R1 Sjaak Polar Ice Ride (Official Thread)

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John

looks like a good one to follow. i look forward to it.

Thanks for posting the photo!

Sjaak's dialed in the front, now its time to address the rear suspension on the Polar Ice Ride Yamaha R1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oyeqJ40OmY

Is he here in Anchorage now and if so, where's he staying?

The first time I met him here in Anchorage was years ago on his first round the world trip on an R1. He pulled into one of our Sportbike Nights on our local cruising strip on a Fri or Sat night. We were all pretty impressed and took turns sitting on his bike while asking many questions. A few of us bought his postcards to help finance his way further. I'll never forget how ratty his gloves were on that trip. Still wish I'd given him a pair of mine back then. I did offer him a place to stay but he'd already pitched his tent out of town and wanted to get an early start.

Almost forgot to mention that it was -41f in Barrow last night. Oh, and -40 is the same in f or c. :eek1

Good luck and have fun, Mark H.

Sjaak arrived yesterday. You can reach him at the Anchorage Yamaha. He will be unloading the Polar R1 and sled today to begin testing the bike/sled and the gear.

I have been following on facebook and watching the videos of the build as they have been posted. looking forward to the updates as he starts to travel on the ice. this will be an epic journey.

Anyone who gets a chance to see Sjaak, post it up. Hopefully with some pics.

http://www.anchorageyamaha.com/

Shout out to the guys at Anchorage Yamaha for their help.

Weather for Barrow, AK is looking like mostly -15 to -25 degrees F for the next few days. I'm guessing that is not too extreme for this time of year. Lets hope the wind does not blow too hard and that the weather is decent for this fantastic journey.

My girlfriend is looking forward to pics of Barrow. She taught school up there for a year a few years back. She does not seem to miss the cold weather nor the threat of polar bears stalking you on the city streets either. I hope that Sjaak stays safe up there.

Sjaak just happened to come into the shop I work at today.

We'll be doing some last minute running around town tomorrow. He's spending Sunday night at my place before flying up to Barrow on Monday.

If anyone reading this happens to have a contact or recommendation for lodging or a garage/shed in Barrow, please post up on here or pm me. I'm on here a lot.

Thanks and warmest regards from way up north, Mark H.

The rimlock screws seemed quite long...

Looking forward to keeping up with this...

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598810&highlight=barrow+inmates&page=4

Sjaak will arrive in Barrow today.

Sjaak called in today and of course the unexpected. He's experiencing some tooth pain and is off to the dentist before leaving for Barrow.

His plan once in Barrow is 7-10 days of testing the equipment before setting off. The most important part of this process with be the overall weight of the sled and distribution of it.

Once he's off onto the ice, he'll communicate with his sister via satellite and she'll email/post updates.

Yep, 5 Alaskan Amber beers last night and a root canal this morning and he's good to go.

Fellow rider Greg Grubba DDS got him in and did the work and cut him a bit of a deal. Of course dental work here in the U.S. costs a LOT more than Sjaak is used to paying in the Netherlands.

Did some running around town yesterday. Now we're off to the airport in just a little bit.

If you see this guy in Barrow, please take him in and feed him. Good luck, Mark H.

Not all trick stuff. The Polar R1 needs some time on the lift for basics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1NbHXKPMg8

no Comet?

Transport for the gear and most importantly the fuel. Of course the shelter also. I'm anxious to hear from Sjaak on how the test pulls went and the load he's thinking he can carry.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz_f6-DE65M

Dogbrother Comet was asleep in the other room. He sleeps a bit more these days seeing how he's almost 18yo. Doing well tho and thanks for asking.

Shortly before Sjaak's departure to Barrow yesterday, he was able to make a contact in Barrow thanks to Drew at our Yamaha shop here in town. Chris, also from the same shop and who helped Sjaak a lot while here, also came out to the airport to see him off.

While Sjaak was still here I called a small shop up in Barrow that sells some auto and snowmachine parts to ask a few questions. They said because of the warmer weather this year the ice is "rougher than usual." So, we'll see what that means in the next few days with Sjaak checking it out first hand.

Happy trails, Mark H.

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I wonder what temp vodka freezes at......