Maggie’s Motorcycles from Eastern WA to Fairbanks

david walter

david walter

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Jul 22, 2007
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Out west, but not too far west
#1
Thinking of jumping on the bike and riding up to see the old homestead outside of Fairbanks this summer.

Looking for current road conditions and tips about hotels, items to pack, etc. Probably July timeframe.

Any tips are welcome.

ALCAN or Cassier Highway? Drove both 30 years back in a 4x4 truck. Which would you do now?

Bike is a 2017 Africa Twin.

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#2
Cassier and take the side trip to Hyder. Maybe get Hyderized. When we were there we continued on the road out of Hyder for ten or fifteen miles along the river, lots of bears feeding on salmon.
 
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#3
Will you make a trip report and post as many pics as you possibly can? Pretty please? We went to AK several years ago and I miss it terribly. I want to go back so bad
 
#9
Did the Dempster in 08 up to Inuvik from Kansas. 31 days and 11,000 miles. Cassier up and Back. Side trip to Hyder is nice. Go on up the mountain and check out the glaciers etc. Its an out and back. I want to say Hyder was the first Fur Trading post in Alaska. I may be wrong though. I did a lot of dirt roads across the Yukon. Chicken Alaska is alright if ya got the time. Just to say you have been there.
Alaska was ok for me. I did like Seward and Anchorage. I took a ferry across PW Sound to Valdez Alaska. VERY Cool. To me though....Alberta and BC are more impressive. Coming home back down the Cassier.....I saw 11 bears in one day. Epic!!
07 was Nova Scotia.
06 was Banff and Jasper NP.
Most of my touring was on a BMW F650 Dakar.

Hayden.
 
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#10
I don’t know much about the Canadian side, but once you get to god‘s country, the main highway is paved. Though, in places, it can be a frost heaved mofo. If you take a side trip up to Chicken out of Tok, that road isn’t, though it is maintained by the state.

Same with hotels… You’ll find a couple in Tok and Delta Juction. Not much in between the border and Fairbanks other than those towns, as far as amenities go.

Hopefully this summer will be better than the cold and rainy one we had last year. I don’t leave home without rain gear and an insulating layer. I‘d bring another form of communication, lots of miles without cell coverage. Inreach, delorm, sat phone, etc.. There’s more traffic on the road in the summer, in case you break down. Not as many motor homes, but you’ll always have the truckers passing by periodically.
 
#11
Sounds awesome. I drove my dad's truck down from Anchorage in 2016, ALCAN, with my oldest boy. We were on a time crunch so didn't get to stop nearly as much as I would have wanted. I'd definitely say do the loop. Cassier one way and ALCAN the other. We seen just about every from Wolves, to bears, to horses and porcupines.
 
#14
david walter said:

sirhrmechanic,​


Ordered from where?

Everyone:

I see a lot of people doing long tours with Honda Dual Sport bikes vs. Honda Adventure bikes.

My AT is tall for me, even with a link installed to reduce height.

Any recommendations on other bikes to consider?
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You just need the right boots, Ron.
www.tallmenshoes.com

CALDEN K881802 5.2" Taller Nubuck Black Elevator Boots

Reach a higher level with the CALDEN 5.2-Inch Taller Nubuck Black Elevator Boots from Tall Men Shoes. They make great elevator work boots or hiking boots.
www.tallmenshoes.com www.tallmenshoes.com
 
#15
david walter said:

sirhrmechanic,​


Ordered from where?

Everyone:

I see a lot of people doing long tours with Honda Dual Sport bikes vs. Honda Adventure bikes.

My AT is tall for me, even with a link installed to reduce height.

Any recommendations on other bikes to consider?
Click to expand...

American Moto Tire is company. The tires are
Dunlops.

I ride a 1990 GS Dakar on long trips
To strange places. Not fast but reliable and comfy.

The 650 (or is it 600) new Dakars are more compact. The big 1200’s are monsters! But amazing bikes.

My Dakar.

IMG_5662.jpeg


Guy was riding one of these up in Labrador last fall. Was smaller than my bike. Brand new something or other.

