How not to ride the Haul Road (BMWON Mar 07)

[yukonlarry]

This is a terrific story of someone riding the dream! It is getting a fair amount of comments on the BMW Sport Touring site. I personaly wouldn't take my RT on that type of road but my helmet is off to someone who would and then write an article with tongue-in-cheek humour. the wolf episode and subsequent conversation with the Alaskan's was a hoot! Alls well that ends well.

[rinty]

I wouldn't take my RT on that kind of road.....

I did quite a bit of gravel riding on my oiler RS last year, and it was surprisingly competent. My previous, (airhead) RS, with it's narrow bars, was a handful in the stuff.

But they do take a pounding when you go off pavement.

Rinty

[OUTBACKUFO]

All motorcycles regaurdless of the riders abilities take a pounding on the the Haul Road or any other similar roads (Dempster, Ross Campbell, North/ South Canol or even Cassier).... not to mention that the roads up north are just rough on everything running on them.

It took a full 5-10 minutes of power washing to get the baked on mud on my exhuste manafolds and front of the engine last trip... and i did not have as too much mud or wet roads... got lucky...

[swall]

I think MOAN showed a lack of judgement in publishing the article. The author planned poorly or didn't plan at all and took unnecessary risks all for the sake of HIS "dream ride". Dream rides are great, but take the time and do the planning to do it right. And yes, I have ridden the Haul Road.

[rinty]

I think MOAN showed a lack of judgment in publishing the article. SWALL

I disagree. MOA members can decide for themselves if they want to ride an RT with street tires on the Dempster.

Every day, people do trips in less than optimal vehicles: Sjaac Lucason through the Sahara desert, African jungles and around the world on a Yamaha R1 with street tires, some other guy through the Darien Gap on a GL 1000, another guy across the Atlantic in a rowboat, Richard Branson around the world in a balloon etc., etc....

The stories about these exercises against adversity are usually very interesting, as this one was.

Rinty

[tommcgee]

I think MOAN showed a lack of judgement in publishing the article. The author planned poorly or didn't plan at all and took unnecessary risks all for the sake of HIS "dream ride". Dream rides are great, but take the time and do the planning to do it right. And yes, I have ridden the Haul Road.

If you've got an article or website about your trip, I'd love to read it.

[swall]

Rinty--glad you brought up the street tires thing. The author didn't just ride the Dalton on street tires. He rode it on bald tires with 9500 miles on them . It was another example of his bad choices and taking dubious advice. Although he had procurred new tires in Fairbanks, he neglected to put them on, taking the advice of a rider that told him "you'll be plugging a lot of tire on the Dalton. Might as well do it with your old ones". I'm having an R. Lee Ermey moment here.

[OUTBACKUFO]

Rinty--glad you brought up the street tires thing. The author didn't just ride the Dalton on street tires. He rode it on bald tires with 9500 miles on them . It was another example of his bad choices and taking dubious advice. Although he had procurred new tires in Fairbanks, he neglected to put them on, taking the advice of a rider that told him "you'll be plugging a lot of tire on the Dalton. Might as well do it with your old ones". I'm having an R. Lee Ermey moment here.

from being on the Dalton twice and the Dempster once... the tire pluging issue is one of prepreation... yes Doug did do a more risky ride and was not fully prepaired, but he on the other side did the mental prep needed... he was thinking the what ifs constantly while riding... this is a great prep tool so if things happen on the bad side of luck you can take care of them better... he could have been on a less traveled road like the Dempster, or North/South Canol roads... or even remote areas of NV, UT, KS, CO, WY, and NE and never see anyone... for a starter to the adventure riding thing the dalton road is the most likely to get help on than anyother i have traveled on... that was a wise choose of roads

I have not as yet had a tire problem except getting one off at 2am the rear rim in Lethbridge, AB to change over to road from knobbies since it was the tightest bead i ever had on a rim... I have had to plug a tire and that was from a sliver of metal in Bar Harbor ME... the load of the bike, the way you ride the bike, how you approach bumps, corregaitions, pot holes, gravel all have factors in who the tires hold up... I personally run my tires at full pressure even with knobbies to give me a buffer zone if i hit deep mud of snow... then i can lower pressure... and also less likely to punchure a tire... a bit more bouncey of a ride though...


