Touring Alaska by Motorcycle

[debron]

Recently there have been a number of posts by members planning (or wishing) a trip to Alaska by motorcycle. The current issue of Riders of Kawasaki Accelerate Magazine has a nice article on the subject by Dr. Gregory Frazier, a veteran of more than 25 rides to, from and in Alaska, and author of several books and a movie. Read it here: Touring Alaska: 7 Secrets for Motorcyclists.

[kjsett]

Recently there have been a number of posts by members planning (or wishing) a trip to Alaska by motorcycle. The current issue of Riders of Kawasaki Accelerate Magazine has a nice article on the subject by Dr. Gregory Frazier, a veteran of more than 25 rides to, from and in Alaska, and author of several books and a movie. Read it here: Touring Alaska: 7 Secrets for Motorcyclists.

Count me in (If my wife let's me, but not this year).

[David (N. Alabama)]

After reading that article I decided that riding to Alaska would probably not happen for me. I will probably end up on a Cruise to Alaska if Jana has anything to say about it. Seeing it in luxury is not a bad way to see Alasaka I guess.

[glich54]

Ron,
Thanks for the article/post....it confirmed some of my notions and reinforced my decision to fly & rent a BMW GS 1200 Adventure up there as I felt that two weeks would be too much of rush to drive up and back and getting a longer vacation than that will likely have to wait till after I retire ...I looked into taking the ferry one-way from Seattle & driving back (or vise versa) but the cost was almost as much as the bike rental and the thought of navigating significant stretches of gravel and road construction on the old XII did not appeal to me (I love the bike, but it is by far the worst bike on gravel I have ever owned)..I will report on how it all worked out when I get back in Mid July...

[chevyman1]

Just remember to watch out for them there Alaskan Grizzly Bears

[snowbound]

Bears are not a problem. Id keep an eye for those lower 48 tourists .. . Really the roads are packed heavily on most weekends, being from the southern states it might seem normal for you. Look at how limited the roads are on a map and you will see what I mean. Just be aware of the other guy and be safe...

[glich54]

Bears are not a problem. Id keep an eye for those lower 48 tourists .. . Really the roads are packed heavily on most weekends, being from the southern states it might seem normal for you. Look at how limited the roads are on a map and you will see what I mean. Just be aware of the other guy and be safe...

Yeah, I noticed there is a deficit of alternate routes on the map and I have heard similar comments about the busy roads....Most of my longer travel days will be during the week....(It can't be as bad as Seattle traffic)

[debron]

Moose are likely to be a bigger problem. Hitting one of those is like hitting a brick wall on stilts. I was stationed at Eilson AFB near Fairbanks in the '70s. Not much traffic on the roads then! In fact, the Alcan highway was 1200 miles of gravel (and dust!) But there were moose!

[glich54]

Finally got around to posting about my AK trip back in June. Flew to Anchorage, picked up the rental Bike (low mileage BMW GS1200). The rental was not cheap, but the company/owners (Alaska Motorcycle Adventures, http://rentalaska.com/ ) were great and I would recommend them if you choose to rent. We toured the entire Seward Peninsula, and then the interior all the way up to Dawson City, Yukon, via “Top of World Highway” (100+ miles of bad gravel road), then back down to Valdez, a ferry across Prince William Sound to Whittier and back to Anchorage. Lucky cause we had pretty good weather 12 of 15 days. Saw 1 Moose and 3 Porcupines while riding…Only saw ~a dozen other bikes (GSes & KLRs mostly)…and a memorable couple on a Harley from Indiana we ran across in Homer …Their bike was so fully encased with mud/bugs you couldn’t tell what color it was. They had stuff attached at every possible location, including a large cardboard box with a queen size airbed that was creatively duct taped/bungeed to the side of the bike …Tips: If you go during peak season and aren’t camping make sure you have reservations (we preferred the B&Bs over the motels), top off your gas tank whenever possible, bring 100% DEET bug repellant, and plan for extra time to shoot the bull with friendly people every time you stop… Only problem with the trip is my wife insists the GS was more comfortable than my Voyager and now wants to get one ($$$$$)

[vxiirider]

Wow !, what a great trip and how fortunate you are to be a couple that enjoys that kind of an adventure together.

[glich54]

Wow !, what a great trip and how fortunate you are to be a couple that enjoys that kind of an adventure together.

It was the first two week vacation we have taken in 20 years....

[Me Again]

My brother took his Voyager ,his wife and a trailer up there back in the mid 90's.
Got almost up to Dawson city ,but ran out of time.
Said if he ever goes back ,he'll take more tools and fewer clothes.A lot easier to find a laundromat then a garage.Did see a bear watching him fix his fuel pump.