This 5-Day Motorcycle Tour Will Let You Ride Up an Active Volcano in Iceland
“Today, we will ride up the Hekla volcano,” says Luca Bono, Dainese’s head of experiences. “It will be a day you’ll remember forever.” Oh, I don’t doubt that. Hekla is the one of the most active of the approximately 130 volcanos in Iceland. It has erupted over 20 times since the year 874, the last of which was as recently as February, 2000. During the Middle Ages, the Icelandic Norse dubbed Hekla the “Gateway to Hell,” and as we begin our ascent on Hekla’s outer edges, I begin to see—and feel—why.
The winds are ferocious. At over 70 mph, they stop my Ducati Multistrada V4 S dead in its tracks. The remainder of the group, six strong at the start of this motorized trek, is spread out about a mile apart. Soon enough, we realize how futile going any further is and we attempt to turn our bikes around in the gale-force conditions. We’re not in any serious danger—aside from the odd toppling Ducati—and as I look to Luca on my left, our eyes meet and we simultaneously burst out laughing. The absurdity of it all is just too much.
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With our Ducatis headed back down the mountain, we gradually ease away from Hekla’s fury. The winds are still blowing at around 40 mph, but then, within the space of 30 feet, the gusts completely evaporate. We have not ridden through a shading rock formation or into a crater, the winds just stop, and I’m left with a view quite unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. Grey volcanic sand, once Hekla’s hardened molten lava, paints the landscape a haunting hue. I quickly become lost in the spectacle, absorbed in the immensity of this prehistoric panorama.
This is just one of the bucket-list moments that riders who participate in the Dainese Expedition Masters Iceland tour are treated to as they ride from the capital of Reykjavik in the west to Landmannalaugar in the east. In recent years, Italian motorcycle-apparel giant Dainese has pivoted its business model to not just outfitting MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, but to developing motorcycle tours through some of the most exceptional places on the planet.
Under the leadership of Bono, a former pro-level racer himself, and in conjunction with commercial partners Ducati and Metzeler, Dainese Expedition Masters now offers three tours that include exploration of the Atacama Desert between Chile and Bolivia, as well as a stateside foray into Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
As part of the Iceland tour, each rider is presented with their own Dainese Antarctica II adventure suit, a carbon-fiber AGV adventure helmet and waterproof TCX boots, as well as the use of a pristine Ducati Multistrada V4 S shod with Metzeler’s brilliant Karoo 4 adventure tires. The Ducati’s four individual ECU modes are all explored as we traverse the landscape’s undulations, but keeping the superbike-derived V-4 motor in its 115 hp Enduro mode seems absolutely the sanest choice for much of the ride. In Iceland, you’re limited by the terrain, not the motorcycle.
It’s a good thing those TCX boots keep the water out, because there’s upwards of 30 fjord crossings on the trip. Dark clouds cloak the horizon for much of our journey, and on the final day, as we head back to Reykjavik, the Icelandic heavens open and we are pelted with a rain that would test any motorcycle lover’s resolve.
Surviving this storm is yet another cause for a sidesplitting laugh as we sit down with our new best friends in the confines of the airport hotel at tour’s end. Bikes have a unique way of bringing people together who otherwise would have nothing in common, and to ride in such a landscape makes this time together all the more special. Once again I’m reminded that the world is a beautiful, ethereal place, and there’s no better way to explore it than from the seat of a motorcycle. The Dainese Expedition Masters Iceland experience is priced at roughly $7,900.
Click here for more photos of the Dainese Expedition Masters Iceland tour.
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