YouTubers from UK decided to ride TET Finland! They have 30k followers in their channel. I started to follow them in the spring when Martha was about to get her licence for the big bikes. Then it was maybe in April when my Messenger had some questions from Mitch and about TET Finland. And It was actually quite close that we didn’t meet each other around Midsummer when I was riding in the north myself! I think it was Sunday when they were doing the Alta old post road and for me and my friends it was tuesday! This is actually the first time when someone is doing a full series (10 episodes) of YouTube videos about TransEuroTrail Finland and I think the movies are very good!! First episode here:
They have also very nice instagram channel: Jammy Gits
This year MotoAdventureDays took place for the fourth time! I missed the first year, but I was one of the the group leaders the second year and now it was already the third time for me. Each year has been an improvement so the challenges for next year’s event are getting pretty big (when/if there is still room for improvement?) Here is my compilation video of the 2024 event:
After some resting I was ofcourse riding again. So in July I took some interesting adventures and explorations around the area where I live! First ride was 15th of July. I was checking the most southern parts of the mainland in Raseborg.
This ride has interesting very narrow canal in the beginning. This canal almost everyone remembers because one boating accident that happened there 14 years ago. The second ride was 20th of July. I was checking some of the best trails near my home. It was also quite hot day.
Third ride was 21st of July. That was the group ride for “Pohjolan kurapyöräilijät” (Nordic dirt riders). We had super fun day!
Next ride was 23rd of July. I was finally checking the Kemiö island, the second biggest islanf in Finland.
Next ride was 27th of July. It is the seven sleepers day in Finland.
The last ride of July was on the last day of July. That I did with my friend Lauri in Hanko area.
I also shared a “remix” video of one of the best parts of that ride in Hanko area.
In August it will be the MotoAdventureDays again. I’m one of the team leaders (“Peura”) and I’m also doing some presentation about TET Finland. See you there!
I spent the night in Rovaniemi in someones private home. I never met this guy before and he was still offering me this. Some great people still exist! In the morning I continued my route south from Rovaniemi (ok, first it was east, then south). This was still TransEuroTrail Finland section 7. I had about 130km route to check and first 40km were excellent! In the video it’s the first 5 minutes…
Finally I was in the crossroads with TET section 19. Now I had to make a decision about where to next?? But that decision was actually made for me because on the previous evening I noticed that my front fork was leaking badly and the rear shock was soft (again!). So when I cought some paved road I started to ride to south (I wasn’t thinking yet that I will ride as fast home as possible but that’s exactly what happened.) First I rode to Ranua… then to Pudasjärvi… and soon I was in Oulu and I took a swim in a nice beach of Vihiluoto.
I couldn’t find accommodation that was cheap enough so I continued all the way to Pyhäsalmi and stayed in a small cabin in Emolahti camping area (40€).
The route for the day 6 looked like this:
North Adventure Day 7 was only the ride back home on the paved road. I got heavy rain from Jämsä to Padasjoki.
After a great night sleep in Inari Uruniemi camping (30€ only!) I was more than ready to start exploring new possible section for TransEuroTrail Finland.
First I had to ride the section 7 until it’s starting point which was still more than 100km away behind Pokka village. And it was paved road all the way there.
Actually before the “starting point” of section 7 I turned away from the paved road and all the fun started! I soon joined with section 1 and was riding 27km together with the “main section”! And that was maybe the best road/ track that I had on this day! Then I had route ahead of me that I knew nothing about. I planned the route to make it a section of it’s own but at some point I realised that it could be a continuation of an already existing section 7! So all this new route would be just a new beginning part of that section. And after the update the section 7 is now 770km long! So I was riding all the way down to Rovaniemi and it was almost 500km of riding! Here’s the video of that day:
The weather forecast was saying that it will rain today but we desided to go anyway. And the plan was to ride north first to Enontekiö, then to Kautokeino (Norway) and from there we took the “Old Postroad” to Alta. In Hetta (Enontekiö) we filled the tanks and in Norway border we took few pictures. For my friend Lauri it was his first time out from Finland with the motorcycle! After 3 hours of riding we reached Kautokeino and we enjoyed lunch in Pit Stop Café & Restaurant. It was simple grillfood with very reasonable price. Here we got few drops of rain but other than that we had pretty nice weather all day!
Then 15km north from Kautokeino starts the challenge!
