I added more pictures from the ride to a photo album
15 korr 2007
The Next Long Ride
This was the first motorcycle ride I had taken that was over 1500 miles and longer than a week. I appreciate the fact that Michael had planed out the route, the details, and invited me along. It was intended to be a trip where we rode to a different location every day. For my next long ride I think I would modify the schedule. I think I would get more out of the trip by riding longer in a day and spending at least two days in one place that had activities of interest. The key to this is getting my bike more comfortable to ride. I think the Corbin seat will let me ride at least 600 miles in a day. Putting in one or two longer days of riding would then allow time to camp in an area for at least an extra day. This approach would cut down on the extra time associated with setup and break down of camping.
Overall this was a great first trip to take a long ride. It definitely won't be the last.
Overall this was a great first trip to take a long ride. It definitely won't be the last.
14 korr 2007
Statistics
Raw numbers
5,505 miles - round trip from Issaquah(Seattle), WA to Fairbanks, AK via Valdez and Anchorage.
19 days - 17 days riding, one day working on fuel pump in Anchorage , one tourist day in Fairbanks
Tank range - 220 miles
Gas fill ups - 39
Gallons of gas - 122
Gas Cost - $510
Hotel Cost - $1248 total, this was for 14 nights. My cost was $624. We stayed with friends two nights in Anchorage and two nights in Fairbanks.
Food Cost - $665, We usually got up and rode for a couple hours in the morning before stopping for food. Then ate dinner when we got to the destination for the night. I snacked some during the day. So we ate at restaurants twice a day
Total Cost - $1799, two meals per day, 14 nights hotel, and gas.
Averages
MPG - 45
Miles between fill-ups - 141, this was not optimized. We generally filled up where we knew we could get gas. My bike was the short range bike so I determined fill-ups. Having another 50 miles of range would have helped
U.S. Gas Price - $3.18/gallon, the median was $3.10. Interestingly the cheapest gas in the US was in Fairbanks at $2.93/gallon and the most expensive was $3.57 in Valdez. Now both of these are close to the pipeline, both have small refineries in the immediate area. As a consumer there must be a couple of things I don't understand about the oil/gas business.
Canadian Gas Price - $4.61/gallon(converted from liters) , the median was $4.53 . The highest price was $5.62 per gallon in Muncho Lake. This is in the middle of the BC wilderness. The least expensive was in Whistler at $4.07/gallon.
Overall Gas - $4.18/gallon
Hotel Cost - $89/night, 14 nights. This was for a single room with two beds. My half was $44.50/night. This is a category to cut cost from the trip. It made it real easy to "break camp" in the morning but next time I will camp as much as practical.
Food Cost - $35/day. Roughly $12-$15 for the first meal $20-$23 for dinner. Cooking would reduce the cost but it was nice not to carry stove and cooking equipment. But if you were planning to camp more this would be an area to take cost out of the trip.
Cost per Day - $95 - not including the cost of the bike, equipment, and consumables like tires
5,505 miles - round trip from Issaquah(Seattle), WA to Fairbanks, AK via Valdez and Anchorage.
19 days - 17 days riding, one day working on fuel pump in Anchorage , one tourist day in Fairbanks
Tank range - 220 miles
Gas fill ups - 39
Gallons of gas - 122
Gas Cost - $510
Hotel Cost - $1248 total, this was for 14 nights. My cost was $624. We stayed with friends two nights in Anchorage and two nights in Fairbanks.
Food Cost - $665, We usually got up and rode for a couple hours in the morning before stopping for food. Then ate dinner when we got to the destination for the night. I snacked some during the day. So we ate at restaurants twice a day
Total Cost - $1799, two meals per day, 14 nights hotel, and gas.
Averages
MPG - 45
Miles between fill-ups - 141, this was not optimized. We generally filled up where we knew we could get gas. My bike was the short range bike so I determined fill-ups. Having another 50 miles of range would have helped
U.S. Gas Price - $3.18/gallon, the median was $3.10. Interestingly the cheapest gas in the US was in Fairbanks at $2.93/gallon and the most expensive was $3.57 in Valdez. Now both of these are close to the pipeline, both have small refineries in the immediate area. As a consumer there must be a couple of things I don't understand about the oil/gas business.
Canadian Gas Price - $4.61/gallon(converted from liters) , the median was $4.53 . The highest price was $5.62 per gallon in Muncho Lake. This is in the middle of the BC wilderness. The least expensive was in Whistler at $4.07/gallon.
Overall Gas - $4.18/gallon
Hotel Cost - $89/night, 14 nights. This was for a single room with two beds. My half was $44.50/night. This is a category to cut cost from the trip. It made it real easy to "break camp" in the morning but next time I will camp as much as practical.
Food Cost - $35/day. Roughly $12-$15 for the first meal $20-$23 for dinner. Cooking would reduce the cost but it was nice not to carry stove and cooking equipment. But if you were planning to camp more this would be an area to take cost out of the trip.
Cost per Day - $95 - not including the cost of the bike, equipment, and consumables like tires
What Worked What Didn't
What Worked
Tall windshield - I put on a shield that I just look over the top of. Much warmer, better for bugs and rain.
Heated grips/Heated vest - You don't have to put on so many layers to stay warm. With the temperature running from high 40's to mid-90s, turning grips and vest on and off works great. In a rain storm situation the temperature can drop 10 degrees or more and then warm back up.
Two Piece Rainsuit - Easier to get in to and out of then the one-piece. Works almost as well as the one piece. If I knew I was going to ride in the rain all day, the one piece would be my choice but we did not encounter an all day rain ride
Highway Pegs - It was nice to be able to stretch my legs out straight and rest my calves on the pegs
Two-way Radios - These were great. Especially in the larger cities where traffic is an issue. I would definitely use these again. We only used the low power transmit setting which was good for about a half mile range.