IMG_5663.jpeg


Looked nice.

Sirhr
 
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#16
Take Cassier to Watson lake vs the Alcan. The only thing your missing is Watson Lake down to Ft Nelson. From Ft Nelson down to Edmonton is nice but not the Cassier. Whitehorse to Dawson City possibly swing up to Eagle, Ak. Stay in Tok at Eagle Nest motorcycle camp ground. From there go to Valdez do a halibut charter with Valdez Outfitters ( FedEx your fish home) then up the Richardson to Paxton. Take Denali Hwy (132 miles 100 gravel) to Cantwell. Stay at McLaren River Lodge. From Cantwell stay somewhere around Healy (Denali NP) up to Fairbanks the to Arctic Circle on the Haul road. If you have time when back in Fairbanks you can access the road system.

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#19
Forgot about the ferry, definitely take it especially if you’re tight on time. Take it the return trip so you can rest after the adventure. You can either pitch a tent or get a cabin, not many cabins they go fast. It’s Haines, Ak to Bellingham, Wa is the best price, you will go through some of the Yukon about 275 miles worth.

Feel free to DM.
 
#20
I can recommend something after all. At some point, spend the $$ to go to a salmon bake. That was one of our excursions on our cruise through the SE islands. It was expensive(I think it was like $60 per person) but I ate a few pounds of salmon that was swimming only a few hours before being chomped down my gullet
 
#21
This is a great idea!

rope said:
Forgot about the ferry, definitely take it especially if you’re tight on time. Take it the return trip so you can rest after the adventure. You can either pitch a tent or get a cabin, not many cabins they go fast. It’s Haines, Ak to Bellingham, Wa is the best price, you will go through some of the Yukon about 275 miles worth.

Feel free to DM.
Click to expand...
 
#23
sirhrmechanic said:
Yay… my Lewis and Clark tires just arrived!

View attachment 8364324

American Moto Tire on sale. Just over $300 for the pair delivered!

Sirhr
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The rear Dunlop Mission tire is known for longevity and being rather heavy due to its rubber content. People are getting over 10k miles or more out of them. Most folks say they are a bitch to mount, though.
 
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#24
david walter said:

sirhrmechanic,​


Ordered from where?

Everyone:

I see a lot of people doing long tours with Honda Dual Sport bikes vs. Honda Adventure bikes.

My AT is tall for me, even with a link installed to reduce height.

Any recommendations on other bikes to consider?
Click to expand...

Perhaps the Trans Alp, the AT's little brother.

Personally, now my info is dated so keep that in mind.....

I think it is how DS and ADV bikes are being defined. Personally I don't thing long runs on the highway on a thumper is very enjoyable. You can work out about everything else on the bike, seats, springs whatever but that engine is going to be what it is.....a thumper and that is going to have some vibes that will get old on the highway. You might find a sweet spot, but still you will feel it.

I have a roughly 30" inseam and stand 5'7" and yea the AT is a big heavy bike. I have actually taken a few rides this year, nothing long about 30 min but it is back on it. I don't remember it being so tall and so heavy. I am very rusty, older, weaker, and the thought of something smaller has crossed my mind.....but I do love that big girl whenever a wrap my legs around her.

I would say it depends on the roads traveled. I know going up there you don't have a great many choices, but the roads are not "that" bad, they are still roads, and fairly high speed as well. I think I would want a twin, or triple if thinking of Triumph.

Look at the TA and see what you think, it really is a smaller Africa Twin.
 
#25
Need to work on a packing list as well. Ridden this bike to Sturgis a few times, but that's anything but remote.

I suspect the Cassier will present some challenges in weather and vehicle maintenance that will require more forethought.
 
#26
Nice AT OP.

I was just starting to get into ADV riding with a brand new KLR650 last year. Then I totaled it like a retard. My first bike too :LOL:

Picking up a barely broken in KLX300 this weekend. Going to turn that into a light ADV. Not a lot of stuff to do in my AO offroad with a bike unfortunately.
 
