AL to AK. 14,000 miles in 28 days.
#11
12-21-2008, 05:12 PM
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#12
12-21-2008, 09:59 PM
My tires were good when I left the Gulf Coast. The back tire had roughly 3000 miles on it. The front was actually the second tire I had on the front of my bike and it had 24,000 miles on it when I changed it on the trip.
I changed both tires in Vancouver and they were pretty much down between 2/32 and 3/32 in. After I got home I rode about 1,000 miles before full servicing the bike. The back tire measured right at 2/32 in. and I had it changed. That was 10,000 miles on the tires. The front looks good and should go about another 15,000.
Ronnie changed his front tire in Vancouver. He would have needed a rear tire soon had he continued on the trip.
I was surprised that the back tire made it that far with the added weight I was packing. My buddy Greg gave me the tour pak and I had more stuff than I usually carry on shorter trips.
AK97 I'll be sure to look you up next time. It looks like we will be planning a trip to Southern Cal this summer, and probably through Mexico. I'm sure that won't be the only trip this next year but I have not thought about it yet.
David
I changed both tires in Vancouver and they were pretty much down between 2/32 and 3/32 in. After I got home I rode about 1,000 miles before full servicing the bike. The back tire measured right at 2/32 in. and I had it changed. That was 10,000 miles on the tires. The front looks good and should go about another 15,000.
Ronnie changed his front tire in Vancouver. He would have needed a rear tire soon had he continued on the trip.
I was surprised that the back tire made it that far with the added weight I was packing. My buddy Greg gave me the tour pak and I had more stuff than I usually carry on shorter trips.
AK97 I'll be sure to look you up next time. It looks like we will be planning a trip to Southern Cal this summer, and probably through Mexico. I'm sure that won't be the only trip this next year but I have not thought about it yet.
David
Last edited by ironheaddave; 12-21-2008 at 10:02 PM.
#13
12-21-2008, 10:24 PM
Here is an account of the small problems we had with the bikes.
My Fuel valve developed a leak after I switched it to reserve in Oklahoma. The HD shop in Eugene Oregon put on another one free of charge.
The front shifter stripped out on Ronnie's Ultra. It was also changed in Eugene, Oregon. He did not have an extended warranty so he did have to pay for it.
I noticed the exhaust bracket next to the clutch cable was broke somewhere in the desert of Idaho. I clamped it temporarily with some wooden dowel pins I picked up at Ace Hardware and replaced it when I got home.
When I was close to Sturgis I noticed an exhaust leak. By the time it got worse and I stopped to look at it I had lost the nuts on the front header. I robbed one off of the back and replaced the nuts and gaskets when I got home.
My Fuel valve developed a leak after I switched it to reserve in Oklahoma. The HD shop in Eugene Oregon put on another one free of charge.
The front shifter stripped out on Ronnie's Ultra. It was also changed in Eugene, Oregon. He did not have an extended warranty so he did have to pay for it.
I noticed the exhaust bracket next to the clutch cable was broke somewhere in the desert of Idaho. I clamped it temporarily with some wooden dowel pins I picked up at Ace Hardware and replaced it when I got home.
When I was close to Sturgis I noticed an exhaust leak. By the time it got worse and I stopped to look at it I had lost the nuts on the front header. I robbed one off of the back and replaced the nuts and gaskets when I got home.
Last edited by ironheaddave; 12-21-2008 at 10:27 PM.
#14
12-24-2008, 09:48 PM
#15
01-01-2009, 02:21 PM
Motels should not be a problem, especially in the larger towns. However you might want to reserve a room ahead if you can. If you have camping gear to fall back on just in case or in an emergency you should be OK.
The Mile Post magazine is updated every year and you should get one and study it for a while before the trip. Check out this site http://alaska101.com.
BC has a website at http://www.travel.bc.ca that has some good information about roads and other stuff, like maps. It is a very long distance to cover across BC. Also check out http://travelyukon.com.
You will see a lot of free magazines and map books on the trip but if your like me you won't have much time to look at them until you get back home.
The bears are gorging on berries in the summer and are probably less aggressive. I would think that later in the year when they start getting ready for winter they would be more of a problem. The bears I saw did not seem interested in me until I got up close to take a picture. If I got too close they would run off into the woods.