Ear Plugs - Howard Leight MAX LIGHT are very soft and comfortable for all day riding
Front Splash Guard - I fabricated this from aluminum sheet metal and and it protected the front of the engine from mud picked up by the front wheel. No indication that the big ran any hotter even though this shield covers the oil cooler.
GPS - This worked well in the larger cities where we did not know our way around. The streetmap software on Michael's GPS was helpful. There were only a few times it got confused and sent us in the wrong direction
My Bike - it ran flawlessly, it was fun to have a few more horsepower at sea level. I did lose a screw out of the front fairing which I suspect I had not tightened. I also had a rattle in the front fairing that needs more investigation. Duct tape fixed the rattle during the trip.
WalMart - We got engine oil at the Super WalMart in Fairbanks for an oil change. I paid the same price for the synthetic oil I use in Fairbanks as what I pay in Colorado. I don't know how WalMart can do this.
The MilePost - If you are doing a road trip through western Canada and Alaska you need this guide
Visitor Centers - For our trip we did not have advanced reservations for hotels. If we thought there was going to be a problem we picked one from the Milepost and called a day ahead to see how booked they were and if need be make a reservation. Most of the time we waited until we got to the town and went to the visitor's center. First we asked for B&Bs. We got smart enough to ask for new B&Bs. These were most likely to have openings. If no B&Bs we asked for hotels with rooms under $100/night. More then likely these were second tier hotels so we asked for the ones most recently updated.
Wi-Fi - a good portion of hotels and campgrounds provide free wi-fi access. The exception was at Whistler where they figure you can pay extra for it since you are paying a lot for the room already.
Riding Close to the Speed Limit - We were not the fastest vehicles on the road but we did not have any encounters with law enforcement. We had animals close to the road and I only had one tense moment with a sheep. I was slowing down as fast as I could and the sheep was deciding if crossing the road was a good idea. I was almost stopped when the sheep changed direction.
AARP Membership - I was insulted when I first got the invitation to join three years ago. But I joined for a year just before the trip . The hotels in Alaska gave discounts and I have more then paid for it. The Canadians did not give any discounts on room rates for AARP members.
What Didn't
Battery in radios - they lasted about 1.5 days which is OK except you have to stop and change them. I just ended up charging mine each night. A better solution will be to wire in to the bike electrical system. Also using the privacy codes did not work reliably. The idea is to select a channel and then a privacy code so the radios only work if the privacy code is detected at the front end of the transmission. Not sure what the problem is.
Rear Splash Guard - I made this one too tall for a fully loaded bike. It rubbed on hard bumps. I ended up taking it off and brought it home for modification.
Stock Seat - This seat is terrible for long distance riding. I knew this and have a Corbin seat that is much better. I decided against the Corbin because I can touch the ground flat footed with the stock seat. This is very important on technically difficult roads like the road to Prudhoe Bay. We did not make this part of the trip so I would have been much more comfortable on the Corbin seat. Fortunately our longest days were only 400 miles so it was not too bad. I also thought my butt would get tougher with riding, it did not.
Too Much Stuff - I took more clothes than I needed. There are other areas to cut back on weight and volume like spare parts I carried.
Tall windshield - I put on a shield that I just look over the top of. Much warmer, better for bugs and rain.
Heated grips/Heated vest - You don't have to put on so many layers to stay warm. With the temperature running from high 40's to mid-90s, turning grips and vest on and off works great. In a rain storm situation the temperature can drop 10 degrees or more and then warm back up.
Two Piece Rainsuit - Easier to get in to and out of then the one-piece. Works almost as well as the one piece. If I knew I was going to ride in the rain all day, the one piece would be my choice but we did not encounter an all day rain ride
Highway Pegs - It was nice to be able to stretch my legs out straight and rest my calves on the pegs
Two-way Radios - These were great. Especially in the larger cities where traffic is an issue. I would definitely use these again. We only used the low power transmit setting which was good for about a half mile range.
Ear Plugs - Howard Leight MAX LIGHT are very soft and comfortable for all day riding
Front Splash Guard - I fabricated this from aluminum sheet metal and and it protected the front of the engine from mud picked up by the front wheel. No indication that the big ran any hotter even though this shield covers the oil cooler.
GPS - This worked well in the larger cities where we did not know our way around. The streetmap software on Michael's GPS was helpful. There were only a few times it got confused and sent us in the wrong direction
My Bike - it ran flawlessly, it was fun to have a few more horsepower at sea level. I did lose a screw out of the front fairing which I suspect I had not tightened. I also had a rattle in the front fairing that needs more investigation. Duct tape fixed the rattle during the trip.
WalMart - We got engine oil at the Super WalMart in Fairbanks for an oil change. I paid the same price for the synthetic oil I use in Fairbanks as what I pay in Colorado. I don't know how WalMart can do this.
The MilePost - If you are doing a road trip through western Canada and Alaska you need this guide
Visitor Centers - For our trip we did not have advanced reservations for hotels. If we thought there was going to be a problem we picked one from the Milepost and called a day ahead to see how booked they were and if need be make a reservation. Most of the time we waited until we got to the town and went to the visitor's center. First we asked for B&Bs. We got smart enough to ask for new B&Bs. These were most likely to have openings. If no B&Bs we asked for hotels with rooms under $100/night. More then likely these were second tier hotels so we asked for the ones most recently updated.
Wi-Fi - a good portion of hotels and campgrounds provide free wi-fi access. The exception was at Whistler where they figure you can pay extra for it since you are paying a lot for the room already.
Riding Close to the Speed Limit - We were not the fastest vehicles on the road but we did not have any encounters with law enforcement. We had animals close to the road and I only had one tense moment with a sheep. I was slowing down as fast as I could and the sheep was deciding if crossing the road was a good idea. I was almost stopped when the sheep changed direction.
