This Forum has been so helpful in preparing for my trip that I wanted to share my recent experience riding from Macon GA to the foot of the Dalton Highway in Alaska on my 2013 FJR. For pictures and travel notes, please check out my Facebook account (public: Rick Maier). These notes are more technical, intended for those who may be planning a trip of their own.
Background: I’ve only been riding for 3+ years. I would have preferred to ride with others, but no one had the time or schedule opportunity. Solo worked out fine, but there were anxious times traveling in many remote regions. The risks were many, but good planning and cautious riding paid off.
FJR: I bought my FJR new in May 2013, and added a CalSci windscreen, Russell seat, bar risers, Clearwater LED lights, Givi tank bag and other minor accessories. The odometer read 78,170 to start my trip on 7/1/16, and 88,300 on my 7/20/16 return (10,130 miles). A couple 50CC rides, trips to Delaware (family), the Black Hills, Key West and other rides account for the relatively high mileage. I had new Michelin PR4 GT tires to start. Though you don’t have to worry about turns on the AK Hwy, my TomTom GPS was very valuable on the many back roads leading to and from the main roads.
Gear: Klim Overland pants and jacket, Sidi Gore-Tex boots, Held Gore-Tex and Rev’it summer gloves, Gerbing heated jacket (wore a lot in the north under Klim, though I never plugged in), LD Comfort underwear, and cool/dry T-shirts. Thin long underwear under the Klim pants was needed a couple days. The pinlock insert for my Shoe GT Air helmet was invaluable in the cool, rainy weather. I stacked two large Wolfman dry duffel bags on the passenger seat, one with camping and the other personal gear.
Route: Macon GA to Black Hills, to Devil’s Tower, to Little Bighorn to Glacier National Park. I crossed the border at Roosville, and proceeded to Banff, Icefields Parkway and north to Dawson Creek. The Alaska and Richardson highways took me to Fairbanks, where I went north to the start of the Dalton Highway. I returned southbound on the AK Hwy to the Cassiar Highway where I continued through British Columbia to the border crossing at Osoyoos. The side trip to Stewart BC and Hyder AK was well worth the unique scenery. In round, one-way numbers, I rode 2600 miles through the US, 2000 miles through Canada, and only 400 miles in Alaska (only 8% of the total, and only 16% of the trip north of the border).
Weather: The high winds in SD and MT, and scorching afternoon heat in the Southeast are the price you pay to get to and from the good stuff. Temperatures most days in northern Canada started in the upper 40s and climbed into the 60s or mid 70s. Most days were cloudy with some sun and some rain. The humidity was relatively low. The weather was delightful because I was prepared for worse, and I live through the muggy summers in Georgia. I think I was very fortunate with the weather, and July and August are ideal times for this trip. Daylight hours expand noticeably as you go north. In July in Fairbanks, sunrise is around 4am and it gets dark around midnight.
Gas, food and lodging: Milepost was invaluable in planning gas, food and lodging stops in the villages spread out along the Alaska and Cassiar highways. Planning carefully and sticking to the plan avoided disaster in the extremely remote areas. I seldom had less than half a tank of gas, which is so different from driving in the eastern US. I used Trip advisor and Choice for booking cheap motel rooms where available, but it was a real treat staying in the independently owned places at the Air Force Lodge in Watson Lake, Raven Hotel in Haines Junction, U of AK Fairbanks dorms, and Arctic Divide in Dease Lake. Reservations a few days in advance were necessary in many places. My overnights north of the border were Banff AB, Dawson Creek BC, Watson Lake YK, Haines Junction YK, Fairbanks AK, Haines Junction YK, Dease Lake BC, Smithers BC, and Cache Creek BC. Camping in Banff was great, but I would probably leave the camp gear home if I made the trip again (the backup plan if lodging was not available wasn’t necessary, and I’m getting too stiff to sleep on the ground).
