Alaska after CFR

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BugR

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
839
Reaction score
63
Location
Ottawa, Canada
I'm planning an extended run, at least to Fairbanks and maybe up to Prudhoe Bay after CFR.

If you can ride repeated 500 mile days

Don't mind camping at least 2 days out af 3.

Have a real good sense of humour

Dirt experience (Tracks not trails) would be a asset but not a requirement.

I'm expecting the additional mileage to add about 3 weeks on top of any travel for CFR

Anyone interested?

PM me.

Chris

 
Really I would love to go on such a trip but my boss at work, and my boss at home wouldn't hear of it.

gypsy

 
Camping up there? Hope you have a gallon of bug spray and a head net and sleeping net. Seriously, when you stop to take pictures you will know what I mean...as you get eaten alive.

 
So over dinner last night Diana tells me that there is no way I am going to leave her behind.

So I guess that's set :clapping:

I'm currently looking at finding a more suitable replacement for her EX500.

I to answer some of the other enquires

Yes I know about the bugs, I live in a forest next to a river in Ontario, and yes we have the gear for camping in the bush.

Modifications I'm looking at to the FJR are mainly the tires (I ditched the stock suspension a long time ago).

For the front the Pirelli MT 60 R Corsa. (120/70 R17 TL 58V ) which is a 90% road 10% tire looks to be just the ticket

mt60.jpg


The back is more of a problem :) , I don't get much more than 8,000 km from a rear, so that's at least three tires on this trip.

There are also no D\S tires available in the right width and none of the road tires I have seen have anything like the mud clearing capacity I would like.

One radical solution to that may be to darkside the bike and use something like this.

BF G-Force Super Sport

g-force-super-sport-a-s.jpg


The 205/50/R17 fits the rim, and exceeds the requirements for load and speed rating.

(Yes I have darksided bikes in the past, just not a sport touring rig like FJR, so please spare the lectures about using car tires on the back of bikes, I am not expecting the handling performance in the twisties, my requirements for this trip are straight line traction and service life.)

Chris

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I wonder about the tire issue. Been to Alaska (though not done the Dalton Hy) and my experience is that regular tires are all that's required to go most anywhere sane (on the FJR anyway). For the Dalton I would think it depends on the weather. If it's "wet wet" over several days, I would think you are pretty much screwed no matter what you are riding on; if it's dry, it's just another dirt road...

On my little trip, I did a hundred miles or so of the Glen Hy under severe construction (alternate deep gravel and freshly graded mud), in the rain, and it did not matter what tires I would have been on. On the Top of the World route (Dawson City to Tok) in the dry, even the unpaved sections were great. Wet though would have been another kettle of fish.

Wonder what the Alaskan FJers have to say about tires?

(BTW I strongly recommend Haines/Skagway and taking the Inside Passage ferry down to Port Hardy (3 days) or even just down to Prince Rupert thence to Prince George etc. It's a nice break and romantic :rolleyes: )

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Modifications I'm looking at to the FJR are mainly the tires (I ditched the stock suspension a long time ago).
For the front the Pirelli MT 60 R Corsa. (120/70 R17 TL 58V ) which is a 90% road 10% tire looks to be just the ticket

mt60.jpg
Chris,

I've been fighting off buying a Versys for about a year and half now. I've been hanging out occasionally on their forums. Seems the Versys (sub 500lbs/60hp) will EAT these tires in something less than 3000 miles. I can't imagine what the additional weight and power of an FJR will do to them. What about Metz Tourance. Seems to be popular with loaded down koolaid drinking GS riders.

 
Modifications I'm looking at to the FJR are mainly the tires (I ditched the stock suspension a long time ago).
For the front the Pirelli MT 60 R Corsa. (120/70 R17 TL 58V ) which is a 90% road 10% tire looks to be just the ticket

mt60.jpg
Chris,

I've been fighting off buying a Versys for about a year and half now. I've been hanging out occasionally on their forums. Seems the Versys (sub 500lbs/60hp) will EAT these tires in something less than 3000 miles. I can't imagine what the additional weight and power of an FJR will do to them. What about Metz Tourance. Seems to be popular with loaded down koolaid drinking GS riders.

I looked at that, It's a comprise of course.

Tourance's (or any other DS tires) don't come in a 120/70 R17 Front.

The big dual sports run 19 or 21" front wheels as it's much better for rough dirt since it's less likly to get trapped in a hole.

There is a 120/90 R17 rear but the 90 profile will probably fowl the fender.

This Pirelli is made for the KTM 950 motard, and uses a slightly different compound than the Pirelli MT 60 Corsa used on the Versys (That's the bike I'm keen on for Diana), If tire life is a problem then I could just use road tires until Fairbanks, change it for the rough stuff and then swap back to street tires for the long haul home. I'm not to worried about tire life on the dirt as I'm expecting the speeds to be low.

Perrie,

If you had to choose between Port Hardy to Haines by ferry vs Port Hardy\Prince Rupert by Ferry and then the Cassiar \ Alaska Highway to Haines which would you pick?

Chris

 
Found another supermoto front

Avon Distanzia Supermoto Motorcycle Tires - 120/70-17 H-Rated

18596_1.jpg


Chris

*Edit* It looks like the SuperMoto tires are the ones which have the poor mileage, not that surprising

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top