AARP Membership - I was insulted when I first got the invitation to join three years ago. But I joined for a year just before the trip . The hotels in Alaska gave discounts and I have more then paid for it. The Canadians did not give any discounts on room rates for AARP members.
What Didn't
Battery in radios - they lasted about 1.5 days which is OK except you have to stop and change them. I just ended up charging mine each night. A better solution will be to wire in to the bike electrical system. Also using the privacy codes did not work reliably. The idea is to select a channel and then a privacy code so the radios only work if the privacy code is detected at the front end of the transmission. Not sure what the problem is.
Rear Splash Guard - I made this one too tall for a fully loaded bike. It rubbed on hard bumps. I ended up taking it off and brought it home for modification.
Stock Seat - This seat is terrible for long distance riding. I knew this and have a Corbin seat that is much better. I decided against the Corbin because I can touch the ground flat footed with the stock seat. This is very important on technically difficult roads like the road to Prudhoe Bay. We did not make this part of the trip so I would have been much more comfortable on the Corbin seat. Fortunately our longest days were only 400 miles so it was not too bad. I also thought my butt would get tougher with riding, it did not.
Too Much Stuff - I took more clothes than I needed. There are other areas to cut back on weight and volume like spare parts I carried.
Day 17 to 19 (last riding day)
7/9 Dawson Creek to Williams Lake - 252 miles
7/10 Williams Lake to Whistler - 253 miles
7/11 Whistler to Issaquah - 228 miles
Day 17 - Started out in the 50's and overcast. Then progressed to clear sky and 70's. A very nice day for riding and the road had some twisty sections. Michael's fuel pump failed again mid day. The pump was hot to the touch almost like it was having to run a much higher duty cycle than normal to keep the pressure up. We had fitted up the auto fuel pump that we got when we were in Anchorage so it was plug an play. We had a pretty good spot in the ditch to work on the bike and the weather was nice. Took about 45 minutes from start to finish. During this time not a single person stopped to see if we needed help. Not that we needed help this time but I was surprised.
Day 18 - Mid 50's to low 90's. The best ride of the trip. Riding the Sea-to-Sky highway. Lots of twistys and mountain scenery. The road was a little rough. It was in the 90's when we got to Whistler and that is getting a little warm with the riding suits. Whistler is a very popular ski area and in the summer it is still very active. We stayed in the village close to all the activities. The most impressive thing going on is the downhill mountain bikers. They ride up the chair lift and then pretty much let gravity bring them back down. The bikes are very sophisticated. Full suspension and disc brakes front and back. Nicest hotel we stayed in but they charged us for underground parking and there was no free wi-fi access.
Day 19 - last day of the ride back to my parents house in Issaquah. The ride from Whistler to Vancouver is a very scenic rid but I would not ride it again until 2010. Whistler is the site of the 2010 winter (February) Olympics and they are widening the road. The road is two lanes now and it is going to four lanes. About 40 miles of construction non-stop. Th
ere are a few places they cut the current road in to the side of a cliff. A lot of rock needs to be blasted out or tunnels put in. At any rate it is a mess and will be this way through summer of 2009. The next challenge was getting through Vancouver and over the border. It was in the mid-90's and it was very hot riding. I drank a quart of water waiting in line 20 minutes at the border crossing.
Once back in the US we road the Chuckanut drive road along the coast. This was mostly shaded and 15 degrees cooler from the breeze off the ocean.
We met a guy on a Buell that had ridden the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay. He said it was not that bad with good weather. He did hit a pothole in the paved road south of Whitehorse that bent his rear rim so bad it would not hold air. A lot of bikes not use tubeless tires. The rims are aluminum alloy and he was able to bend it back so that it would hold air.
7/10 Williams Lake to Whistler - 253 miles
7/11 Whistler to Issaquah - 228 miles
Day 17 - Started out in the 50's and overcast. Then progressed to clear sky and 70's. A very nice day for riding and the road had some twisty sections. Michael's fuel pump failed again mid day. The pump was hot to the touch almost like it was having to run a much higher duty cycle than normal to keep the pressure up. We had fitted up the auto fuel pump that we got when we were in Anchorage so it was plug an play. We had a pretty good spot in the ditch to work on the bike and the weather was nice. Took about 45 minutes from start to finish. During this time not a single person stopped to see if we needed help. Not that we needed help this time but I was surprised.
Day 18 - Mid 50's to low 90's. The best ride of the trip. Riding the Sea-to-Sky highway. Lots of twistys and mountain scenery. The road was a little rough. It was in the 90's when we got to Whistler and that is getting a little warm with the riding suits. Whistler is a very popular ski area and in the summer it is still very active. We stayed in the village close to all the activities. The most impressive thing going on is the downhill mountain bikers. They ride up the chair lift and then pretty much let gravity bring them back down. The bikes are very sophisticated. Full suspension and disc brakes front and back. Nicest hotel we stayed in but they charged us for underground parking and there was no free wi-fi access.
Day 19 - last day of the ride back to my parents house in Issaquah. The ride from Whistler to Vancouver is a very scenic rid but I would not ride it again until 2010. Whistler is the site of the 2010 winter (February) Olympics and they are widening the road. The road is two lanes now and it is going to four lanes. About 40 miles of construction non-stop. Th
ere are a few places they cut the current road in to the side of a cliff. A lot of rock needs to be blasted out or tunnels put in. At any rate it is a mess and will be this way through summer of 2009. The next challenge was getting through Vancouver and over the border. It was in the mid-90's and it was very hot riding. I drank a quart of water waiting in line 20 minutes at the border crossing.Once back in the US we road the Chuckanut drive road along the coast. This was mostly shaded and 15 degrees cooler from the breeze off the ocean.
We met a guy on a Buell that had ridden the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay. He said it was not that bad with good weather. He did hit a pothole in the paved road south of Whitehorse that bent his rear rim so bad it would not hold air. A lot of bikes not use tubeless tires. The rims are aluminum alloy and he was able to bend it back so that it would hold air.