I other young n who did the Trans American solo at 26 told me this interesting thought... "you can ride any bike in any weather with any type of tires on any most any road... sometimes it is just a lot harder depending on what you choose over all" Steve Crombie Lost One (www.loston.com)

[OUTBACKUFO]

I disagree. MOA members can decide for themselves if they want to ride an RT with street tires on the Dempster.

Every day, people do trips in less than optimal vehicles: Sjaac Lucason through the Sahara desert, African jungles and around the world on a Yamaha R1 with street tires, some other guy through the Darien Gap on a GL 1000, another guy across the Atlantic in a rowboat, Richard Branson around the world in a balloon etc., etc....

The stories about these exercises against adversity are usually very interesting, as this one was.

Rinty

True... but they were very prepared for the trips to take them on adventurers...

[swall]

Mental prep--what is that? My idea of "mental prep" is that I have planned a trip and have waypoints of where I will be on a given day and what I might do if something goes off plan. Doug had none of this.His mental mode was more like a wing and a prayer. He left the Yukon River crossing without getting the fuel he needed to get to Coldfoot and thought that somehow he would make it. He had to stop at a DOT maintenance garage and impose on others to crib a gallon of gas. He could have just waited 8 hours or so for the Yukon River station to open. There is just no defending this erratic behavior.

[ryeflyer]

I think MOAN showed a lack of judgement in publishing the article. The author planned poorly or didn't plan at all and took unnecessary risks all for the sake of HIS "dream ride". Dream rides are great, but take the time and do the planning to do it right. And yes, I have ridden the Haul Road.

I disagree on the judgement to publish part. I think it was a very well written article, that was probably better thought out and executed than the trip itself. It is a salutary lesson for all of us low timers to think a little before executing the life dream trip. I am all for reading about stories where things go down the crapper, and software writing weekend bikers use their brains to get out of that hole full of poo, or at least mud and gravel. I for one do not now have any need to explore beyond Fairbanks, at least on a bike! (There must be some pubs there) I think there are far more interesting places to go to now.

Great article on how NOT to do it - glad it was published IMHO!

[Oznay]

I'm also glad the story was published,it was a good read,so what if he had problems,life contains an element of risk,and no amount of planning can prevent **** from happening.

[OUTBACKUFO]

Mental prep--what is that? My idea of "mental prep" is that I have planned a trip and have waypoints of where I will be on a given day and what I might do if something goes off plan. Doug had none of this.His mental mode was more like a wing and a prayer. He left the Yukon River crossing without getting the fuel he needed to get to Coldfoot and thought that somehow he would make it. He had to stop at a DOT maintenance garage and impose on others to crib a gallon of gas. He could have just waited 8 hours or so for the Yukon River station to open. There is just no defending this erratic behavior.

I dont defend the erratic behavior... i am pointing out that the difference between making a bad situation into a worse one or figuring out a solution while riding is something we all do at different levels depending on our riding situation.. there were good and bad decisions made... the good ones out weighted the bad ones... this is what part of the writing is about... while another part is about the cautionary tale to others who have the thought of riding to the end of the earth. the mental prep is like from my generational saying "Goonies never say Die!" or "rubber side down" for the gens before mine.... it is the thinking forward and outside the box that one has to minmum during the ride...

[swall]

OK, so what were some of the good decisions Doug made?

[Oznay]

One good decision was to do the trip,and not worry'bout it.

[ryeflyer]

He who conquered Everest

"Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it. "

And my favorite - "We knocked the bastard off"

Our whole lives revolve around risk assessment and use of good (or otherwise) judgement. How dull to stay in bed all day and do nought. Even then you would get bed sores - there is risk in everything - might as well have fun along the way before we end up as worm bait. Mind you, having a wolf chasing me as I ride along on one lung may not be described as "fun" at the time. Some standby artillery may be indicated if I am to be eaten.

[rinty]

He rode it on bald tires...... SWALL

Good point, and one I had forgotton (I read the article too quickly).

He's basically saying: here's how I did it, some things stupidly (by inference), and not making any excuses for it. It's totally honest, and I'm sure he knew he would be critiqued.

What we get from it is a very entertaining account and it gets us thinking about about how we would do it, if we chose to do it.

In my own case, I concluded that I would never go up there with anything bigger than a 650 single, riding to the starting point on dual purpose tires, and then switching over to off road tires.

Rinty

[Crow18]

OK, so what were some of the good decisions Doug made?

1) Not stopping to pet the wolf.
2) Turning around when he reached Prudhoe Bay.
3) Leaving the Royal Enfield at home.

Seriously (and speaking as someone with limited riding experience), I can't really judge his decision-making with any authority, but, like Rinty, I'll give him credit for not writing a self-congratulatory piece or making excuses for himself. It's way too easy to write one of those chest-thumping, Outside Magazine-style, "I only survived because I'm such a freaking stud" articles.

Even though I wasn't likely to try that ride before I read the article and I'm certainly not going to run out and try it now, I think I learned a lot from Doug's mistakes, and I appreciate that Vince published it.

[djroszina11]

I thought it was a good article,,,and maybe even a litttle "poetic licence" was thrown in for amusement. I've done the Haul road and Cassiar twice. My first time on both were in 1996 on a BMW K1100LTA with street tires. Both roads were negotiated without mishap. The second time I did both was last year on a Honda XR650L. The roads seemed more treturous the second time only because they were harder and more jolting...and this was on the XRL! Bottom line is just ride the dang thing on whatever you have, there are no gaurantees in life, but if you're smart you can minimize the mishaps.

[tuckerdt]

How many people who have ridden the Dalton Highway take a handgun with them?

[OUTBACKUFO]

How many people who have ridden the Dalton Highway take a handgun with them?

First off... you cant take a hand gun or any gun through Canada... there are some permits but they are really messy to deal with. Second... you would need at least a 45cal with probally hollow point or more like a full metal jacket to stop a bear... the Kodiaks i hear have a skull that can deflect a 45 cal standard bullet... you would have to take the marine hwy system from seatttle to anchorage..

I carry bear spray... it is more of a deterant.... or short time repeler... most browns will come back for more since they like the taste of the Chyene (sp?) peppers in the spray once it degrades a bit ... and you would have to be point blank range and hit one in the nose, throte, and eyes to do anything... and still might not do anything... the best thing is common sence... the browns really dont care much for people.. so dont eat anything near your camp,,, wash the hell out of cooking stuff and leave it well way... even a short snack if a local says there has been a bear in the area take is cautionlessly... I would worry more about a fellow human taking you our or a moose on the AlCan than a bear....

[swall]

Djroszinz11--interesting comment about "poetic license". I had the same thought that perhaps some of the story might be embellished--like the part about the wolf. And the friendly magical trucker. And the part about his helmet being stolen in Wisconsin and then buying a child's helmet at Walmart. Doug's account was well written, even if his quest was was not well thought out.

[tor1150r]

I read the article as soon as I received the zine in the mail.
I agree about some earlier posts re: the tires. I would have made sure I had as much tread as possible before attempting non-paved roads.
I also have to commend the author (forget his name) on his adventure. I'm sure most of you agree that the majority of bike riders will rarely (if ever) venture more than 2-3 days beyond the security of their garage.

I believe the author had a good idea of what he was headed for, which I agree puts him in the right 'headspace' to begin with.

For someone new to 'adventure riding' I think he did a good job. I took my first 'adv ride' last summer as well, and as far as which bike/tires/gear, etc., one of the above posts is bang on. You can go almost anywhere on any type of bike/tire combo but you won't leave the GS's in the dust!

