P38 reliability and adventures .....

for reasons totally uninteresting to the story ..... Sunday 1st january, lunchtime, I turns to herself and asks ..... "do you fancy an adventure ....???"

It's a '98 2.5 DSE, minding its own business .... last oil change was a year ago .... its well sorted, its on coils and winter tires .... but it has no idea whats coming.

With no preparation at all .... sleeping bags are in the back, suitcases on the back seat and we are heading out of Ediburg, south to Farnborough.

Only going that way cos I blagged some rims for the other car on ebay and they need picking up ....... anyway, back to the adventure..... dive into a hotel with herself, few beers and bed.

Morning its off to harwich for the boat to denmark ..... oh yes. Trouble is the weather is ****e and the boat arrives in Esbjerg 5 hrs late .... not a problem if you plan on staying there ........ but we have a boat to catch to Norway from hirtshals, 4 hrs to the North.

Hahahaha all goes well and we make the boat ....... Norway, snow ..... perfect, 5 hr drive to stavanger.

But thats only the start ....... 2 days showing the face in the office and saturday morning early .......... we're off to Trondheim .........and the weather is proper.....

Its about now you might be wondering who the hell would be dumb enough to take a P38 that old that far from home ......... I was thinking the same ....

Trondheim is about 600 miles away ....... the P38 hums like a bird......

and just for good measure this morning ....... we crossed the swedish border ...

and we are indeed a long way from home ....... hahahahahaha


http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden2.jpg

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden3.jpg

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden4.jpg

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden5.jpg


I wouldn't like to be digging this out ......

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden1.jpg


heres a wee clip ..............

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPTITGkd3I"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPTITGkd3I[/ame]

ah well ............... I thought it might make someone chuckle .........

Im working on the principle here that if it sh*ts its pants, I will just park it and walk away ..... hahaha

Good effort you must be bonkers thou where did you get your light bar from

matt1987 said:

Good effort you must be bonkers thou where did you get your light bar from

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62 quid on ebay ...... cant remember the name offhand .... should be easy enough to find

Bit of a dare-devil you are, great thing up there they don't use salt so much just driving on the snow, i love it too

Quality trip. That's the sort of driving conditions that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. I'm heading to Sweden later in the month so hoping there is plenty of snow so I give the old Cherokee a good old spin.

Is that a GPS enabled camera ? Can you drop me a link for it ?

mcapinha said:

Is that a GPS enabled camera ? Can you drop me a link for it ?

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The video is off my RoadHawk ...... just google it, easy to find.
I have the full Bogs Dollox version with front and rear cameras. GPS, audio and shock sensing .......

You think your mad. We're heading up that way in the Classic!! Going with the old man who is not a good sailor so we're going up through Belgium and Germany to get to Hirtshals. Used to take the direct ferry to Norway until they stopped it.

Good set of tyres and snow chains just in case, jobs a goodun. Most of the locals have their motors sorted for the weather. The roads, especially the further north you go are mostly empty anyway so you never tend not to find the ensuing chaos that prevails in the UK when it snows.

Oh man I am tempted to do this! Also got a Classic, on air suspension. Would change the tyres (got some fairly chunky Insa Turbo Traction Tracks on at the moment, would move to a more road-biased winter tyre I think) but sounds like great fun. Where are you heading, anywhere in particular?

My only issue is the missus hates the cold and would much prefer heading somewhere hot - but I love the snow!! Maybe if we get some heavy snow in Scotland we'll head up there for a long weekend as a first trip...

MikeV8SE said:

Oh man I am tempted to do this! Also got a Classic, on air suspension. Would change the tyres (got some fairly chunky Insa Turbo Traction Tracks on at the moment, would move to a more road-biased winter tyre I think) but sounds like great fun. Where are you heading, anywhere in particular?

My only issue is the missus hates the cold and would much prefer heading somewhere hot - but I love the snow!! Maybe if we get some heavy snow in Scotland we'll head up there for a long weekend as a first trip...

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Heading for a place called Vikersund (Just north of Oslo) to watch the world ski jumping championships (Eddie the eagle and all that) And then head north. Nothing booked just see where the mood takes us.

Spent quite a bit of time in Scandinavia as a young man so have always liked heading back that way. As for the cold weather, the heater in the classic is like toast and as long as you take the correct cold weather gear you should be fine. Sat nav and mobile phones have really taken the adventure out of going to these places LOL.

fortgrange said:

Sat nav and mobile phones have really taken the adventure out of going to these places LOL.

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...until the sat nav packs up and you lose mobile signal!

What "winter gear" do you take (car rather than personal)?

MikeV8SE said:

...until the sat nav packs up and you lose mobile signal!

What "winter gear" do you take (car rather than personal)?

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Just go back to a good old fashioned map if the nav goes belly up and 4 on board with various networks so would be seriously unlucky for total loss.

I make sure I have tyres with plenty of life in them, a battery that is in tip top condition, ignition system all recently serviced or replaced, anti freeze solution strengthened, a set of snow chains and some shovels. The only spares I carry are a couple of new plugs, new rotor arm and an ignition amplifier. Some anti freeze, oil (gearbox and engine) and various de-icers and scrapers.

sat nav and mobile phones work everywhere in Norway ......... even in the most remote places .....

Winter tires are compulsory ........ you risked being fined if you do not have them and to be honest, its madness driving on these roads without them.

Always have survival clothes in the back, ie a couple of sleeping bags, proper jackets etc. (I've also got 20 lts of fuel)

Before you get here, if diesil, let you tank empty to about a quarter then fill up here. The fuel here is rated to like -40C in the uk its around -15C

...... apart from that, a NON maxed out credit card and you are on your way.....

Fab Pix

Looks like a great trip, keeps the pics coming!!

just ordered a syncmate from Black Box .........
had a moment there when it wanted to remind me it was a P38 ............ engine disabled and what you going to do about that then hahahahahaha....

Well not this time lady ..... got it going with the usual dicking about ......

Will take more pics if anyone is interested .........

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden6.jpg


well I thought it was funny ..............

http://www.bike****e.com/forums/photoplog/images/1/1_sweden7.jpg


Main Road ..... E14

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQt476R2lEs]I **** thee not 1.avi - YouTube[/ame]


This is herself being mental ........

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxHuWrS0bro"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxHuWrS0bro[/ame]

My SyncMate has arrived ......... do I just plug it in and hope it all gets better, or are there things I need to be doing first ........

Right now it is safely parked in an underground car park, so any changes have to be done now ..... and not out there in them hills.......

I have a situation at the mo where, if I unlock with the fob, put the key in the ignition and turn ..... everything is fine.
If I wait a while or open and close a door, then its always engine disabled - press key fob - then its ok.

Id like to get it pukka cos the next part of the adventure is ............ transit sweden to Denmark / Germany / Holland then boat to Newcastle.
Quite few miles, a few stops and plenty of ****e weather

Have to start it within a set time or immobiliser re arms itself , hence pressing unlock again let's u start it

Mr Smug here ............... oh yes ............ plugged in my sync mate and within seconds its glowing green and alls well with the world .............
I am prepared ...... bring it on .................................