Can an FJR1300 make it up the Dalton Highway?

[Tanker]

This is a great read John. Thanks for posting here for us.

Sounds like you had way too much rain on this ride.

Can't wait for your next installment!

 

[MotoStrap]

June 19, 2011 Day 10: Woke up around 6am, after getting to bed after 11pm. Was nice to sleep in a bit. I talked to several bikers that were camped around me, two guys from Georgia. One guy was on a GS1200 and the older guy was on a V-Strom DL1000. they were carrying ALOT of stuff. They started out from georgia on June 9th and drove across the US and then crossed the border in Montana, eventually making there way up here. This was only the second night they had camped, they were staying mostly in hotels.

 

I mentioned to them about the University of Alaska, Fairbanks that you could stay there for $39 per night, if you made reservations. I gave them the number to call and watched them as they left the park. Shot some video and pictures of their departure.

 

After they left, one of the three guys camped next to me came over. We chatted for a bit. Two of them are from Vancouver BC and one guy is from Denver Colorado. They are heading for Invinuk (sp?) up the Dempster Highway. They belong to some motorcycle club called the "Bakownia Motor Club". They met some of the girls in the park last night and were having a "party" with them, drinking and carrying on

 

He asked if I was doing the Prudhoe Bay ride with "those tires?" I said yes and he raised an eyebrow.......

 

The girls came over to see them leave this morning as they headed out. I finished getting packed, but left my tent behind in the park and headed back across to Dawson City.

 

Surprisingly, I pulled in behind they three bikers waiting for the ferry and we all boarded together. I shot some video of them and some pictures of their motorcycle patch. Their bikes were all decked out with stickers and gear for ADVing.

 

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Once we landed, I headed to a coffee shop that I saw on the way in. They had a sign "wi-fi", so of course I added to word "free" to it, which it wasn't......the owner had about 5 computers set up and turned it into an internet cafe for $3 for 15 minutes and $12 per hour. Good for her to see a need and start a business to make a little $. Even the other shop owners were there to check email. Must be really expensive to get service in Dawson City.

 

I passed on the internet and got a coffee/donut instead. I walked around a bit taking some pictures and an older woman came over to talk. She was in her ADV riding gear, so we talked bike for a few minutes and she also gave me a raised eyebrow when I said I was going to Prudhoe Bay on the FJR........her words were "good luck"......she also said if its dry the ride is good but if it rains, then its gets really slippery. another piece of advise was to drive on the good side of the road, even if it was the wrong side.

 

I kind of figured it, but I am going to see how the weather is in Fairbanks and find some wifi to check the weather for the next few days. If its raining, then I am going to bail on it, but if the weather is clear, I am going to go for it.

 

I drove around the city and took pictures of various buildings and such. Shot some video for a later movie. Some of the buildings are in bad shape, but there are people flocking to this city.

 

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I also fueled up in Dawson, for $1.629 per liter, took 19 liter's for $32. But its full to the rim and The Top of The World Highway and border to the US is pretty close, about 100 miles. I cant wait to see what gas prices are in Alaska...hopefully less

 

1630 hours, Update: I've been hanging around the campsite getting gear organized and dried out. It seems some of my Sea to Summit bags are not completely waterproof. So I laid everything out to dry. My shotgun ammo got wet, not bad though, hopefully it will be fine if I need it.

 

Also laid out the Alaska map on the picnic table and looked over the route and milage. So from Dawson City to Tok is about 150 miles, then to Fairbanks is another 150 or so. If I pressed on to Coldfoot, that would be about 450 total. I think (hope) I can do that tomorrow if the weather is good. The first part is gravel from Dawson City to the border of the US. Then its paved all the way to Fairbanks.

 

Once I hit the Dalton Highway to Coldfoot its a mixture of paved and gravel. The Arctic circle is on the way, so I'll stop and grab a picture of that sign.

 

I think that Coldfoot will be a good place to stop and assess the next day, its about 240 miles to Deadhorse just outside of Prudhoe Bay. So a round trip up and back in one day is 480 miles roughly.

 

While I am siting her typing, gray clouds are moving in overhead and I have felt a few rain drops. If it starts raining I am going to move to a covered shelter just across from my campsite. It has a wood stove in it too, which will be nice. I've seen other ADVer's who stayed in the shelter here and just slept on the picnic tables in there, so I might do that.

