I've ridden to Alaska but not all the way up to the circle.
My question is.
How many have stopped at Skinny Dicks Half Way Inn for a brew and some entertainment?
I have, so I think that makes me special.

 

While I agree belts are a weakness, more so the complexity to change them. I am not sure I would start modifying my bike for big trips. Won't be able to get parts at dealers. I can't stand chains due to having to tension so much. People claim the new ones are not like that.

New belt guards are a lot tighter. My 01 lots of space, my 07 little gap. Maybe I got lucky, maybe harder to get a rock in. I would be curious to find out how many people are stillgetting rocks in belts. Other than this trip, I avoid gravel roads, and only do shorter runs.

 

did not know of it… would have stopped in … 🥳

 

It is just outside of Fairbanks.
https://m.yelp.com/biz/skinny-dicks-...nn-fairbanks-2

 

…by the looks of it, it seems to be something like going in the Hyder, Alaska, and getting Hyderized…

 

…the belt seems like a lot of work… but if you can get a set of 50/50 ADV tires to fit your rims I think that would be good… but I would do it in Edmonton… it’s a 5,000 mile rounder from there to Deadhorse… and it would be good to have them for the Construction pieces… as well as all the grate surfaces on the bridges…

…Edmonton HD is a very good shop and I had them do a nut and bolt check as well as a full service when I got off the Alcan…



…as far as the Harley Suspension goes… they ARE NOT made for the roads once you get North of Edmonton… and if you see one of these… SLOW DOWN!!.. and you will see lots of them… but be wary of the unmarked minefields…

 

I met a Harley rider in Whitehorse, Yukon in 2019 that was heading north to complete the Key West, FL to Deadhorse, AK ride. He was using a Dunlop Winter Sport run flat snow tire on the rear and a Mitas E-07 rear tire on the front. The E-07 is a 50/50 tire. He did make it to Deadhorse and back.

His bike -

 

That last push from Coldfoot to Deadhorse, you are gooing to need to do the math on gas. I had a 5 gallon tank, and I don't think I could make it. Otherwise I made it on 5 gallons. My rule of thumb is thje next gas station I saw after 75 miles from last file up I gased up, even if it was 76. Many stops were 100 miles apart. Places that were supposed to be open, were closed. Don't count on something being open when you have half gallon left.

Places come and go, or may not be open. Also remember people live their and go to bed at normal times. With the solstice and long day light, I rode late, but just like here places close at normal time.

10 years ago not every place in Canada took credit cards at pump. Canada was way behind the times. Old fashioned pumps with numbers that roll by. It was like 30-40 years ago. So keep that in mind for gas.

 

Went for a coffee and wound wound up here

 

…that’s the kind of tire I would want both front and back if I ever went again. Construction zones, grate bridges and 500 miles of dirt… that you might have to do in the rain…

…apparently the highway from Tok to Dawson City to Whitehorse is a good ride… But a bunch of it is dirt.

​​​​​… and once you get out of the cities, all the restaurants and all the gas stations are dirt and made for four by fours… It would be beneficial to have good tires there also… One thing you have to be very careful about is that when you get off the road is that you have an exit strategy to get back on it… You’re gonna end up somewhere where you’re going to find it impossible to go forward and you have to back up… Even though it looked good going in… The other thing I would have installed if I ever went back up with a heavy motorcycle, is a reverse gear, so you don’t have to duckwalk yourself backwards up an incline…