Hi Leaving for the Dempster in a week or so was planning to pack spare tires. I got street tires on F800GS now was planning put K60 on in White Horse or Dawson City keep street for spares ? Or am I going overboard and thinking to much. Leaving Winnipeg area in a 5-6 days
If the weather is good street tires on the Dempster won't be the end of the world but I've never heard of any one can who predict the weather much further out than looking out the window. I'd strongly suggest some dirt road worthy tires on that road. You'll really only "need" them for a few days but the Dempster will probably be the highlight of the year for you ride wise so do'er right . Packing tires all the way or buying them out there depends on how much room you have to pack them. If you are meaning if bringing a spare set on that road is must do imho it is most likely not worth it. It is a long remote stretch but is a government maintained highway.
I was on the Dempster last weekend. It was dry and like concrete in most places up to the circle, I could have left my street tires on. But with some rain it would have turned it really slick and into a very slow ride. I was glad still to have the 50/50 tires on. With them it was 120kph all the way to circle. Beyond that street tires would be an interesting ride.
Rode my KLR from Ottawa to mile 0 of the dempster with 80/20 tires and put new 50/50 tires on to do the dempster. I am glad I had those 50/50 tires because they closed the ferry to Inuvik and I decided to head back the same day from the arctic circle. Within that 20 hour period got some rain and the road gets very soft and greasy when wet. Trucks were sinking in about 2 inches and shooting out mud 10 to 20 feet to the side. The road north of the Eagle Plains gets narrow, with a significant crown (You get 50 to 100 foot drops on each side), and the sides of the road are really soft. I will try to post a picture of a truck that got stuck in the soft shoulder. Lots of BMW bikes with 80/20 tires did the road when I was there and I think it is very doable but I was glad to have my 50/50 tires. It helps a lot if you reduce air pressure in your tires regardless of type. On my way back home switched back to my 80/20 a little past Whitehorse because the rear 50/50 was wearing fast (and a slow leak flat on the rear tire). Got a major piece of metal in my front tire in Williams Lake so put my 50/50 back onto the front and this got me home. All in all a real pain to carry those extra tires but really glad I had them with me.
I should have mentioned you will have to deal with wildlife especially evening and early morning - moose are probably your greatest concern - so the better dirt tires may save your buns in that situation. I would post some pictures but can't figure out how.
You can get gas at Eagle Plains, a +/- 370 km ride from the gas station at the southern end of the Dempster.
I'm at Eagle Plains right now, rode up from Dawson on a GSA1200 with TKCs and it would have been a tough ride on street tyres. The road from here to Inuvik is supposed to be tougher than the section up from Dawson so unless you are sure of dry weather all the way up and back you'd be better off on the K60s than street tyres. Theres a couple of guys just arrived from Inuvik on dual sport tyres and they had a nightmare, had to take the mudguards off their VStroms as compacted mud caused front wheel lock up in the soft mud. Will see how I get on tomorrow morning, mainly depends on the weather from what I can tell.
please update on Denson for 7/4 ... wife and I going to try it but if there is a lot of mud it will have to stay on the bucket list. Also how far do you have to go between fuel ups? Is the longest from Dawson to Eagle?
Check out www.onewheeldrive.net. They have a great article on riding the dempster. It will answer most of your questions. I have it bookmarked for when I plan my ride up there. Enjoy the trip and ride safe.
kinda like the climbers on Mt Everest... we are waiting on the weather... and improved road... if it dries a little then we will go (don't want to get the wife hurt)... if not... it will stay on the bucket list
Phoenix101, It's well worth the wait for things to dry out a little if you've the leeway time wise. Makes a huge difference on the way north from Eagle Plains, wish we'd been that sensible. You're probably drying out starting tomorrow per Environment Canada: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/yt-4_metric_e.html Have a great ride! Cheers, Neil
So todays ride from Eagle Plains to Inuvik was quite tough. The weather was excellent and the roads are drying out but there are plenty of stretches where the road crews have watered the road and theres some well dodgy grading over quite long stretches. The fun starts after the Arctic Circle, the going isnt too bad most of the time but watch out for 2 patches of deep heavy clay mud which could easily have you off, especially the one on the other side of a blind crest.... If the weather looks dry for 3 or 4 days I'd go for it but I'd definitely change the road tyres for at least dual sports, especially as you cant rule out sudden showers which can transform the going in minutes. Good luck!
All these replies just reenforces my correct choice to NOT have ridden the Dempster when I was there on my Hayabusa with street tires. In it's lowered state, one good berm crossing would have me off in a second, not to mention a single flying rock could take out my low and exposed rad and oil cooler. Although, a few riders were encouraging me do do it. I think though, that perhaps they have a bit of a time imagining what the limitations are on a sportbike if you ride a dualsport with knobbies all the time. LOL
Having ridden to both Prudhoe and Inuvik and spent a lot of time in the North I can't imagine not riding on TKC 80's or the not available when I rode up Heidenau. These are remote, isolated roads and the small cost of appropriate tires, a decent first aid kit, extra fuel and removing all the unnecessary gear possible from your MC (less weight is good) My wife (300K + of riding) also rode both on trips on her 650 GS single and she found it a real struggle because she is 5'4" and rides lowered MC. She high centred in the gravel on occasion. She rode from Prudhoe South with badly bruised ribs. She would only ride those roads again on a 250 with a steering stabilizer. to help her in the heavy gravel. There is very limited roadside help from other motorists due to a lack of other motorists How busy is the Dempster ? 100 vehicles per day average in the summer months http://www.taiga.net/coop/indics/demp.html The highway North of Eagle Plains and the Arctic Circle is a different road than the highway south of it. The NWT has a smaller road budget and much tougher roads to maintain due to geographic and geological conditions. You can leave your excess gear at Yukon River Crossing for Inuvik for a small fee. Everything you do to reduce your risk of injury and increase the chances of a successful completion is money well spent. Losing a $15,000 + motorcycle off a 100 foot embankment because it is overloaded or has 50/50 tires will not seem like such a savings if it happens to you. When I read the speeds quoted in some posts on these roads I remember the statement an older rider mentioned to me in the Italian Alps when we were talking about riding accidents. His comment " nobody ever died from going too slow on these roads" applies equally to the north. If you crash hard you do not have the luxury of the "Golden Hour" and a quick Life Flight to a Level One trauma centre. Here is a bucket list story http://www.healthcareimc.com/bcovers/previous/Vol_XXIV_No_4/pdfs/Brendan_Seaton.pdf This thread probably outlines the road the best. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=557444 The problem with ADV rider is a thread has superb dirt riders with 40years experience posting in the same thread as a barely dirty rider on a 1200 GS who managed the trip (barely) but didn't crash on Tourances. Lot's of great riders turn around due to the unlucky combination of weather and time working against them, and some riders get through on a set of street tires on the 2 best road days days of the year. Understand the risks and plan for the worst outcome you desire. Riding two up makes the vertical management of the MC in heavy gravel even more of a struggle.
