Norbert
crash tested
Someone pm'd me about taking the bike to Alaska and the Yukon.
I thought I'd share some thoughts.................
It rained everyday in AK/YT when we went in August which meant long hours of rain riding. The distances in AK/YT are large, so you need to be able to ride for a long period of time and be comfortable. You need breathable, rain proof gear.
It may be hot and rainy and then cold and rainy on the same ride. I recommend some of the Gore-Tex gear like the Rev'It Defender or maybe the BMW Rallye 3. I'm still doing some research on what gear to take on long trips. I'm sure there are less expensive options out there. Maybe frogg toggs or something.
Heated gloves and jacket are necessary too. I use Gerbings and they are the best.
Don't forget waterproof boots.
All these things I've learned from my experience on the Dalton Hwy, to the Arctic Circle:
Your rear fender eliminator might make you look kewl, but it also lets water and dirt get all over your topcase and sidecase. My cases were covered with dirt. Not so kewl anymore. I couldn't touch my bike without getting my hands dirty.
Get a fender extender for rocks that kick up from your front wheel. Your headers are going to get scratched up. Also, get an aluminum radiator guard. My buddy's fz1 took a hit in the radiator.
Fortunately there were no leaks. Watch out for rocks that get stuck between your fan and radiator. I remember a thread where someone put a shield below his radiator fan, to protect it from rocks. Seems like a good idea. Keep an eye on your rear fender because all the bumps may make it fly off. Mine was just barely hanging on. I had to zip tie it together. When I checked the rear fender at a gas stop, the zip ties would be gone. I think in hindsight I should've bought some nyloc nuts. Also, they make metal zip ties that are supposedly stronger.
Loctite every bolt, within reason. Bolts will shake loose.
There's a lot of dirt that makes its way between your tank bag and the tank. Your tank will get likely get scratched when you take the tankbag off to fill up.
Many times, the first gas station in town is the worst one.
Hotels/motels are expensive. In fact, everything is expensive in AK. You need to call early in the morning and shop around for a room. By the evening, all the rooms will be full. RV parks and campsites don't fill up so much for tent campers, but you never know. Free wifi at these hotels/motels/rv parks/camp sites never seem to work. The wifi routers are usually too bogged down.
If you're the romantic type that likes to camp whereever, remember to be careful on private land. I've done that type of camping in West Virginia, it gets old. After all that rain riding, you'll want a hot shower anyways.
Take some bear spray.
Take bug spray with a high level of DEET. Like close to 100%. Take a bug hat. The bugs will eat you alive when you setup camp. As soon as you take your gloves off, they will swarm.
The biggest threat out there will be some elderly driver in an RV, towing a SUV, with bicycles strapped to the back of the SUV, and on those bicycles......well, you get the idea
.
The 2nd biggest threat are MOOSE! They lurk in the tree line along the road. They are usually hidden by shadows. They just dart out to get to the other side. I saw a truck almost hit one.
Try to go to Denali National Park. I think they only allow special tour buses, so sign up for those. Go to Talkeetna and do some flightseeing. We couldn't because of the rain. In Valdez, do some kayaking.
Go to Prudhoe Bay, if you can. I will, someday --with a new bike and all new gear.
I thought I'd share some thoughts.................
It rained everyday in AK/YT when we went in August which meant long hours of rain riding. The distances in AK/YT are large, so you need to be able to ride for a long period of time and be comfortable. You need breathable, rain proof gear.
It may be hot and rainy and then cold and rainy on the same ride. I recommend some of the Gore-Tex gear like the Rev'It Defender or maybe the BMW Rallye 3. I'm still doing some research on what gear to take on long trips. I'm sure there are less expensive options out there. Maybe frogg toggs or something.
Heated gloves and jacket are necessary too. I use Gerbings and they are the best.
Don't forget waterproof boots.
All these things I've learned from my experience on the Dalton Hwy, to the Arctic Circle:
Your rear fender eliminator might make you look kewl, but it also lets water and dirt get all over your topcase and sidecase. My cases were covered with dirt. Not so kewl anymore. I couldn't touch my bike without getting my hands dirty.
Get a fender extender for rocks that kick up from your front wheel. Your headers are going to get scratched up. Also, get an aluminum radiator guard. My buddy's fz1 took a hit in the radiator.
Fortunately there were no leaks. Watch out for rocks that get stuck between your fan and radiator. I remember a thread where someone put a shield below his radiator fan, to protect it from rocks. Seems like a good idea. Keep an eye on your rear fender because all the bumps may make it fly off. Mine was just barely hanging on. I had to zip tie it together. When I checked the rear fender at a gas stop, the zip ties would be gone. I think in hindsight I should've bought some nyloc nuts. Also, they make metal zip ties that are supposedly stronger.Loctite every bolt, within reason. Bolts will shake loose.
There's a lot of dirt that makes its way between your tank bag and the tank. Your tank will get likely get scratched when you take the tankbag off to fill up.
Many times, the first gas station in town is the worst one.
Hotels/motels are expensive. In fact, everything is expensive in AK. You need to call early in the morning and shop around for a room. By the evening, all the rooms will be full. RV parks and campsites don't fill up so much for tent campers, but you never know. Free wifi at these hotels/motels/rv parks/camp sites never seem to work. The wifi routers are usually too bogged down.
If you're the romantic type that likes to camp whereever, remember to be careful on private land. I've done that type of camping in West Virginia, it gets old. After all that rain riding, you'll want a hot shower anyways.
Take some bear spray.
Take bug spray with a high level of DEET. Like close to 100%. Take a bug hat. The bugs will eat you alive when you setup camp. As soon as you take your gloves off, they will swarm.
The biggest threat out there will be some elderly driver in an RV, towing a SUV, with bicycles strapped to the back of the SUV, and on those bicycles......well, you get the idea
.The 2nd biggest threat are MOOSE! They lurk in the tree line along the road. They are usually hidden by shadows. They just dart out to get to the other side. I saw a truck almost hit one.
Try to go to Denali National Park. I think they only allow special tour buses, so sign up for those. Go to Talkeetna and do some flightseeing. We couldn't because of the rain. In Valdez, do some kayaking.
Go to Prudhoe Bay, if you can. I will, someday --with a new bike and all new gear.
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