The Alta Old Post Road is very well known route for adventure riders! It had been my dream for many years and now I was here! The south part is about 60km and it is the more challenging one. There’s actually no really hard parts but after 10-15 km of riding started the puddles and more rocky parts. I started to count how many big puddles there was but after 30 (something) I got confused in the calculations.
The last picture is from Mázejohka old bridge and it’s definitely on of the best-preserved bridges on the route! But soon after this comes the place where one Norwegian couple crashed badly few years ago. The north part of the Old Post Road is almost like a normal road. You can drive there nicely with a normal car or with street motorcycle. And the scenery there is simply amazing!
The route for today was about 300km and it looked like this:
My friends Eero & Lauri took a different direction from Alta so after this day I was riding alone again. I found very nice cabin from Strand Camping with 51€.
The 30 minutes video of the day you can watch here:
Day 2 started with a light rain but it was over before I started packing my bike. Second time packing was already much faster and easier (& better). First I was riding back to Muonio and from there I called my friends Eero & Lauri who I knew were staying somewhere close in a cabin. I also had a place there for the next 1 or 2 nights.
We wanted to explore the area and make a warm up for the next day. And it ended up being such an amazing riding day! First to Pakasaivo lake and then some smaller tracks/ roads to Äkäslompolo village where we filled the tanks and enjoyed some great lunch in Ravintola Rouhe. Then we continued to the Rautuvaara mining area and we spent maybe 2 hours exploring the tracks there. That was such an amazing area! After the mining area we still checked some smaller tracks in the forest of Kolari and Muonio. For me it was first 70km to the cabin and then 200km with my friends. The route was like this:
It was the same ride on 1st of May when these problems started! It felt like the power was cutting/ stalling very shortly. And sometimes bike even did stall and it was difficult to get running again! My bike went to Biketeam Raisio and first they found that idle actuator was not working as it should. They changed the new one and checked the error codes and it looked better. But after I got bike back home I couldn’t ride it more than 30km! All the problems were back or they were even worse!
Bike went back to Biketeam and now with some serious investigations! “The engine running problems continues. Error codes comes from: 000230 electric fuel pump 000335 Crankshaft sensor 000561 DME voltage supply, terminal 30 Cleaned a badly oxidized ground wire under the voltage regulator, after this the idle running improved considerably. Was running for 30 min. with some throttle every now and then without stalling. The error codes did return. Measured petrol pressure at about 3bar, so OK! Ignition coils measured, are OK! Gas valve housing cleaned, Wire harness inspected and found no significant abrasions/wear but when the harness is moved with hand the injector nozzle activates and sprays gas into the intake manifold (!). The harness was peeled over a distance of about 30cm and found a point where the wires were badly worn and the plus wire was connecting with other wires, fixed! After this, the bike was test ridden a couple of times with no problems and no error codes came back. The repair was deemed successful.”
I feel a strong sense of gratitude and I deeply respect Biketeam for what they have done! They spent incredible amount of time/ hours to find the problem and they finally did! I really hope that my bike will work now… At least this summer! On 4th of June I was riding by bike back home! Everything was working and bike felt smooth!
Saab museum The Uusikaupunki car factory produced Saabs for many years. So it is only natural that Saab has its own museum there. But nowadays there’s many other Car brands too! The POI in the TET is called “Saab museum”
Old Rauma The Old town of rauma is a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1991. The old part of the city consists of around 600 wooden houses which are used both for residential and commercial purposes. You will find some interesting shops, restaurants and cafeterias here. TET route makes a loop through the market square but it’s recommended to ride around the narrow streets of the Old town and maybe check the old stone church too. The old town hall was built in 1776 (unfortunately this building/ museum is closed until 2026).
Kallo lighthouse 8m tall lighthouse of Kallo was built in 1903. There’s something special about this small lighthouse and the place where it’s located! The POI in the TET gpx has the same name.
Reposaari fortress park This island and its coastline you can see from Kallo lighthouse. But you need to ride 15km to reach the Reposaari island! The POI in TET gpx is called “Fortress park”. There you will find a wide range of fortifications from the Second World War. And there is also an observation tower about 10m high with very nice views to the sea!