8 korr 2007
Day 15 & 16
7/7 - Watson Lake to Fort Nelson - 314 miles
7/8 - Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek - 286 miles
Day 15 - The best day of riding to date. Temperature in the low 50's most of the day with only a little rain. Heated grips and heated vest made it comfortable. For the first time in a while we got to use the sides of the tires. Traffic was light. We are far enough east to be in the Rocky Mountains and the scenery is spectacular. We rode the length of the Muncho Lake Provincial Park and the north end of the Stone Mountain Provincial Park. Today we saw bison, black bear, caribou, stone sheep, and deer. Talked to a guy on the KLR650 today that was headed north and had a helmet camera. He says he turns it on in the morning and records all day. Takes about 10GB of data for each day of riding. We stayed in a B&B in Fort Nelson run by a couple from Russia. They were both paramedics working for one of the energy companies that drill gas wells in the area. If there are more than for workers on a project (building road, drilling, building more pipeline) there must be a paramedic on site. So they go from project to project and are just there in case something happens. I asked them what they do most of the time. The answer was to study more for more paramedic certifications. I don't think this assignment is very desirable in the paramedic world. They fed us dinner at no cost. They were great hosts and we talked for several hours after dinner.
Day 16 - The wettest day of riding so far. Temperature in the upper 40s. Not much to say about riding in the heavy rain. I did stay dry and warm other than my feet. I did not get my waterproof socks or rubber over boots on. I'll wear the waterproof socks tomorrow. Dawson Creek is the beginning of the ALCAN highway. Here is a picture at the center of town with the mile 0 kiosk.
7/8 - Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek - 286 miles
Day 15 - The best day of riding to date. Temperature in the low 50's most of the day with only a little rain. Heated grips and heated vest made it comfortable. For the first time in a while we got to use the sides of the tires. Traffic was light. We are far enough east to be in the Rocky Mountains and the scenery is spectacular. We rode the length of the Muncho Lake Provincial Park and the north end of the Stone Mountain Provincial Park. Today we saw bison, black bear, caribou, stone sheep, and deer. Talked to a guy on the KLR650 today that was headed north and had a helmet camera. He says he turns it on in the morning and records all day. Takes about 10GB of data for each day of riding. We stayed in a B&B in Fort Nelson run by a couple from Russia. They were both paramedics working for one of the energy companies that drill gas wells in the area. If there are more than for workers on a project (building road, drilling, building more pipeline) there must be a paramedic on site. So they go from project to project and are just there in case something happens. I asked them what they do most of the time. The answer was to study more for more paramedic certifications. I don't think this assignment is very desirable in the paramedic world. They fed us dinner at no cost. They were great hosts and we talked for several hours after dinner.
Day 16 - The wettest day of riding so far. Temperature in the upper 40s. Not much to say about riding in the heavy rain. I did stay dry and warm other than my feet. I did not get my waterproof socks or rubber over boots on. I'll wear the waterproof socks tomorrow. Dawson Creek is the beginning of the ALCAN highway. Here is a picture at the center of town with the mile 0 kiosk.
6 korr 2007
Day 12 through 14
7/4 - Fairbanks to Tok - 214 miles
7/5 - Tok to Whitehorse - 395 miles
7/6 - Whitehorse to Watson Lake - 292 miles
Day 12 - We decided not to ride to Prudhoe Bay. A combination of weather forecast and road conditions changed our minds about the ride. So this part of the ride will have to wait until the next trip. A good portion of the road to Fairbanks from Anchorage and from Fairbanks to Tok is in a green corridor. The road is cut out of the forest and with relatively flat topology you are riding in a tree lined lane. Not very scenic. The only animals we saw in Alaska were a few Dall Sheep outside of Anchorage and a few bald eagles. Miles ridden to date are 3,300. We spent the 4th of July in Tok, population 1400. The big event of the day was the mud bog competition. This far north fireworks are a big event on New Year's but not on July 4th.
Day 13 - Saw one black bear after getting back in to Canada. The 140 miles from the border to the south end of Kluane Lake was the worst road of the ride. The frost heave is bad and the road construction is very dusty where they don't have the water trucks running. At one construction section the pilot car pulled us to the front of the line. This was very much appreciated. Not only did we get ahead of 20 RVs, we were out of the dust. Once the construction section was done we then had a road clear of RVs ahead of us.
Day 14 - A pretty average day. Saw another black bear and had a good ride with temperatures in the low 50's but no rain. We did talk to a guy from Washington on a FJR1300 (high horsepower ultimate sport touring bike). He said he got pulled over by a RCMP because of excessive speed. He said the officer was very cool. The rider got off with a warning after the officer explained to him that the speed limit signs were in kilometers per hour.
7/5 - Tok to Whitehorse - 395 miles
7/6 - Whitehorse to Watson Lake - 292 miles
Day 12 - We decided not to ride to Prudhoe Bay. A combination of weather forecast and road conditions changed our minds about the ride. So this part of the ride will have to wait until the next trip. A good portion of the road to Fairbanks from Anchorage and from Fairbanks to Tok is in a green corridor. The road is cut out of the forest and with relatively flat topology you are riding in a tree lined lane. Not very scenic. The only animals we saw in Alaska were a few Dall Sheep outside of Anchorage and a few bald eagles. Miles ridden to date are 3,300. We spent the 4th of July in Tok, population 1400. The big event of the day was the mud bog competition. This far north fireworks are a big event on New Year's but not on July 4th.
Day 13 - Saw one black bear after getting back in to Canada. The 140 miles from the border to the south end of Kluane Lake was the worst road of the ride. The frost heave is bad and the road construction is very dusty where they don't have the water trucks running. At one construction section the pilot car pulled us to the front of the line. This was very much appreciated. Not only did we get ahead of 20 RVs, we were out of the dust. Once the construction section was done we then had a road clear of RVs ahead of us.
