In June three of us from Arizona on BMW GS’s (covering the oilhead realm with 1100, 1150, and 1200) made the trip to/from Alaska. Some observations on road conditions, in no particular order. I took my LT last year and wanted to try some of the off pavement roads I passed on then. To all travelers, all the roads are apt to contain road repairs or damage of some kind.
The Yellowhead Highway through BC was in excellent shape.
The road to the Salmon Glacier from Hyder, AK starts out suitable for even you LT riders but degenerates to a challenge for GS's. These GS riders at least; we made it 19 miles before the road conditions and rain made it more of an effort than we were up for on a Sunday evening.
The Cassiar was when we traversed it in mid-June, after a couple of days of rain, in very rideable condition. A little mud but not slippery, soupy or dusty. Gas was available at most towns, but not all, so gas when you can. There is an area map published by the Stewart-Cassiar Tourism Council that dramatically under-represents the unpaved portions although its text estimates 15% unpaved, which seems approximately right. The road did result in our three bikes suffering two rear tires punctures. A nearly new BS Deathwing picked up the metal clip from the end of a flat strap, and a half used Tourance which had been suffering from a slow leak sustained a small cut through the tread. Both were patched but needed replacement. IMO both bikes were over loaded and under inflated.
Whitehorse Honda (cars and bikes) carries a wide assortment of parts and accessories suitable for many brands. We had two new Avon Distances mounted and out the door within an hour of our arrival.
Stop at the Mountain Ridge Motel and RV in Whitehorse. Motorcycle friendly and the owner “will make you a deal.”
The Dempster was according to second hand stories from Adventure Riders (GS's, KTM's, KLR's, etc) going to Dawson for the 'Over the Top Hop', in great (relative) shape all the way to Inuvik. The ferry across the Mackenzie was out for a few days at one point, but...
The "Top of the World" highway from Dawson City to the US/Canada border is listed as paved. It may have at some point in the dim past been paved, but it is now approximately 40% gravel. The pavement is a mix of nice surface and a minefield of repairs and potholes. The gravel sections are in better shape than some of the pavement.
The "Chicken" road from the border to the town of Chicken is dirt. Geriatric Recreational Vermin infused, dirt. To keeps things interesting there is a thin layer of marble sized gravel throughout providing plenty of 'pucker power' in the corners. When dry the RV's stir up clouds of dry clay dust. When the stuff is wet expect a real slippery mess. Big touring bikes like LT's will likely need some barley therapy by evening.
Chicken to the Alaska Highway is great pavement.
The road to Livengood from Fairbanks is all paved, about 75 miles. No services in Livengood so forget topping off either the tank or stomach. The Dalton to the Arctic Circle now has two wonderful stretches of blacktop. The gravel and dirt sections were in great shape with the exception of a couple of downed trees in the roadway. After the stories of a road composed of bowling ball sized rocks, we took it slow on the way up at about 35 mph. The return trip was quite a bit faster. Your LT shouldn’t have any trouble at least to the Arctic Circle turnaround. Make the trip now, the prognosticator says, in five years this will be solid with RV's.
East End Road out of Homer offers wonderful views of Kachemak Bay, but contains a real challenge. OK, I missed the road sign in the weeds towards the end that advised "Switchbacks only suitable for ATV's, horses and pedestrians". Keep the LT off this one. Or for you tough guys, that’s ALL the way to the end of East End Road, a nice morning ride.
The Glen Highway is one nice ride as is the Richardson to Valdez.
The Tok Cut-Off has an 8 mile section of major down-to-the-dirt building. Followed the water truck through this, oh boy.
The Alaska Highway was very good with minimal delays and construction. There is a major piece of work near Haines Jct., YT, 10 miles of broken pavement and muddy ruts. A couple of other areas near Muncho Lake, BC also slow down traffic.
Alberta’s Highway 40 is a wild and wonderful connector from the extension of the Alcan (Alberta #2) at Grand Prairie to the Yellowhead Highway at Hinton (Jasper) and the Icefield Parkway.
