Tire choice for Dalton and Dempster Hwys.

[Bill 310]

Originally Posted by Dahveed

+1 I'm not sure I'm taking a sat phone, but its good to know they can't make some of those calls.

Sat Phones can make calls. Cell phones have significant areas of limited or no service in the North.


Check out your provider Alaska

Here is Verizon

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...tioch&state=CA

Rogers in Northern Canada

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wi...0909-_-fastest


Telus in Northern Canada

http://www.scadalink.com/support/pdf..._terr_nov8.pdf

[Drunk_Uncle]

Originally Posted by FotoTEX

Friar Mike is a great source outside Anchorage. Even think his wife is a Texan. That is good enough for me. Then again, never met an Alaskan that I did not like. Great People living in the Great Land.

Are you still in Granbury? I am going to be there the first weekend on March and a week in April before my move to Anchorage. My dad lives off 51 and rides a Wing. Maybe get together for a beer in March?

[GhostRiderFC]

I'm going to be riding my Buell Ulysses to the D2D and then plan on taking both the Dempster and the Dawson highways before heading home. I'll be riding up from NM and currently have Pirelli Angel sport touring tires on the bike. They get really great mileage.

My thought is that since I have more than half the life left in the tires, that I would ride up on those since it's mostly pavement anyway. Upon reaching Dawson City, I would change to a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail tires that I would bring with me. I would keep the old tires to bring home since they won't be quite dead yet. This way, I'll be riding on fresh trail tires all the way around the north and they can even carry me all the way home. But if I have problems with flats, I'll have my old tires with me as a backup set that can be put on in worst case scenario. I have a tire plug kit that I carry and am getting a small compressor. These are tubeless tires (as I'm sure you know).

Also, an thoughts on tire slime?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[Drunk_Uncle]

I had a Uly for two years and went off road on Scorpion Trails. There only advantage was a thicker carcass to resist failures. Loose gravel and mud she was a handfull. The Scorpion Trails also gave great mileage I think because of being dual compound and you can drag your pegs all day with those tires.

Continental now has the Uly sizes for the TKC 80 on their web site. I would look into their availability for use up north.

Originally Posted by GhostRiderFC

I'm going to be riding my Buell Ulysses to the D2D and then plan on taking both the Dempster and the Dawson highways before heading home. I'll be riding up from NM and currently have Pirelli Angel sport touring tires on the bike. They get really great mileage.

My thought is that since I have more than half the life left in the tires, that I would ride up on those since it's mostly pavement anyway. Upon reaching Dawson City, I would change to a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail tires that I would bring with me. I would keep the old tires to bring home since they won't be quite dead yet. This way, I'll be riding on fresh trail tires all the way around the north and they can even carry me all the way home. But if I have problems with flats, I'll have my old tires with me as a backup set that can be put on in worst case scenario. I have a tire plug kit that I carry and am getting a small compressor. These are tubeless tires (as I'm sure you know).

Also, an thoughts on tire slime?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[The Dick]

I would say, call Tim Tebow and get the lord on board, pray for the best weather possible, pray for no road work, and when you are done praying, pray some more. If you are a heathen like me, good FNG luck!

[GhostRiderFC]

Originally Posted by The Dick

I would say, call Tim Tebow and get the lord on board, pray for the best weather possible, pray for no road work, and when you are done praying, pray some more. If you are a heathen like me, good FNG luck!

Confidence inspiring.

I guess I'll shop for some Continentals.

[Yukoner2]

Your tire may have 1/2 life left in them, but our Northern Roads are very coarse and will wear them out a lot quicker than you think. I would suggest starting out with new tires. Leave your old 1/2 worn ones at home.

[Dahveed]

Here's a guy here that did the Dalton on an FJR with sport touring tires. We went up in one day and back in the next. Here's his tires

Then there is DaBinChe that rode to the AC on a 125cc scooter from San Diego (IIRC). No knobbies on his scooter.

It may be harder on some of these machines, but it seems to be very doable. I'd save the Tim Tebow call for something more important.

The Dempster may be different. I've heard its rougher.

[jathkajoe]

Starting a long trip with new tiries makes a lot of sense to me. I didn't once and got caught out with the cord showing nearly all the way around on the back tire in MT. Small aftermarket indy shop happened to have a take-off in the odd size I needed and that got me home.

