Cheryl & Leslie's Triumph Tiger 800XC ADV to Alaska

Cheryl and Leslie,

I want to thank you for the most amazing RR I personally have read on ADV. I am an awe of your sense of adventure and Leslie's many, many hours of work with the camera and keyboard during your trip.

That being said, I am saddened by the direction this report has taken in the last several days. I will not point fingers nor cite examples but I am disappointed in the way this is ending.

Thanks again for the ride.

Jonathan

Thanks Jonathon...and I agree about the turn of the RR. I am trying to change the tune and get back to the actual report. I was looking back on the trip tonight as we work on our own DVD and even though there was a lot of love and time spent on the RR it now feels so good and effortless. Our memories are so fresh and we both truly long to be back up there.

How is the DVD coming along? I have completely enjoyed your RR and I'm sad that it is over. I can't wait until your next one.

Good report ladies! halfway through your report, a friend and I decided next year to head north to Alaska/Yukon. Your input and info will influence our planning for sure!

Thanks for taking us along with you, I don't think i am capable of doing a quality, detailed report like yours. Kudos to you!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask and enjoy your planning but don't over plan...no need!

DVD is slowly coming along. Cheryl had a lot done but the program crashed and the file was corrupt, Got to love PC's. Maybe it's time for a Mac?

Maybe Apple can sponsor you?

cute....JK....no more "sponsors"

Good to see you still have a sense of humor.

Always!

To the Arctic Circle, and back

Leslie Sofarelli and Cheryl Letkeman took new bikes up north and raised money for autism.

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Maple Ridge News

• Watch riders head to the Arctic Ocean

By Ashley Bhan - Maple Ridge News
Published: August 26, 2011 3:00 PM


Motorcycle enthusiasts Leslie Sofarelli and Cheryl Letkeman are known for taking long road trips around North America on just two wheels, but their latest joyride not only allowed them to live out a dream, but give back to their community as well.


On June 29, the women embarked on a 45-day trip taking them from Maple Ridge, up into northern B.C., across the Yukon and into Alaska in order to collect donations for the Autism Community Training charity group. The charity is close to the couple’s heart as Letkeman’s nephew has autism.


The duo recently returned home on Aug. 11 and estimate they’ve raised $5,000 for ACT.


Prior to their journey, Triumph Canada had heard about their charitable trip and lent the women two Triumph Tiger 800 XC bikes as part of an extended road test.


That inspired the couple to mount high definition cameras onto their helmets and bikes so they could digitally record their journey for everyone to experience through an online blog.


The duo never experienced any problems with Internet connectivity while camping in remote spots and were able to update their blog on a regular basis.


Overall, they logged 13,603 kilometres in their effort to reach the Arctic Circle and if they could they’d go back.
“It was amazing. It was beyond our expectations. It’s absolutely stunning and beautiful,” Sofarelli, who’s been around motorcycles since childhood, said.


“The landscape is just incredible. The terrain changes so quickly from alpine mountains to tundra and there are no people or buildings. Just one way in and out roads. It’s just very vast, colourful and beautiful.


“At the same time it can be absolutely intimidating with the weather, but the biggest thing we learned was to appreciate the beauty of rain,” she added.


She estimates 94 per cent of their trip was spent riding through heavy rains with temperatures hovering between three and 16 degrees Celsius.


The weather wasn’t the only aspect of their trip that wasn’t cooperating. The Triumph bikes lent to the couple had stalling problems, which they documented on their blog.


“Overall the bikes did really well. The bikes did have a stalling issue but as soon as we got to Anchorage Triumph took our bikes to get fixed,” Sofarelli said. “They released a statement on Tuesday saying they’re hoping to get the stalling issue fixed as soon as possible.”


“The bikes had stalling issues for a predominant part of our trip but we just learned to live with it. We would tweak the bikes to keep them going. Triumph wanted to fly us home when we hit Whitehorse but we figured since we learned how to live with it that we wanted to carry on with the rest of the trip.”


According to Sofarelli, most bikers dream of riding either the Dempster Highway in the Yukon or the Dalton Highway in Alaska, which both lead to Arctic circle crossings. The duo took on both but admit the roads’ rough mixture of clay, calcium chloride, shell and rock made it nearly impossible to navigate through the rain.


Despite the rough weather and mechanical problems, the were positive experiences on the trip. The women saw an endless array of wildlife up close, including grizzly bears, bison, cariboo and eagles.


“The bison are humongous. They just stream down the hill and block off the road so of course you have to wait for them to finish,” she said. “We were completely in their territory so we were being as respectful as we can.”
The most memorable moment came on an off day in Alaska where the girls took a private plane ride to the top of Mt. McKinley.


