Dalton Highway and type of equipment

[DBrown]

I just finished a 12k plus ride in 20 days on my 2001 Ducati ST4. All paved roads.

Now I am planning to do a Deadhorse to Key West ride. Would love to do it on my ST4. However, the Dalton Highway portion of the ride looks like it is not Ideal for my bike unless I am extremely careful and have good conditions…flying rocks doing damage to lower fairing/oil cooler, bottom exhaust pipe only has about 5.5” of clearance on level ground…on my last long ride, somehow the exhaust pipe got dented…that increased my ground clearance to 6”… : )…not a cheap part to replace…too bad I can’t make an exhaust pipe guard/plate. Been told possible deep/loose gravel to deal with on Dalton Highway. Of course, a vigilant rider under the right conditions can mitigate any possible bike damage or falls. But may not be the most favorite part of the 5000 mile plus journey.

Has anyone ever ridden the Dalton Highway with a Ducati ST4? Any opinions, or suggestions appreciated.

I enjoy riding my bike. A dual purpose bike would be ideal for the 400 mile Dalton highway section, but for the paved sections of the rest of the 5000 plus mile ride…I’d have more fun on my ST4. Would love to do the ride on my ST4, but yes, the gravel areas of the Dalton Highway may pose a challenge for the ST4 lower fairing/oil cooler and exhaust pipe if I’m not carful with pot holes and passing trucks.

Thank you for your replies.

 

[curvedawg]

Planning on doing the same ride next june from kw to prudhoe bay. did not want to ride my RT on the dalton hwy so just purchased a 2009 bmw gs for the sole purpose of the canada alaska part of the journey.

 

[EricV]

You can rent a dual sport bike in Fairbanks as an option. People have ridden all kinds of bikes to Prudhoe Bay, Harleys, FJRs, etc. Slow down when you meet trucks and they usually will slow down too. Hopefully you choose a good time of year and have good luck on the weather.

 

[Ira]

Planning on doing the same ride next june from kw to prudhoe bay. did not want to ride my RT on the dalton hwy so just purchased a 2009 bmw gs for the sole purpose of the canada alaska part of the journey.

It wasn't clear from your (and other) posts if the plan is to switch bikes during the ride. For most IBA certificate rides, that wold be acceptable. But for the UCC, the rules state:

You must ride the same motorcycle for the entire trip.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association

 

[DBrown]

It wasn't clear from your (and other) posts if the plan is to switch bikes during the ride. For most IBA certificate rides, that wold be acceptable. But for the UCC, the rules state:

You must ride the same motorcycle for the entire trip.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association

Hi Ira,

Do you know what category the Deadhorse to Key West is classified as? That would be great if I could rent a dual purpose bike (switch bikes) in Fairbanks for the Dalton Highway section of the ride.

 

[Ira]

I guess I wasn't clear enough.

The Deadhorse to Key West ride is called the Ultimate Coast to Coast, or UCC. The rules are at

https://www.ironbutt.com/themerides/ucc/index.html

That is precisely the ride to which I refer. You cannot switch bikes on that certificate ride.

Ira

 

[DBrown]

Thank you for clarifying the requirements.

 

[DBrown]

Planning on doing the same ride next june from kw to prudhoe bay. did not want to ride my RT on the dalton hwy so just purchased a 2009 bmw gs for the sole purpose of the canada alaska part of the journey.

I was looking at some used 2007 to 2012 BMW 1200 GS’s. If you don’t make be me asking, how much did you pay for the 2009, and how many miles were on it?

 

[Delusional Mechanic]

My wife and I rode our Goldwing two up the the Arctic Circle in 2015. It was a good hard pack gravel rode. We would have continued north but fires at cold foot and the 'working for a living' thing had us Turing back.
As far as rock chips go, the lower cowling was already chipped due to the fact that we live several miles from the nearest pavement.

 

[DBrown]

Thanks for your input and the great video!

 

[curvedawg]

I was looking at some used 2007 to 2012 BMW 1200 GS’s. If you don’t make be me asking, how much did you pay for the 2009, and how many miles were on it?

did much research on ebay, cycletrader and the local marketplace. found several on cycletrader that were budget minded. luckily found one just outside asheville nc. he wanted 8500 and settled for 8k for the 2009 gs. pretty solid bike IMO he also had all the service records. only non functioning item was the fuel strip which is a widely known issue. after a good bath she looks good and rides good. will probably change the tires later on. there are some good bikes at fair prices in the older models. would suggest 2008 or newer.

