Head North Young Man

[canuck750]

The Final leg of the Demster Highway is now open and this summer solstice gathering in Tuktoyuktuk is going to be a big deal.

The Dempster now will take you north from Dawson City Yukon, through Eagle Plains, Inuvik and the new leg to the Arctic Ocean and Tuk.

The scenery is amazing, the road is usually OK, and the experience is worth the trouble.

For all you folks who want to take the Alaska Highway north this year plan on taking the road to Dawson City and then the 1000 +/- km to Tuk.

This is what you will see



I plan on being in Tuk on the Solstice, would like to meet some of you Stelvio riders up there for a beer.

[nick949]

Forget Stelvio Riders Jim - I may meet you on the Eldo.

Nick

[ITSec]

I will seriously consider it. I haven't been back to Edmonton since a family funeral a decade and more ago, and I owe people there a long-delayed visit.

Unfortunately, I have a conflict with another event I've been invited to that runs from June 9-23. The trip up to Tuk may have to wait, unless the other event gets moved.

Oh, Nick? If you love your Eldo, take it slow and careful - or take another bike. Northern roads are a bear.

[Matteo]

I may be in Dawson then. With the Jackal.

[Yukonica]

I'm willing to be a transit depot for anyone shipping spare tires (or whatever) north.
No plans for out of territory rides at this point. Dust 2 Dawson 2018 could be really busy because of the extension of the Dempster. This would affect accommodation on the North Klondike; both official campsites and rooms.

[Matteo]

I usually stop in Whitehorse for lunch at Klondike Rib and Salmon. Always a great meal!

[Yukonica]

I usually stop in Whitehorse for lunch at Klondike Rib and Salmon. Always a great meal!

Klondike is a good choice. Let me know if you'd like company.
Next to Klondike Rib and Steak is a place named Burnt Toast.
Excellent food for the more organic and broader palate.
Nice too.

Here's a mention of Whitehorse Public Library for passers through;
    wifi access is free, fast and without bandwidth restrictions.
View from inside the building is nice but wifi reaches outside the building too. 24/7.
It requires a generic username and password. That login profile also works in Watson Lake and Teslin.
Same rules. 24/7.

[Matteo]

Thanks Yukonica, I will try to contact you when I am leaving Prince George. I will be hauling at least 4 Guzzi’s with me.

[canuck750]

Forget Stelvio Riders Jim - I may meet you on the Eldo.

Nick

Your Eldo would be fine with some 60/40 knobbies so long as its not too wet. I have been up to Fort Mcpherson a couple times, two years ago the road south of McPherson was a mud hole for 30 Km and it was no better up to Inuvik. We packed it in at McPherson as one of the KLR's stock tires was no match for the slime. The south half of the Dempster to Eagle Plains is a breeze, I rode it eight years ago in the rain but the surface was very god and we averaged 90 km/hr. North of the NWT birder we found the road to be in much poorer condition, they where working on it two years ago and it was torn up and mostly mud.

[Matteo]

Your Eldo would be fine with some 60/40 knobbies so long as its not too wet. I have been up to Fort Mcpherson a couple times, two years ago the road south of McPherson was a mud hole for 30 Km and it was no better up to Inuvik. We packed it in at McPherson as one of the KLR's stock tires was no match for the slime. The south half of the Dempster to Eagle Plains is a breeze, I rode it eight years ago in the rain but the surface was very god and we averaged 90 km/hr. North of the NWT birder we found the road to be in much poorer condition, they where working on it two years ago and it was torn up and mostly mud.

Ahhhh..... the joys of northern roads. 

http://explorenorth.com/wordpress/

[nick949]

Your Eldo would be fine with some 60/40 knobbies so long as its not too wet. I have been up to Fort Mcpherson a couple times, two years ago the road south of McPherson was a mud hole for 30 Km and it was no better up to Inuvik. We packed it in at McPherson as one of the KLR's stock tires was no match for the slime. The south half of the Dempster to Eagle Plains is a breeze, I rode it eight years ago in the rain but the surface was very god and we averaged 90 km/hr. North of the NWT birder we found the road to be in much poorer condition, they where working on it two years ago and it was torn up and mostly mud.

What?  And I was expecting beautiful black tarmac all the way to Tuk   The Eldo will be fine. We have a lot of unpaved miles under our belts.

Oh, Nick? If you love your Eldo, take it slow and careful - or take another bike. Northern roads are a bear.

I do love it, but it's a motorbike, not a museum piece.  As for taking another bike............whe re's the fun in that?

Nick

[Lee Davis]

I made it to Inuvik in 1971, by canoe. Big change since then. Nowadays, I ride a Stelvio and I am fulfilled. But, my tastes turn to older classics nowadays. I just got a 1970 R50-5 BMW that is pristine. Anyone care to go on an extended trip to Mwxico on vintage bikes? I am near Albuquerque and feel adventurous.   Lee Davis

[JJ]

In another historical context...  

[ITSec]

In another historical context...  

Just remember - when Greeley was a journalist in Chicago, that was the West - after all, who would have named that university Northwestern if they had thought about Lewis and Clark? 

[bobrebos]

Im new to traveling to Alaska, and thi coming June will be my first trip there.  I am going with a buddy who has been before and will learn the ropes from him.  It will be a learning experience I am sure!  Gotta find a good place in Fairbanks to order tires/have tires installed on the Stelvio for leg up to Dead Horse.  I already figured I better pack my own oil filters as the shops probably wont have any in stock for the bike......Looking forward to the adventure. 

[JJ]

Im new to traveling to Alaska, and thi coming June will be my first trip there.  I am going with a buddy who has been before and will learn the ropes from him.  It will be a learning experience I am sure!  Gotta find a good place in Fairbanks to order tires/have tires installed on the Stelvio for leg up to Dead Horse.  I already figured I better pack my own oil filters as the shops probably wont have any in stock for the bike......Looking forward to the adventure.

Alaska is on my Bucket List someday...safe travel and don't forget to post an inspirational photo or two for the troops!

[ITSec]

Im new to traveling to Alaska, and thi coming June will be my first trip there.  I am going with a buddy who has been before and will learn the ropes from him.  It will be a learning experience I am sure!  Gotta find a good place in Fairbanks to order tires/have tires installed on the Stelvio for leg up to Dead Horse.  I already figured I better pack my own oil filters as the shops probably wont have any in stock for the bike......Looking forward to the adventure.

Just remember there are a number of oil filters suitable for the CARC bikes that are readily available throughout the country. One example is the Mobil1 M1-102 or 102A, carried at Walmart and many automotive stores. Another comes from Bosch, though the number escapes me at the moment. I'd simply check the stores before starting on my way, since Anchorage and Fairbanks have many stores that may meet your needs. A quick check shows that Mobil1 filter in stock at the Walmart in Fairbanks (though I'd encourage patronizing locally owned stores too). You'll actually have more trouble finding the right oil than the right filter.

Another thing to consider is simply changing your oil immediately before your trip and not again till you get home. When doing highway miles, there's no reason not to stretch the distance recommendation. I have had the 10w60 lab tested after runs of 10,000+ miles (more than 80% highway miles), and the breakdown was minimal.

[canuck750]

Here's a little road map on how to get to Tuk,



For my American cousins just head north out of Montana, go past Calgary, Edmonton and follow the map, simple.

From my door step to Whitehorse is an even 2000 KM and an easy two day ride. Plan on a day to get from Whitehorse to Dawson (only a 6 hour ride) and enjoy the town and then its a run up to Inuvik, about 900 Km, gas at the halfway point at Eagle Plains, next day up to Tuk for an afternoon and back to Inuvik and then back south.

[nick949]

Don't make it sound to easy Jim - everyone will want to go.

Nick

[JJ]

Don't make it sound to easy Jim - everyone will want to go.

Nick

In August 2013, I did the exact same DUMP on my Triumph Sprint GT at the Guzzi Rally in Datil, NM on THIS fire road which turned into a HUGE mudslide after a one hour rain-storm. 

This is a BEFORE photo...  I was too embarrassed to take a photo of it on its side like a 550 pound beached seal!!    I rode it home, but sustained $2300 in paint / plastic damage...That's nice...

[canuck750]

Don't make it sound to easy Jim - everyone will want to go.

Nick

That aint mud, this is mud



My long time riding buddies KLR bucked at any more torture and called it quits at this point

A 'light weight' bike sure can get heavy when it sinks to the axle in mud!

Here is  the before picture of the road, me waving him forward, 'it's just a puddle, the road will probably dry up ahead'

[ITSec]

Here is  the before picture of the road, me waving him forward, 'it's just a puddle, the road will probably dry up ahead'

I note that you went from being in front of him to following his lead - at just the right time!

[EldoMike]

That aint mud, this is mud



My long time riding buddies KLR bucked at any more torture and called it quits at this point

A 'light weight' bike sure can get heavy when it sinks to the axle in mud!

Here is  the before picture of the road, me waving him forward, 'it's just a puddle, the road will probably dry up ahead'

Just curious...what bike in your signature will you be riding?

[canuck750]

I plan on taking my 2015 KLR 650, I bought in Whitehorse on my last trip when the 2004 KLR 659 I was on refused to start due to a faulty fuel tap on an oversize gas tank. I was stuck and made a decent trade in on a new bike, only the 2nd new motorcycle I ever bought.

[canuck750]

I note that you went from being in front of him to following his lead - at just the right time!

Well I knew I could get through the water, I could see the rocks and I knew when to stop and wave my buddy forward with encouragement into the mud, mama didn't raise dummy's!