Socal to Alaska Sept '08

[peekay]

I need some help brainstorming. I have approximately 3 weeks this September to ride from LA to somewhere. I was thinking of doing the Alcan Highway, starting from LA. This will be a solo trip, but I may take a detour and meet my fiance (who will be flying up) in Banff for a few days.

Has anyone here done the Alaskan Highway by motorcycle?

I need to get a new bike just for this trip as my current bike, Yamaha TW 200 is too small. Any suggestions? I will likely sell it once the trip is over.

I was looking at the V-Storm, KLR 650, Suzuki SV650, etc. I will probably be doing 300 miles per day so comfort is necessary. If possible, I don't want to go to a 100% street bike bc I know I will see some tempting fire roads. I do need a bit of cargo capacity although I will likely stay 3 nights out of 4 in roach motels.

I used to have a KLX 650 and it was too light for a trip such as this. All comments appreciated.

 

[Hltoppr]

I have friends who have done it. Mostly on BMW GSs. Road conditions, IIRC, vary from great to bad....

I'd think the V-Strom 650 would be a good choice. Low price, great reliability and economy, and decent on-road comfort. Throw some TKC 80 tires on it and hit the road...

-H-

 

[HMR]

I'd think the V-Strom 650 would be a good choice. Low price, great reliability and economy, and decent on-road comfort. Throw some TKC 80 tires on it and hit the road...

+1.
It'll also be the easiest to sell after the ride.

FWIW- You'll need to plan on a lot more than 300 miles per day if you only have 3 weeks.

 

[peekay]

+1.
It'll also be the easiest to sell after the ride.

FWIW- You'll need to plan on a lot more than 300 miles per day if you only have 3 weeks.

thanks for the feedback guys. I should have been more clear. I plan to ride up, and ship down the bike and fly back myself. By my calculations, that is about 3000-3500 miles depending on the Banff part.

 

[softboyled]

ship

thanks for the feedback guys. I should have been more clear. I plan to ride up, and ship down the bike and fly back myself. By my calculations, that is about 3000-3500 miles depending on the Banff part.

For my next trip, I plan to ship a bike -both- ways, to Whitehorse, then explore from there for three weeks...

On the last trip, I did ~4500 miles from Portland to Anchorage, Fairbanks, etc. and ferry from Skagway back to Bellingham. I took four weeks and I didn't drive every day. Personally, that was a good load for me. :smiley_drive:

 

[atavuss]

have you seen the adventure rider website yet? one guy rode from the deep south up to do the Alcan, he was on a 650 Kawasaki.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/

 

[peekay]

have you seen the adventure rider website yet? one guy rode from the deep south up to do the Alcan, he was on a 650 Kawasaki.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/

Wow, that site is awesome. I remember seeing it a while back when someone posted a link to that Japanese woman that was riding around the world solo. But that site has globs of info for my trip. Thank you!

 

[Rhode Trip]

Utah to Alaska on a TW200

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255995&highlight=tw200+alaska:roost:

 

[peekay]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255995&highlight=tw200+alaska:roost:

that guy is insane! I've done 575 miles in one day on my KLX and that was pretty tiring. I can't even imagine how this guy is doing it.

 

[12husky]

I drove the Alcan south 2 summers ago and the road conditions were excellent. Actually, I was disappointed with how good the conditions were, but it made for a nice high mileage cruise. The scenery made the trip one of my all time favorites. I flew into Anchorage, drove to Fairbanks, then the Alcan to Dawson Creek, then south on 97 to Prince George and to Lillooet, then to Vancouver.


The roads near Lillooet were actually the most fun of the whole trip with the roads through the canyons being the most fun I have ever driven. I am hoping to get to do this trip again someday.

I think British Columbia is one of the coolest state/province I have ever driven through!

Good luck and happy miles! (I'm really jealous!!)

 

[peekay]

+1.
It'll also be the easiest to sell after the ride.

FWIW- You'll need to plan on a lot more than 300 miles per day if you only have 3 weeks.

Hey HMR, I noticed in the other thread that you have had several different bikes. How did they all compare to each other and which would you have picked given my parameters? I'd really be interested in hearing what feedback you may have. Thank you.

 

[HMR]

Hey HMR, I noticed in the other thread that you have had several different bikes. How did they all compare to each other and which would you have picked given my parameters? I'd really be interested in hearing what feedback you may have. Thank you.

It would take me a long time to write up a thorough compare/contrast. Each of the bikes I mentioned in the other thread have been excellent- you can't go wrong with any of those models.

I think a used V-Strom 650 would be best for you because:
-Inexpensive to purchase/easy to resell
-Most reliable bike I've ever owned
-Very easy to work on in the unlikely event of a breakdown
-Suzuki parts are available in just about any small town (unlike KTM and BMW)
-Few modifications necessary for a long trip. Most V-Strom owners complain about the windscreen and seat but not much else. Several good windscreens are available, I prefer the MRA Vario. To fix the seat, I put an Airhawk seat cushion on my Strom and rode from Central Idaho to SoCal (1050 miles) in a single day without any permanent damage.

Though I've never owned one, a KLR650 would also be a good choice for all of the same reasons.

 

[peekay]

It would take me a long time to write up a thorough compare/contrast. Each of the bikes I mentioned in the other thread have been excellent- you can't go wrong with any of those models.

I think a used V-Strom 650 would be best for you because:
-Inexpensive to purchase/easy to resell
-Most reliable bike I've ever owned
-Very easy to work on in the unlikely event of a breakdown
-Suzuki parts are available in just about any small town (unlike KTM and BMW)
-Few modifications necessary for a long trip. Most V-Strom owners complain about the windscreen and seat but not much else. Several good windscreens are available, I prefer the MRA Vario. To fix the seat, I put an Airhawk seat cushion on my Strom and rode from Central Idaho to SoCal (1050 miles) in a single day without any permanent damage.

Though I've never owned one, a KLR650 would also be a good choice for all of the same reasons.

Thanks, I'm leaning towards the Vstrom but used ones are somewhat rare. I'm also looking at a used '07 Yamaha FZ6. I sat on one and it was almost as comfy as a Vstrom. However, it felt a little more nimble than a Strom.


Anyone know what type of weather to expect in Alaska in early September? I've gotten conflicting reports. Some people say it's a great time, no crowds, no mosquitos, etc. But others say it rains like crazy. Rain would definitely put a damper on things.....

 

[Wanderlusty]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards the Vstrom but used ones are somewhat rare.

I have noticed that too, as I have kept an eye on the Wee market for some time, as it will most likely be my next bike.

When you do see a used Wee for sale, it often is going for not much less than new.

I think that is a testament to the fact of what a good bike it is. Nobody wants to get rid of theirs, and if they do, the value is still pretty high.

 

[peekay]

I have noticed that too, as I have kept an eye on the Wee market for some time, as it will most likely be my next bike.

When you do see a used Wee for sale, it often is going for not much less than new.

I think that is a testament to the fact of what a good bike it is. Nobody wants to get rid of theirs, and if they do, the value is still pretty high.

Yeah, I wish I could find a Wee to test ride. I wanna see what all the fuss is about! I just missed out on an awesome deal by a few hours. A dealer here had a new '08 for $5999 plus tax, no freight or setup!!!!! I almost killed myself for missing that one.