Day 14 - A pretty average day. Saw another black bear and had a good ride with temperatures in the low 50's but no rain. We did talk to a guy from Washington on a FJR1300 (high horsepower ultimate sport touring bike). He said he got pulled over by a RCMP because of excessive speed. He said the officer was very cool. The rider got off with a warning after the officer explained to him that the speed limit signs were in kilometers per hour.
3 korr 2007
Days 8 through 11
6/30 - Valdez to Anchorage - 310 miles
7/1 - In Anchorage - 0 miles
7/2 - Anchorage to Fairbanks - 392 miles
7/3 - In Fairbanks - 0 miles
Day 8 - Riding back out of Valdez was cloudy and raining. Good thing we too some pictures the day before because we were in the clouds when we started to climb out of town. At one point it was so dense I could only see 30 yards in front of me. The ride to Anchorage was cool and wet. Going by the Matanuska glacier it felt like being in a refrigerator. As we got closer to Anchorage the clouds thinned and the sun came out. 13 miles outside of Anchorage Michael's bike stopped running. We had been pulled over to the side of the road for about 15 minutes when a van with a flat bed trailer stops. The gal driving is from Alaska Rider (http://w
ww.akrider.com/). She is just coming back from a tour. I think this was the chase van. The flat bed trailer is empty except for one bike. We load the bike on the flat bed and are taken to their shop in Anchorage. We get the bike unloaded and start working to figure out the problem. This was not the first time this had happened and Michael had had the bike in to the Honda dealership and they had not been able to recreate or fix it. The problem had not recurred since. This time we were more fortunate, we had a solid failure to work on. This bike has a carburetor but also a fuel pump. Typically gravity is all that is required to get the fuel to the carbs. The tank is designed so that the part of the fuel is lower than the carbs so a fuel pump is needed. With fuel hose removed and the starter engaged no fuel..... a bad pump. We take the pump out, connect directly to the battery and it works..... an intermittent pump. Put the pump back in and drive the three miles to my friends Tim and Lori's house. Park the bikes and go out to dinner.
I think we used all our good luck up today. What is the likelihood that a motorcycle touring company with an empty flatbed trailer would come along within 15 minutes of when you really really need them, they stop, and take your bike to their shop? They did not charge us anything but we both bought t-shirts. By the way we have not seen any other bikes stopped on the side of the road needing assistance.
Day 9 - We are at Tim and Lori's house, have a heated garage to work in, and Tim's truck to chase parts down. It is Sunday, no bike shops are open, but I don't know that it mattered. Michael's bike is not imported to the US and I don't think we could have found a replacement part. We decide on a small auto pump that puts out a few psi. Spend the day assembling the parts and fitting it. In the process of modifying the wiring harness we discover an intermittent section of wire in the wiring harness on the old pump....... good pump, bad wire. We cut out the 10" section of wire, splice in a new one and put in the original pump. We now have the bike back together and ready to go. We also have the auto pump configured with the right connections so we can swap out the fuel pump in 10 minutes.
Day 10 - We stop in Talkeetna on the way to Fairbanks for breakfast. Neat little town but very commercialized in the last 12 years since I was there last. It starts to rain after breakfast and it is in the low 50's F. The further north we go the warmer it gets. It is 80 F by the time we get to Fairbanks. Finally after 10 days of riding I don't need the rain suit. Tim and Lori's son, Charles is a firefighter in Fairbanks and we are able to stay with him for a couple of days. We go out to dinner and get some motor oil. We're changing oil a 10 PM. It never really gets dark this time of year.
Day 11 - We stay in Fairbanks. We went through the Museum of the North on the University campus. A nice museum that covers all the native culture and history as well as up through modern times. We also visited the Honda/Harley dealership and saw a Honda ST1300 that did not make it up the pipeline road. It had been crashed hard on the right side. The rider had two broken arms and a broken collar bone. We had already decided not to go any further north this trip and will not be riding the pipeline road to Prudhoe bay. A combination of weather reports and the problem with Michael's bike change our minds. There is always next time. And I think a smaller bike like the KLR650 may be the ideal bike for this kind of ride to Alaska. We are riding at 55-70 miles per hour. The KLR has a tank range of 300 miles vs. my current 200. Fuel mileage is closer to 60 vs 43. And rear tires last 12,000 miles vs 8,000. The KLR weighs at least 80lbs less and is much more off road capable.
We wrap up the day going to Trails End BMW. Run by world famous George Rohn for th
e past 40 years. What a character. We are warned at the Honda dealer to call first because if you just drop in you are a risk of getting an unfriendly welcome. Virtually impossible to describe the collection of bikes, parts, tires, cars, and stuff spread out in the yard, the house and the garage area. When you see the pictures you will understand. But George warmed up to us, gave us license plate frames for our bikes and let us take his picture with us.
7/1 - In Anchorage - 0 miles
7/2 - Anchorage to Fairbanks - 392 miles
7/3 - In Fairbanks - 0 miles
Day 8 - Riding back out of Valdez was cloudy and raining. Good thing we too some pictures the day before because we were in the clouds when we started to climb out of town. At one point it was so dense I could only see 30 yards in front of me. The ride to Anchorage was cool and wet. Going by the Matanuska glacier it felt like being in a refrigerator. As we got closer to Anchorage the clouds thinned and the sun came out. 13 miles outside of Anchorage Michael's bike stopped running. We had been pulled over to the side of the road for about 15 minutes when a van with a flat bed trailer stops. The gal driving is from Alaska Rider (http://w
ww.akrider.com/). She is just coming back from a tour. I think this was the chase van. The flat bed trailer is empty except for one bike. We load the bike on the flat bed and are taken to their shop in Anchorage. We get the bike unloaded and start working to figure out the problem. This was not the first time this had happened and Michael had had the bike in to the Honda dealership and they had not been able to recreate or fix it. The problem had not recurred since. This time we were more fortunate, we had a solid failure to work on. This bike has a carburetor but also a fuel pump. Typically gravity is all that is required to get the fuel to the carbs. The tank is designed so that the part of the fuel is lower than the carbs so a fuel pump is needed. With fuel hose removed and the starter engaged no fuel..... a bad pump. We take the pump out, connect directly to the battery and it works..... an intermittent pump. Put the pump back in and drive the three miles to my friends Tim and Lori's house. Park the bikes and go out to dinner.I think we used all our good luck up today. What is the likelihood that a motorcycle touring company with an empty flatbed trailer would come along within 15 minutes of when you really really need them, they stop, and take your bike to their shop? They did not charge us anything but we both bought t-shirts. By the way we have not seen any other bikes stopped on the side of the road needing assistance.
