Pennsylvania to Alaska
#71
06-15-2018, 04:34 PM
Can't imagine going that far and thinking about stopping.
#72
06-17-2018, 08:45 AM
70 year old riders are the old 50 year old riders
Congratulations on Alaska.
#73
06-17-2018, 09:06 AM
Cruiser
We stopped for an oil change in Fairbanks after coming back down the Dalton. We met a man in his 80s who was riding a BMW R1200GSA. He lived in Los Angeles, had been riding throughout Alaska for a couple of weeks and was also getting an oil change.
From Alaska he was going to ride to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA air show, then to NYC to visit relatives before riding back home to LA for a few weeks of rest before starting a ride to Florida. He said that he told his adult children that if he dies on the road, they should know that he died happy.
I'm now 69, my wife is 70. We are shooting to be riding in our 80s, God willing.
From Alaska he was going to ride to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA air show, then to NYC to visit relatives before riding back home to LA for a few weeks of rest before starting a ride to Florida. He said that he told his adult children that if he dies on the road, they should know that he died happy.
I'm now 69, my wife is 70. We are shooting to be riding in our 80s, God willing.
#74
06-17-2018, 10:19 AM
As to the comment about trailers, I don't think they are safe in general on a motorcycle. But guy who left the same time as me pulled one. Lived. Probably noticed it on the bumps.
Met a couple in their 70s. Going back again. Both had Goldwings with the training wheels, both pulling trailers.
Harley has bult a bike that is easier to work on than the other guys. But we still have left hand drive, and belts. Wouldn't be so bad i you could access the belt on the road, like a snowmobile. I believe Vics are easier to change.
They could have done it with the frame change in 09. Some baby boomers will probably tell you if you don't like spending hours changing a belt than Harleys are not for you.
Met a couple in their 70s. Going back again. Both had Goldwings with the training wheels, both pulling trailers.
Harley has bult a bike that is easier to work on than the other guys. But we still have left hand drive, and belts. Wouldn't be so bad i you could access the belt on the road, like a snowmobile. I believe Vics are easier to change.
They could have done it with the frame change in 09. Some baby boomers will probably tell you if you don't like spending hours changing a belt than Harleys are not for you.
#75
06-18-2018, 08:34 AM
Take it easy on us "older guys on Harleys". Glad you got there and back safely. Looking back on your trip, woulda/shoulda/coulda you done things slower, smelled the roses more, or was the trip about what you thought it should be. Do you have your route and over night stops. The stops keep me redoing my trip, hopefully in 2019. Don't want to wait until I am an Octogenarian and then having someone saying they saw some ancient decrepit rider on a Harley who appeared to be lost.
Congratulations on Alaska.
Congratulations on Alaska.
Would not have done anything different except make a choice to do another 150 miles late one evening to get to the junction of the Alcan and Cassiar Highway. We fueled up in Teslin and the weather was great and we were feeling good and said lets go, well about an hour into the ride it started to rain and didn't stop until about 2 in the morning. So we rode the rest of the miles in the rain and set up our tent in the rain. We could have had a nice meal, good weather and some frosty beverages if we would have stayed but hey if that is my biggest regret I will take it. The way we did our trip was there were not set destinations until that morning what we would like to accomplish, if the weather and road and nothing exciting to stay and check out we rode (averaged about 500 miles a day) but we were on the road between 6-7 am and took regular rests during the day but also rode to 6-7 in the evening. We are not much for staying in one place very long and doing the tourist trap tours, wildlife doesn't stay still long and views are taken in for a little but after seeing mountains for 10-15 days straight starts to become numb. We enjoyed riding and not having to stop at traffic lights and slower traffic......we just rode and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery. There are some great roads in Canada and Alaska which was the best part of the trip.
As for you "older guys" I didn't mean anything (my buddy is mid 60s) and warned them about how the bumps would toss their trailer around and we used the entire road at times to avoid the bad spots and you also have to pay attention to tractor trailers that were unloaded barreling behind you and passing you whenever they wanted. The service manager at the Harley dealer suggested we do not ride the road and he has never done it, all his riding is south of Fairbanks...why? because the roads are better. He didn't understand why so many people would want to ride that road and now I agree.
#76
06-19-2018, 05:45 PM
Thanks......