We rode 2-up on an 1150R (street tires being the only option) and weren't sure what to expect road-wise for a good part of our western leg. Top of The World/Taylor/Cassiar were all quite challenging (of course...they were wet). The point I'm getting at is once you're on the road there is sometimes no turning back. After travelling so far the last thing you want to do is turn around and re-trace your tracks (unless that's your initial plan). The whole time I'm thinking "this is not the ideal bike to do this with". Had we turned around because I though my ride was not 'made' for the loose stuff, our trip would have been shortened and we'd have much less of an adventure not to mention the sights/animals we would have missed. So kudos to the author for doing this with what he had - and sticking to his plan.

Part of the reason his story was appealing to me is because I must have passed him somewhere in Alaska last summer (we both met the same older woman walking around the world - Rosie, on the Alcan).

[KGT1200]

Adventure is an adventure.

I once witnessed a drunk college kid decide to take his honda four off a 60 ft. cliff, with the idea to jump off just as the bike passed the edge of the cliff; you can pretty well guess what happened. The bike went off into it's final glory, as well as the rider. The bike went to the dump, and he missed the second semester that year.

The haul rode story amazed me in several ways; the sheer distance this guy rode, and rode back seemingly in a short week, then somehow got up and dressed, and made it to work on Monday! I would of had to take a few days off to fix my bike and fix my body before I could set behind the desk and pretend to work while I typed into the MOA forum(thank God my boss does not read the MOA forum, he is a deadicated hog rider). I would never, never take my best friend bike into circumstances that literally had potential to destroy, disfigure for life my best buddy, my Beemer! Taking the Haul road on an RS is the equivelent (sp?) to taking a KLS 110 up I-70 to vail early Saturday morning! The pic of the GS strapped to the wood pallet told the story. Anybody who seriously gave a damn about his bike would of turned and fled back home on another scenic route! Personally, I would of researched what I was getting into, and never taken my baby beemer to that severe beating!

The second amazement is the author's fear and loathing of the wildlife; boy I bet the locals got a hoot out of his "the big bad wolf chased me, and scred the caca out of me". No wolf is going to chase down a GS,RS or BS for that matter! For the author to think otherwise aboout the "great" wolf or the mean ol black bear was a hoot. Sorry but I got to laugh at (some) city people with this attitude about the wildlife everywhere hahahahahahaha! but did this man have huevos extrordinare? YES! Did I read the whole thing YES! Was it good work for a author to put in the MOA newsletter you betcha...

-Red, the transplant to sunny minnesota

[dmr]

Many have had "adventures" that looking back, could have been done differently. Mine was a cross country venture on a 750 honda the year I got out of school. Raingear was a poncho that shredded in the first rainstorm outside Denver. Tent was 20 bucks and not free standing. Helmet had a yellow bubble shield that was awful in sun and at night. No windscreen. No camp stove. No saddlebags, system cases, or tour paks. The chain broke in MO and locked up the rear wheel on I40. I took $200 cash and had no credit cards, and ATMs were very few and far between.

Poorly planned-absolutely. Would never consider the same today. But it was a great time. When I read the article, I smiled a lot and recalled the same feelings I had back then. It could have turned out much worse, and for others, has. But it is still a feel-good story that took me back. Many thanks to not only the author, but to Vince to include it for all to read.:clap

D Ross

[gened12]

How many people who have ridden the Dalton Highway take a handgun with them?

Here is my more environmentally friendy alternative. You pack about 25 lbs of ground beef and drop it here and there on the road on your way to Prudhoe Bay. On the return leg you might easily have the chance of seeing more wildlife just waiting to get their pictures taken...

OK if you don't like the ground beef, then the next best thing is to ride a 1200GS with new Continental TKC90 and keep the throttle in such a position that the only thing that can catch you is a small jet ;-))


Cheers

Denis G R1200GS :laugh