 

Update again 1730: moved to shelter, felt a few rain drops, so here I am. Set the tent up inside and put the ground cover down with the reflective side up. The floor is concrete so it conducts heats away from the body. Hopefully the reflective side of the ground cover will keep me a little warmer.

 

Got a fire going too.........

 

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Talked with a guy walking by with his dog. He and the wife came over the top of the world highway yesterday after spending two weeks in Alaska in their RV. They are from British Columbia. He said the road was ok, but not great, kind of like a washboard. we talked gas prices and her paid $4.15 gallon in Tok, AK, and $4.09 at COSCO in Fairbanks.

 

He also talked about a major fire in the area of Fairbanks that was only 25% contained, but this was a few days back.

 

Another Update, 1830 hours: I am thinking it was a mistake to take a full day off from riding. I am so anxious to get moving, but now I can't because the US Customs station is closed on the border. They only allow crossing between 8am to 6pm, so even if I left now and I got there in a few hours, I would be stuck and couldn't cross in the US.

 

So I just have the computer open, and itunes playing music, a little Cake, George Strait, Glee, Marie Digby, Jack Johnson.....

 

More people are arriving at the camp site, mostly RV's and one more ADVer on a GS1200.

 

1930, two guys arrived on KLR's from California on there way up the Dempster. They ended up staying with me under the shelter due to the rain. We talked for a few hours. They are both Baja 250/500/1000 bike riders, told me a bunch of great stories about riding in Baja.

 

We all finally went to sleep around midnight. It rained ALL NIGHT....gonna be a went one tomorrow.........

 

[BikerGeek99]

Ah, man, I love me some Alaska ride reports!

Thanks for taking the time to post up!

 

[petey]

Can an FJR1300 make it up the Dalton Highway?

I would say any bike can, if the rider is capable....

 

[escapefjrtist]

Good read and pics, thanks for posting it up!

--G

 

[MotoStrap]

Thanks for following along! more to come!

Good read and pics, thanks for posting it up!

--G

 

[chivvalry]

The suspense is murder... great RR so far!

 

[Khunajawdge]

 

Ahhhh, the sight of hydrocarbons on the horizon! :clapping:

 

Keep going, but let us know where the Meese (Mooses?) are hiding! :dribble:

 

[dbx]

Like many others, I'm following this story with great interest and anticipation, but I must have missed something toward the beginning. The posts are dated from June but we're getting them in August. Did this trip happen in June or is it happening now?

 

[MotoStrap]

The trip was in June......

Like many others, I'm following this story with great interest and anticipation, but I must have missed something toward the beginning. The posts are dated from June but we're getting them in August. Did this trip happen in June or is it happening now?

 

[dbx]

The trip was in June......

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm easily confused.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Thanks for taking the time to post up, I know it takes a commitment to keep it up and finish. I miss AK badly and thought if I went it'd be out of my system , just a check off on the list to do, but AK gets under your skin and I want to go back badly. Now , when's my retirement target date again .............

 

[MotoStrap]

June 21, 2011, Day 11



Woke up kind of late this morning, around 7 am. It rained all night so I wasn't sure if it was going to be safe to head up the top of the world highway and cross into Alaska.

 

The other two KLR riders from California also were awake and we chatted while we all packed up our gear. I had the fire going in the wood stove which took away the chill.

 

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We said our goodbyes and I left the camp ground, turned right and headed up. It was immediately foggy, with visibility around 20 yards. My face mask was fogging up and I had to wipe it clear constantly. The FogTech and the CatCrap were not doing the job keeping it clear. I have the visor cracked open just a bit.

 

The roads on the Canadian side of the border are mostly gravel with some pavement. As I headed up higher into the mountains, it got colder. The roads were a bit slippery in some places, but nothing un-manageable.

 

There was snow on the sides of the mountains near the roadways and the wind up top was blowing pretty hard in some places. In fact it was blowing hard enough that it would lift the visor on my helmet.

 

I was told by several people that this was a great road to ride and that I will enjoy the scenery. But I could not see anything...just the fog.....

 

After about 50 miles, I arrived at the border crossing. I couldn't even see it until I got up close. There were several signs saying border crossing 1/2 mile, have papers ready, etc.