Best part of trip: magnificent scenery (mountains, lakes and streams), wildlife sightings (buffalo, bears, caribou, moose, fox, eagles, etc.), cool weather, great people (residents and fellow travelers), and bucket list check off. Postcard highlights include Going-to-the-Sun Hwy. in Glacier NP, Banff and the Icefields Pkwy, Muncho Lake, the many rivers and bridges (paved as well as steel and wood decked), Whitehorse, Kluane range and lake, Destruction Bay, the Cassiar Highway, the ride to Stewart and Hyder, and Smithers.
Worst part of trip: the condition of the roads in Canada. There were hundreds of miles in AB, BC and Yukon that were fine, and they often warn you of rough conditions with signs and flags, but potholes, heaves and gravel often appeared out of nowhere. Conditions in the many construction areas ranged from hardpack as good as asphalt, to mud, sand and gravel that really put the FJR to the test. Washboard ruts shook the bike unmercifully at times.
FJR maintenance: I had the oil changed in Fairbanks at Alaska Fun Center (open on the Monday I was there). I replaced the rear tire in Spearfish SD (Outdoor Motor Sports). I’ve gotten as much as 15,000 miles on multiple sets of Michelin PR4 GTs in the past, but the road conditions took their toll (10K front, 8K rear). The front tire made it home with the treads level with the wear bars.
General observations:
· I saw not one single cop in Canada outside of the towns; that’s good and bad.
· Nearly all the cycles in the north are BMW GS, KTM and KLR style adventure bikes. Riding the FJR, I felt like I was driving a Lexus in a sea of SUVs. While the BMWs were having luggage hardware and engine problems, and I couldn’t have driven 10,000 miles on a KLR, the FJR made it home! I had two small problems: I had to retighten and re-Loctite the pannier screws (replacing one lost), and the engine light came on when the start button stuck (quickly figured out and monitored).
· Making the trip solo was greatly helped by knowing that family and friends were getting daily SPOT emails and able to track me on Spotwalla. I also had an excel sheet with gas and lodging stops listed with mileage markers from Milepost.
· Plenty of micro fiber towels and cleaning solution were needed for the dust, construction muck, rain and bugs. I cleaned the bike three times in Canada (hose or pressure spray where available), but the construction muck was unkind to the brakes, radiator and finishes.
· Get comfortable converting to kilometers, liters, Canadian currency, and centigrade.
· Along the AK Hwy, the trees and brush are cleared for 20+ yards beyond the shoulders. The road bed is built up, so wildlife has to climb up a small incline on either side to cross the road. You have a better chance of hitting rabbits, birds and ground squirrels than bears or elk.
· Most all turnoffs, rest stops, shoulders and parking lots in north Canada are loose gravel. The FJR can handle it, with caution.
· Go to the front of the line at construction zones stops waiting for the pilot vehicle. The big trucks love to race through gravel, but the pilot vehicles go slow.
· Adjusting for the 4 time zone changes is challenging (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Alaska).
· Be sure to have a primary and backup VISA or MasterCard with a chip. The Canadian merchants universally insert, not swipe, credit cards. Use your card for everything and get ready for a 3-page statement. They take US dollars gladly, but you lose 23 cents per dollar, and you don’t want to return with Canadian currency.
· Don’t forget your passport. Take no weapons or more than $10K into Canada. The US border agents insist that you remove your helmet for some strange reason.
· There are not many challenging climbs or twisties on the AK Hwy; the biggest challenge is negotiating the road hazards within your lane. The US military engineers did an amazing job constructing the highway in 1942, and the upgrades make it even better. The Cassiar Highway offers many more hills and turns.
· The lower speeds on the Canadian roads improve MPGs significantly. My range often climbed from the typical 220 miles to well over 300 miles. But you shouldn’t pass too many gas stop opportunities.
· Take plenty of pictures – that’s all your smartphone will be good for during most of the trip.