Day 9 - We are at Tim and Lori's house, have a heated garage to work in, and Tim's truck to chase parts down. It is Sunday, no bike shops are open, but I don't know that it mattered. Michael's bike is not imported to the US and I don't think we could have found a replacement part. We decide on a small auto pump that puts out a few psi. Spend the day assembling the parts and fitting it. In the process of modifying the wiring harness we discover an intermittent section of wire in the wiring harness on the old pump....... good pump, bad wire. We cut out the 10" section of wire, splice in a new one and put in the original pump. We now have the bike back together and ready to go. We also have the auto pump configured with the right connections so we can swap out the fuel pump in 10 minutes.
Day 10 - We stop in Talkeetna on the way to Fairbanks for breakfast. Neat little town but very commercialized in the last 12 years since I was there last. It starts to rain after breakfast and it is in the low 50's F. The further north we go the warmer it gets. It is 80 F by the time we get to Fairbanks. Finally after 10 days of riding I don't need the rain suit. Tim and Lori's son, Charles is a firefighter in Fairbanks and we are able to stay with him for a couple of days. We go out to dinner and get some motor oil. We're changing oil a 10 PM. It never really gets dark this time of year.
Day 11 - We stay in Fairbanks. We went through the Museum of the North on the University campus. A nice museum that covers all the native culture and history as well as up through modern times. We also visited the Honda/Harley dealership and saw a Honda ST1300 that did not make it up the pipeline road. It had been crashed hard on the right side. The rider had two broken arms and a broken collar bone. We had already decided not to go any further north this trip and will not be riding the pipeline road to Prudhoe bay. A combination of weather reports and the problem with Michael's bike change our minds. There is always next time. And I think a smaller bike like the KLR650 may be the ideal bike for this kind of ride to Alaska. We are riding at 55-70 miles per hour. The KLR has a tank range of 300 miles vs. my current 200. Fuel mileage is closer to 60 vs 43. And rear tires last 12,000 miles vs 8,000. The KLR weighs at least 80lbs less and is much more off road capable.
We wrap up the day going to Trails End BMW. Run by world famous George Rohn for th
e past 40 years. What a character. We are warned at the Honda dealer to call first because if you just drop in you are a risk of getting an unfriendly welcome. Virtually impossible to describe the collection of bikes, parts, tires, cars, and stuff spread out in the yard, the house and the garage area. When you see the pictures you will understand. But George warmed up to us, gave us license plate frames for our bikes and let us take his picture with us.
29 qer 2007
Days 4 through 7
6/26 - Hyder, AK to Watson Lake, CA - 402 miles
6/27 - Watson Lake to Haines Jct - 363 miles
6/28 - Haines Jct, CA to Tok, AK - 294 miles
6/29 - Tok to Valdez - 258 miles
Day 4 - The morning of day four we cross back in to Canada from Hyder. There is no checkpoint coming from Canada in to Hyder. Going back in to Canada you have to clear customs. Seems the Canadians were coming over to the US for for alcohol, cigarettes, and guns and the Canadian government needed to put a stop to this bad behavior. It is still cool with the temperature around 50 F all day. Saw a bear, a moose, and sheep. The day was spent riding the Cassier highway back north to where it joins the Alcan highway. There was virtually no traffic. It was almost as if the road had been closed just so we could ride it. Encountered about 30 miles of good gravel road. The lakes and rivers are spectacular. I realized there was no litter on the sides of the road. When is the last time you saw a road with no litter for a hundred miles?
Day 5 - More traffic today being back on the Alcan. A little warmer in the 50's & 60's. Talked to two riders on KLR 650's. They spent time in Whitehorse getting a new chain for one of the bikes. A failed master link was the problem. This is the second problem with a master link we have heard of in the first week. The first one was the guy on the 250 Ninja and now this one. If you are running a standard master link, safety wire it. Better yet get a rivet type master link. We are seeing a lot of bikes making the trip to Alaska. Counting our bikes, there were nine bikes at the hotel tonight. Surprising to me is the age of the riders. Most are in their 60s. We had dinner with one solo rider from Florida. He said he had talked with his wife last week and confirmed that his first social security check had arrived on time.
Day 6 - Saw bear, moose, and coyotes today in the Yukon Territory. Frost heave from Haines Jct to the US border was pretty bad. The RVs had to slow down, they really bounced around going over these sections. I could feel the rear suspension bottom out a couple of times on the deeper whoops. Avoiding the potholes was easy and we made good time.
Day 7 - The last 30 miles in to Valdez is the most spectacular scenery on the trip. We stopped at Worthington glacier for some pictures. From there on over Thompson Pass and down through Keystone Canyon is distracting to ride as you are looking at the jagged peaks, snow fields, and waterfalls.
