Anchorage to Oklahoma...on a Sportster!

Hi, I'm semi new to this site so I'm going to go ahead and confess im a Sportster rider(yeah i know bring on the hate). But I love riding and have about 10000 miles on my 2008 sporty. August first I will be riding from Anchorage to Tok (I have a buddy thats a customs agent that i will be staying with up there). then heading south through canada. i have my proof of canadian insurance, usa insurance card, registration, drivers license, military id, and passport card and I wanted to know if i need anything else. Also I have never been through canada so i wanted to know what was the best route? My gas tank only holds 3 gallons so I will be carrying a can. I'll be stoping in Kalispell to see one of my military buddys there then heading to Oklahoma. Anybody want to go with me part of the way or give me advice on the roads it would be much appreciated! Its good to see some Alaskans on here!

Rear shocks!

Maybe swap out to 10" coil springs under that seat. oser

No hate here... just pure amazement.:huh

Hey, good on ya. Ride your own ride. Who cares what anyone else thinks. Fuel management seems to be your only issue which is manageable.

let us know how much the doc bill is when you get done on that back braker.:huh

Lessee... mebbe a windhield wiper on your faceshield. That fenderless front tire is gonna throw a strip of mud at you any time you hit wet construction. And be sure to strap your load down securely or it won't make it to Tok. Probably the worst frost heaves on any Alaska highway are from Mile 10 to Mile 22 on the Tok Cut-Off. Hit one around Mile 11 last week (at a fairly respectable speed ) and the windshield on my Concours snapped off and broke (Lexan, at that!) across my helmet. :eek1

Good point. On my way out of state with my U-Haul trailer in tow, the tow hitch came off on one of the heaves....If I waited for U-Haul it would have been about 3 hours but some guys who had been drinking came by and we all were able to lift back up on my ball joint. Scared me to death seeing that swing around in my rear view mirror.

...to what?

What's your packing plan, Sideways? Sleepingbag on the fender, socks and underwear in a backpack?

He's going to be sittin on the sleeping bag. I think what we are looking at here is a yard sale somewhere along the road.

Think "Then Came Bronson". All he ever had on his Sportster was a small bed roll tied under the headlight, yet he seemed to have an endless supply of clothing.

I built a tall sissy bar and i will be strapping my ruck sack, bed roll, gas can to that and when i do long rides i strap my tent and sleeping bag to the front to help break up the wind. Also its great because I can use that as a back rest. right now i have road king shocks (air ride)on so the bike rides pretty nice with full travel suspension. i will be throwing on a front fender for this trip too....:eek1 I'm bringing a tire repair kit and tools so hopefully i can take care of what ever problem i may encounter. I also have a sheepskin butt pad I got from Alaska Leather thats nice and comfy so I think I should be good to go.

Might want to verify that Canuck LEO's don't have any major heartburn w/ open pipes. That tire tread doesn't look like it'd hold much or shed much, either. Doesn't mean anything in particular but riding through wet road construction will be pretty slippery with that vintage tread design.

Looks like a good time though. I definitely agree w/ the couple of comments about a screen and a front fender. At some point you're going to get wet and if you aren't prepared for 60mph flying muck before you leave you'll definitely have it on your mind before you get there. If you've still got the cover for that primary drive sprocket you might want to put it on before you leave. Those belts hold up pretty well but if you get a pebble between the sprocket and the belt it'll shorten belt life bigtime.

It'd also be good if you were the man of steel. The totally upright riding position on a longer ride w/ not much chance of scooching around on the seat might pogo your spine a tad. Other than that though it ought to be a gas. Have a good time.

Dave Barr road around the world on a Sportster, with no legs.

davebarr.com

thats funny you say that about the exhaust. I had pulled out my stock exhaust out of storage today and that was what i was going to run. that pic is not an updated pic of my bike. and like i posted earlier i am running a front fender. i have run no fender for about 10,000 miles so im pretty much used to it so a fender will be luxury. I have a brand new michelin sitting im my garage that i will be installing tomarrow. heres a pic of the bike when i rode about 4 hours in the rain from homer the other day. i have a decent size sissy bar that i made that I will be throwing on before the ride and ill be pulling the bars back some so i can rest my back on the ruck sack. thanks for all the advice fellas i can not wait to hit the road!

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When you hit unpaved roads, the original footpeg position would give you better control than forward controls. The ability to stand on the pegs can make a big difference over bumps and on low-traction surfaces.

Thanks, i think i will run mid controls and highway bars...

You will be ok on that bike. My wife rode a 750 ACE from Key West to Wasilla.:eek1 If a gal in her late 40's can do it you ought to be able to. :huh One of the guys from the MTF did a UCC on a 1200 Sportster.

Might wanna take one of those emergency drive belts you can splice together in case you break yours. Windshield, lowers, and some crash bars with gators (covers) will help keep you drier/warmer. Get yourself a good rain suit and waterproof gloves. HAVE FUN!!! Wish I could go too.

Here are some links to road conditions/construction zones:

http://511.alaska.gov/

http://www.511yukon.ca/

http://www.drivebc.ca/

So now it has rear shocks:huh well thats better.

I think he is good to go.

Saw a lot of Hardleys in Alaska and Canada last month but they had fenders. Seriously, there is a lot of gravel and chip seal stretches in northern Canada. I'd either find stock fenders or cobble something.

If I did this correctly, here is a picture of my bike with a custom Prestone rear fender extension. Also had a front floor mat extension.