Would not have done anything different except make a choice to do another 150 miles late one evening to get to the junction of the Alcan and Cassiar Highway. We fueled up in Teslin and the weather was great and we were feeling good and said lets go, well about an hour into the ride it started to rain and didn't stop until about 2 in the morning. So we rode the rest of the miles in the rain and set up our tent in the rain. We could have had a nice meal, good weather and some frosty beverages if we would have stayed but hey if that is my biggest regret I will take it. The way we did our trip was there were not set destinations until that morning what we would like to accomplish, if the weather and road and nothing exciting to stay and check out we rode (averaged about 500 miles a day) but we were on the road between 6-7 am and took regular rests during the day but also rode to 6-7 in the evening. We are not much for staying in one place very long and doing the tourist trap tours, wildlife doesn't stay still long and views are taken in for a little but after seeing mountains for 10-15 days straight starts to become numb. We enjoyed riding and not having to stop at traffic lights and slower traffic......we just rode and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery. There are some great roads in Canada and Alaska which was the best part of the trip.
As for you "older guys" I didn't mean anything (my buddy is mid 60s) and warned them about how the bumps would toss their trailer around and we used the entire road at times to avoid the bad spots and you also have to pay attention to tractor trailers that were unloaded barreling behind you and passing you whenever they wanted. The service manager at the Harley dealer suggested we do not ride the road and he has never done it, all his riding is south of Fairbanks...why? because the roads are better. He didn't understand why so many people would want to ride that road and now I agree.
Would not have done anything different except make a choice to do another 150 miles late one evening to get to the junction of the Alcan and Cassiar Highway. We fueled up in Teslin and the weather was great and we were feeling good and said lets go, well about an hour into the ride it started to rain and didn't stop until about 2 in the morning. So we rode the rest of the miles in the rain and set up our tent in the rain. We could have had a nice meal, good weather and some frosty beverages if we would have stayed but hey if that is my biggest regret I will take it. The way we did our trip was there were not set destinations until that morning what we would like to accomplish, if the weather and road and nothing exciting to stay and check out we rode (averaged about 500 miles a day) but we were on the road between 6-7 am and took regular rests during the day but also rode to 6-7 in the evening. We are not much for staying in one place very long and doing the tourist trap tours, wildlife doesn't stay still long and views are taken in for a little but after seeing mountains for 10-15 days straight starts to become numb. We enjoyed riding and not having to stop at traffic lights and slower traffic......we just rode and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery. There are some great roads in Canada and Alaska which was the best part of the trip.
As for you "older guys" I didn't mean anything (my buddy is mid 60s) and warned them about how the bumps would toss their trailer around and we used the entire road at times to avoid the bad spots and you also have to pay attention to tractor trailers that were unloaded barreling behind you and passing you whenever they wanted. The service manager at the Harley dealer suggested we do not ride the road and he has never done it, all his riding is south of Fairbanks...why? because the roads are better. He didn't understand why so many people would want to ride that road and now I agree.
Still working on 2019 for my trip.
Thanks for the updates.
#77
06-20-2018, 07:41 AM
Maybe my next trip will include a soft mattress but the camping pad I had did an amazing job. One thing I would not get caught up in is I have to be at a location, to me this would put added pressure on my trip that would have me not enjoying the trip. It is like my rotopax I carried, I knew I probably did not need it but it sure was nice rolling up to a gas station and wondering is this the place that has water in their tanks? So we would roll on down the road to the next station and sometimes they were not close together.
#79
07-01-2018, 06:26 AM
Rotopax
Maybe my next trip will include a soft mattress but the camping pad I had did an amazing job. One thing I would not get caught up in is I have to be at a location, to me this would put added pressure on my trip that would have me not enjoying the trip. It is like my rotopax I carried, I knew I probably did not need it but it sure was nice rolling up to a gas station and wondering is this the place that has water in their tanks? So we would roll on down the road to the next station and sometimes they were not close together.
#80
07-02-2018, 08:13 AM
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-25-Gallon...item1c775af07d
If you have an ultra this maybe the one you want.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Gallon-Ro...item2f03aa5bfa
I bought one with an L-bracket and bolted it to my rear rack. I only bought the gallon container as I thought that is all I would have needed. It turns out I never needed it but what it did is allow me to push gas stops. My Harley gps would allow me to search how far the gas stations were, which was invaluable.
If you have an ultra this maybe the one you want.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Gallon-Ro...item2f03aa5bfa
I bought one with an L-bracket and bolted it to my rear rack. I only bought the gallon container as I thought that is all I would have needed. It turns out I never needed it but what it did is allow me to push gas stops. My Harley gps would allow me to search how far the gas stations were, which was invaluable.