Victory Vision - http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=827740 Atigun Pass on the way to Prudhoe Bay -
I rode a BMW K1200LT when I went a few years ago. If I had it to do again I'd take a BMW GS with cruise control for the long interstate ride to get there from NC but to have the dirt/bad road condition ability when I got there. I would not do a lot of off road riding there as you really dont want to have a bad day on your bike 6000 miles from home.
I took a Honda ST1100. My opinion is that it was the right bike to get there from Texas, but the wrong bike once there, mainly because of weight and suspension travel. It was also totally shot by the time I got back home. All the fairings, windshield, driving lights and headlight were rock-pitted and broken, the suspension was shot, the wheels were bent, etc. I just parted it out on eBay rather than fix it. If I had it to do over again I'd try it on an F800GS.
I rode a Vespa scooter up there from California in 1978. It actually worked out great on the 1000 miles of gravel Alcan (as it was back then). Rode my 1981 GL500 up there last summer. Now it's just a long drive with a few potholes and way too many mosquitoes.
I rode my trusty R100GSPD. In this image taken by my brother, Dave(2006), I am in the lead heading north on the Haul Road, with my nephew, Matt, following on a R80GS. Sukakpak Mountain looms ahead, welcoming us to Atigun Pass on the Brooks Range. Coldfoot proved to be a lot livelier than Deadhorse. Been back to Alaska twice since then on the GSPD, in 2009 and 2013. The bike has over 100,000 miles on her, and I wouldn't hesitate to take her up there again. Airheads rule!!!! Tom in Salem
Enjoyed reading the comments about what bike to take to AK. Silly question and a bit off topic, I suppose....asking anyway. Anyone roadtripping to Alaska from, say, Pennsylvania, is going with camping gear, right? You can't make a trip like that and expect to hotel-it, right? Anyone attempted this riding two-up with camping gear? AK is toward the top of the bucket list and I'm curious how feasible it is with two people. Wife and I spent 11 days on the road and camped 8 out of 10 nights. Its a lot, no two ways around it. We carry lightweight backpacking gear and planned our meals at restaurants. Not sure how you could have room to carry food. Luggage is Bmw side panniers and large dry bags mounted on top with clothes. Curious to hear thoughts from others...
I moved to Alaska on my WR250X from Maryland with everything I owned strapped to the back in a duffel bag, but I got here too early in the season for warm weather. Good for the mosquitos though! Destruction Bay motel on the AlCan. Made it to Deadhorse just fine too. Living in Fairbanks now, I see about 10-15 people a week riding up from various places outside AK on a wide variety of bikes. Most are on overloaded GSA's or H-D baggers. About 1 in 10 are riding two-up, and again usually loaded to the gills and then some. Pack smart and efficiently and you'll be better off than most. She gets 1 pannier, you and the bike gets 1 pannier, and a top case or duffel for your camping gear. You can buy oil and tires in Alaska. Hotels aren't so bad of an idea when the sun shines for 20+ hours a day in summer, the mosquitos are threatening to fly away with your tent, and it hasn't stopped raining for a week.
My son and I rode up from Ga last summer on (2) GS's. I think camping gear is a must for those days you are traveling late and can't find a hotel. We camped about half the trip. Use motels to wash clothes and clean up. I actually slept better camping than in motels. When we went up the Dalton we left the bags in Fairbanks to lighten the load and just carried camping gear and some MRE's. With two up you will get the small bag and your wife will get the big one. We could have made it with less stuff (fishing gear, humidor, etc) but took it because we could.
My wife and I rode to Alaska on our BMW K1200LT. Total trip mileage from home and back was about 14,000. We visited Homer, Seward, Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Coldfoot, and Deadhorse, along with a lot of smaller places. If you aren't comfortable riding on bad gravel or slimy hardpack, stay on the paved roads. We saw just about every kind of motorcycle making the trip, except sportbikes. Fairbanks and Anchorage have excellent motorcycle dealers that can service nearly brand of motorcycle. Whatever you ride, make sure it can go at least 200-240 miles between fill ups. As far as camping goes, it's your choice whether you sleep in a motel or in the food chain. Alaska State University will rent you a dorm room in Anchorage or Fairbanks for less than a motel room. Nice accommodations. You should consider having a SPOT with you so you can send out distress signals if needed. We also spent about $500 to join an organization that will come get us in a medevac plane or chopper in the event we are in an accident far away from health facilities, and then fly us back home if our conditions won't allow us to fly commercial. I think it was called MedJet Assist.