purdhoe bay alaska

[RUSH]

anyone ever been there?
I feel the need for a new trip.
obviously it would be next year july/august.
any ideas about extending the fuel carrying abilities?
the furthest distance between gas stations is 214 miles.


__________________

[MikeFromMT]

God help me, I may be ostrasized for even having knowledge of this but here goes...there is another board for riders of "adventure bikes" http://www.advrider.com/ and many have made the trip you mention, this may be a good resource for ride info/planning.

Let the flogging begin.

[81xsproject]

FLOG!

Just kidding. To get flogged around here you would have to say something like, 'harleys rock and metrics suck' or 'I wish my bike had a v-twin in it instead of that damn four in a row. " You would certainly be flogged to death. I personaly would love to get an "adventure" type hybrid bike to have in my stable. "Hay guys lets ride down to the river," not on the eleven.

[Jerry]

Have not been there, but have seen photos of the place. It is one of the ugliest places in North America...only thing to see is the Alaskan Pipeline entering the ground, otherwise it isn't anything more than an ice-cold oil shanty town, nothing scenic about it. Trip there and back has some high points; get a copy of MilePost magazine (specializes in Alaskan travel) and plan your route. You can also go to www.alaska.com for some good info.

[DiverRay]

Rush,
If you have the Standard model, you SHOULD be able to squeeze 215 miles out of a tank. Keep the speed down to 55mph or less, and you should be getting close to 45MPG, or better. With a 5 gallon tank, you should be able to make it.
I would also look into a small outboard tank as a back-up. a two gallon can will go a long way to making the trip.
Ray

[Dragonrider]

I rode my Valkyrie to Alaska in 2004. I was going to go to Prudhoe Bay but the forest fires had the road closed to civilians for the couple days I was in Fairbanks.

Then I thought I'd try for Inuvik on the Dempster Highway out of Dawson City...426 miles of gravel and dirt...with only one stop in the middle. That road well and truly kicked my ass. Conditions change REALLY fast out there. I had to turn back (1st time EVER)...but I will attempt it again.

I took a 5 gallon plastic Jerry can that I bought here ...it sealed with an o-ring and is very heavy plastic. Worked great. Don't try those cheap plastic gas cans as they will leak as you bounce all over the place. I carried it on my luggage rack (empty) for the entire trip...just filled it for that attempt.

[Ken Talbot]

Hey Rush, you realize that if you do this trip, we're going to be looking for a write-up something like Daniel's so can all feel like we're there with you....

[Dragonrider]

Heh heh...a lot of the stories are at that link but if ya want the whole story, including the Dempster kicking my ass, ya gotta get the book! (there's chapters in the book that are not on the web).

I'm evil that way!

[chevy45412001]

?

ya we know ....you book pusher you...

[HobbyMan]

I have only driven between Anchorage and Whittier. After a long flight, you don't want to drive that far. I love the roads(when they are in good condition). If they are like I rember, that should be fun. I have only been there 3 or 4 times. The nice thing was that my dad and I rented a car for $20, unilimeted miles. When we would return it, the bugs would cover the front 1/4inch thick. In the next few years, I plan on driving up there.

[TomKat]

My wife and I had mentioned the possibility of taking the Goldwing to Alaska next Summer. Our youngest son may be stationed there, he is returning from his tour in Iraq as I type this post.
No way do I try it on the XS11, I don't trust my wrenching skills enough and I have it in too many pieces right now.