Today, pretty much any vehicle or any person for that matter can make the trip. In the 70's there was about 1000 miles of road still unpaved. Today it is all paved, in fact, it was all paved when I went back in 2001. Like I said, there were some long stretches of road ripped out to the dirt for construction, but even these were usually graded well and weren't really that bad. Now, when it was raining and the mud was deep and slippery, it got a bit hairy, but hey, that's part of the adventure. I had some friends went up a few years ago and had NO construction areas and the ride for them was like any other paved road.

 

A Harley Ultra classic would be my first choice and second would be a Gold Wing, both have plenty of storage and good rides.

 

A site/forum you need to check out if you're looking to do some 'adventure' touring (dirt/slab mix) - advrider.com

Those folks are hardcore but you'll get some good info on both gear and experience with the route. Word of warning, though, not a lot of Harley afficionados over there.

 

I've got a KLR and love it. But, it would not be my first choice for a trip like this. Sure, possible. But not my first choice.

Why? For extended riding above 50mph, it gets......buzzy and squirrely.

A KLR is at its best cruising dirt roads, fire roads....stuff like that.

For Alaska, I think a R1200GS would be best. A little lighter than a R1200GS Adventure, but with alloy wheels (easier fixing a flat), a more pavement friendly tire (though tires can change, of course, and will on this trip several times).

For going up to Prudhoe.....go with the Adventure.

 

Only two words to say. Hoka Hey!!!

www.hokaheychallenge.com

You know you want to do it so.......Do It!

 

For an HD I'd want a large tank so probably one of the tourers. (Since Buell's Ulysses is out now)

For another brand probably a BMW GS, although a KLR 650 could be an option too.

Heck John Ryan holds the record from Prudhoe Bay to Key West FL and did it on his Yamaha FJR 1300. 5191 miles in just 86.5 hours! And that includes being delayed at the border crossing, and taking the wrong road in Tennessee.
http://2wheeltuesday.com/2009/06/yam...north-america/

 

I did it this year with a Ulysses XT. It was a perfect bike for me. Good fuel range, great brakes, tunable suspension and plenty of storage.

My youngest son did it on his 06 Street Bob with no problem at all. I saw Ultra's, Wings, BMW's and Suzuki V-Strom's( also a great bike for adventure riding).

He had two large ammo boxes and used bolts with spacers into the fender mount high enough to have two angle irons cross over the fender to tie the two boxes together. Then he put a duffel bag across them and tied it down. This set up got him from Chicago to the Arctic Circle by way of the Alaskan Highway and the Dalton haul road.

It was not any where near as challenging of a ride as I had been told.

 

Did it in 2000 on a Goldwing pulling a trailer and didn't have any problems. Most of the bikes we saw were Ultras, Road kings, and Goldwings.

 

I've been looking at a second bike to do some gravel traveling as my street glide isn't ideal for that purpose. I've been spending a lot of time over at the Adventure rider forum looking at motorcycling pics from all over the world. Two of the bikes I've been interested in are the KTM 990 adventure and the BMW 1200gs (gsa). The BMW is shaft drive and has a dry clutch. The KTM is a V twin, has a chain and a wet clutch. I don't need a bike that will climb trees so I was looking at bigger bikes. Some jesse bags and I think I'd be set with either one. Sounds like from what I've read though that upkeep is a bear with either one compared to my Harley. Sounds like most guys trade the newer BMW's off before the warranty expires...and that the KTM takes constant tinkering to keep it purrin' along. I think both bikes would be perfect if you just have to see what is up that mountain road and you want to get off the beaten path. They aren't quite dirt bikes though as they both weigh over 500lbs.

I didn't see KTM mentioned yet in the thread......

http://www.ktm.com/990-Adventure.36.20.html

 

KTM dirtbikes are great.

So, looking for a dual-purpose, I went to the Katoom dealer to see the 990 Adv.

The dealer talked me out of buying it!!!!!!!!!

So I got a KLR.

If I got serious about dual-purpose, I'd definitely consider an F800GS