I have a s.h. compass bought in New Zealand (Good brand- Silva)which works superbly in the Southern Hemisphere but takes on such a tilt that I wouldn't contemplate using it in Scotland, or indeed anywhere in Europe. I can't comment on Alaska and Kenya having been to neither, but Kenya is not very far south. Perhaps your compass might not work so well further south?
Also, I have never attempted to use a Northern Hemisphere compass 'down south', having been made aware of the effect before my first trip to NZ, so can't comment on wether my n.h. would have the same problems but I imagine it would as the angle of the magnetic feild would equally different if you see what I mean!
I reckon from a practical point of view, 99% of people are never going to be bothered by this phenomonon, particularly adventure bikers as the level of navigation accuracy required is less than for, say, a mountaineer. I reckon it's worth people being aware of though as some people (e.g. Kiwis!) might have problems navigating in the north.
I've just had a thought too, NZ is about as far south as populated areas get, so maybe Silva compasses for the NZ region are particularly susceptible to the phenomenon. Any Aussies out there had experience of this phenomenon with Aussie compasses?
Matt
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