6/27 - Watson Lake to Haines Jct - 363 miles
6/28 - Haines Jct, CA to Tok, AK - 294 miles
6/29 - Tok to Valdez - 258 miles
Day 4 - The morning of day four we cross back in to Canada from Hyder. There is no checkpoint coming from Canada in to Hyder. Going back in to Canada you have to clear customs. Seems the Canadians were coming over to the US for for alcohol, cigarettes, and guns and the Canadian government needed to put a stop to this bad behavior. It is still cool with the temperature around 50 F all day. Saw a bear, a moose, and sheep. The day was spent riding the Cassier highway back north to where it joins the Alcan highway. There was virtually no traffic. It was almost as if the road had been closed just so we could ride it. Encountered about 30 miles of good gravel road. The lakes and rivers are spectacular. I realized there was no litter on the sides of the road. When is the last time you saw a road with no litter for a hundred miles?
Day 5 - More traffic today being back on the Alcan. A little warmer in the 50's & 60's. Talked to two riders on KLR 650's. They spent time in Whitehorse getting a new chain for one of the bikes. A failed master link was the problem. This is the second problem with a master link we have heard of in the first week. The first one was the guy on the 250 Ninja and now this one. If you are running a standard master link, safety wire it. Better yet get a rivet type master link. We are seeing a lot of bikes making the trip to Alaska. Counting our bikes, there were nine bikes at the hotel tonight. Surprising to me is the age of the riders. Most are in their 60s. We had dinner with one solo rider from Florida. He said he had talked with his wife last week and confirmed that his first social security check had arrived on time.
Day 6 - Saw bear, moose, and coyotes today in the Yukon Territory. Frost heave from Haines Jct to the US border was pretty bad. The RVs had to slow down, they really bounced around going over these sections. I could feel the rear suspension bottom out a couple of times on the deeper whoops. Avoiding the potholes was easy and we made good time.
Day 7 - The last 30 miles in to Valdez is the most spectacular scenery on the trip. We stopped at Worthington glacier for some pictures. From there on over Thompson Pass and down through Keystone Canyon is distracting to ride as you are looking at the jagged peaks, snow fields, and waterfalls.
25 qer 2007
First Three Days
6/23 - Seattle to Williams Lake- 432 miles
6/24 - Williams Lake to Smithers - 387 miles
6/25 - Smithers to Hyder - 217 miles
Day 1 - this was the get out of town day. The two way communication with the radios is very nice to have. Saves a lot of stopping. We had a little rain, a little sun, and mostly overcast. Crossing the border only took about 10 minutes which was nice because sitting in line on your bike in the rain is not much fun. A couple of basic questions and we were done with that.
We talked to a couple of riders in Cache Creek. One on a big BMW, the other on a Kawasaki 250 Ninja. They were headed to Prudhoe Bay also. The guy on the 250 was trying to set a new Iron Butt record for smallest displacement bike to complete the Ultimate CC. The Ultimate Coast to Coast (CC) is a ride to go from Key West in the Florida to Prudhoe Bay in 30 days. . He had recently completed that basic 50CC riding from California to Florida in under 50 hours. We talked to him right after he had lost three hours to a broken rear chain. This lost time may have been enough to not let him finish in time, but he was still going for it. The 250 Ninja is the first bike I got my daughter so she could learn to ride on little bike. I think it has as much horsepower as my riding lawn mower and the guy riding it was at least 225 lbs.
Day 2 - A weather repeat of day 1. Down to about 40 F in rain the showers and up to 65 when the sun came out. Wearing my rain suit to keep dry and warm and I have had the heated grips on almost all the time. Gas in Canada is running $4.00 - $4.30 a gallon. I'm getting about 44 miles to the gallon. The posted max speed is 100km/hour ~ 62mph.
Day 3 - Cool again today. Wore the top of the rain suit just for the warmth. No rain today. So far this trip has been cooler than anticipated. I think I will wear the heated vest tomorrow. The stopping point today is Hyder, Alaska. This is the closest point in Alaska you can drive to and is the location of the Hyder Seek. There is another competition to ride your bike in each of the lower 48 states plus Alaska in 10 days or less. The end point is Hyder. Each year at the end of May riders from all over the US ride to Hyder for dinner. A small percentage of them are completing the 49 state ride. Last month there were 200 bikers in this very small town of under a 100 people.
We rode to the observation platform a couple miles out of town to see the bears eating salmon. We are a couple weeks to early. No salmon=no bears. I did take a walk down to the city dump and saw a black bear. He stayed about 30 yards away.
6/24 - Williams Lake to Smithers - 387 miles
6/25 - Smithers to Hyder - 217 miles
Day 1 - this was the get out of town day. The two way communication with the radios is very nice to have. Saves a lot of stopping. We had a little rain, a little sun, and mostly overcast. Crossing the border only took about 10 minutes which was nice because sitting in line on your bike in the rain is not much fun. A couple of basic questions and we were done with that.
We talked to a couple of riders in Cache Creek. One on a big BMW, the other on a Kawasaki 250 Ninja. They were headed to Prudhoe Bay also. The guy on the 250 was trying to set a new Iron Butt record for smallest displacement bike to complete the Ultimate CC. The Ultimate Coast to Coast (CC) is a ride to go from Key West in the Florida to Prudhoe Bay in 30 days. . He had recently completed that basic 50CC riding from California to Florida in under 50 hours. We talked to him right after he had lost three hours to a broken rear chain. This lost time may have been enough to not let him finish in time, but he was still going for it. The 250 Ninja is the first bike I got my daughter so she could learn to ride on little bike. I think it has as much horsepower as my riding lawn mower and the guy riding it was at least 225 lbs.
Day 2 - A weather repeat of day 1. Down to about 40 F in rain the showers and up to 65 when the sun came out. Wearing my rain suit to keep dry and warm and I have had the heated grips on almost all the time. Gas in Canada is running $4.00 - $4.30 a gallon. I'm getting about 44 miles to the gallon. The posted max speed is 100km/hour ~ 62mph.
