We're planning a big trip up from the Southeast U.S., through Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and across the Translab to Baie Comeau. I know they're constantly paving portions of the Translab and that conditions vary pretty wildly. Where's the best place to get up-to-date info on Translab conditions and road work?
If your not good on gravel I would avoid that portion of the trip. Weather conditions change the road and graders can change the road a lot from one day to the next. You are in a totally remote area so if you get into trouble it can get bad fast. It is almost all paved from Goose Bay to Lab City now.
A circumnavigation of the Trans-Lab is possible on street tires. Many have done it. Would I? Not likely. I completed the trip in 2011 and actually had a blow-out of one of my Continental TKC80 Knobbies. The road conditions vary from section to section, the the best way to describe my experience was to compare it to riding on marbles on top of travertine tile. There is a solid base, covered in sand with marble sized rocks mixed in on top. When the conditions were wet, it was akin to the above, coated in snot. You'll find the area south of Port Hope Simpson (Mary's Harbour) to be very rocky and the road south of Mary's Harbour was one of the worst sections we encountered. The 11ga steel skid plate on my V-Strom had a rather large dent and my centerstand looked like the underside of a snowplow. YMMV.
The three of us are very experienced riders with lots of off road experience, and we do take the road warriors (2 first gen Connies and a Buell) on trips through North Georgia's forestry service road system so we should be OK on the gravel. We will also be carrying SPOTs and one of Labrador's sat phones. The bikes are also being prepared accordingly, with crash cages and saddlebag guards. The Connies will also be getting armor for the coolant reservoirs as they're in a terrible place for rock protection (right in the fairing chin behind the front wheel). I also have a couple friends who did the Translab on FJRs and am aware of a guy who did the Dalton on a first gen Connie. Thanks for the paving info, we are worried they will pave the whole damn thing by the time we get up there. Stained, thanks for the info. We are a little concerned about tire durability, and I was aware that the Mary's Harbour section was a little rough, but that exceeds the info I had. Thanks for the info.
When I road it Aug/September it was fine (990A loaded). The only thing that may give you some fun is the gravel was a little deep, might be a little snatchy on smaller road bike wheels
I have seen Harleys and Goldwings on the TLH. Anyone can do it on anything. When it is wet it gets sloppy but if you ride in the packed down heavy traffic area it is as good as any dirt road. When you come up on the grader working sign is when it gets ugly. Stay as far from the loose stuff as is safe and crossing the berm ( if it can't be avoided) should be done with extreme caution. It is usually what causes one or two flights home every season. Medical services are scarce.
Day off Mr Murphy? I think what Murph said is pretty spot on, I gravel that I hit was all fresh stuff.
No comparison. Labrador's "gravel" does not compare with anything I have ever ridden. I'm a 40+ year off road racer/rider, I've rode to the artic circle, I grew up on back country gravel roads, I've ridden 500000+ miles, and it was the worst road I have ever ridden! Period! Gravel yea, mine spoils, 1 inch material with no fines, think 3 inches of loose marbles on top of hard packed dirt, they are constantly grading it to a crown and no packed wheel track to ride in. Some spots would not be easy on a dirt bike. Would I do it again? Hell yea. On a cruiser? Not me.
No day off for me. Cold and snow means I would not waste it when I can use it on the rare sunny day in the summer.
Some tires are more prone to getting cut than others. When I run TKC80 I always end up with a few cuts in the main belt between the knobs. In that regard a 50/50 tire might be better like a Tourance. Road conditions up there can change a lot and quickly. No one mentioned bugs. The bugs can be a major issue if your stopped. You can get jackets made out of mesh covering your whole upper body, not a bad investment. I think the Quebec portion of the road is the worse by a large margin. Labrador maintains their road. good idea to make reservations for the NFLD ferry ahead of time but bikes are less of an issue and getting on the island seems easier than getting off. Look out for moose at night in NFLD.
I agree. You can ride it on any machine as long as you adjust your speed accordingly. Stay in the groove and avoid the berm. The shoulder of the highway can also be very soft and and sandy under a thin layer of gravel. When we were coming out at Manic 5 we met an R1200rt and Harley Ultra going in. it would have been a very slow ride for those bikes. Here is a small construction zone on the Quebec end of the highway. The water truck and dump truck drag raced down the highway shortly after this. If anyone had been coming to meet them they wouldn't have had a chance. ps: don't rely on the sign men at construction zones!
Rain came quick and hard when we were on it. Chrisp seemed to be able to get some good road shots in.
That is the first shot I have seen that looks extra challenging. All the other shots look the same or slightly better than our FS roads here. All in all, we have four days planned between Blanc Sablon and Lab City, and the trip as a whole has five days of buffer, so if we have to wait for road conditions or otherwise, we could conceivably take 9 days to cross the Translab. We're not stupid (although we may be crazy), and we do take things like this into account. The rider reports are invaluable too, thanks guys!
When its sunny and warm, its easy to ride a long as fast as you want. Rain hits and it turns to a sloppy mess. But that's a good time to stop and drink some beers and wait if you want.
This is more or less a boom area and hotels/B&Bs are not that cheap or easily available. You could plan one day from the ferry to Goose Bay, one easy day to Lab City and one day to Bay Comeau. Some people tour the power plant at Churchill Falls, it you could work that in.
A lot of the road cuttings have been hydroseeded and make for nice camping - apart from the black flies. I did it in three easy days Port Cartier (but for you it would Baie Comeau), Lab City, Blanc Sablon. If you didn't start at 11 and loll about with long lunches Blanc Sablon to Lab City in a day is more achievable IHMO. I suspect that Goose Bay to Lab City will be paved by this summer (not much left to do last year), most of Lab City to Relais Gaberiel is also paved. Not sure between there are Baie Comeau as I rode FS roads to Port Cartier. Port Hope Simpson to Goose Bay is 420ks so you might need to carry fuel. The ferry was no issue, I actually did it 3 times (Lab to NFL, NFL to Lab, Lab to NFL) and didn't book on any occasion.
Take heed of the notes about the surface. What looks like a "Forest Service Road" ain't necessarily so. Even running knobby tires, I had a couple of tank slappers that increased the pucker factor. I stopped on the side of the road at one point and then had to pick my bike up because the shoulders are so soft. At one point, there were Euclids dumping full loads that were being levelled by a D8 Cat Dozer. When the Dozer moved, that was when you proceeded. It was SOFT. Thee ARE lots of folks that do it on Street Tires - but info on their experiences are anecdotal at best. I don't know what else to tell you - but, YMMV.
Conditions can change almost by the hour. Everyone I have talked to about this has had a different experience even days apart. I have done it twice and both times I rode through too fast. Stop and take in some side roads. Spend some time in Gander. There is an inmate there named Straight8 (Jimmy Lee) He can show you around if he's available. I blew through town completely forgetting about it. Do the dam tour, meet some people and enjoy the solitude at the end of the day. PS: Bring bear spray.
We have a camping night planned for Gander (or thereabouts)! We have been thinking about the dam tour at Churchill, with all these suggestions we might have to just do that!
