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NJ to Alaska and back:) Oh what a ride!!!

S

steveroadking

Big Wheel
Map and bike pics before the ride when it was clean:)
https://picasaweb.google.com/skrawse/BikePrep?authkey=Gv1sRgCO7frOLq49Kc4wE

Alaska Ride pics
https://picasaweb.google.com/skrawse/Alaska2011MyFavoritesPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCIvN6OkuCUygE



Kawasaki Accelerate Online Magazine article...'C 14 Express to Alaska'...my 15 minutes of fame...Ok  ok, maybe 2 minutes:)
http://accelerate.presspublisher.us/issue/jul-aug11/article/alaska?utm_source=ROK+Members&utm_campaign=366d57cba7-Issue_6_2011_&utm_medium=email



I'm back from one of the most scenic rides I've taken in the past 13 years and 170,000 miles of motorcycle rides and adventures.

[linked image]


Summary re-cap.

19 days
10,050 miles
Started from: Denville, NJ USA
Destination: Anchorage, Alaska...and back

To leave is to adventure...but to return is everything

Route: Route 80 w to 90 w to 294 to 290 to 90 to 29 n into Winnepeg, Canada Route 75 n to 100 w to Route 1 w to the Yellowhead Route 16 nw thru Saskatoon, Edmonton to route 43 n to Grande Prairie to 2 n to Dawson Creeks and the beginning of the Alaskan Canadian Hwy Route 97 to Whitehorse, Yukon to the Klondike Hwy route 2 to Dawson City. Crossed the Yukon to The Top of the World Hwy to USA border Poker Creek, west to Chicken and the Taylor Hwy to the Tok Cut Off Hwy w to The Glen Hwy w to Palmer to Route 3 to Wasila to Denali and route 3 to Route 1 south to Anchorage Alaska. (Returned the same)

Weather: 12 straight days of sun and clouds. Only 2 days total of rain. Temps from 38 degrees to 90 degrees
Ride: 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400
Serviced: Anchorage Alaska
Issues: I left my grip heaters on and discharged my battery and bought a new just to be safe. One great and reliable ride. Bravo Kawasaki!

I'd like to share my photos with you via a Picasa web album.

Click on the link.
Then go to the top left to 'slideshow' and click to view
Hope you enjoy:)
https://picasaweb.google.com/skrawse/Alaska2011MyFavoritesPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCIvN6OkuCUygE


The ride you are ready for is the ride that will show up:)

RIDEALL50
RideSafe
RideON

Steve
 
Steve:

Highly enjoyed your pics and wish I could make a similar trip.  Do have one question, what camera did you use, as you shot some great pics.
 
How in the world did Willy know that?  The scenery is so vast and breath taking that just about any click and shoot will reflect the natural beauty . Glad you guys enjoyed them.
RIDEALL50
RideSafe
RideON
 
Nice pics. Can you comment on riding through on gravel roads. Speed handling damage. Also what is the addition to your windshield? Does it help?
 
There a re a number of different aspects. First I traveled on about 300 miles of gravel, hardpacked gravel or loose chipseal and mud. The Top Of The Road Hwy is about 100 miles of gravel and hardpack gravel with some chipseal mixed in. If the road is dry it's not a problem. The US side from Chicken Community to the Poker Creek, the border, is about 40 miles and that's a different issue. Mud, dirt, sand. If it's dry out it's still a little squirrely in places BUT if it were wet...the road would have been near impossible for anything other than a dual sport with knobby tires.

I had sun and dry weather going in both directions. There was a little rain the night before...just a little.

My tires were PR2's going and a combination Battleaxe rear and PR2 front.( The Motorcycle Store in Anchorage didn't have a 190/50 PR2, so I opted for the Bridgestone Battleaxe.) The Battleaxe wore out on the rough roads after only 1500  miles and I put on the new Pirelli Angel Touring on it in Grande Prairie.. wow what a  great tire.

My PR2's held up fantastic. I left home with about 2500 miles on them added 5000 miles to Alaska and still had life in them.
Knowing I was going to get a full service and a new set of tires for the ride home.
The C14 is too heavy and the roads are like sandpaper...if the tires aren't a harder compound touring tire, say bye bye to the rubber:)

Riding gravel on the C14 was better than I'd expected. Having ridden the Dalton Hwy ( aka Haul Rd) from just north of Fairbanks/Livengood to Pruhdoe Bay/Deadhorse Alaska in 2008 on a KLR 650 I can tell you that if its raining the USA side into Chicken coming from the Yukon/Dawson City would have been impassable on  C14.

My set up included:  Cee Baileys headlight covers,  Cox radiator protector,  fender extender, Baker Hand Wings, Sargent seat, Alaskan sheepskin seat cover, BMW accessory outlet, heated grips, Highway blaster horn, new LED tail/brake light, RKA 9liter tank bag and RKA tail bag, Rotex 1 gallon gas container ( in the tailbag) and of course my Darien jacket and pants from Aerostich and a Gerbing microwire jacket. .. I was heavily packed with gear and clothes.

My windscreen was a 7 JuRock out of California and a 17' standard Laminar Lip. The Laminar Lip let me ride at 80MPH with NO wind hitting my helmet to the degree I could ride with my face shield up, but left if 90% closed due to the amount of bees. It has been the best configuration of 6 different windscreens I tested. The OEM standard. the tall OEM, Cal Sci tall, V Stream, and Cee Baileys tall.  The 7JuRock is flexible and lighter than the CeeBailey and held up to 40+ mph headwinds  at 80 MPH. It allowed for wind to come up the backside and reduce buffeting and pressure.
The top of Laminar Lip was about 2" over the top of the 7 JuRoack.
When the windscreen was all the down I had fresh air and 3/4 up i was still looking over it and was completely out of the wind. Coming back with the wind at my back I could run 80mph and it was like sitting at the table for dinner:)

The construction areas of the AlCan and some of the roads in Alaska requires a bit of confidence on gravel, loose gravel, and mud.
North of Haines Junction on the Alcan i am told the road was horrible. Frost heaves and construction.  They said it was a 30 mph ride for 200 miles. I went up the Klondike HWY  350 miles north from Whitehorse and crossed over from Dawson City so I can't give anyone a first hand account

The C14 held up amazingly well...One damn reliable sled..Bravo Kawasaki!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If anyone has specific questions and would like more detailed info, please feel free to email me at skrawse@aol.com or call me at 973 876 9366 EST . I'd be glad to help you
 
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