Tire Change Plan for Ohio to Deadhorse

[bkreese]

Headed to Deadhorse from Ohio in May. I want to ship tires to Watson Lake for change before rougher road.

I have seen many ride reports that have tires changed by Mandeep at Campground Services. I need to know how to plan the shipping including getting in contact with him to make sure this will work. Any contact information or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am hopeful this is posted in the correct forum.

[KHuddy]

Watson Lake... rougher road???? Unless you are heading up the Campbell Highway the road is paved all the way until 75 miles north of Fairbanks. There is a very rough stretch between Burwash Landing and Beaver Creek, but that is frost heaved pavement not dirt. Make arrangements for Adventure Cycle Works (http://www.advcycleworks.com/) in Fairbanks to have the tires you want waiting for you when you get there.

[bkreese]

Thanks for the response. I am planning to run Campbell, and I want to take all precautions. Seems like Watson Lake is where to get ready for off pavement.

An Email address for Mandeep would be great, but I don't know who might have this. His name is all over riding forums, but no contact information.

I am open to all suggestions, and I thank you for the input.


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[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by bkreese

An Email address for Mandeep would be great, but I don't know who might have this. His name is all over riding forums, but no contact information.

he's not at the campground garage any longer, at least he wasn't in sept. 2011. i changed oil there and asked about him, the old guys just laughed. sounded like he got into some kind of difficulty, don't know what, but was long gone. that campground has a listing, you could contact them to see if he's in the area.

agree with changing tires in watson lake, have done it myself, and the campbell is an interesting road. you could phone Michael at the air force lodge and inquire. he has riders there all season, and is a rider himself. very nice place to stay also.

[bkreese]

Thank you for the update. This kind of information is invaluable, and that is why this forum is so very useful!

Thank you for the response. My trip planning continues to move forward.


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[Abenteuerfahrer]

Can't find the other guy and you plan on doing the change yourself lodge at Airforce Lodge and change the tire there. The proprietor is German, he offered me his compressor for quicker fill. You will however have to change the tires in the dirt parking lot. Ask for permisson first!

http://www.airforcelodge.com/

[bkreese]

Thanks for the info on airforcelodge.com. I am going to see if they can receive shipment of my tires, and how much that might cost.



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[jdrocks]

Originally Posted by bkreese

Thanks for the info on airforcelodge.com. I am going to see if they can receive shipment of my tires, and how much that might cost.

be considerate and book a room if you're sending tires. michael will have to pay a custom fee when he receives your tires, be sure to reimburse him. by far the most economical way to ship the tires is USPS. ship well in advance, it takes some time to get there, as well as clear customs.

[bkreese]

My tires arrived last week. I may just take them with me rather than ship. That would give me more flexibility. The downside is that this increases my already expedition quantity of gear on the bike.


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[bkreese]

Looks like I'm going to ship tires to Calgary and mount there. TKCs will hopefully last until return through Fairbanks.


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[disconnected]

Hi There! Its Greg you met at Salt Fork! I hope you are doing a ride report?

[Pantah]

There is a motorcycle shop in Whitehorse, but if you are taking the Cambell Highway, it sounds like you are going to Dawson and then TOW Highway into AK.

The Cambell Highway is a graded road with a granular surface. It is not slippery in rain and there won't be any mud. You could do that road on any motorcycle tire. TOW can get muddy, though. I picked my tires up at my hotel in Dawson and spooned them on manually in the parking lot. I only get about 4k miles out of TKC 80's, so you might not make it back to Ohio without another change. I would want to delay the tire change as long as possible. I'd definitely prefer a DOT knobby on the front for the TOW, but even that road is decent when wet.

Great country though. The South Canol road heads west from Ross River on the Cambell. My fav. It is 135 miles of really great dirt road cutting across to the Alcan Hwy at Johnson Crossing. Best to have knobs on that one too. in 2006 it rode like a cushion mile. In 2010 it was like the ISDE

[bkreese]

Originally Posted by disconnected

Hi There! Its Greg you met at Salt Fork! I hope you are doing a ride report?

I'm planning a ride report, but not until I return. I just have to commit to keeping notes and getting pics (sometimes I get all caught in the moment and forget).

I hope you are still blazing the trails by foot as well as bike! I have the country music marathon this weekend in Nashville, and I'm riding the GS to see if I can make it home in 9 hours after the race. I'll be lucky to be able to climb onto the bike after almost 4 hours of joy.

Send a message if you have any time this season. I would be glad to ride in Western PA. In the alternative, I could show you some of the nice road and fine gravel that is plentiful around my area.




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[bkreese]

Originally Posted by Pantah

There is a motorcycle shop in Whitehorse, but if you are taking the Cambell Highway, it sounds like you are going to Dawson and then TOW Highway into AK.

The Cambell Highway is a graded road with a granular surface. It is not slippery in rain and there won't be any mud. You could do that road on any motorcycle tire. TOW can get muddy, though. I picked my tires up at my hotel in Dawson and spooned them on manually in the parking lot. I only get about 4k miles out of TKC 80's, so you might not make it back to Ohio without another change. I would want to delay the tire change as long as possible. I'd definitely prefer a DOT knobby on the front for the TOW, but even that road is decent when wet.

Great country though. The South Canol road heads west from Ross River on the Cambell. My fav. It is 135 miles of really great dirt road cutting across to the Alcan Hwy at Johnson Crossing. Best to have knobs on that one too. in 2006 it rode like a cushion mile. In 2010 it was like the ISDE

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Pantah. My plans and mind have gone in many directions in working up this expedition, and I think this one of the reasons I'm enjoying this so much. For example, I added the Inuvik recently to my plan, so the TKCs must be ready to go. I'm thinking that returning to tourances in Fairbanks or Anchorage before I burn the slabs home is the only way to go.

Thanks again for the input.


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[bkreese]

So I decided to plan the change to TKCs in Calgary with Dave Anderson at Anderwerks. Recommendations for him are all over this forum. Well, he hasn't returned my calls or emails :bummer. Maybe he is out of business or just not interested in my business.

I then turned my search to Montana since I reached another dealer in Canada that would be glad to mount and balance my tires for a paltry $180 canadian and more if i paid american cash. They must be really good at balancing or something :highway robbery.

There is nothing along 2 in Montana so I found a HD dealer in Great Falls. They can do it for $125 if i provide the torque specs. Not too many other choices, and I am frustrated about this process.

Anyway, my search continues.



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