Has anyone been through Labrador? If so, what type of bike is neccessary? Do I need a KLR or will a sport tourer do?

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Gary

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Gary

Check out this web page for a Labrador story (done on a BMW R1100RS):

http://www.geocities.com/translab99/

I am planning on heading to Labrador this summer.

I see that the road from Cartwright to Port Hope Simpson isn't supposed to open until October. Does anyone know if there's any chance it will be passable in July? (Seems unlikely, but I can always hope.)

Laura from Seattle
BMW R100GSPD

Thanks Laura,
I bumped into the link you mentioned and it confirmed what I suspected in so far as it looks like any sport tourer will now do. The only other people I knew who had done it had been on KLR650's. I'd buy the KLR but none of my friends would. They all want road bikes and don't like camping either. Deadbeats. I'm going in August.

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Gary

Gary,
We are heading up to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador in June of this year and will be on a HD Softail pulling a B&H pop-up-camper.
As far as I can tell the roads are OK, even the cross Labrador HWY. of gravel/sand/mud.
Check out the links for first hand info. Good Luck


HTTP://WWW.CATFERRY.COM
HTTP://WWW.MARINE-ATLANTIC.CA/MARINEE/WHEEL/INDEX.HTM
HTTP://WWW.NEWFOUNDLAND.COM/NEWFOUNDLAND _FERRY.SHTML
HTTP://WWW.GOV.NF.CA/
HTTP://WWW.HAPPYVALLEY-GOOSEBAY.COM/
HTTP://WWW.LABRADORWEST.COM/
HTTP://WWW.EXPLORINGLABRADOR.COM/
HTTP://WWW.ROADS.GOV.NF.CA/
HTTP://EXPLORE.GOV.NS.CA/
http://www.checkinnovascotia.com/Pub...ureRequest.asp
HTTP://GOETHENET.NET/Call/North2001/
http://www.geocities.com/translab99/
http://www.amxfiles.com/stoneji/97trip/
http://pages.infint.net/ducmtl/index.html

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Jim

Try the following link. It is an article I wrote for Thunder Press after riding my Harley FLH down the Trans Lab highway. I would say any bike will do just fine. It is dirt and the road surfaces are variable. A more dirt oriented bike is more suitable if you are in a hurry.

It looked like they were putting in gas stations halfway to Churchill falls and halfway to ??? on the way south of churchhill falls, can anyone confirm?

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/ct_bob...s/translab.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/ct_bob

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Bob L.

as a newfie, yes it can be done, but be careful.at certain sections, you most likely will have to carry extra gas. Gas up at every opportunity, premium gas may not always be available.
black flies and mosquitoes big problem. also tractor-trailers travelling at high speed pose a problem, as does dust. many have had broken headlights and cracked windshields.most of the driving is on gravel roads, best to have had some dirt bike riding experience. must concentrate 100% on your driving. good luck david

We just got back from doing the trans lab on a HD Softail pulling a camper.
The road has many moods and just when you think you have it figured it out, it will jump up and bite you on the butt.
Rain turns the road into a slippery mush of rock dust and potholes best navigated on a off road bike, not a cruiser with street tires.
We learned to beware the roadgraders as they will leave an even coating of loose gravel 1 to 2 inches deep and will fill the potholes with loose stuff, and they are always busy.
The best running we had was on portions that had not been scraped for several days. You could run the ruts on hard packed surface, but beware the drifted gravel(pea sized to the size of a double fist), it will move you all over the place.
When the road is dry the dust will coat you like a layer of paint -- breathing mask are the order of the day.
The black flies were terrible when we ran the road -- late June. You will need a bug jacket - we bought ours at a wal-mart in Gander,NFLD.
Most of the big rigs slowed when they saw us, I would guess they knew how much flying gravel hurts.
There are NO gas stations between Goose Bay and Churchill Falls or between Churchill Falls and Labrador City.
We experienced a record rainfall on the Goose Bay end and a powder dry road on the Lab City end.
I don't mean to discourage anyone from doing this road, but if you are not comfortable riding in soft sand and loose gravel, this is not the road for you.
Other than that, the scenery is great.

http://flatwicksetc.homestead.com/goosebay.html

[This message has been edited by Possum (edited 15 August 2002).]

[This message has been edited by Possum (edited 28 September 2002).]

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Jim

I really cannot speak about the trans-Labrador highway, but I can speak about the road from Baie Como to Labrador City. I have done this road in the winter only, but can guess at summer conditions.
This is a paved road from Baie Como to Manic 5, then a good gravel road up to Gangion. From Gangion to Fire Lake, the road is an excellent paved highway. The road from Fire Lake to Mt. Wright is a rough, twisty, gravel road with numerous railroad crossings. Mt. Wright to Lab. City is an easy ride.
From Lab. City, there is gas in Fermont, but then there is a gap of 250 km to relais Gabriel. From there south, there is gas available at 100 km intervals-no problems there.
Dennis Caswell

The stretch of pavement between Gagnion and Fire lake is not as nice as it used to be, it's better than the gravel that follows, but it's getting very worn. Also the stretch after that pavement for Gagnion has a number of twists and turns that are difficult for transports to see what's coming so be on guard constantly. In the summer time parts of this stretch also have a tendency to get washed-out if there is a lot of rain.

I've traveled that road for years, growing up in Churchill Falls I didn't really have many choices when it came to traveling, so it was either take the train and drive or fly.

I remember times in the summer that some of the potholes were deep enough that I almost thought our pickup truck was going to bottom out.

-k

After reading those awesome articles, I am wondering whether I would want to ride through Labrador on my Cagiva Gran Canyon, or on my dual-sported Honda XR650R that I rode to Yaviza Panama and back. Tough call.

Some people may remember a few years back, American Motorcyclist had a cover article about a couple who rode to Radisson Quebec and Hudson Bay. About a year before that article, I had ridden my Kawasaki ZX-11 to Radisson and back. The only reason the road is there is so the trucks can run up to the hydro-electric dam in Radisson. On the last 400 miles due north, there is one fuel stop 240 miles out, my ZX-11 just barely made it.
That was the only man-made structure on the entire section...for 400 miles there was not another house, driveway, or store!