Vattaja sand dunes The Vattaja dune area is a valuable landscape also by European standards. Vattaja is Europe’s largest coastal dune area in the boreal region, and with 15 kilometres of shoreline, it is also one of the longest sandy beaches in the Nordic countries. TET route would probably go through here but there are some military areas too so it’s not possible to make a nice route through the area. Now you need to ride about 35km north from TET track to reach Vattaja area. The POI in the TET gpx is called “Vattaja Beach & Dunes” If you don’t visit Vattaja dunes you can still check Yyteri or Kalajoki beaches near TET Section 3!
Hailuoto/ Marjaniemi Hailuoto is The third biggest island in Finland. You can visit the island by ferry and in the future throught the bridge. The most western point of Hailuoto is called Marjaniemi and it offers nice sand beaches, a lighthouse and a small fishing village. The POI in the TET gpx is called “Hailuoto Marjaniemi”. You need to ride more than 60km west from the TET track (but 7km of this is in the ferry!)
Aavasaksa hilltop One of the first tourist attractions of Finland was the top of the hill of Aavasaksa. There is many things to see: Struve Geodetic Arc and The Imperial lodge that was built in 1883. But the best idea about the place you will have by hiking around the trail called The Scenic path of Aavasaksa. There is 2 POI’s in the TET gpx: “The Imperial Lodge” and “Aavasaksa Viewpoint terrace”. The Aavasaksa hilltop is about 3,5km noth from the TET track.
Arctic Circle in Pello The cafeteria & Restaurant Tuomaan tupa is a crossing point of the Arctic Circle. North from here you can experience the midnight sun and the further north you go the longer the period of the midnight sun is! The POI in the TET gpx is called “Arctic Circle Pello”. You need to ride 2,8km north from the TET track.
Iso Valkee You started from Helsinki 159km ago and you have been enjoying “Kiikala” area already 30km’s and now you have POI in your TET gpx called “Iso Valkee very nice place”. This is a small beach, camping area and Lean-To shelter by a very beautiful lake! The lake has very clear water and sand bottom so it’s a nice place for a swim. Or grilling some sousages and have a break. It’s ok to put your tent here and do wild camping. Remember: Don’t make fire if there is forest fire warning!
Aulanko in Hämeenlinna You need to leave TET route just when you enter the main road 57 in Hattula/ Hämeenlinna. You need to ride 8km to south-east to reach the Aulanko area and there turn to left to Aulanko lookout tower. (Route here). Even if the tower itself is not open the place has amazing views to the lake and the tower itself looks quite unique. It’s 117 years old tower and the place is one of the national landscapes of Finland. The POI in TET gpx is called “Aulanko National view”.
Niemisjärvi lake in Evo area You have been riding in Evo area already few km’s and the TET route makes a turn to the right to go around this lake. I recommend to ride straight to the place and have a short break there. With lean-to shelters, grilling places and a beautiful small beach it’s quite special place. You’re not allowed to ride over the bridge but you can park your bike before the bridge. POI is called “Niemisjärvi camping area”.
Old church of Petäjävesi You can see this wooden church from The TET route but we really recommend you to go and check this 250 years old wooden church. You can see the POI in TET gpx, it’s called “Old Church of Petäjävesi”.
Finnish Air Force Museum You can see the planes and the museum from the route but if you are interested about this kind of stuff it is ofcourse recommended to go in! Google maps location
Koli National landscape If you want to visit Koli National park and the “famous view from the top of Koli” You need to ride about 20km away from the route near Juuka. And in Koli you need to leave your bike to the parking area and take the railcar to the top. From there it is about 1km hike to the lookout spot. POI is called “Koli hill top”.
Raate road The route goes across Raate road in Suomussalmi. You will probably see some tanks or something about the war while riding but it’s very much recommended to ride to the beginning of Raate Road. That is about 15km’s from the actual TET route to the museum area. Maybe visit the Raatteen portti museum or at least read about the Battle of Raate Road and check the Winter War Monument. POI’s are called “Raatteen portti” and “Winter War Monument”.
Kiutaköngäs rapids The POI in TET gpx is called “Kiutaköngäs Rapids/ Waterfall”. If you ride 3 km north from the track you will find Oulanka National park (One of the gates to the park) and if you leave your bike to the parking area you will have about 1km hike to the famous rapids in the National park.
Samperi’s locomotive About 4km east from the track you can find POI called “Tulppion majat” and just on the north side of that area there is a strange machine standing in the shelter. It’s a steam locomotive to be used in transporting logs from the forest closer to the road.
GoZa Mite 