#27
rope said:
Take Cassier to Watson lake vs the Alcan. The only thing your missing is Watson Lake down to Ft Nelson. From Ft Nelson down to Edmonton is nice but not the Cassier. Whitehorse to Dawson City possibly swing up to Eagle, Ak. Stay in Tok at Eagle Nest motorcycle camp ground. From there go to Valdez do a halibut charter with Valdez Outfitters ( FedEx your fish home) then up the Richardson to Paxton. Take Denali Hwy (132 miles 100 gravel) to Cantwell. Stay at McLaren River Lodge. From Cantwell stay somewhere around Healy (Denali NP) up to Fairbanks the to Arctic Circle on the Haul road. If you have time when back in Fairbanks you can access the road system.

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This. My brothers and sisters......This right here is the ultimate road trip itinerary. I know this, cause I've done something very similar. Twice. What I cannot reccomend highly enough is to take the Denali highway. East to west...Or west to east...both ways will guide you through some of the most beautiful landscape scenery you can find on our home planet earth. IMO. Also plenty of wide open relatively flat areas to do some LR shooting too if effort made. Self set up though ;) The Denali mountain range and highway have an incredibly special place in my heart.
 
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#29
ColinW said:
This. My brothers and sisters......This right here is the ultimate road trip itinerary. I know this, cause I've done something very similar. Twice. What I cannot reccomend highly enough is to take the Denali highway. East to west...Or west to east...both ways will guide you through some of the most beautiful landscape scenery you can find on our home planet earth. IMO. Also plenty of wide open relatively flat areas to do some LR shooting too if effort made. Self set up though ;) The Denali mountain range and highway have an incredibly special place in my heart.
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I’ve said I want to go back to AK really bad but I especially want to go back to Denali. We were only able to take a bus about 1/3 into the park when we were there, it was really early in the season, but it was just breathtaking
 
#31
Is one of your tents bigger than the other? I absolutely hate being cramped when I sleep so I'd probably choose the larger of the two-person tents
 
#33
Pisses me off we can't travel through British Columbia straight to Alaska with our guns. Maybe we should just invade and seize it. Maybe the Yukon, too. President Polk really pissed me off not keeping his campaign promise, 54-40 or Fight! But now there is no reason to stop at 54-40.

Maybe we can stir up some trouble with the Canadians as an excuse to invade.
 
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#34
Malum Prohibitum said:
Pisses me off we can't travel through British Columbia straight to Alaska with our guns. Maybe we should just invade and seize it. Maybe the Yukon, too. President Polk really pissed me off not keeping his campaign promise, 54-40 or Fight! But now there is no reason to stop at 54-40.

Maybe we can stir up some trouble with the Canadians as an excuse to invade.
Click to expand...
Trudeau should be enough.

R
 
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#36
Mine is an Alps Mountaneering 2-person that I’ve taken backpacking several times and car camping a lot. If you need an ultra light tent, Big Agnes makes really nice stuff but I don’t have any direct experience
 
#37
The D said:
I’ve said I want to go back to AK really bad but I especially want to go back to Denali. We were only able to take a bus about 1/3 into the park when we were there, it was really early in the season, but it was just breathtaking
Click to expand...

I lived in Kodiak for a couple years and that section of the world is just magnificent! Drove from San Diego, ca to Homer, AK. Stayed for a few days around Anchorage the first time I drive up and made a side trip to Talkeetna airport. Landed on one of the glaciers where you could see the summit of Denali and it was t-shirt weather when I stepped out of the plane. Just an epic expeirence! Later, we flew all around the denali mountain range and the beauty of it all is difficult to capture in words alone.

When we discover the granduer mountain range in the heavens, I can assure you I'll be flying within or climbing on the peaks for many seasons. :)
 
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#41
Check REI for tents, they have a wide variety, good sales, and you can exchange it if it craps out on you. I have a single tent I pack on my bike trips, but I use a poncho and a woobie the most. And a mosquito proof hoodie. Good luck on your trip.
 
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