 

[curvedawg]

Hi Ira,

Do you know what category the Deadhorse to Key West is classified as? That would be great if I could rent a dual purpose bike (switch bikes) in Fairbanks for the Dalton Highway section of the ride.

yes, i'm aware you must ride the same bike the entire journey for the Ironbutt certifacation. sorry if i wasn't clear.

 

[DBrown]

did much research on ebay, cycletrader and the local marketplace. found several on cycletrader that were budget minded. luckily found one just outside asheville nc. he wanted 8500 and settled for 8k for the 2009 gs. pretty solid bike IMO he also had all the service records. only non functioning item was the fuel strip which is a widely known issue. after a good bath she looks good and rides good. will probably change the tires later on. there are some good bikes at fair prices in the older models. would suggest 2008 or newer.

 

[DBrown]

How many miles were on the bike when you purchased it?

 

[Rollin']

A few stone chips are the least of the issues. If there are wet conditions (it doesn't need to be raining, the water trucks will help with that) the calcium chloride/mud mix will get everywhere. It can/will get past the seals, will be on top of the air box, under the fuel tank, under the exhaust shields, under the front sprocket cover, fill the radiator, in the locks and even inside the swingarm tubes.
I've done three trips to the arctic and there has always been mud.

UCC - 2012

Water trucks.

The white is calcium chloride. Near Deadhorse.

Dempster Highway - 2015

Dempster Highway - 2019
There had been no rain all day. This was from the night before.

Then the next day I had rain from the Arctic Circle to Inuvik.

Cleaning the bike when you get home means taking it apart.

 

[Rollin']

Dust, gravel and big trucks.

 

[Lisa]

A few stone chips are the least of the issues. If there are wet conditions (it doesn't need to be raining, the water trucks will help with that) the calcium chloride/mud mix will get everywhere. It can/will get past the seals, will be on top of the air box, under the fuel tank, under the exhaust shields, under the front sprocket cover, fill the radiator, in the locks and even inside the swingarm tubes.
I've done three trips to the arctic and there has always been mud.

UCC - 2012

Water trucks.

The white is calcium chloride. Near Deadhorse.

Dempster Highway - 2015

Dempster Highway - 2019
There had been no rain all day. This was from the night before.

Then the next day I had rain from the Arctic Circle to Inuvik.

Cleaning the bike when you get home means taking it apart.

^^^All of this. And I don't care how many times or how carefully you clean your bike, that stuff will always be there. Always.

 

[curvedawg]

How many miles were on the bike when you purchased it?

almost 31k...just broke in good lol! I'll put that much on it before 2024

 

[Rollin']

Got fuel? Coldfoot to Deadhorse.

 

[ibafran]

Note the knobbys on that cruiser. It is not exactly a race and taking time for a tire change seems to be a pretty good idea.

And then there is that famous school of thought who's primary directive is, "A clean bike is the sign of a rider doing it wrong."

Variations on theme:
If you have time to clean your bike, you are doing it wrong.
If you don't have to clean the part of your bike to work on that part, you are doing it wrong.
If other riders do not tease you for having a dirty bike, you are doing it wrong.
If you park in a lot and other bikes will park near your filthy bike, your bike is not nearly filthy enough.
If you have to take your bike to a shop for service and they don't tell you that they won't touch it until they or somebody cleans it, you are doing it wrong.
If you invite a hot babe or other SO to sit on your bike for selfies and the filth does not make them decline, your are doing it wrong.
If you invite little kids to sit on your bike so that parents can take pics and the parents do not scream at the kids "don't touch that filthy thing". you are doing wrong.

A lot of the above transfers to riding gear:
If your riding budds ask if you washed your riding gear and your answer is not, "No, I got caught in a 4hr frog-strangler", you are doing it wrong.
If you get caught in a frog-strangler and you do not whip out your Dawn Dish Spray and take advantage of the moment to spritz your gear and your bike midst transit, you are doing it wrong.

and so forth,
fran