I'd a whole lot rather have a spare tire and not need it than need one and not have it.

Since the C10 I'm riding now uses tires that aren't stocked in every shop when I make the trip back to the home of my youth (AK 1957-1990) I'll start with new ones and either carry or ship ahead a set of spares.

Just my two cents worth.

Joe

[The Dick]

Just sayin kids, listen, how big are the stakes that you want to put on the table. I met a young guy from Ireland in Chicken on my last visit in Sept. He shipped a honda 90 cub which he purchased in England, road it up the haul road and back, helped out some dudes on macho bikes, ended up staying with me for a couple of days on his way south to the tip of South America. Of course, yes, in perfect circumstances, you can be lucky enough to go any where on or in equipment you should not be in or on. In all of the serious accidents on the Dempster this summer, which included two deaths, the common factor was a bike on street type tires and street type bikes.
This is a land of grand huge space and awesome beauty, the reason that most of us live here but it has a nasty bite if you fail full respect.
Just saying, shit, there is even some hardleys that make it over the top to Chicken.

[Dahveed]

Originally Posted by The Dick

Just saying, shit, there is even some hardleys that make it over the top to Chicken.

Let me ask, there are essentially 4 gravel roads I was planning on riding in the northwest. I know conditions change frequently, but can you tell me generally what is the reputation of each road? Also, the scenery of each road.

1) The Top of the World Highway (aka the Chicken road)

2) The Dalton

3) The Dempster

4) The Denali Highway

Probably doing this on a KLR with 606s.

Thanks.

[willys]

A KLR with 606's should be perfect for all of these roads but I bet overkill for some......then you need to think....will 606's last the entire way around these roads or should you go with a 50/50 type of tread to get some distance out of them as well. I've never owned 606's but have a few buddies who love them and watch as their lugs get eaten up twice as fast as a 50/50 treat pattern tire would.

I can't speak for any of those roads except the Dempster personally......but if the Dempster is wet for any period of time a 606 will eat it up! A street tire.....just set your tent up and wait it out! A 50/50 tire will get you out OK I'm sure. I won't be doing the Dempster on street type 761's again this summer after they spat me off while riding too fats in the wet! We also waitied it out in Inuvik for a day to try and let it dru up some.......4" of duck shit slop was what took me down and in a hurry! Again riding too fast for the conditions and I was also pissed off....soething that us redheads suffer from all too frequently....lol

[Dahveed]

Originally Posted by willys

A KLR with 606's should be perfect for all of these roads but I bet overkill for some......then you need to think....will 606's last the entire way around these roads or should you go with a 50/50 type of tread to get some distance out of them as well. I've never owned 606's but have a few buddies who love them and watch as their lugs get eaten up twice as fast as a 50/50 treat pattern tire would.

I can't speak for any of those roads except the Dempster personally......but if the Dempster is wet for any period of time a 606 will eat it up! A street tire.....just set your tent up and wait it out! A 50/50 tire will get you out OK I'm sure. I won't be doing the Dempster on street type 761's again this summer after they spat me off while riding too fats in the wet! We also waitied it out in Inuvik for a day to try and let it dru up some.......4" of duck shit slop was what took me down and in a hurry! Again riding too fast for the conditions and I was also pissed off....soething that us redheads suffer from all too frequently....lol

No, I thinking using a more street type DS tire on the way up there (whatever I'm running at the time) and putting on the 606s just prior to the gravel beginning in earnest. I think I can get 3,000 miles on them before the rear is done.

I think this trip will be a one way trip for the bike. I'll ride it up there and sell it and fly back. That way I maximize my time up there. I was thinking of selling the bike anyway, and I think I'll get a good deal more money for it in Alaska than I would in Texas, especially in July.

[willys]

The Dempster is 1500kms in and out, then you have whatever tarmac inbetween the next section which isn't much I don't think to the Top of the World Highway over to Chicken....so the 606's should be perfect so far....the rest I don't know how much tarmac to gravel there is? I would say if mostly gravel you should be OK.....

Good idea IF you were going to sell your baby any way to sell up there....I bet you'll get a good part of you trip paid for in the difference between Alaska and Texas. You guys down there give bikes away it seems......compared to us poor bastards above the border.....I can only wish for the same prices up here!

[cnyrider]

If you had to choose one, the Dalton or the Dempster what would it be?