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Little GS, Big Adventure - F650GS to Alaska from Philly leaving 5/21
- Thread starter jhbfly
- Start date
Very nice report.
I liked your daily narrative and photos.
statdawg
High & Dry
OUTSTANDING JOB, and mission accomplished. 
I enjoyed following your journey of inspiration and it was nice that you dedicated it to a worthy charity. Sadly Jack the travel bug will infect you and I suspect that it will not be long till you are doing the Labrador 500, James Bay, or asking us if you should fly or use a pirate boat to travel beyond the Darie'n.
I enjoyed following your journey of inspiration and it was nice that you dedicated it to a worthy charity. Sadly Jack the travel bug will infect you and I suspect that it will not be long till you are doing the Labrador 500, James Bay, or asking us if you should fly or use a pirate boat to travel beyond the Darie'n.
jhbfly
New member
Day 45 - Epilogue! I didn't ride anywhere today!
Day 45 – Epilogue
Miles Today – 0
Here I sit on 4th of July. A mountain of mail needs to be sorted and the bills paid. The first of several loads of laundry is underway. Even so, I am drawn to reflect on the events of the past month. By several thousand miles this was my longest motorcycle trip to date. Friends have pointed out that 12,000 miles is equivalent to just about halfway around the Earth. Even so I don’t feel particularly weary. Rather, I feel invigorated by having been so far and having seen so much. Were there things I would do differently? Sure.
Regarding the bike:
My F650GS performed almost perfectly throughout the trip. The exception was an intermittent stalling issue that appeared at about 4000 miles into the trip. I lived with the issue for about a week before putting the bike in the BMW dealer in Anchorage. Whatever they did (they weren’t talking) fixed the issue as it neveroccurred again. If I were starting out again I would do two things differently with the bike. First, I would add an extension to the side stand to make the foot bigger. I had repeated issues with the small “foot” sinking into the soft gravel and dirt in gas stations and parking lots in the North. Likewise, when it was just about 100 degrees last Tuesday in Wichita the bike began to sink into the soft asphalt. Fortunately things never quite so far out of hand that the bike fell down. Secondly, I would have replaced the very good, but street riding focused original equipment Bridgestone Battle Wing Tires with something a little more appropriate to the dirt and gravel I regularly found myself riding. In Oregon, on the way back I had a set of Metzeler Tourances installed but, of course, by then most of that sort of riding was over. The greatest “pucker”/”heart stopping” moments of the trip were in the mud and soft gravel of construction areas in Northern BC and the Yukon. Sure did wish I had some more appropriate tires then! The BMW Vario bags are spacious and seal well (though not perfectly. The hardware that latches the bags to the bike is a little "fiddly" and I worried throughout about the possibility of breaking the plastic latch handle. Nonetheless they held up pretty well. Fortunately the bike never got dropped so I can't comment on how they endure the incidental "muddy gas station drop". If I were starting from scratch I think I'd probably opt for some aluminum Top-loads (Touratech or other). They have the advantage that you don't compromise the sealing or hinges in a static drop over and also, if you drop the bike you can easily empty the bags to make the bike light enough to pick up. Admittedly they don't clip on and off quite so easily as the OEM BMW Stuff. Based on the number of times I got peppered with rocks by trucks going the other way in construction zones, some sort of headlamp protection is mandatory. I did actually see two other bikes with broken headlamps. Don't leave home without protection! As I have mentioned several times in previous commentary, the F650GS (as most other bikes) doesn't like all that weight up high which makes it a bit "wobbly" at low speeds. It also makes it more "entertaining" in the soft stfff. Again, if starting today I would try real hard to develop a packing scheme that kept weight out of the topcase and off the back seat. Likewise for crosswind stability - I had a lot of "Sail" area out back and it does blow around a bit at highway speeds. Bike (with stock gearing) seems perfectly happy to cruise at 75 all day. Average gas mileage for the return trip was about 56 mpg. Used about 100ml of oil every thousand miles though that seemed to be reducing as time went by and the bike was further broken in.
