Sport-Touring the Dalton Highway?

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by Badjuju

Wow! What a great ride and adventure. I gotta say, though--you are a one-man moving monsoon. I have no doubt that if you had planned your trip to include parts of the southwest last summer, they would not have had ANY problems with the drought. And as far as your rain clothing being water "resistant"....well, you would have had to be in a hermetically sealed bubble to stay dry in that weather.

Out of curiosity, did you change your tire(s) out at any time during the trip?

ROFL!
Yes, at times I wondered if the sun was shining anywhere in the world!

I was a bit concerned early in the trip when I was monitoring tire wear, but once I got away from the gravel roads, the tires seemed to stop wearing.
I made it home and then changed them after another couple of hundred miles. They had over 14,000 on them when I took them off.

Michelin PR3 front
Michelin Commander II rear

[scooterGdawg]

Rick... did u adjust tire preasure on gravel?

[holedigger101]

Hey Rick.. I dont often see where people asks the costs involved. My question is this : once your bike was rigged like you wanted it etc and u were on the bike ready to head out... from that point, til you got back ( gas, hotels, campgrounds, eats etc) what were your approximate expenses?

Awsome job !! well done..

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by FLARider1

Very nice work Sir!! Just finished the last of them today. I think my favorite one turned out to be the ride over Thompson Pass going to Valdez. ALCANRIDER gave me a guided (haha) tour from his home in Glenallen to Valdez and we took a little excursion off the road just over the pass. It was there that Jack took a pic of me that I consider my money shot of the entire 15k mile trip. I was watching the video over lunch the other day and the wife stepped in just as I got to the segment of you crossing the pass. I stop the clip to give her the perspective of where Jack and I were compared to the road. Brought back a good memory and was good to share with the wife

Here is my pic

Cruise back through your video and you can see the outcropping I was on for this picture!!

Thanks again for the time you spent to edit and post this RR. Pretty much locked me into buying a GoPro system. The HD video does the ride more justice than the pictures I have taken!!!

What an awesome photo!
It kills me to see the things I missed in my big rush to go everywhere in one trip!
Salmon Glacier
Lake Maligne
This mountain
etc...

Looks like I'm going to have to go back....

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by scooterGdawg

Rick... did u adjust tire preasure on gravel?

I had received some advice on reducing tire pressure on gravel, but I never did.

I hadn't really ridden this bike on gravel before, I hadn't run these tires before, I needed to get the maximum mileage out of them if I was going to make it home on one set....

So with all those excuses, I didn't feel comfortable trying something new (for me) that far from a repair shop.
Even though I had a 12v compressor with me.

I'll always wonder if the Dalton would have been easier to handle with lowered pressure.
It sure kept me busy.

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by holedigger101

Hey Rick.. I dont often see where people asks the costs involved. My question is this : once your bike was rigged like you wanted it etc and u were on the bike ready to head out... from that point, til you got back ( gas, hotels, campgrounds, eats etc) what were your approximate expenses?

Awsome job !! well done..

I just kept the details on the fuel....

[onesaintsfan]

Thanks for sharing. This is a ride I hope to make within the next 2 years

[BumpyRoad]

Rick,

Your videos are by far the most inspiring and helpful I have come across. I'm planning this trip in the summer of 2014 after I retire. The video gives me the clearest idea of what to expect and after watching them I've gained much confidence.

I'm curious about how you managed to keep the video camera aimed to capture all that nicely framed video. Did you have a lot left on the "cutting room floor" after editing?

Seriously well done stuff. I'm sharing it with my local "club", some of whom have made the trek already.

Many thanks!

[Cliff-77]

Good job,loved ur R.R.i rode to Alaska back in July&Aug.on a F650gs,11,129 mi.round trip in 22days,ready to do it again.

[max384]

Awesome videos. I come across so many on YouTube that aren't framed or explained; just random bits of video. Excellent job with the video footage and your narration to go along with it.

Near the end of your fourth video where you ride past the immense valley to your right as Louis Armstrong plays A Wonderful World was awe-inspiring. Excellent video as well as music choice for the moment.

[catundaseskin]

Hi Rick, just sat and watched your videos back to back, they are amazing. I have always wanted to go there ever since my partner brought home a copy of , motorcycle tour and travel, home about 16 years ago. I was very intriuged by a black and white photograph of a road sign saying 240 miles to the next services. After we bought maps of the area we decided we would love to do it, unfortunately the trip never came off. Today watching your videos has rekindled that dream. When claire comes home tonight I will show her the videos and we are now in a situation where we can start and save and maybe do it at long last. Once again thank you Dave

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by BumpyRoad

Rick,

I'm curious about how you managed to keep the video camera aimed to capture all that nicely framed video. Did you have a lot left on the "cutting room floor" after editing?

Yes, framing was a challenge...
I did have a couple of clips where the helmet mount was bumped off-level and I didn't know it until later.
You can see in the beginning where I did a 180 to get a second look at a bear - the camera was tilted badly.
Also, when I got to the Northwest Territories and filmed the bison around the buildings, I didn't know the lens was dirty.

I got a Wi-Fi BacPac for Christmas,so in the future I'll be able to check the picture with my iPhone app before I take off.
I chose the middle setting on lens angle. The wide angle would have been better for some of the scenery, and the narrow setting would have been better for the wildlife. The bears that look like they are a half-mile away are just a result of the lens setting.

I had to use a "stabilize" effect with my video editor SW to reduce the camera shake that comes from using a helmet mount. In some of the scenic areas, I stood on the pegs to use my legs as an extra shock absorber, giving the camera a smoother ride. If you can see the bike's windshield in the clip, I'm sitting down. Otherwise, I'm probably on the pegs.

I also learned the technique of turning my head to the side for a shot while looking straight ahead toward the highway.

[rick3foxes]

Originally Posted by catundaseskin

Hi Rick, just sat and watched your videos back to back, they are amazing. I have always wanted to go there ever since my partner brought home a copy of , motorcycle tour and travel, home about 16 years ago. I was very intriuged by a black and white photograph of a road sign saying 240 miles to the next services. After we bought maps of the area we decided we would love to do it, unfortunately the trip never came off. Today watching your videos has rekindled that dream. When claire comes home tonight I will show her the videos and we are now in a situation where we can start and save and maybe do it at long last. Once again thank you Dave

Thanks, Dave.
I would never try to talk someone into making a trip like this if they weren't interested in the first place, but for someone who has felt that spark of adventure, the "Call of the Wild", I would say do it sooner than later.

We all have friends who say they want to go with us on our adventures until it comes down to the big decision... then there's always plenty of excuses for not going.

There are a lot more dreamers than doers.

But that's OK - the majority of people will always prefer safety and security over the unknown - that's what makes us "special".

I had started planning to do a Newfoundland trip, then a California trip, and then the Grand Finale of Alaska, all spread out over 3-4 years. But the more I thought about it, I decided that being 60 years old, I don't know how many trips I have left, and I didn't want to miss this one. I have dreamed of going to Alaska since I was a kid. What better way than motorcycle camping?

Look at it this way - the sooner you go on your dream adventure, the longer you'll have to savor the memories and share them with your friends!

[sarhog]

Awesome! I watched the first 6 videos, the 7th said "not available for this platform". I've used an iPad for all.

[gotawee]

Hi Rick
Thanks for posting your great RR and fantastic video's.
I sat and watched them all back to back last night.
I dream of riding Canada and Alaska, watching your video's certainly makes you feel like you are.
Thanks again