 

I pulled up and there was a tour bus in front of me. It was pretty cold, my vest was on high, but my hands were pretty numb. After a while of just sitting on the FJR then engine heat and the heated vest really helped to warm me up.

 

The bus pulled through and then stopped on the other side, where all the passengers got off to take a picture of something. I couldn't quite see what it was, some sort of sone monument with a plaque on it.

 

I pulled up to the customs agent and we chatted briefly. Had to take off my hemet and pull forward so he could see my plate. I handed him my paperwork for the shotgun, no problem's, not even an inspection or anything. He basically said everyone in Alaska has guns, its not a big deal. We talked for a bit, he was from Boston.

 

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Then I was on my way down the hill to Chicken.

 

I immediately was taken aback by the poor road conditions on the US side. the canadians had it together with gravel and keeping it smooth. The US side was sandy mud the whole way. It was VERY SLIPPERY, especially on the FJR with street tires. I shot some video which I will post up on youtube later. I was doing maybe 20 mph the whole way down the hill. Several campers passed me and I waved them by gladly. I had several oh crap moments where I almost crashed. The trucks towing campers would start spinning their tires and made the hard packed mud loose. Then I would come along and drive through the loose mud, my front tire plowing away through it.

 

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About halfway down, the guy from Ontario on the GS1200, Mr Taylor pulled up along side of me. We stopped and chatted a few minutes. He said that he was following my tracks and saw several of my oh crap moments in the mud.

 

We decided to meet up at Chicken, Alaska and he took off on the GS. He could really move along on the bike and he soon was far in the distance. After about another 20 miles, I pulled into chicken and met up with Taylor again. We sat and had breakfast. While we were there we met a guy from New Zealand riding his bicycle across the country. The bike was the kind that you sit back and the pedals are in front of you. When he pulled in I could tell he was really cold and tired.

 

I called out to him and we all sat down together, talking for awhile. He quit his job and decided to travel. He was really thin and broke out the earthy/crunchy food from his bike. He also put on a down coat and wool hat. We talked about the people he met and other bikers. He said that he road his bike to Prudhoe Bay and told me about the road conditions.

 

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Then a guy pulled in on a 1990 Honda NX750. He was from Switzerland and brought his bike over from there. He was going to Argentina. His english was kind of broken, but we got our conversation going, no problems. He decided to stay the night in Chicken until the weather cleared after hearing our story of coming down the top of the world highway.

 

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Taylor tried some panning for gold......$5 deposit for a pan.....he didn't find anything

 

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Taylor and I packed up and headed off. He was again much faster then me, so we finished up the unpaved section which was another 5 miles. I passed a RV which slid off the roadway and was stuck in a ditch. It was still very slippery with rain and mud.

 

I arrived at PAVEMENT and celebrated with a video.......

 

I headed towards Tok and ran into Taylor at a rest stop. We decided to ride together to Fairbanks. As we got closer to Tok, the sky's cleared and the sun came out. We pulled into Tok, I went to the post office and Taylor went to get a quart of oil for the GS.

 

The post office was closed for an hour, so we both fueled up and then headed to a carwash to spray down the bikes and get the sand/mud off of them. My bike was making some weird scraping/squeaking noises when I braked. I was sure it was sand that had found its way into the brake pads/caliper area.

 

While at the gas station, we met a guy from Brazil, on a Honda 150cc street bike. He drove from Brazil and was going to the Arctic circle. He spoke very little english and I didn't speak any Portuguese, but we communicated. He was asking which sections of the road were paved and not paved. So I broke out the map and showed him were to get gas and how many kilometers between stops. His bike had a small gas tank and he had three 2 liter soda bottles strapped to the back of his bike for fuel.

 

After getting to the Arctic circle he was going to head to Anchorage, abandon his bike and then fly back to Brazil. Kind of a throw away bike....which had a Givi rear bag (the V46 I think) and a huge bag strapped to the rear seat. I took some pictures and Taylor took some video.

 

As we sprayed off the bikes, the sand just kept coming off and off. It had hardened on my rim and on the rotors, where I had to use the presser washer to remove it.



After we finished, we headed back to the post office and I got my package of food. Loaded up the bike and we headed off to Fairbanks, about 205 miles away.

 

We eventually caught up to the Brazil guy on his bike at a road construction area. His back tire was wobbling all over the place, I think the spokes were loose.