Just posting about this trip makes me want to go again already.
-david
The Mile Post magazine is updated every year and you should get one and study it for a while before the trip. Check out this site http://alaska101.com.
BC has a website at http://www.travel.bc.ca that has some good information about roads and other stuff, like maps. It is a very long distance to cover across BC. Also check out http://travelyukon.com.
You will see a lot of free magazines and map books on the trip but if your like me you won't have much time to look at them until you get back home.
The bears are gorging on berries in the summer and are probably less aggressive. I would think that later in the year when they start getting ready for winter they would be more of a problem. The bears I saw did not seem interested in me until I got up close to take a picture. If I got too close they would run off into the woods.
Just posting about this trip makes me want to go again already.
-david
#16
01-01-2009, 07:26 PM
Couple of freinds are going to make the trip in 2010 from here (Washington) up there and then down to Florida and have the bikes shipped back, wusses....
Great story and pictures! How much of a beating did your bike take, any real mechanical problems on the way, especially in Alaska? PM me......
Great story and pictures! How much of a beating did your bike take, any real mechanical problems on the way, especially in Alaska? PM me......
#17
01-05-2009, 08:52 PM
The bikes did fine. Nothing I have not seen before on long road trips. The details of minor problems are listed in the post above. here!
The one thing about the roads is the construction areas where they have repaired the frost damage are mostly just gravel packed into a short strip of roadway. However, there may be a few bad spots where the construction goes on for several miles. The longer areas are worse with regard to getting yourself and the bike dirty. When it's not wet it's no big deal, although the dust may be more of a problem. When it's wet the materials used to patch the roads will get on the bike and bake on after a while. The only way I can describe it is cold asphault. It does not stick to the wet road. It does however stick to the bike.
When I got home I took my pipes, bags, side covers, etc. off and cleaned them up real good. The stuff on them was pretty well baked on and looked like dirt but it's not. It was actually dirt and tar asphaulted onto the pipes and frame. I used some Engine Brite and GoJo to try to break down the stuff on the pipes and it wiped off fairly well. It would have been extremely hard to do with the pipes on the bike. The best thing I found was brake cleaner for cleaning off the engine parts and frame. I think any strong chemicals need to be washed off good with car washing liquid and lots of water to prevent any damage to the frame and motor finish.
A good coat of wax on the bike before you go should protect the paint finish. Alternatively regular washing may be desired. I just didn't really have time to keep washing the bike. The Harley shops normally wash the bikes they service but they will not get the stuff off of the pipes and lower frame, etc.
My bike is a road trip bike. I have riden it all over the place. I don't recommend taking a show bike to Alaska. One of the worst roads I saw on the trip though was in Montana. The Sun Road was real bad last year, and they had barely opened it back up all the way through when I went through in August.
There was one section of very bad road from Tok to Fairbanks that was under construction. It was stripped off and wet. We got a bit muddy on that one because it was raining.
I wear FXRG overpants and FXRG coat. When I stop by a river or creek I just walk out in the river and wash the leathers and boots off or spray myself off in a car wash. Ronnie was wearing jeans and a blue jean jacket through the muddy gravel road and he was a mess after that section of road because he was covered in mud.
Good rain gear could be the way to go if you don't have good leathers.
You should consider mud flaps on the bike. It's possible that you will see light rain most of the days your there in parts of Alaska. We saw people who were actually trying to talk us out of going. They had spent five weeks in Alaska and it rained every day. One lady had broken her arm and she was looking for an airport. I had much better luck. Although it was raining when we got to Alaska, by the third day the weather was clear and the roads dried up for the rest of the time including the trip back down. The rain was actually just what I call a light sprinkle. The locals told me it was the coldest and rainiest summer they had ever seen.
If you have weather proof leathers take some conditioner to renew the leathers every few days if it's raining. They will not hold up to a a lot of continuous rainy weather without reconditioning.
Take lots of pictures and enjoy the trip.
-david
The one thing about the roads is the construction areas where they have repaired the frost damage are mostly just gravel packed into a short strip of roadway. However, there may be a few bad spots where the construction goes on for several miles. The longer areas are worse with regard to getting yourself and the bike dirty. When it's not wet it's no big deal, although the dust may be more of a problem. When it's wet the materials used to patch the roads will get on the bike and bake on after a while. The only way I can describe it is cold asphault. It does not stick to the wet road. It does however stick to the bike.
