Deadhorse trip pictures

Well somehow I left out the Wecome to the Dalton Hwy sign So I only have 414 more miles of this and I put on 95 miles just to get here. It's been raining since I left. So the Arctic Circle, been here before on a nice day . Thinking of turning back it is miserable out. Ok I made it to Coldfoot , guy waiting to have his bmw towed back to Fairbanks $$$$ Still raining can I go back , into the ride about 8 hours now. Ok the rain stopped , the sun doesn;t set here guess I will keep on going.Next morning I made itHeading back oh it's a long way.
I got some of the captions in the wrong picture but you get the idea.

Ha ha! That's funny, I just got off the "How often do you wash your bike thread?" I bet some of those "never" people would after your trip!

All of a sudden, I don't want to go to that part of the great state!

So here is the Welcome sign.
It one one heck of a trip, the weather was suppose to be decent. I didn't get out of University parking lot and I had my rain gear on. I left at 5:45 couldn't sleep anyway. Just the ride to Arctic Circle was enough, I had been there before on a nice day but this was something else. I had everything I own on, rubber gloves shoe covers full rain gear. At the last truck stop before highway I slowed to let a trucker out , I thought I would follow him. They fly I couldn't keep up. So I get to Coldfoot, yup the bmw is broke he has a call in and they will be here in about 6 hours cha ching$$$$. I am ready to turn around but he tells me the road is great for 30 miles all blacktop and over the pass it should be better. I make it to Deadhorse ,mud, constuction,and some dry nice roads. Oh at the construction they make you ride behind pilot car up front so when you fall they can all stop and help. Never had to put a foot down , and it some prettty rough going. The worst part was 50 miles out of Deadhorse ,I had just had some good road I figured another hour . Then I see a squall line coming so full gear, and I am ready. Off course the road turns to the roughest stuff I have had yet. 14 1/2 hours 510 miles. I check in at the Prudhoe Bay motel only $160 and all the food you can eat. it is a huge work camp, large arctic entry where you remove you boots or put on booties that they provide. I grab a roast beef sandwich to take back to my room, it was so good I go back for another. The cook sees me and offers to make me a hot meal ,,ok Swiss Steak and all the trimmings.
I get to bed about 10:30 I am beat. I wake up the sun is shining I'm ready to go , what the , it's only 2:00 back to bed I go. Of course at 6:00 it's pouring rain I just go eat a big breakfast , this is like the chow halls in the service.
The rain lets up long enough I check my tires both down to 35 but then it is only 42 degrees so ok Oil, skip it all the mud around it . I finally find the only gas station put in my 3 gallons for 254 miles it says,, ok. First thing I have that miserable 50 miles and rain is coming down sideways driving right through the Frogg Toggs dam these things always kept me dry before.
The trucker have a job to do and they don't slow down, if I see one coming behind me I pull way over get showered with mud same for coming at me just get way over . The rain is washing the mud off anyway. It was about a repeat going back didn't get to room till 10:30.
Things I learned ,I love the Madstadt I put it down all the way and tilted back , allow me see much better and closer up, didn't shake much. Light weight is the way to go, I had taken my trunk off ,wish I had removed sidecases too. No damage done to them , but everything I needed could have been in frunk. They have some mud that even the trucker avoid, some place would only have one track down road if they had to pass they slowed to like 3 mph . I was at a side pull off when I saw that. Take it easy and don't hurry , just when I would think I could read the road bam I would find another surprise. I really took some hard hits on the way back. I was going faster back road, was better , but that first 50 miles took 2 1/2 hours. So 14 1/2 hours to get back too. I washed bike today and bought some new Frogg Toggs. Oh the run from Prudhoe Bay back to Coldfoot took 3.62 gallons of gas. I was carrying extra gas but never needed it.
NEVER AGAIN but I did it.

Great pictures, wish I was in Alaska.

Great pics. How are PRs handling the terrain?

Looks great, same question about the tires you run.looks like a lot of dirt .

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

That is so cool, man. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

Gotta give you credit for doing it on a slope modded stock seat. Deadhorse is a 4000 mile ride from my house in central Illinois.

670cc said:

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

Deadhorse is a 4000 mile ride from my house in central Illinois.

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X2 on the pics

Just wondering how far from my house in Louisiana when I think of OCR WAY down in Houston!

bamamate said:

Great pics. How are PRs handling the terrain?

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No problems with tires sounded like bullets the rocks shooting out from under them, they handled all well.

670cc said:

That is so cool, man. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

Gotta give you credit for doing it on a slope modded stock seat. Deadhorse is a 4000 mile ride from my house in central Illinois.

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3910 from my house ,5000 miles into trip so far. I carry a spare towel under seat fold it over till I have seat jacked up what I want for the day. I have a sheep skin but with all the rain I never put it on.

Just trying to post alink to whole trip pictures. https://picasaweb.google.com/114294...&authkey=Gv1sRgCMLki8Dh3LHuQQ&feat=directlink

Thanks for sharing, great pics, epic trip! Check your rear brake pads. I was reading through another thread about an Alaska trip and apparently that mud gets in there and just sands away all your pad material like crazy.

trey

Treybrad I am surprised that they look ok. At times my brake travel was like 3 inches I would have to pump them up. The bike will never be the same. Even after wash muffler looks trashed.

Great pictures, thank you. What happened to the Beemer that it needed a tow? What happened to the top case? You should send the pictures to Michelin maybe they'll kick in some cash for gas. Maybe not. Probably not. Definitely not.

kpinvt said:

Great pictures, thank you. What happened to the Beemer that it needed a tow? What happened to the top case? You should send the pictures to Michelin maybe they'll kick in some cash for gas. Maybe not. Probably not. Definitely not.

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The BMW needed a clutch . I took top case off ,they store stuff at university for free wish I had taken off side cases too, just extra weight . I just looked at brakes close, pads are about gone rotors look ok. I may have to change them on road. Gotta hit the road headed back to Tok

Back in Tok, I called ahead but Roys was full so I am down the street. Took 4 from Delta Junction down to Gakona never been on that before , beautiful ride kinda like a mini Icefield Parkway. Caught up with the guy with the broke bmw. $1800 for the ride back to Fairbanks , dealer was not very cooperative so he shipped bike back to Mississippi another $2000 and his son hopped a plane home.

what next said:

Caught up with the guy with the broke bmw. $1800 for the ride back to Fairbanks , dealer was not very cooperative so he shipped bike back to Mississippi another $2000 and his son hopped a plane home.

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Wow! I bet the dealer gets some unwanted "press" on the Beemer forums - he should.

Excellent thread "what next"!

Breaking down on the haul road is very expensive. How are you going back though Canada?

what next said:

Back in Tok, I called ahead but Roys was full so I am down the street. Took 4 from Delta Junction down to Gakona never been on that before , beautiful ride kinda like a mini Icefield Parkway. Caught up with the guy with the broke bmw. $1800 for the ride back to Fairbanks , dealer was not very cooperative so he shipped bike back to Mississippi another $2000 and his son hopped a plane home.

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For what the Beemer guy spent getting a still broken bike back home, he was halfway towards buying a new Honda 700. He should have just left the Beemer there for scrap.

Old Can Ride said:

Breaking down on the haul road is very expensive. How are you going back though Canada?

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OCR I wanted to thank you, I slowed down at every bridge. It probably saved my *** on the way back. Iam not sure yet, I have been on Ice Field 3 times. Leaving Tok heading into sun beautiful day 42 degrees.