I am so proud of my FJR for making the trip without incident. And so thankful for all the Forum accounts and YouTube videos that provided valuable advice in planning the trip. It was a fantastic adventure! Anyone wanting further information is welcome to PM or email me at [email protected]
Background: I’ve only been riding for 3+ years. I would have preferred to ride with others, but no one had the time or schedule opportunity. Solo worked out fine, but there were anxious times traveling in many remote regions. The risks were many, but good planning and cautious riding paid off.
FJR: I bought my FJR new in May 2013, and added a CalSci windscreen, Russell seat, bar risers, Clearwater LED lights, Givi tank bag and other minor accessories. The odometer read 78,170 to start my trip on 7/1/16, and 88,300 on my 7/20/16 return (10,130 miles). A couple 50CC rides, trips to Delaware (family), the Black Hills, Key West and other rides account for the relatively high mileage. I had new Michelin PR4 GT tires to start. Though you don’t have to worry about turns on the AK Hwy, my TomTom GPS was very valuable on the many back roads leading to and from the main roads.
Gear: Klim Overland pants and jacket, Sidi Gore-Tex boots, Held Gore-Tex and Rev’it summer gloves, Gerbing heated jacket (wore a lot in the north under Klim, though I never plugged in), LD Comfort underwear, and cool/dry T-shirts. Thin long underwear under the Klim pants was needed a couple days. The pinlock insert for my Shoe GT Air helmet was invaluable in the cool, rainy weather. I stacked two large Wolfman dry duffel bags on the passenger seat, one with camping and the other personal gear.
Route: Macon GA to Black Hills, to Devil’s Tower, to Little Bighorn to Glacier National Park. I crossed the border at Roosville, and proceeded to Banff, Icefields Parkway and north to Dawson Creek. The Alaska and Richardson highways took me to Fairbanks, where I went north to the start of the Dalton Highway. I returned southbound on the AK Hwy to the Cassiar Highway where I continued through British Columbia to the border crossing at Osoyoos. The side trip to Stewart BC and Hyder AK was well worth the unique scenery. In round, one-way numbers, I rode 2600 miles through the US, 2000 miles through Canada, and only 400 miles in Alaska (only 8% of the total, and only 16% of the trip north of the border).
Weather: The high winds in SD and MT, and scorching afternoon heat in the Southeast are the price you pay to get to and from the good stuff. Temperatures most days in northern Canada started in the upper 40s and climbed into the 60s or mid 70s. Most days were cloudy with some sun and some rain. The humidity was relatively low. The weather was delightful because I was prepared for worse, and I live through the muggy summers in Georgia. I think I was very fortunate with the weather, and July and August are ideal times for this trip. Daylight hours expand noticeably as you go north. In July in Fairbanks, sunrise is around 4am and it gets dark around midnight.
Gas, food and lodging: Milepost was invaluable in planning gas, food and lodging stops in the villages spread out along the Alaska and Cassiar highways. Planning carefully and sticking to the plan avoided disaster in the extremely remote areas. I seldom had less than half a tank of gas, which is so different from driving in the eastern US. I used Trip advisor and Choice for booking cheap motel rooms where available, but it was a real treat staying in the independently owned places at the Air Force Lodge in Watson Lake, Raven Hotel in Haines Junction, U of AK Fairbanks dorms, and Arctic Divide in Dease Lake. Reservations a few days in advance were necessary in many places. My overnights north of the border were Banff AB, Dawson Creek BC, Watson Lake YK, Haines Junction YK, Fairbanks AK, Haines Junction YK, Dease Lake BC, Smithers BC, and Cache Creek BC. Camping in Banff was great, but I would probably leave the camp gear home if I made the trip again (the backup plan if lodging was not available wasn’t necessary, and I’m getting too stiff to sleep on the ground).