If you're in Calgary, or anywhere in Western Canada for that matter, and need BMW help try Anderwerks, an independent shop. He's in the (BMWOA) Anonymous Book, and rides the marque unlike the local multi-line dealer.
Motor On,/'
The Yellowhead Highway through BC was in excellent shape.
The road to the Salmon Glacier from Hyder, AK starts out suitable for even you LT riders but degenerates to a challenge for GS's. These GS riders at least; we made it 19 miles before the road conditions and rain made it more of an effort than we were up for on a Sunday evening.
The Cassiar was when we traversed it in mid-June, after a couple of days of rain, in very rideable condition. A little mud but not slippery, soupy or dusty. Gas was available at most towns, but not all, so gas when you can. There is an area map published by the Stewart-Cassiar Tourism Council that dramatically under-represents the unpaved portions although its text estimates 15% unpaved, which seems approximately right. The road did result in our three bikes suffering two rear tires punctures. A nearly new BS Deathwing picked up the metal clip from the end of a flat strap, and a half used Tourance which had been suffering from a slow leak sustained a small cut through the tread. Both were patched but needed replacement. IMO both bikes were over loaded and under inflated.
Whitehorse Honda (cars and bikes) carries a wide assortment of parts and accessories suitable for many brands. We had two new Avon Distances mounted and out the door within an hour of our arrival.
Stop at the Mountain Ridge Motel and RV in Whitehorse. Motorcycle friendly and the owner “will make you a deal.”
The Dempster was according to second hand stories from Adventure Riders (GS's, KTM's, KLR's, etc) going to Dawson for the 'Over the Top Hop', in great (relative) shape all the way to Inuvik. The ferry across the Mackenzie was out for a few days at one point, but...
The "Top of the World" highway from Dawson City to the US/Canada border is listed as paved. It may have at some point in the dim past been paved, but it is now approximately 40% gravel. The pavement is a mix of nice surface and a minefield of repairs and potholes. The gravel sections are in better shape than some of the pavement.
The "Chicken" road from the border to the town of Chicken is dirt. Geriatric Recreational Vermin infused, dirt. To keeps things interesting there is a thin layer of marble sized gravel throughout providing plenty of 'pucker power' in the corners. When dry the RV's stir up clouds of dry clay dust. When the stuff is wet expect a real slippery mess. Big touring bikes like LT's will likely need some barley therapy by evening.
Chicken to the Alaska Highway is great pavement.
The road to Livengood from Fairbanks is all paved, about 75 miles. No services in Livengood so forget topping off either the tank or stomach. The Dalton to the Arctic Circle now has two wonderful stretches of blacktop. The gravel and dirt sections were in great shape with the exception of a couple of downed trees in the roadway. After the stories of a road composed of bowling ball sized rocks, we took it slow on the way up at about 35 mph. The return trip was quite a bit faster. Your LT shouldn’t have any trouble at least to the Arctic Circle turnaround. Make the trip now, the prognosticator says, in five years this will be solid with RV's.
East End Road out of Homer offers wonderful views of Kachemak Bay, but contains a real challenge. OK, I missed the road sign in the weeds towards the end that advised "Switchbacks only suitable for ATV's, horses and pedestrians". Keep the LT off this one. Or for you tough guys, that’s ALL the way to the end of East End Road, a nice morning ride.
The Glen Highway is one nice ride as is the Richardson to Valdez.
The Tok Cut-Off has an 8 mile section of major down-to-the-dirt building. Followed the water truck through this, oh boy.
The Alaska Highway was very good with minimal delays and construction. There is a major piece of work near Haines Jct., YT, 10 miles of broken pavement and muddy ruts. A couple of other areas near Muncho Lake, BC also slow down traffic.
Alberta’s Highway 40 is a wild and wonderful connector from the extension of the Alcan (Alberta #2) at Grand Prairie to the Yellowhead Highway at Hinton (Jasper) and the Icefield Parkway.
If you're in Calgary, or anywhere in Western Canada for that matter, and need BMW help try Anderwerks, an independent shop. He's in the (BMWOA) Anonymous Book, and rides the marque unlike the local multi-line dealer.
Motor On,/'