Regarding the route:
If I had this amount of time to make this trip again I don’t think I’d alter my route much. I did keep a pretty aggressive travel schedile and if I had wanted to have the opportunity to stop and see more things, make more sidetrips along the way then I just flat would have needed more time. Disregarding the days when I layed over somewhere, I averaged 332 miles per day on the Northbound trip and 375 miles per day coming back. That’s quite a bit and doesn’t leave a huge amount of time to enjoy the incredible number of diversions to be found virtually everywhere I went. On the other hand, if I had cut back to 200 or 250 miles per day it would have taken another month to make the trip. There are places that I should have gone (Cassiar Highway in BC) but it’s a little late to second guess now.The seat, well, was tolerable but certainly not as comfortable as my R1150RT was. Nonetheless not a big problem. Overall the bike was a very good compromise for this trip. Given the nature of the routes available in Northern BC, the Yukon, and Alaska, and that I really wasn't getting very far off the beaten path I didn't feel at a loss for not having a GPS.
Regarding my equipment:
My only equipment failure of the whole trip was when the heated vest quit (conveniently-the day before the coldest/wettest day of the trip!). I carried all the appropriate gear that I needed for the conditions I encountered – everything from the high 20s with freezing rain and sleet to nearly 100 degrees (F). One irony of the trip is that I carried camping gear but never camped. It’s a little hard to explain but during the Northbound portion of the trip it was mostly too cold to seriously think about it. Overnight temps around the low 30s were just beyond what my stuff would have been comfortable with. Then on the return trip I had gotten so geared up to have internet each night and do daily postings here and elsewhere that I kinda forgot about the camping thing. Of course, it was always there if I needed it in a pinch. Which I did not. I think for future travel I’ll be a little more specific in planning whether it’s a camping trip or not. My RevIt Sirocco Jacket performed brilliantly, although it is now so filthy that the only appropriate thing to do migh be to burn it (only kidding!). It (along with my helmet) was the only piece of equipment that I wore every mile of every day. I might have wanted it to be a bit warmer on those 30 and 40 degree mornings but, on the other hand, it remained mighty comfortable in the 80 and 90 degree afternoons toward the end of the trip. For sure it’s a sound 3 season jacket not a piece of winter gear. Maybe I just didn’t understand that winter wasn’t quite over everywhere I went.
Other thoughts:
One of the very best parts of the trip was meeting new friends, whether on the road or online through my blog or web forum postings. There are plenty of motorcyclists on the road in the North from the end of May on. They are friendly, helpful, and most are also fascinating to listen to as they tell their stories. People in the hotels, restaurants and other motorists are also helpful, interested and attentive. Traveling North America is easy and it’s as rewarding as it is interesting. I have just this one additional interesting anecdote to add. I had no GPS and, frankly didn’t really need to use maps all that much. However I did usually have a map in my tankbag. Occasionally I would stop alongside the road to look at or study the map. I did this a number of times throughout the trip. I specifically recall that I did it 3 times in Wisconsin. The reason I remember Wisconsin so well is that EACH time I stopped, someone pulled up in a car or pickup to ask if I was having any trouble or needed any help. On the other hand this NEVER happened anywhere else I went. I don’t know what it is about Wisconsin people but they sure are eager to help. Fascinating. Reassuring.
While there were many highlights to this trip, the biggest of all was to be able to do something for others who are less fortunate than I. The trip has managed to raise several thousand dollars for The Austin Hatcher Foundation and, even now, additional donations continue to arrive. Thank you all for your generosity!
I also need to thank, once again, the fine folks at RevZilla and RevZilla.com. Their support and encouragement was first rate throughout. If you need motorcycle gear & equipment they’re your guys. Give ‘em a call or check ‘em out on the web at www.revzilla.com. Likewise a shout out to Hermy’s Cycles in Port Clinton, PA. They’re my BMW dealer of choice and became a supporter of the ride early on. I especially liked being able to participate in their Spring Open House back in May before the trip began. The F650GS is going to go to Hermy’s for it’s regular service just as soon as it can be scheduled. See them for your BMW and Triumph needs.
