I live in BC and would like to clearly state you will not make it anywhere near the north in March. End April mid May things are clearing up to allow you to get north.. you would face extreme cold / wet /and all around crappy weather. There are some places that you may get low temps in June on the heights in the mountains.. Once the place warms up its great though.

Hi guys and thanks for the info.
I had a talk with Sjaak Lucassen who did the Alaska ride in February with his Yamaha R1. Although he was fully sponsored he said that with a good prep I could make it myself. He also said that the road to Fairbanks it's well mantained and selad while instead from Fairbanks to Pradhow Bay no asphald at all and very limited fuel. