Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding...

[dirt between my toes]

Originally Posted by lightcycle

Neda typing:

I love my GS! I've downsized from my old R1200ST and haven't looked back since. The standard seating position and the custom Corbin seat are two features that have made a world of difference for me in terms of endurance and comfort. With the wider handlebars, the bike is so much easier to maneuver and the turning radius is better than my old bike, while the gas tank under the seat brings the centre of gravity way down. Besides, I don't have to take the tankbag on and off to gas up anymore!

I'm 5'8" and can reach the ground no problem. If height is the problem, you can always get a lower seat.

At highway speeds, the bike feels underpowered and lacks torque; especially in comparison to my old ST. However, I have no problems passing cars and trucks, as well as keeping up with Gene's 1200GS. I installed the BMW touring windshield which gives me more wind protection than the stock, but I'm still getting a lot of wind blast (especially in the prairies). That's why I'm going to add the Touratech windshield extender to make the bike more aerodynamic.

All in all, the 650GS is the perfect bike for me and ideal for this kind of long distance travel. I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

The reason I was asking is my girl friend is 5`7 with long legs . So you see what I`am thinking !
Enjoying the RR . keep it going . Thanks

[Scootard]

Sadly wouldn't work too well for Scooterchick who is about 5'1". She keeps trying shifter bikes whenever we are at a dealership, in case she wants to go from a twist and go to a "real motorcycle".....hahaha.

[riverman]

Just saying 'Hi there" from the east coast of Canada. Loving the report. Pictures and story telling are just fantastic ! Wishing you both the best in your travels.

[tommu56]

Originally Posted by Scootard

Sadly wouldn't work too well for Scooterchick who is about 5'1". She keeps trying shifter bikes whenever we are at a dealership, in case she wants to go from a twist and go to a "real motorcycle".....hahaha.

Look at a TW200 my wife is 5'3" on a good day and has no problems even better with a good pair of boots on
lowest setting on rear shock and about 1" on fork tubes.

Cutting the seat is another choice.

Or a XT225 or 250 but I don't know if they can be lowered

tom

[vintagespeed]

Originally Posted by lightcycle

...Then again, GS fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate. Mine came with a sticker below the gauge reading, "For Entertainment Purposes Only".......

LOL

no seriously, i was laughing out loud. my cubie mates are probably wondering what is so freaking funny about my SQL query....

beautiful time of year in Alaska/Canada, love the pics! thank you!

[Steve G.]

Originally Posted by lightcycle

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/32.html



We've just stepped over an imaginary line on a map, so the scenery in the Yukon Territory is pretty much the same as in Alaska, seeing how its basically the same range of mountains. Although the views all around us are fantastic, it's taking us forever to escape the cold weather. The roads are lined with snow from the night before, but thankfully it hasn't stuck to the pavement.


Riding in Arctic temperatures? 'snow problem!

Instead of doubling back on the Cassiar Highway south, we've opted to take the Alaska Highway all the way through the Yukon and into British Columbia. It's bit of a longer route, but the pavement is much better and there are more services available than the Cassiar. Or so we thought...


Kluane Lake

We stopped for lunch at Destruction Bay and talked to the locals about the snowfall they received the night before. Everyone remarked how late we were out in the season, and we nodded, pretending it was the first time we've heard that: "Oh really? You don't say!". We're eating out (or inside) a lot in the Arctic because it is just too damn cold to stay outside, and the expenses are mounting because of it. It is not cheap up here, everything is about 1.5 times what it would cost in the south. The motto up here is, "Less for more!"


Beautiful mountains in the Kluane National Park

Our destination for the evening is Whitehorse, which takes us past the snow-crusted mountains of the Kluane National Park to our south. I didn't know much about Alaska and the Yukon before coming out here, and the one thing I'm taking back with me is how mountainous the region is.


Mountain riding in the Yukon Territory

It was a cold ride to Whitehorse and we set up camp in the outskirts of the city. We're staying here for a couple of days to recharge our batteries. Literally: I mean laptop, camera, iPhone batteries, etc. We spent the whole day in the public library catching up on blog entries and e-mails to friends and family back home.


Kilroy was here

Whitehorse has some of the same touristy Gold-Rush-style buildings as Dawson City and it was nice to get off the bikes and walk around the downtown core. Again, we treated ourselves to a hot meal at the Klondike Rib and Salmon Bake, promising that we'd tighten up our belts when the weather got warmer. In the restaurant, we read an ominous sign: "7 days till the end of the season!". We are pushing it right till the very end of tourist season, after which time most services and facilities geared to travelers would be shutting down for the cold winter ahead.


The hot food was soooo good. Neda had elk stew with bannock and I had pasta with bison sausages

The next day, we continued along the Alaska Highway, past the familiar junction of the Cassiar Highway and the town of Watson Lake, towards BC. The Alaska Highway was originally built by the US government as a direct response to the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor. They felt the proximity of Alaska to Japan left the undefended north too vulnerable, and two years and 1500 miles later, a road was built to supply troops, equipment and weapons to Fairbanks. Canada agreed to let the highway be built through BC and Yukon provided that the highway be turned over to the Canadian Army and Highway System after the war. What we ended up getting was a rough gravel road in such disrepair that the federal government had to spend millions more over several decades to pave the Alaska "Highway".


Jordi is one huge dude. Neda is 5'8", and she's wearing tall boots and her helmet in this shot!

Staying up here so late in the season, one of our worst fears is realized: running out of gas. Although there are petrol stations situated every 75kms or so, all it takes is one or two of them to be closed to put us in dire straits. We pass two gas stations that were shut down for the season with our tanks well below the empty mark. Thankfully we have spare gas, unused from our trip up the Dalton Highway, so we pulled over to fill our tanks. There we met Jordi, a fellow GS rider who shipped his bike from Spain to ride all across the Americas. He too, was tapping into his spare jerry can, so we chatted for a while.


Our Spanish is not so good, and Jordi's English is not much better, but we spoke the international language of Maps


Jordi is telling us how he bench-presses R1200GS Adventures in his spare time


Rotopax to the rescue!

I've got 3.78L in my Rotopax, but Neda's Touratech spare gas can only holds a paltry 3L. When you're empty, this doesn't really give you a lot of range, as the gauges on our bikes have barely budged at all after refueling! Then again, GS fuel gauges are notoriously inaccurate. Mine came with a sticker below the gauge reading, "For Entertainment Purposes Only"...

Aside from the freezing weather, now we have to contend with the dwindling services on the road back south.

You guys don't have far to go to get away from the cold weather,,,,They're calling for mid 20's C from Vernon/KamloopsKelowna through Vancouver/Seattle through Oct 11th with 0% rain. It'll be cold at night though.
You guys know the west coast,,,,by late Nov it's wet and dark. I'd be makin' a bee line for San Diego by the end of Oct.

[lightcycle]

Originally Posted by Steve G.

You guys know the west coast,,,,by late Nov it's wet and dark. I'd be makin' a bee line for San Diego by the end of Oct.

Roger that!

[lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/33.html



We're due for a little break in our northern travels, so we've stopped for a couple of days at the Liard Hot Springs, just south of the Yukon/BC border. The rains briefly stop one evening, as we try to time our escape to the pools. The springs are surrounded by warm water swamps and heavy forests, lending a very remote feel, despite being less than a km away from the Alaska Highway.


So relaxing!

The Liard Hot Springs is the second-largest hot springs in Canada. We've already visited the first on this trip, Radium Hot Springs, also in BC. It's still pretty cold out, about 10C, but the waters are 42C in the "cold" pool, and the 52C in the hot one, the constant steam rising providing an eerie backdrop against the bathers in the springs.


Lounging around in the hot pool


The hot pool is too hot, can't stay in too long


Namaste.


Neda's tattoo turned out amazing


The rains start up again, Neda laughingly emulates the sound: *plok* *plok *plok*

The rain continues to hammer on our tent overnight, but in the morning, it is overcast and we're ready to continue our journey southwards. We are warned that a herd of buffalo are on the move along the highway, and it's not 5 kms from Liard that we stumble upon the first group grazing and lazing about.


Where the buffalo roam...


These guys were huuuge!

There's a lot of wildlife in northern BC, and we have a couple of close calls as we round the bend and encounter animals (and overturned vehicles) on the road!


More wildlife on the road


Different kind of wildlife on the side of the road

The weather is getting warmer as we stop for the night in Fort Saint James. It feels like we are slowly escaping the cold clutches of the north. At least while the sun is up...

[Jud]

Great stuff,,,,, thanks again for sharing.

[Paddygfw]

Looks like great fun...thanks for the pics

[MotoDoll76]

Subscribed and loving it. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration. Be safe!!!! If you find yourselves on Eastern Long Island (The Hamptons), you're welcome to stay....have bed, food, wine, and laundry!!

[dryden_rider_54]

Subscribed.

My wife and I are just wetting our appetites for motorcycle trips. I have the advantage of being retired but she has a couple years before we head ou on our lifetime adventure. I love the idea of travelling without the boundaries of time

Your initial trip to the east coast pretty much is the plan for myself and my wife next year. We did most of the area that you travelled into BC and Alaska this year. She also rides a F650GS and I ride a F800GS

So great that you are able to do this. Take it from a guy that worked all his life and then retired, remember, the world will wait for you to do what you want to do.

Stay safe and ride smart. Looking forward to your updates.

[Pickup man]

Absolutely incredible RR ! The pics of the scenery are amazing. Thank you for the inspiration for me to get off my butt and see other places outside of Ontario.
I wish you two lots of luck as you continue on the journey of a lifetime. If you guys come back to Toronto and need a place to crash, I have spare beds and a garage your welcome to anytime.

[UpST8]

[tamas]

Hey guys, I still can't believe meeting you guys just SW of Mount Rainier last Sat :)
Ride safe!

http://imgur.com/ajDKR