Anyone who is contemplating such a trip, even remotely following my route, is welcome to contact me at jhbfly@yahoo.com for insights, advice , or just to talk about the great adventure of it all.
While others are contemplating a trip of this nature I'm, even now, noodling a few other trips I'd like to make. I have no doubt a plan, and details, will emerge in due time. Meanwhile I'm just gonna chill for a few days. Pretty quick I've got to get geared up for my "other" motorcycling affliction. I have an entry at the 61st Speedweek at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August. Lots of work to get done! Another bike, another kind of fun.
A sincere thank you to everyone who has joined me on this trip. You’ll never know how much encouragement your interest has provided me.
Be Well,
Jack Broomall
Day 45 – Epilogue
Miles Today – 0
Here I sit on 4th of July. A mountain of mail needs to be sorted and the bills paid. The first of several loads of laundry is underway. Even so, I am drawn to reflect on the events of the past month. By several thousand miles this was my longest motorcycle trip to date. Friends have pointed out that 12,000 miles is equivalent to just about halfway around the Earth. Even so I don’t feel particularly weary. Rather, I feel invigorated by having been so far and having seen so much. Were there things I would do differently? Sure.
Regarding the bike:
My F650GS performed almost perfectly throughout the trip. The exception was an intermittent stalling issue that appeared at about 4000 miles into the trip. I lived with the issue for about a week before putting the bike in the BMW dealer in Anchorage. Whatever they did (they weren’t talking) fixed the issue as it neveroccurred again. If I were starting out again I would do two things differently with the bike. First, I would add an extension to the side stand to make the foot bigger. I had repeated issues with the small “foot” sinking into the soft gravel and dirt in gas stations and parking lots in the North. Likewise, when it was just about 100 degrees last Tuesday in Wichita the bike began to sink into the soft asphalt. Fortunately things never quite so far out of hand that the bike fell down. Secondly, I would have replaced the very good, but street riding focused original equipment Bridgestone Battle Wing Tires with something a little more appropriate to the dirt and gravel I regularly found myself riding. In Oregon, on the way back I had a set of Metzeler Tourances installed but, of course, by then most of that sort of riding was over. The greatest “pucker”/”heart stopping” moments of the trip were in the mud and soft gravel of construction areas in Northern BC and the Yukon. Sure did wish I had some more appropriate tires then! The BMW Vario bags are spacious and seal well (though not perfectly. The hardware that latches the bags to the bike is a little "fiddly" and I worried throughout about the possibility of breaking the plastic latch handle. Nonetheless they held up pretty well. Fortunately the bike never got dropped so I can't comment on how they endure the incidental "muddy gas station drop". If I were starting from scratch I think I'd probably opt for some aluminum Top-loads (Touratech or other). They have the advantage that you don't compromise the sealing or hinges in a static drop over and also, if you drop the bike you can easily empty the bags to make the bike light enough to pick up. Admittedly they don't clip on and off quite so easily as the OEM BMW Stuff. Based on the number of times I got peppered with rocks by trucks going the other way in construction zones, some sort of headlamp protection is mandatory. I did actually see two other bikes with broken headlamps. Don't leave home without protection! As I have mentioned several times in previous commentary, the F650GS (as most other bikes) doesn't like all that weight up high which makes it a bit "wobbly" at low speeds. It also makes it more "entertaining" in the soft stfff. Again, if starting today I would try real hard to develop a packing scheme that kept weight out of the topcase and off the back seat. Likewise for crosswind stability - I had a lot of "Sail" area out back and it does blow around a bit at highway speeds. Bike (with stock gearing) seems perfectly happy to cruise at 75 all day. Average gas mileage for the return trip was about 56 mpg. Used about 100ml of oil every thousand miles though that seemed to be reducing as time went by and the bike was further broken in.