 

It was a pretty boring ride for the first 150 miles, then we hooked up with these tow ADVer's heading the same way. Their bike's had Alaska plates on them, so they seemed to know were we could speed and where to slow down.

 

They turned off and we headed to the downtown area to the RV park, $21.50 for the night. They have showers and internet (slow) but we grabbed a campsite and met the neighbors.

 

My plan is for tomorrow to head up to Prudhoe Bay. The weather here in Fairbanks is predicting rain, but Deadhorse shows sun/partly cloudy the rest of the week.

 

Its looking good

 

[Tom Edison]

More great Adventure! The Top of the World Hwy done and now the Haul Road. Looking forward to that stretch. :clapping:

 

[MotoStrap]

I may have screwed up the dates, will fix later. The days are numbered correctly though, this is day 12.

 

June 22, 2011 Day 12: Woke at 0530 and got packed. It rained over night and I left clothes on my tent to dry after washing them in the shower with me. So they stayed wet. I went to the laundry and threw them in the dryer. I met a nice lady in there who gave me 4 quarters to make up the two bucks I needed to dry the clothes. She said that she was doing a good deed by helping me. Someone had helped her in Canada with the same thing....no need to pay her back she said.

 

I said my good bye's to Taylor and the goldwing rider who was camped next to me. Taylor is also writing a blog here: https://alaska-adv-on...s.blogspot.com/

 

I was on the road by 0715 and headed over to the gas station where I filled up and talked with the older lady working the booth. We had a nice talk about nothing particular and she gave me a map, showing me how to get to Route 2 north.

 

I headed to Route 2 north and eventually got to Livengood, where I thought there was fuel. Which there was not anything......This was about 80 miles and the start of the Dalton Highway. It was pretty far to Coldfoot where I know there would be gas, but I wasn't sure if I could make it or not. Its about 180 miles farther up. That would have put me at 260 miles if I was easy on the throttle.

 

I decided to go for it. Just before I pulled onto the Dalton Highway, I pulled over to shoot some pictures and video. I was immediately attacked by the mosquitos! It was like the second coming....they were everywhere.

 

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I started up the dalton highway and then stopped, thinking about the gas. The only gas station that was close was 80 miles away. As I sat there thinking again, these two australia folks who I saw at Chicken and the RV park in Fairbanks pulled up in there SUV. We chatted for a few minutes and they had no idea if there was any gas closer then Coldfoot.

 

We parted ways and they took off like a shot. I followed them, but couldn't keep up. The road immediately went to mud, there was even a sign that said "pavement ends"....really? thanks.

 

The roads were a mess to say the least. It had been raining and it was very slick in places, sometimes I got down to 10 mph just to get through it.

 

I passed several ADVer's heading south and flagged one down. We met in the middle of the road and I asked about road conditions. He gave me the run down on what to expect, more rain and mud with patches of pavement between.

 

I went over several parts that I decided to call mud hills....which were three hills of mud. Going down them was the most treacherous part of the ride so far. The mud from the construction machines that were grading the roadway had built up to approximately 2-4 inches of mud.

 

I plowed my way through these sections and eventually arrive at a gas/hotel/gift shop near the Yukon river. I saw there were several KLR riders inside having breakfast. I struck up conversation with them and asked about the road conditions. They said it was pretty muddy and raining the farther you go, but once you pass over Adtkin Pass (spelling?) that the sky's cleared up to sunshine. I checked the weather before I left and saw that it was about 58 degrees in Deadhorse.

 

I pressed north on the muddy/wet road and come to Coldfoot. I refueled there and grabbed a coffee from inside. The next stop was 240 miles and I wanted a full tank before I left.

 

My next stop was the Arctic circle where I bumped into the two Australians again. They offered me coffee they were brewing on there coleman stove. The mosquitos were brutal and I grabbed my mosquito head netting. We talked for a bit about nothing particular and then we headed our separate way, me north and they headed south.

 

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I eventually got to Adtkin pass (spelling?) and met two more ADV'ers coming down the hill. One guy on a BMW and the second on a Ducati Multistrada, they even had a Nissan support vehicle following them. The said it was pretty foggy over the pass and that it got better on the other side.

 

I made my way up and the fog was so thick, I could only see about 20 yards in front of me. The road was of course wet and I made it to the top, where I took some video and pictures.