When I got home I took my pipes, bags, side covers, etc. off and cleaned them up real good. The stuff on them was pretty well baked on and looked like dirt but it's not. It was actually dirt and tar asphaulted onto the pipes and frame. I used some Engine Brite and GoJo to try to break down the stuff on the pipes and it wiped off fairly well. It would have been extremely hard to do with the pipes on the bike. The best thing I found was brake cleaner for cleaning off the engine parts and frame. I think any strong chemicals need to be washed off good with car washing liquid and lots of water to prevent any damage to the frame and motor finish.
A good coat of wax on the bike before you go should protect the paint finish. Alternatively regular washing may be desired. I just didn't really have time to keep washing the bike. The Harley shops normally wash the bikes they service but they will not get the stuff off of the pipes and lower frame, etc.
My bike is a road trip bike. I have riden it all over the place. I don't recommend taking a show bike to Alaska. One of the worst roads I saw on the trip though was in Montana. The Sun Road was real bad last year, and they had barely opened it back up all the way through when I went through in August.
There was one section of very bad road from Tok to Fairbanks that was under construction. It was stripped off and wet. We got a bit muddy on that one because it was raining.
I wear FXRG overpants and FXRG coat. When I stop by a river or creek I just walk out in the river and wash the leathers and boots off or spray myself off in a car wash. Ronnie was wearing jeans and a blue jean jacket through the muddy gravel road and he was a mess after that section of road because he was covered in mud.
Good rain gear could be the way to go if you don't have good leathers.
You should consider mud flaps on the bike. It's possible that you will see light rain most of the days your there in parts of Alaska. We saw people who were actually trying to talk us out of going. They had spent five weeks in Alaska and it rained every day. One lady had broken her arm and she was looking for an airport. I had much better luck. Although it was raining when we got to Alaska, by the third day the weather was clear and the roads dried up for the rest of the time including the trip back down. The rain was actually just what I call a light sprinkle. The locals told me it was the coldest and rainiest summer they had ever seen.
If you have weather proof leathers take some conditioner to renew the leathers every few days if it's raining. They will not hold up to a a lot of continuous rainy weather without reconditioning.
Take lots of pictures and enjoy the trip.
-david
Last edited by ironheaddave; 01-05-2009 at 09:03 PM.
#18
01-05-2009, 10:14 PM
#19
01-05-2009, 11:10 PM
Hey
No problem. I think I'm ready to go again. I went through all of the New England coast in 07 on a trip to Maine. That's another trip I need to take again. It was one of my best trips. I was in Bar Harbour on the 4th of July in 07.
I'm actually getting ready to upload the pictures from that trip and a couple of other trips when I get time.
-david
No problem. I think I'm ready to go again. I went through all of the New England coast in 07 on a trip to Maine. That's another trip I need to take again. It was one of my best trips. I was in Bar Harbour on the 4th of July in 07.
I'm actually getting ready to upload the pictures from that trip and a couple of other trips when I get time.
-david
#20
01-07-2009, 09:59 AM
I forgot to mention this so I had to post this one thing.
There are some steel grid bridges. If you have never seen these before your in for a real treat. It probably not as bad as it seems but you need to be ready for it.
You could practice it by letting all of the air out of both tires and driving on ice but you might want to just wait till you get there. Just go slow. There is one that's a really long old bridge. There are huge signs that say something like "Old dilapidated rusty bridge in terrible shape, be carefull" or something like that.
I was coming across it when I looked back and saw Ronnie's bike looked weird. Then I realised he had his feet down. Don't try that either, it won't help.
-david
There are some steel grid bridges. If you have never seen these before your in for a real treat. It probably not as bad as it seems but you need to be ready for it.
You could practice it by letting all of the air out of both tires and driving on ice but you might want to just wait till you get there. Just go slow. There is one that's a really long old bridge. There are huge signs that say something like "Old dilapidated rusty bridge in terrible shape, be carefull" or something like that.
I was coming across it when I looked back and saw Ronnie's bike looked weird. Then I realised he had his feet down. Don't try that either, it won't help.
-david
Last edited by ironheaddave; 01-07-2009 at 10:07 AM.