Best part of trip: magnificent scenery (mountains, lakes and streams), wildlife sightings (buffalo, bears, caribou, moose, fox, eagles, etc.), cool weather, great people (residents and fellow travelers), and bucket list check off. Postcard highlights include Going-to-the-Sun Hwy. in Glacier NP, Banff and the Icefields Pkwy, Muncho Lake, the many rivers and bridges (paved as well as steel and wood decked), Whitehorse, Kluane range and lake, Destruction Bay, the Cassiar Highway, the ride to Stewart and Hyder, and Smithers.
Worst part of trip: the condition of the roads in Canada. There were hundreds of miles in AB, BC and Yukon that were fine, and they often warn you of rough conditions with signs and flags, but potholes, heaves and gravel often appeared out of nowhere. Conditions in the many construction areas ranged from hardpack as good as asphalt, to mud, sand and gravel that really put the FJR to the test. Washboard ruts shook the bike unmercifully at times.
FJR maintenance: I had the oil changed in Fairbanks at Alaska Fun Center (open on the Monday I was there). I replaced the rear tire in Spearfish SD (Outdoor Motor Sports). I’ve gotten as much as 15,000 miles on multiple sets of Michelin PR4 GTs in the past, but the road conditions took their toll (10K front, 8K rear). The front tire made it home with the treads level with the wear bars.
General observations:
· I saw not one single cop in Canada outside of the towns; that’s good and bad.
· Nearly all the cycles in the north are BMW GS, KTM and KLR style adventure bikes. Riding the FJR, I felt like I was driving a Lexus in a sea of SUVs. While the BMWs were having luggage hardware and engine problems, and I couldn’t have driven 10,000 miles on a KLR, the FJR made it home! I had two small problems: I had to retighten and re-Loctite the pannier screws (replacing one lost), and the engine light came on when the start button stuck (quickly figured out and monitored).
· Making the trip solo was greatly helped by knowing that family and friends were getting daily SPOT emails and able to track me on Spotwalla. I also had an excel sheet with gas and lodging stops listed with mileage markers from Milepost.
· Plenty of micro fiber towels and cleaning solution were needed for the dust, construction muck, rain and bugs. I cleaned the bike three times in Canada (hose or pressure spray where available), but the construction muck was unkind to the brakes, radiator and finishes.
· Get comfortable converting to kilometers, liters, Canadian currency, and centigrade.
· Along the AK Hwy, the trees and brush are cleared for 20+ yards beyond the shoulders. The road bed is built up, so wildlife has to climb up a small incline on either side to cross the road. You have a better chance of hitting rabbits, birds and ground squirrels than bears or elk.
· Most all turnoffs, rest stops, shoulders and parking lots in north Canada are loose gravel. The FJR can handle it, with caution.
· Go to the front of the line at construction zones stops waiting for the pilot vehicle. The big trucks love to race through gravel, but the pilot vehicles go slow.
· Adjusting for the 4 time zone changes is challenging (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Alaska).
· Be sure to have a primary and backup VISA or MasterCard with a chip. The Canadian merchants universally insert, not swipe, credit cards. Use your card for everything and get ready for a 3-page statement. They take US dollars gladly, but you lose 23 cents per dollar, and you don’t want to return with Canadian currency.
· Don’t forget your passport. Take no weapons or more than $10K into Canada. The US border agents insist that you remove your helmet for some strange reason.
· There are not many challenging climbs or twisties on the AK Hwy; the biggest challenge is negotiating the road hazards within your lane. The US military engineers did an amazing job constructing the highway in 1942, and the upgrades make it even better. The Cassiar Highway offers many more hills and turns.
· The lower speeds on the Canadian roads improve MPGs significantly. My range often climbed from the typical 220 miles to well over 300 miles. But you shouldn’t pass too many gas stop opportunities.
· Take plenty of pictures – that’s all your smartphone will be good for during most of the trip.
I am so proud of my FJR for making the trip without incident. And so thankful for all the Forum accounts and YouTube videos that provided valuable advice in planning the trip. It was a fantastic adventure! Anyone wanting further information is welcome to PM or email me at [email protected]
