from east coast on gs...doable? or i'm i crazy?  

one way: 4466 miles

Quote from: JetSwingfrom east coast on gs...doable? or i'm i crazy?  

I would wait til next Spring if I were you. :lol:

Quote from: callmelenny

Quote from: JetSwingfrom east coast on gs...doable? or i'm i crazy?  

I would wait til next Spring if I were you. :lol:

you really really really think so??  

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Yea ...alaska has like 500,000 people ... how do you think they all got there ... yup ...  :lol: ... they rode a GS ...
Cool.
Srinath.

lemme know when you pass through ohio, i'll tag along.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathYea ...alaska has like 500,000 people ... how do you think they all got there ... yup ...  :lol: ... they rode a GS ...
Cool.
Srinath.

sooo...that's why we can't find any gs here. i'll have to bring back some with me if i ever go up there

Crazy?  Naw.  As long as you have the time (and the GAS MONEY) and plan for possible tire changes, etc. you should be fine.  Assuming that you go sometime near the middle of the year, and that your bike doesn't have TOO many miles on it.

Just one thing about the route.  You GOTTA catch the rest of the offical "AlCan" going either one way or the other:



I understand that it starts in Dawson Creek.  Upper Liard looks like the point that's pretty much common to both routes.

When my Dad rode to Alaska from Arkansas last year on his ST1300 he took the AlCan in both directions.  I asked him why he didn't do something like the route you posted on the way back ... he said his map (road atlas, probably) didn't show any towns, and he was worried about gas.  If it were me, I'd take both routes.  

Quote from: JetSwingfrom east coast on gs...doable? or i'm i crazy?  
one way: 4466 miles

I did a similar trip with a small group in a van in 1986, along a very similar route.  We left from MA, went up to the arctic circle, then down through CA, across to CO, and then back home.  A few things to note:

We took 8 weeks to do it.  This is not a small trip if you want to see anything along the way.  We stopped at pretty much every national park (cheap campsites, great scenery), and more or less every amusement park anywhere near our route that had a roller coaster.  If you're making the trip, there are too many things that are worthwhile to stop and see to just pass by.  We spent a lot of time sleeping in the van and driving through the night so we could spend a day or two someplace fantastic.

It takes a -huge- amount of planning.  We had a detailed plan, maps for every segment, arrangements for where we were going to stop/camp, prearranged park tickets, event passes, how and where we were going to get mail/do laundry/shower, etc.

We needed a lot of gear.  We had a storage unit on top of the van that contained clothing, camping gear, food coolers, and pretty much anything you might need for a trip that long.  Even if you're not planning on camping, I don't see how you could carry all of the stuff you'd need.  Water, if nothing else, might be an issue.  Note that even during the summer, the temps are going to be vastly different as you head north and to higher elevations, so you'll need a variety of weather gear.  I recall that we drove through snow on July 4, I think we were somewhere around Lake Louise in Alberta at the time, up in the mountains.  Dunno how the GS would handle high elevations and steep grades (at what altitude would the mixture get too rich?), but there's a big section of tall, pointy bits along your route.

Fuel will probably be a challenge for you.  We were in a van with an extended range tank and a reserve fuel tank, and we had to be careful in a lot of places.  I specifically remember on the route up through the Yukon there were signs that read "Fill up here, next fuel 270 miles."  They weren't kidding either...you'd find nothing more than a wide spot in the road with a Husky gas station.  There are vast spaces where there is -absolutely nothing-.  You should definitely verify that you can tote enough fuel to make it between stops, or you'll need someone in a support vehicle.

While on the subject of a support vehicle:  THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF TRIP YOU TAKE ALONE.  I can't stress this enough.  There are stretches of road along your route that see about 2 cars a day.  If you run into trouble, that is going to be a potentially life threatening problem.  Many of the roads would qualify as "unimproved" anywhere else in the country, and you'll find yourself going over several bridges that are not much more than felled logs originally put there by the loggers/gold rushers and paved over (barely) and roads that haven't seen new pavement in decades.

On our trip, while heading up the Alcan highway through the Yukon (recommended speed 35mph due to road conditions), and we broke the rear axle.  I will never forget the experience of watching our left rear wheel pull out ahead of us (with about 2 feet of axle still attached), while we were swerving around on 3 wheels and some grinding metal.  We sat on the side of the road and waited for about 6 hours until the -next- car passed us.  They stopped, took 2 people into the nearest town (Watson Lake, Yukon...about 120 miles away, south of Whitehorse).  The rest of us waited another 6 hours or so on the side of the road until their return (they got a flat tire on the way back to us).  We spent about a week in Watson Lake until we could get repaired enough to get underway again.

All that said, taking a trip like that is unbelievably cool.  Just make sure you're well prepared.  For a lot of that trip, you're going to be in no-man's-land...you can't just pull into a service station.

Sorry this got so long.  If you're interested, I can post other thoughts.