Regarding the route:
If I had this amount of time to make this trip again I don’t think I’d alter my route much. I did keep a pretty aggressive travel schedile and if I had wanted to have the opportunity to stop and see more things, make more sidetrips along the way then I just flat would have needed more time. Disregarding the days when I layed over somewhere, I averaged 332 miles per day on the Northbound trip and 375 miles per day coming back. That’s quite a bit and doesn’t leave a huge amount of time to enjoy the incredible number of diversions to be found virtually everywhere I went. On the other hand, if I had cut back to 200 or 250 miles per day it would have taken another month to make the trip. There are places that I should have gone (Cassiar Highway in BC) but it’s a little late to second guess now.The seat, well, was tolerable but certainly not as comfortable as my R1150RT was. Nonetheless not a big problem. Overall the bike was a very good compromise for this trip. Given the nature of the routes available in Northern BC, the Yukon, and Alaska, and that I really wasn't getting very far off the beaten path I didn't feel at a loss for not having a GPS.
Regarding my equipment:
My only equipment failure of the whole trip was when the heated vest quit (conveniently-the day before the coldest/wettest day of the trip!). I carried all the appropriate gear that I needed for the conditions I encountered – everything from the high 20s with freezing rain and sleet to nearly 100 degrees (F). One irony of the trip is that I carried camping gear but never camped. It’s a little hard to explain but during the Northbound portion of the trip it was mostly too cold to seriously think about it. Overnight temps around the low 30s were just beyond what my stuff would have been comfortable with. Then on the return trip I had gotten so geared up to have internet each night and do daily postings here and elsewhere that I kinda forgot about the camping thing. Of course, it was always there if I needed it in a pinch. Which I did not. I think for future travel I’ll be a little more specific in planning whether it’s a camping trip or not. My RevIt Sirocco Jacket performed brilliantly, although it is now so filthy that the only appropriate thing to do migh be to burn it (only kidding!). It (along with my helmet) was the only piece of equipment that I wore every mile of every day. I might have wanted it to be a bit warmer on those 30 and 40 degree mornings but, on the other hand, it remained mighty comfortable in the 80 and 90 degree afternoons toward the end of the trip. For sure it’s a sound 3 season jacket not a piece of winter gear. Maybe I just didn’t understand that winter wasn’t quite over everywhere I went.
Other thoughts:
One of the very best parts of the trip was meeting new friends, whether on the road or online through my blog or web forum postings. There are plenty of motorcyclists on the road in the North from the end of May on. They are friendly, helpful, and most are also fascinating to listen to as they tell their stories. People in the hotels, restaurants and other motorists are also helpful, interested and attentive. Traveling North America is easy and it’s as rewarding as it is interesting. I have just this one additional interesting anecdote to add. I had no GPS and, frankly didn’t really need to use maps all that much. However I did usually have a map in my tankbag. Occasionally I would stop alongside the road to look at or study the map. I did this a number of times throughout the trip. I specifically recall that I did it 3 times in Wisconsin. The reason I remember Wisconsin so well is that EACH time I stopped, someone pulled up in a car or pickup to ask if I was having any trouble or needed any help. On the other hand this NEVER happened anywhere else I went. I don’t know what it is about Wisconsin people but they sure are eager to help. Fascinating. Reassuring.
While there were many highlights to this trip, the biggest of all was to be able to do something for others who are less fortunate than I. The trip has managed to raise several thousand dollars for The Austin Hatcher Foundation and, even now, additional donations continue to arrive. Thank you all for your generosity!
I also need to thank, once again, the fine folks at RevZilla and RevZilla.com. Their support and encouragement was first rate throughout. If you need motorcycle gear & equipment they’re your guys. Give ‘em a call or check ‘em out on the web at www.revzilla.com. Likewise a shout out to Hermy’s Cycles in Port Clinton, PA. They’re my BMW dealer of choice and became a supporter of the ride early on. I especially liked being able to participate in their Spring Open House back in May before the trip began. The F650GS is going to go to Hermy’s for it’s regular service just as soon as it can be scheduled. See them for your BMW and Triumph needs.
