the wilds of Norway with a combination of outdoors and camping techniques, route planning, motorcycle insights, gear recommendations and reviews, all shot, edited and presented honestly to the highest professional standards. Hansen has a passion for riding in Norway, and he does it better than most. If you have any interest in exploring the country on two wheels his YouTube channel is a must.
Creating motorcycle content is a side project for Thomas, his full time gig is as a professional fire fighter & rescue leader for the SAR unit in his home town of Bergen. It’s not unusual for motorcyclists to be comfortable taking risks where others might hold back, but Thomas believes there is something more at play with him.
“I think I have a slight variation of ADHD.” he says. “I’ve always been a curious guy who really wants to know what’s going on under the hood. I’ve always been into helping others, and doing things for others that they can’t do for themselves. I’m not quite sure how to articulate it, but I’ve just always had a passion doing the crap that others don’t want to do, or can’t do. I’m one of those guys. I feel like I have a superpower, and that’s being controlled and behaving in a certain way when the shit hits the fan, and I zone in to systematic work to solve the problem.”
Firefighting may be his profession, but motorcycles have always been his passion. It started at a very young age when his father started selling motorcycles. Thomas still remembers one day when his father started the engine of a bike and was revving it inside the shop. It made a lasting impression on him. Of course he also had a picture of a red Ducati over his bed that he was always looking at. His first bike was a Honda VFR 800, which he sold to buy his next one, always selling one to buy a new one.
Today he rides a Yamaha Ténéré 700 world Raid.
“My plan was always to explore the world on my bike,” he says. “I was going to be the ‘global motorbike guy’, but then my girlfriend happened and then my kid happened, so my ambitions had to be adjusted.”
A familiar story. However, the spirit of adventure never left Thomas and with one of the world’s great wildernesses on his doorstep, it was natural for him to take off and explore the country solo, on his bike.
“I do a lot of travel in Norway because I’m off work when everybody else is working so I mostly travel alone. So rather than sit around and wait for others, I just pack my bags and go. So it’s local adventures most of the time, but I try to do at least one trip somewhere in Europe each year.”
Norway is one of those bucket list destinations for the motorcycle tourist and especially since the pandemic, it seems like interest in travelling to North Cape has mushroomed. Why are people obsessed with riding in Norway?
“Frankly,” he says, “I have no fucking clue. I think mostly it’s just the amazing nature, the incredible landscape, the short distance between the different terrains, and the weather constantly changing. It’s shocking at times here, because the environment can be really harsh, there’s a lot of weather. It can be full on summer and then the next day it’s raining or even snowing. So that makes it a little bit exotic.”
“We have the right to roam here in Norway. So you can wild camp wherever you like, so there is real freedom. The people here are really nice, very friendly and helpful. So you can do it all here in Norway. It’s a remote location, it attracts a certain type of traveller, with an adventurous spirit who likes a challenge, so it suits the motorcycle rider I think.”
“It’s also the fact that we are five, maybe six million people, living across the country of Norway, so there is a lot of open space. We are a rich country as well, so we take care of the environment, the houses, the buildings … We have a lot of culture that we are proud of and that we preserve, the Vikings and the old Scandinavian ways are important to us. We tick a lot of boxes for the motorcycle traveller. “
It may seem daunting to some people who are thinking about escaping the monotony of everyday life to ride north and face the challenges of a Nordic motorcycle tour. But Thomas doesn’t think the challenges are particularly overwhelming.
“There aren’t many challenges to travelling in Norway by bike,” says Thomas. “The weather can be a challenge and of course the price points, it’s an expensive country. One thing is the temperature variation though. Often you have to go down into a valley and then climb a high mountain to descend into the next valley and those changes in altitude, rain shadow in the valleys and the weather can mean there are huge drops in temperature from 13° C to 0° C , so you have to be aware of that. You can come out of a tunnel and straight into a wall of sleet or hail that you didn’t expect, that’s just part of the adventure in Norway!”
“Fuel is no problem in Norway. We’re a petrostate, so around every corner there’s a gas station, no matter how remote your location. The Internet and mobile network coverage are extremely good everywhere in the county.”
With so much variation in the climate, terrain and particular challenges of riding in Norway, what is the best time of the year to go?
“It depends really on what you want to see,” says Thomas. “May can be a great month. It’s warm but there’s still the sugar coating of snow on the mountains and then when you look into the valleys you see the beautiful green. It looks really nice with the contrasts. But for me personally I really enjoy autumn, from August to the beginning of September, there are still high temperatures. All the snow has melted in the mountains so it’s possible to ride a lot of the gravel roads. And best of all many of the ‘knott’, they’re like mosquitos, or midges, have died off. I can’t stand them, they can be a real nuisance, like at certain times and places you simply can’t go around without a mosquito net. If it’s humid and there’s no wind, they will terrorise you for the whole evening. It’s horrible.”
North Cape remains the ultimate destination for most motorcycle adventurers in Norway, but the route should definitely take in as much of the western coast as possible.
“We have the longest coastline in Europe,” says Thomas. “There are a lot of serpentine roads and twisties, a lot of mountains that sweep down to the fjords. The eastern part of the country is like ‘potato land’ and a lot of highways. The west coast and in the mountains, the scenery is spectacular and the roads are more twisty and interesting.”
You can see from Thomas’s social media and YouTube channel that camping is his preferred way to see the wilds of Norway. Camping is free everywhere in the country so it makes sense to really connect with nature while travelling there. Weather permitting, of course.
“I enjoy camping, because you’re more in contact with nature,” says Thomas. “But you’re also in contact with other people, there is less of a barrier, and when you’re on the road alone for 8 or 9 hours at a time, it can be quite solitary, so it’s always great to meet people. It’s a unique way to experience motorcycle riding. And it’s a way to remind yourself what the most important things in life are.”
The BMIC would like to thank Thomas Hansen to chatting with us and sharing his adventures around Norway. To find out more check out Thomas’s Instagram and YouTube channel