Doing a trip like that sounds really cool. Although after reading what Badger has to say, I will stay right here in Milwaukee. Where there is a Wallgreens on every corner. God bless the USA. ~Lee Greenwood

Quote from: BriggsDoing a trip like that sounds really cool. Although after reading what Badger has to say, I will stay right here in Milwaukee. Where there is a Wallgreens on every corner. God bless the USA. ~Lee Greenwood

Heh...I'm not trying to discourage the trip.  It definitly is an unforgettable experience...seeing the auroras light up the entire landscape and reading by the 2am sun near the arctic circle are things that will stay with me forever.  I'm just saying that it is something that requires a little caution, appropriate preparation, and contingency planning.  Bad things can happen when there is no one else around for 100s of miles.  I think it would be a brilliant thing to do with a small group of motorcycles and a support vehicle for anyone that can spare the time to do it.  I definitly think riding through the Badlands in the Dakotas would be an awesome experience on a motorcycle, or tooling around Arches Nat'l Park, or Devil's Tower in Wyoming...

let me first say, this would be all about the adventure. if something goes wrong, that would be a part of it.

holy cow, badger, your trip was 20 years ago!!  :mrgreen:
i know of a girl (a model) who has done the alaska trip in 2 weeks (from colorado) ALL BY HERSELF!    she is the one who inspired me to think about doing the trip again.

i think it'll be simple and safe. hundreds of people have made the trip on a bike. all i have to do is research and ask around (eg. advrider.com). it wouldn't be too hard to find a safe route.

kerry, there's also a ferry you can take a part of the way. you'll be on the ferry for 2-3 days. you camp on the deck. get to see stuff you can't by riding. that's something you can do one way.

so i'm thinking the trip could be too much for the gs...do i'm thinking about getting a low mileage vstorm 650. i think it would be a perfect bike.

ok, i've got one tag along, who else?  :mrgreen:

i'm planning this trip for next year too...i'm from toronto, ontario...so maybe i can join you if you don't mind...

Quote from: Frosti'm planning this trip for next year too...i'm from toronto, ontario...so maybe i can join you if you don't mind...

are you planning to ride the gs?

I called my Dad to get his impressions of the road, the gas stations, etc from last year.  He said that the whole AlCan is paved, but that there are usually a few spots where construction crews are redoing the road because of frost heaves, etc.  Not major hole-digging, more like resurfacing.

He also said that he remembered being able to get gas every 125 miles or so.  (Not that he needed to get it that often on his 1300....)  He said it would be wise to allow for longer stretches, especially if you happen into headwinds, etc.  But when I mentioned that the newer GS models hold 5+ gals and that some can go 200+ miles before hitting reserve, he said there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Dad mentioned a nice, big campground (showers, etc) in Watson Lake as you come into town (from the east, I assume).  He said that just about every town has one or more campgrounds ... but that with such short summer nights you can ride as long as you can stand it.

He echoed Badger's thoughts on preparing for a full range of weather.  As far as the GS's performance at higher altitudes, I've "been there, done that" - up to 12,095 at Independence Pass in Colorado - with stock jetting and air filter in my '99.  It would probably handle that altitude a little better now with my drop-in K&N, but I don't remember feeling "crippled" or anything.

My Dad says you're definitely not crazy.  Well, no more crazy than he was.  Whether you choose to go on a GS500 (which he admits could get a little old) or a V-Strom or whatever, he would like to hear more about your eventual plans and experiences!

your not gaining anything useful with the vstorm, it's fine for the ocasional gravel parking lot or driveway, but as far as being a street bike with off road capabilitys, it isn't.   the gs will be fine, your not going to be doing 90 the whole way in face you'll probably be struggling to hit  60.  

for some good reads about adventure riding...
http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?cPath=7&products_id=4093
if you don't know who Ron Ayres is you better stay home, cause you havn't done enough research.


http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?cPath=7&products_id=4809

also serch on here cause i posted about going up there before and i had a list of good websites that had alot of good info.

kerry, thanks for the info. do you know what percentage of the roads in alaska is paved?

and how far did you dad go up?

i haven't done much planning except figuring out the maileage. i want to go either in the spring or late summer/early fall. i heard that the summer is the worse time to visit (crowded with tourists and mosquitos). spring of next year might be too early for me (have to save up enough) so i'm thinking towards the summer's end.

Quote from: Kerrybut that with such short summer nights you can ride as long as you can stand it.

i know...that's so cool  

get a aerostich, you'll apriciate the goretex.

Wow, that trip seems amazing and suicidal all at once. I think you could do it on the GS with the right amount of planning and cojones. I say you go for it.

I'd go with you... but It would be Texas to Virginia to Alaska. I think that comes out ~8000 miles one way.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathYea ...alaska has like 500,000 people ... how do you think they all got there ... yup ...  :lol: ... they rode a GS ...

All of them on one GS.   :mrgreen:

Quote from: Roadstergal

Quote from: seshadri_srinathYea ...alaska has like 500,000 people ... how do you think they all got there ... yup ...  :lol: ... they rode a GS ...

All of them on one GS.   :mrgreen:

:lol:  :lol:  :lol: