Well I am planning a trip to Prudhoe Bay. Looking like next summer. This year I have been focusing on motorcycle racing and my girlfriend has been fully supportive of that. So next year I will save my money and we will do a trip to Alaska and Prudhoe Bay. Looks to be about 8000 miles round trip. So we are looking around a month and a half to do the trip in. I am just trying to get the general money costs down. We already have most supplies. Tent, sleep pads, would need to get camping cookware. Travel Time June 23, 2013 - July 27ish Costs Gas: Around 466 Gal Combied. 22000 miles (2 bikes) / 45mpg * $4.30 ~$2000 in gas. Food: ~$2000 Lodging ~$800, Camping fees, maybe a hotel or 2. Mostly going to try to stealth camp. Souvenirs ~$200 (I collect post cards, she does patches) Total: ~$5000 We can make some of these cheaper by being thifty and it shouldn't be a big deal. Biggest cost is gas. We are both full time students and the summer should be the perfect time to do this. Us <s>Her bike is a 2007 Ducati Monster. Mine is a 2003 FZ1. </s>We would both use soft saddlebags and a bungy net to tie stuff down. I have done multiple long trips. Cross US. Another up to yellowstone. She is pretty new to the riding thing but did great on the 3 day trip. Basically to help prepare for this trip we would go to find some fire trails to get some dirt work in with street tires. We are both going to buy KLR650's (00-07) Route To Alaska https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...LwQd0Ckn9w&mra=mi&mrsp=13&sz=10&via=1&t=m&z=9 Route Home Planned but need to make google maps. Starting from Orange County, CA. Packing List Adam -Wallet Adam's Bike Tank Bag Cell Phone Cell Phone Charger Passport Registration Insurance Sunglasses Camera Bug Net Hat 2x Water Bottle Saddle Bags --Left -Tools Gerber Multitool Cycle Gear Multitool Chain Lube Chain Clean Chain Brush Air Pump Front/Back Tubes 8mm Socket 10mm Socket 12mm Socket 13mm Socket 14mm Socket Quick Jack Tire Patch Kit Duct Tape 3 Tire Irons Zip Tires Spare Spark Plug Shop Rag Fuses Mechanic Gloves JB Quik Electrical Wire Nuts and Bolts 550 Cord Hose for Fuel -Spares Shifter Brake Lever Clutch Lever Clutch Cable --Right Tarp 100oz Camelback -Clothes 5 Shirts 5 Underwear 5 Pairs of Socks 1 Pair Basketball Shorts 1 Jeans Strapped to Back Adam's Sleeping Bag/Pad in Dry Bag Natalie's Sleeping Bag/Pad in Dry Bag Adam's Chair Natalies' Chair Top Box Frog Togs Rain Gear Gerbing Heated Gloves (Another Pair of Gloves, not sure which yet) Sweatshirt Riding Gear White RF-1100 Helmet Tourmaster Transition 3 Bright Yellow Jacket with Armor Removed Fox Titan Compression Suit Joe Rocket Riding Pants Falcon Dirt Boots Gloves Dainese Armored Shorts Natalie -Wallet Natalie's Bike Giant Loop Bag Top Box Strapped to Back Tent w/ Poles, stakes Stuff to Buy Wet Wipes Can Opener Vice Grips
Cool. Sounds like fun. I recommend getting a couple large expandable tank bags. I like resting my chest on mine on the highway. I'd also put front fender extenders on both bikes. I also like throttle rockers on both grips for hwy travel. Good luck and have fun, Mark H.
I did a 32 day trip last year to Alaska and ended up paying for a motel for 25 of those days since I stayed at my nephews house in Anchorage the other days for free. I have done this trip twice and stayed a little long the first time. Total miles for the trip was 9175 on the second trip and 9700 on the first trip. Did the Dempster the first time, but the last time I did Telegraph off the Cassair. But both times I did the Cassair and the ALCAN with a side trip to Haines the first trip with the only ferry ride to Skagway. Other that that I ride both ways for each trip. Here is the cost for the last trip. I did have the wife fly up to Anchorage for 8 days and that cost is included in the cost of food and motel is included in the total. The only no cost shown was her flight. TOTAL MILES PER SPEEDO 9175<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> TOTAL MILES PER GPS 9142 FOR LOGGED DAYS<o></o> TOTAL TRIP DAYS= 32 DAYS<o></o> 3636 MILES FROM ANCHORAGE TO MY HOUSE ONE WAY TOTAL RIDE DAYS: 26= AVG OF 352 MILES PER DAY<o></o> COST PER DAY: $138.09<o></o> GAS TOTAL: $1046.18 + $40.00est =$1086.18 divided by 9175= .118 cents per mile<o></o> MOTELS: $2240.88 AVG FOR 25 DAYS: $89.64 <o>TOTAL: $4418.92 FOOD: $1091.86 Hope this helps you out, just remember that most days fuel will be your most expensive cost if you are camping.:eek1 Sorry I included a oil and filter change plus a new Tourance in the total. I did all the work except mounting and balancing the tire during the entire trip. So take away about $35 for the mount/balance. </o>
That is impressive... I am guessing that you either are an accountant or work for NASA. Never the less, sounds like a great journey!
I rode from California to Prudhoe and Inuvik. I took 4 weeks. In Alaska, I also went to McCarthy, rode over the Denali Hwy, Manley Hot Springs, and Chicken, where I then went over the Top of the World Hwy. When it rained, I stayed in Hotels. My trip was relatively rain free, so I was able to camp most of it. Fuel was the biggest cost. Also, the further you go into Alaska, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories, everything becomes really expensive (food, gas, shelter, etc). FYI, there is no camping in Prudhoe Bay, so you'll need to stay in a hotel if you stay the night. There is camping at Coldfoot or Wiseman. I had a blast on my trip.
That was sooo last year! This summer has been on or the most dismal in the 15 years I've lived here. Prepare of and really expect plenty of rain. Best weather I've had this summer is toying around the Yukon and NWT this summer.
Yes, it was last lear . Too bad about this summer. The OP mentioned next year for his trip, so here's to him having better weather.
i would recommend good heated waterproof gear,, Cox guard for radiators, and man on that Monster maybe a nice windshield... i dont know your wife, but if she likes all that wind blowin, go for it. but a windshield to block the wind is good. what month of 2013 are you planning to come?
Hey Paramud, I can not believe nobody has said anything about you taking those bikes up there. Dont get me wrong, I know its a free world and you can do what you want but I ask that you STRONGLY reconsider. I live here in Fairbanks, AK and have made that trip 3 times now. (From Fairbanks to Deadhorse) I think if you take those bikes up there, someone will get hurt. I ride a BMW F800GS with 50/50 tires on it and I still almost dump mine everytime I go there. Because of the winters here, all road construction is done during the summer and they really tear up that road. I would be going 60 and then BAM! I'm on a spot that has 2 inches of mud on top of the road. I have some gopro video that im going to post so that you can see what kind of roads your dealing with. In a perfect world, if it didnt rain for a few weeks before your trip, you would be ok probably, you would just have to watch for rocks, potholes, gravel and other trucks. If it rains at all before your trip then you can add mud to that mix. Like I said, Im not trying to scare you out of the trip, it is one of the most beautiful trips you will ever take, just take all this into consideration. Now, if you still go, here is some handy info on your trip from Fairbanks to deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay) When you leave fairbanks heading to deadhorse, you will go about 15 miles and you will come to a store called HillTop Cafe. This will be your last chance for gas for a while. They only have regular so if you want premium then you will have to stop 5 miles prior in a place called Fox alaska. Once you leave Hilltop, it is 63 miles to Livingood, AK. There are no services there. Just a sign haha. That is where the haul road starts and the pavement ends. Then you have 57 miles to Yukon River Crossing. At the river crossing, they have regular gas and diesel (one pump each) and a little cafe to get a bite to eat. After you leave Yukon, it is 56 miles to the Arctic Circle. There is a pull off and you can take some pictures in front of the sign. Once you leave Arctic, it is about 60 miles to Coldfoot. At Coldfoot, they have a little place to eat and 2 gas pumps. They also have a "mechanic shop" for the trucks so they may be able to offer limited help if you need it. Are you bringing stuff to fix a tire? I had a flat on the way back on my rear tire but fortunatly I had a spare tube and tire. There is also a Arctic Circle visitor center that is pretty cool. NOW, once you leave Coldfoot, you are on your on. It is 240 miles to deadhorse and there is absolutely nothing in between. When you leave deadhorse there is about 21 miles of nice tar road and you will be like, "oh this is nice" , then it stops and the slop and potholes start really bad. As far as your camping goes, here in AK, 90% of the state is public. You dont need to do any stealth camping. Just pull over and set up. There is a airstrip about 100 miles north of Coldfoot that is called Galbrieth Lake, they have a campground which consist of open spots and a outhouse. There is no shop or anything. You just pull over. Once you get to deadhorse, there is a hotel but it will cost you about $250-$300 a night and it is not what you and I would call a hotel. Really crappy but it serves the purpose. I just drove back about 40 miles and set up camp again. There is a gas station, store and place to eat in deadhorse. Bring as much of your food as you can. Stuff is super expensive up here. I usually carry those mountian house meals with me. Then you turn around and do it all over again. If you decide to go, it is a trip of a lifetime. Just be careful because we get articles in our paper every summer about seasoned riders dying on the haul rd, and thats on bikes made for those conditions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VygZiBRd9Qs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShTUoj3dQNA
I am not a resident of AK, but I did spend 40 days riding around up there (about 10,800 miles worth all told). When I went to Prudhoe I was met by two guys on new Goldwings and one guy on a VFR and another on an older BMW K1200LT Run what you brung, but the poster from Fairbanks is right. Watch the weather carefully and take care of each other. Trucks, weather, mud, calcium chloride, animals, mosquitos, no emergency service for miles etc, etc....it makes for a grand time! Enjoy your ride! And, remember when its time to post a RR, it didn't happen without pictures! Steve
I just returned from Alaska a few weeks ago on my F800GS. Gas was by far the biggest expense on the trip. I was going to keep a log of my fuel cost for the trip, but I lost my pad of paper I was recording it on after filling up on the Alaska highway. Your not going to find gas for $4.00 a gallon anywhere in Canada let alone Alaska. I remember gas in Fairbanks around $4.50 a gallon. The highest in Canada I remember somewhere in the Yukon was $1.62 a liter or $6.12 a gallon. Here's a few pictures of the price of gas at the pump. Also don't pass a gas station even if you just filled up 50 miles ago. Make sure you have at a minimum 250 mile range as well. I carried a 2 gallon rotopax and had to use it 4 times. Coldfoot $5.19 Prudhoe Bay $5.35 Kitwanga at the south end of the Cassiar Highway $1.31 a liter or $4.95 a gallon
I did an Alaska trip in June with my father-in-law. I was on a KTM 950 and he was on a Ducati Multistrada. We didn't go all the way to Prudhoe, just to the arctic circle, but when we were there the weather was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny. I grew up riding dirtbikes but my father-in-law had no dirt experience (except for what he gained on the Top of the World Hwy) and we had zero issues. So if the weather is cooperative you should have no problems, just be smart about it. If you don't already have one, get a heated jacket liner and heated grips. We were on the road for 18 days and covered 7500 miles. I estimate we spent about $2500 each on gas, food, and lodging. We camped when the weather permitted and we were feeling good, which ended up being about 2/3 of the time.
lots and lots of great tips from these guys, i just made it to arctic circle and Coldfoot on my sportbikes. it wasnt that bad, but from coldfoot to all the way up i heard it got pretty bad cause there was 2 inchs on mud, my bike did pretty good cause till coldfoot gravel wasnt that bad
Don't be dissuaded about riding your bikes up the Dalton. I ran the dorms at the U. in Fairbanks for many years. Saw 350-400 bikes a year stay on campus and most were headed to Prudhoe. Harley baggers, Goldwings, Honda Rebel 250, Yamaha R1 and a Vespa with two 70 year old grandmas; all made it up and back. Just make sure you know your bike's and your own limitations, ride slow when slow is needed and keep your wits about you and you'll be okay. Get the most aggressive tires you can find. No need to haul a tire up the Dalton as depicted above, but make sure you can fix a flat. Make sure your chains are in good shape.
a spare tire is not necessary but is def a nice option if you have room. Just ask my buddy that got a 3" gash in a tire 120 miles south of deadhorse. Fortunately he had a spare. If you dont have room though then you dont have room.
Should be plenty of time to see things along the way and cover those miles without too much stress. Looks like you doubled the mileage because of two bikes rather than one, then doubled the amount of gas for those double miles as well. My calculations would be more like this: 16,000 miles (2 bikes @ 8,000 miles per bike), / 40 mpg (give yourself a little cushion - rain and/or headwinds can lower your mileage) = 400 gallons @ $4.50/gal avg = $1800. There, I just saved you $1200 which you can spend on other things, such as... Double that. Triple that. Double this one, too. Mix some loose, deep gravel into that, as well as some mud. Get some practice on loose surfaces until neither of you is nervous with the bikes wiggling all over under you when seated. Standing on the pegs helps a lot, but you won't want to be standing for 400 miles. Learn to watch the road surface closely, and never, ever, outride your sight distance. Any route you take into Canada will narrow down to just one or two into Alaska, so whichever one you pick will be fine.
I just carried interior patches and a tube in case the slit was too big for a gummy worm or stop-n-go plug. Also carried a bead breaker, tire irons, CO2 and a compressor. I didn't have a flat on the Dalton, but I had two on the Dempster. Both were wide shale punctures. The tire had 6 psi when I made it back to the start of the road. It had been raining for two weeks and was raining for most of my Dalton ride, but I made it on a street bike with street tires - Metzeler Marathons. I wouldn't stay over in Deadhorse. It is an armpit of a location. I rented a cabin at Wiseman and rode Deadhorse and back in one day. Have a solid mosquito strategy. I didn't use my bear spray, but I came back with two empty containers of DEET.
Ok I have had some more planning done. I have scratched the idea of using the bikes we own and buying 2 KLRs. We went to the dealership to check them out to see if my girlfriend can sit on the bikes. The 08+ KLRs look huge and she had trouble sitting on them and touching the ground. They also had a 2004 KLR that we sat on and it worked out much better. The 04 KLR has a thinner seat, and she could touch the ground, though we might lower it or shave the seat. It also helps that the 1st Gen KLR is so much cheaper. The dealer tried to hard squeeze me into buying the 04 KLR but he was way over priced. Also leaving June 23rd 2013 after a friends wedding. Route North https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=...Q&mra=mi&mrsp=22&sz=11&via=3,5,7,8,10&t=m&z=7 That is out route currently to get up there. Going through the redwoods in Northern Cali, and then through oregon and Washington. I then went onto the motorcycle touring websites such as motoquest and used some of their routes as a rough sketch. Route Home TBD, but most likely going through yellowstone on the way home. I also crashed my race bike again. 2nd time this month. But I did get to ride (get passed by) the MotoGP attack CRT bike. That thing is fast.