Day 3 - Cool again today. Wore the top of the rain suit just for the warmth. No rain today. So far this trip has been cooler than anticipated. I think I will wear the heated vest tomorrow. The stopping point today is Hyder, Alaska. This is the closest point in Alaska you can drive to and is the location of the Hyder Seek. There is another competition to ride your bike in each of the lower 48 states plus Alaska in 10 days or less. The end point is Hyder. Each year at the end of May riders from all over the US ride to Hyder for dinner. A small percentage of them are completing the 49 state ride. Last month there were 200 bikers in this very small town of under a 100 people.
We rode to the observation platform a couple miles out of town to see the bears eating salmon. We are a couple weeks to early. No salmon=no bears. I did take a walk down to the city dump and saw a black bear. He stayed about 30 yards away.
22 qer 2007
Ready to Start the Ride
The trip to Seattle was uneventful. The most difficult part was paying for the gas each time I filled the tank on the truck. I didn't think my truck could hold $60 worth of gas.
The ride begins Saturday morning, 6/23. Our route north will be Seattle to Williams Lake, Smithers, Hyder, Watson Lake, Haines Jct, Tok, Valdez, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Coldfood, Deadhourse (Prudhoe Bay). Sorry no cool map to show you with the route all laid out in contrasting color.
The ride begins Saturday morning, 6/23. Our route north will be Seattle to Williams Lake, Smithers, Hyder, Watson Lake, Haines Jct, Tok, Valdez, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Fairbanks, Coldfood, Deadhourse (Prudhoe Bay). Sorry no cool map to show you with the route all laid out in contrasting color.
18 qer 2007
Ready for trip to Seattle
I packed up just the way I would be riding. Two hard panniers, two dry bags, and a tank bag. A total of 110 lbs. Then went for a 20 mile ride to see how it felt. I increased the preload on the rear shock. Now I remember why I don't like riding two-up. The handling is not nearly what it is without the load. Getting the bike on the center stand now takes significant effort.
Bike is loaded in the trailer ready to go.
More Bike Prep
I was worried about stones being thrown up by oncoming traffic. The classic approach to protecting against this is to mount a screen guard on the headlights. I decided to try a 3M product that is a clear plastic film 0.040" thick. You can see the thickness in this picture taken after applying to the headlight. A company called X-Pel sells this in the size you want. Then you cut it to your headlight outline with a scissors. It has a strong adhesive and conforms to the shape of the headlight. Advertised as being able to take stone impacts over a 100 mph.
I thought the bike was leaning to far over when using the side
stand so I welded a 3/4" spacer to the bottom. This significantly reduced the lean angle.
Another situation that is common to run in to is needing to put the side stand down but the ground is so soft (read mud) that the bike will fall over. I used some aluminum plate to increase the surface area by
about 10X. The clips are used to snap the plate to my crash guard when not in use
I wanted a way to lock up the bike without a cable or chain. I also wanted to trailer the bike on the center stand. My friend Paul welded a tab on my center stand with his heavy duty arc welder. I was then able to drill through the center stand and the new tab. Once the lock is in place, the bike is not moving unless it is picked up. 17 qer 2007
Riding Gear
The main pieces are a two-piece Aerostich riding suit, full face helmet, and trials boots.
The suit is a heavy cordura fabric with impact padding in shoulders, elbows, and knees. Treated with Nikwax it is reasonably waterproof. But in Alaska this is not sufficient. I also have a one-piece rain suit for when the it really gets wet out. A heated vest and heated hand grips will also come in handy. When it is hot there are zippers to open that provide good air flow.
I like full face helmets because of the protection and warmth. With ventilation slots for airflow it is never to hot.
The boots are primary designed for trials riding, but I really like them for comfort. The provide more protection then regular street riding boots. They are not waterproof so I have both waterproof socks to wear and slip on rubber boots to go over them.
For gloves I have my light leather summer gloves and a pair of heavier waterproof gloves.
Bike to Bike Communication
I've never used a communication system before when riding but I think this is going to be very helpful. After some research Michael found Motocomm to be a good solution for the helmet microphone and speakers. The pictures below show how they fit in to the helmet. Motocomm makes a couple of different push-to-talk switches. One mounts on the handlebar, the other option is a mini switch that velcros to your index finger. The nice thing about the mini switch is that you are not connected to the bike via cable.
There are lots of options on radios and you can
spend a lot of money on the specialty radios. The flexibility of the Motocomm headset lets you pick from a wide variety GMRS/FRS radios on the market. We went with the Midland GXT600. It has good transmit power, takes special Nicad or AA batteries and is water resistant. The radio fits in one of the front pockets in my riding jacket. With earplugs in I have to turn the volume all the way up to hear but I think it will work OK. I think we can get a couple of days per battery charge.
12 qer 2007
Getting Ready
I realized I started this Blog in February and have not updated it. The excuse is that I havebeen working on the bike, camping equipment, and logistics. All the standard prep items were done including new tires, spark plugs, air cleaner, battery, engine oil, anti-freeze, drive chain, and front sprocket.
I was particularly worried about flying gravel from the big trucks that will be encountered in Canada and on the Alaska pipeline road. I found a very nice stainless steel water radiator guard from Germany. I could not find anything for the oil radiator so I fabricated a guard from aluminum plate. This should protect the lower
part of the engine.
I was also concerned about the rear tire throwing mud on the rear shock so another shield was fabricated for the rear.
I'll keep adding more posts over the next week
before the trip begins
8 shk 2007
Why ride a motorcycle to Alaska?
This all started 35 years ago when I got my first bike. I was never able to get motorcycles out of my system. Most of my riding has been in Colorado and I enjoy both street and dirt riding. Riding to Alaska is one of those fantasy trips I've been talking about for years. The constraints of job, family, and finances are finally cooperating. If you are not a motorcycle rider it will be hard for me to convince you that this is an exciting adventure worth the time and the effort. Perhaps you will understand a little more by following this blog as I prepare for the ride and share the experience during the trip.
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