 

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I made my way down slowly and headed north. The roads were no longer wet/muddy, they were now severely rutted. There was a construction project going on were they built a side road to the Dalton, which was much worse then that real road.

 

After getting through that, the road became a mixture of dirt, then gravel, then big gravel, then pavement. There were frost heaves where you could see when cars/trucks had scrapped the roadway as they made their way north.

 

One turn I came to was labeled "Oh **** Corner"....I found that kind of funny since it looked like an Alaska state road sign installed by a highway department. The hill north was a log increasing radius turn going up hill. I would find out later why they gave it that name, when I headed south.

 

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Still heading north I passed several work compounds, which were pump stations and highway maintenance areas. There was a helicopter refueling area off to the left, I met the guy driving the fuel truck on my trip south.

 

About 80 miles from Deadhorse, the road was still rolling up and down with frost heaves. There were huge pot holes dotting the road, which I put my front tire in one time really hard. I thought I bent the rim, but when I checked, there was only a scratch where the tire compressed.

 

My suspension also bottomed out in several areas when I hit the road really hard.

 

As I got closer to my goal, I started seeing caribou on both sides of the roadway. Just a few at first then the herds became larger, but not more then 20 in a group. One portion, they were a little close to the roadway when I drove by. I must have spooked them, and they began running along side me about 20 yards away. The big guy in front was eyeballing me and making some grunting noise. They eventually turned to the right, running away from me.

 

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I could see the lights of Deadhorse as I approached, it was still daylight out of course and it was also the summer solstice. The temperature dropped pretty quick to around 40 degrees. It was now 14 hours since I left Fairbanks, about 9pm. I pushed the OK button on my spot sending out the message that I had made it.

 

I rolled in and felt a wave of relief that I was done. I went to find the gas pumps and refueled, which was $5.10 per gallon and I took a little over 5.2 gallons, my total distance from Coldfoot was 253 miles.

 

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I had planned on driving back 80 miles to a campground that I saw just off of an airport. but I was too whipped and cold to go any further. I went and found the Prudhoe Bay Hotel, $125 a night, but well worth it. The room includes all you can eat food in the dining area, a buffet which serves three meals a day plus a "mid rats". I talked to the girl who checked me in and she directed me to the top floor D228, which was at the end of the hall. There were showers and a place to do laundry if I needed.

 

I unpacked the bike and brought some stuff upstairs. The rest I locked to the bike with my cable. I eventually got changed and went downstairs to get some food. I ate too much and felt immediately sleepy.

 

After doing some internet work and checking email. I hit the sack for the night.

 

[chivvalry]

At this point you have completely convinced me that there is no way in hell I am taking my FJR over this route. Awesome ride though and I have just added this (with a S10 or KLR or something) to my bucket list.

 

[Tanker]

At this point you have completely convinced me that there is no way in hell I am taking my FJR over this route. Awesome ride though and I have just added this (with a S10 or KLR or something) to my bucket list.

I totally agree with your comments above. I've actually had this on the bucket list for awhile, but it won't be on the FJR.

Motostrap - I love following your report. What a mission you were on...

Thanks for the write up!!

 

[MotoStrap]

Oh come on people! dont wimp out!! If I can do it you can do it too!!!

I have some more pictures and video on my website, www.johnsalaska.com. I am putting together a video for every day, so far I am up to day five. Just click on the video link on the webpage.

 

[Geezer]

Oh come on people! dont wimp out!! If I can do it you can do it too!!!

 

Actually. I have been planning to do this on my FJR as soon as I can make time. Lately I have been thinking that it might be smarter to use a different bike, like a Super Tenere or something similar, but you convinced me that the FJR is capable. I might give it a try after CFR/NAFO next year. If that doesn't work out I'll at least ride up to Hyder or something and save the Dalton for next time.

 

It seems like planning your fuel is very important. Did you carry spare fuel in a gas can or something or just go with what the stock tank can carry?

 

[chivvalry]

Oh come on people! dont wimp out!! If I can do it you can do it too!!!

I have some more pictures and video on my website, www.johnsalaska.com. I am putting together a video for every day, so far I am up to day five. Just click on the video link on the webpage.

No, no... it's an excuse to buy another bike... okay, not really... I just can't stand the idea of subjecting my baby to that punishment.