“We actually saw the peak. We are one of 30 per cent of people who got to see the peak on a clear day,” Sofarelli said. “It was so overwhelming. We probably took about 350 pictures in that hour and a half. It was just spectacular.”
Last year the couple ventured off on a road trip to New York. They clocked 11870 km crossing five provinces and 17 states.


“It just goes to show you how big B.C., the Yukon and Alaska really is. We racked up more miles on this trip heading west and north than across country to New York.”


“For us, it’s just the best way to travel. You’re not only experiencing it on two wheels, but you’re in it, you smell it, you feel it and you’re exposed to the elements. Sometimes it does feel like a survival game but it is the most amazing way to travel.”


With the Alaska trip crossed off their bucket list, the couple would like to take a motorcycle trip around the world sometime in the near future .



If their plan works out, they would also like to help out more charities as well.
“If we could figure out how to take a leave of absence from work and be prepared financially then that’s what we want to do. Each trip is just getting bigger and bigger but we need to do things big to keep our attention,” Sofarelli added.


“I think most people associate charities with these big rides people do. The biking community is very generous. I think we’ll always be attached to some sort of charity when we ride from now on.”


Even though the charity ride is over, the couple and ACT are still collecting donations


• For more information visit Sofarelli’s blog at advgrrls.com.

One thing the article left our was that I did mention that even though we had technical issues with the bikes that we truly enjoyed riding the Tigers all the way!

Recall for 2011-2012 Triumph Tiger 800 and 800XC for Engine Management Software

• Be the First to Comment!By: Dennis Chungon 25/08/2011 / Industry News,On-Off Road,Recall,Safety,Triumph

Triumph issued a recall for the 2011 and 2012 Tiger 800 and 800XC adventure tourers due to a bug in the engine management software.


According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Triumph Tigers’ 800cc Triple engine may stall during deceleration. Riders may also notice lower RPMs indicated on the tachometer at idle.


Triumph first received reports of an engine stalling in June. An investigation identified the engine management software as the source of the problem. Triumph developed a new software update that addresses the issue and began implementing it on units with VIN 514872 and later.


Dealers will install the updated engine management software onto the electronic control units on recalled units. The recall involves 1,485 units in the U.S.


[Source: NHTSA Campaign ID 11V434000]


We are wondering how many units world wide will this involve.

Triumph has recalled 668 Tiger 800 and Tiger 800 XC (2010-2011) motorcycles due to center stand issues.


Triumph says the optional accessory center stand assembly on Triumph Tiger 800 and 800 XC motorcycles built from Sept. 2010 through June 2011 contains a defective return spring that may break. If the spring breaks, the center stand may unexpectedly drop and drag along the road surface, increasing the risk of a crash.


Dealers will replace the return spring and repair the affected motorcycles free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet reported an owner notifications schedule. Owners may contact Triumph Customer Service at 1-678-854-2010.


Triumph's Safety recall is No. 430. Owners may also contact the Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit safercar.org.


NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 11V436000

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The Dempster Sped up with photos. Most of the ride out of the Dempster was in the rain and this is all the video clips we have, Will have to go back on day.

Wow! Maybe your trip did do Triumph some good after all. They could see from your bikes exactly what the problems were. I'm glad that issues are being resolved. Having fun and helping out are an awesome way to spend a vacation, ay?

Great video guryls!
Love the Foo's

That video is making me anxious for my eventual trip.

A couple of questions for you:

-On the major stretches like Dempster and Dalton, what would you say you averaged for speed?

-On the bikes, whats the story on the different frame colors? Factory option?

When the Dempster or Dalton are dry the roads are almost as good as pavement plus a few gravel spots, pot holes and if they graded fluffy areas. You can go as fast as you are comfortable. Both roads if wet or have had recent rain need to be taken slower depending on your bike and riding experience. The Dalton has been paved quite a bit but there are many dirt stretches that when wet can be tricky. Both roads we got hit with rain and we rode speeds between 40-70 KM/Hr. When dry we got up to 110 but we did not want to go too fast and miss the scenery when we were able to see without low clouds.

Different colour frames have to do with when the bikes came through production. Triumph as far as I know is only making the graphite framed bikes now. The graphite bike, mine was made a little later than Cheryl's.

Since everything has calmed down since we got home I am going through raw clips of video and pics and we are trying to make ourselves a long DVD but in the meantime if no one minds I think I will randomly be posting short videos as I make them....not a pro editor at all but still having fun putting some together.

Music is by OneRepublic (Apologize)

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