kenk
New member
This past weekend, I returned from my ride to Alaska and Northwest Canada on my GS. Having first attended the Hyder Seek in Hyder, Alaska, I headed north to the Yukon on Highway 37 for a couple great weeks of hiding with another BMW MOA member.
Most of the roads to Alaska or the Yukon are easily accessible with any BMW road bike. However, the Dempster Highway is a gravel road to Inuvik, Northwest Territories and do not advise attempting on any bike not designed for long stretches of gravel. Also, the Top of the World Highway west of Dawson City is now mostly gravel. From Tok, AK to Dawson City, about 1/2 of the 280 miles is now gravel. Also, there is a approximately 230 miles of gravel on the Campbell Highway north of Watson Lake, Yukon.
Since this was my first ride on the Dempster Highway, I would like to offer some lessons learned that I will certainly use the next time. The Dempster Highway is a 456 mile dirt and rock road with the first gas stop at Eagle Plains (239 miles) with two Canadian free ferries on the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers before arriving at Inuvik. Check the ferry schedules before heading north since they only operate in the summer months.
1) Recommend sending a set of off-road knobby tires to Dawson City and changing before riding the Dempster. The owner of the Downtown Hotel is a GS rider and will store your tires. (867) 993-5346. Both of our GS's had new Michelin Anakees when we left Kansas. The rough chip roads in BC and the Yukon wore our tires down by 75% by the time we entered the Dempster. This caused us to take a 1000 mile side trip to Fairbanks to purchase the only tire George had available at the BMW shop.
2) If you do not know how to break the bead on a tire using the side stand on your bike while on the center stand, purchase the Helge Pedersen GS 1150 video and learn how. You will get flat tires and may need to install a tube. Take a spare tube(s) along with tube repair kit since you may puncture the tube. Recommend taking a Plug and Go kit along with extra CO2 containers to set the bead. Purchase a small electrical pump to fill the tire (save your CO2) and practice removing and reinstalling the tires in your garage. You will have to demonstrate at a later date. In our case, we had to replace both rear tires with only the tools we brought along. You will experience flat tires from the rock chips that are as sharp as arrowheads. The filling station at Eagle Plains has two full-time guys that fix up to 100 tires every day during the height of the tourist season. Cars were in line for tire repair. The locals recommend carrying two spares on all autos heading north. I recommend carrying a spare tire strapped to your bike.
3) Take your time. This is not a race. Nobody cares how fast you get to the Arctic Circle or Inuvik. There is no medical services for 456 miles.
4) Take care if camping. This is Grizzly Bear country. On three occasions, we were stopped waiting for a Grizzly (one with a cub) to cross the road. They have no fear of people and you want to do nothing to show a threat. If a bear is in the road, have patience and if possible, get yourself in a position to turn your bike and return in the direction you came. The tundra is frozen 1600 feet deep. However, the top mossy covering cannot be ridden on without getting quickly stuck. Not a problem for the bears. If you stay at Eagle Plains, be prepared to pay a minimum of $150 for a night for a less than stellar hotel.
5) You can change oil at Dawson City NAPA. They stock Penzoil Motorcycle Oil ($6 a quart) which is better than BMW oil with 5-6 k. They will provide a place to drop the oil in a pan that they provided along with a collection barrel. You can bring a filter, however we decided before hand to reuse the same filter until we got home.
I was really surprised to see riders at Dempster Junction heading north on RTs without a spare, with street tires, and no knowledge on how to repair a tire. I could only think that this well be their worst nightmare since the tires will not last and will not stick when the road turn into 6 inches of mud with only a 1/4 inch of rain. This is an experienced riders ride. Know your limitation, along with the limitations of your bike.
Most of the roads to Alaska or the Yukon are easily accessible with any BMW road bike. However, the Dempster Highway is a gravel road to Inuvik, Northwest Territories and do not advise attempting on any bike not designed for long stretches of gravel. Also, the Top of the World Highway west of Dawson City is now mostly gravel. From Tok, AK to Dawson City, about 1/2 of the 280 miles is now gravel. Also, there is a approximately 230 miles of gravel on the Campbell Highway north of Watson Lake, Yukon.
Since this was my first ride on the Dempster Highway, I would like to offer some lessons learned that I will certainly use the next time. The Dempster Highway is a 456 mile dirt and rock road with the first gas stop at Eagle Plains (239 miles) with two Canadian free ferries on the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers before arriving at Inuvik. Check the ferry schedules before heading north since they only operate in the summer months.
1) Recommend sending a set of off-road knobby tires to Dawson City and changing before riding the Dempster. The owner of the Downtown Hotel is a GS rider and will store your tires. (867) 993-5346. Both of our GS's had new Michelin Anakees when we left Kansas. The rough chip roads in BC and the Yukon wore our tires down by 75% by the time we entered the Dempster. This caused us to take a 1000 mile side trip to Fairbanks to purchase the only tire George had available at the BMW shop.
2) If you do not know how to break the bead on a tire using the side stand on your bike while on the center stand, purchase the Helge Pedersen GS 1150 video and learn how. You will get flat tires and may need to install a tube. Take a spare tube(s) along with tube repair kit since you may puncture the tube. Recommend taking a Plug and Go kit along with extra CO2 containers to set the bead. Purchase a small electrical pump to fill the tire (save your CO2) and practice removing and reinstalling the tires in your garage. You will have to demonstrate at a later date. In our case, we had to replace both rear tires with only the tools we brought along. You will experience flat tires from the rock chips that are as sharp as arrowheads. The filling station at Eagle Plains has two full-time guys that fix up to 100 tires every day during the height of the tourist season. Cars were in line for tire repair. The locals recommend carrying two spares on all autos heading north. I recommend carrying a spare tire strapped to your bike.
3) Take your time. This is not a race. Nobody cares how fast you get to the Arctic Circle or Inuvik. There is no medical services for 456 miles.
4) Take care if camping. This is Grizzly Bear country. On three occasions, we were stopped waiting for a Grizzly (one with a cub) to cross the road. They have no fear of people and you want to do nothing to show a threat. If a bear is in the road, have patience and if possible, get yourself in a position to turn your bike and return in the direction you came. The tundra is frozen 1600 feet deep. However, the top mossy covering cannot be ridden on without getting quickly stuck. Not a problem for the bears. If you stay at Eagle Plains, be prepared to pay a minimum of $150 for a night for a less than stellar hotel.
5) You can change oil at Dawson City NAPA. They stock Penzoil Motorcycle Oil ($6 a quart) which is better than BMW oil with 5-6 k. They will provide a place to drop the oil in a pan that they provided along with a collection barrel. You can bring a filter, however we decided before hand to reuse the same filter until we got home.
I was really surprised to see riders at Dempster Junction heading north on RTs without a spare, with street tires, and no knowledge on how to repair a tire. I could only think that this well be their worst nightmare since the tires will not last and will not stick when the road turn into 6 inches of mud with only a 1/4 inch of rain. This is an experienced riders ride. Know your limitation, along with the limitations of your bike.
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I will be on that road in beginning of July and planned to bring spare tires already. Your report confirms what I read on other forums.