Anyone who is contemplating such a trip, even remotely following my route, is welcome to contact me at jhbfly@yahoo.com for insights, advice , or just to talk about the great adventure of it all.
While others are contemplating a trip of this nature I'm, even now, noodling a few other trips I'd like to make. I have no doubt a plan, and details, will emerge in due time. Meanwhile I'm just gonna chill for a few days. Pretty quick I've got to get geared up for my "other" motorcycling affliction. I have an entry at the 61st Speedweek at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August. Lots of work to get done! Another bike, another kind of fun.
A sincere thank you to everyone who has joined me on this trip. You’ll never know how much encouragement your interest has provided me.
Be Well,
Jack Broomall
D
david46
Guest
Thanks for taking all of us on your trip. Great job!
F
firefly
Guest
Thank you again for sharing your fabulous trip! I felt like I was right there with you!
jhbfly
New member
RevZilla Open House Presentation, Oct 17th in Philly!
Now I've been invited to give a presentation on this trip as part of the October 17th Fall Open House at RevZilla Motorsports (Philadelphia, PA). I intend to cover all elements of the trip....bike, planning, route, lodging, etc, etc, etc. If you want to know more about long distance travel on an F650GS twin or about making that once in a lifetime trip to Alaska please come on out. The more the merrier! Have questions or things you would like me to address? Message me here or email to jhbfly@yahoo.com! Please join me at RevZilla on Oct 17!
My trip to Alaska is covered at www.2wheels2alaska.com
Preparing the presentation by looking at all my trip pictures brings it all back for me as if it were yesterday. This is one of my favorites:
Jack Broomall
jhbfly@yahoo.com
Now I've been invited to give a presentation on this trip as part of the October 17th Fall Open House at RevZilla Motorsports (Philadelphia, PA). I intend to cover all elements of the trip....bike, planning, route, lodging, etc, etc, etc. If you want to know more about long distance travel on an F650GS twin or about making that once in a lifetime trip to Alaska please come on out. The more the merrier! Have questions or things you would like me to address? Message me here or email to jhbfly@yahoo.com! Please join me at RevZilla on Oct 17!
My trip to Alaska is covered at www.2wheels2alaska.com
Preparing the presentation by looking at all my trip pictures brings it all back for me as if it were yesterday. This is one of my favorites:
Jack Broomall
jhbfly@yahoo.com
jhbfly
New member
FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING !!!!
ALASKA PRESENTATION NEXT SATURDAY, 10/17, IN PHILLY !
I'm spending part of the weekend getting ready for my presentation next week at RevZilla Motorsports in Philly! Their open house goes from noon till about 4:00PM. Lots of deals on gear and the Alaska Ride Presentation goes off at 2:00PM. I've still got zillions of pics to sort through and I also need to make some time to pile up those last few miles for the MOA mileage contest which ends tomorrow!. So much to do, so little time! Get more details by checking out the Sept 29th entry at the RevZilla blog at http://blog.revzilla.com (or you can email/IM me!) Hope to see some new friends there!!
Jack Broomall
jhbfly@yahoo.com
ALASKA PRESENTATION NEXT SATURDAY, 10/17, IN PHILLY !
I'm spending part of the weekend getting ready for my presentation next week at RevZilla Motorsports in Philly! Their open house goes from noon till about 4:00PM. Lots of deals on gear and the Alaska Ride Presentation goes off at 2:00PM. I've still got zillions of pics to sort through and I also need to make some time to pile up those last few miles for the MOA mileage contest which ends tomorrow!. So much to do, so little time! Get more details by checking out the Sept 29th entry at the RevZilla blog at http://blog.revzilla.com (or you can email/IM me!) Hope to see some new friends there!!
Jack Broomall
jhbfly@yahoo.com
F
firefly
Guest
I wish I was closer! Good luck and I'm sure it will be a wonderful presentation!
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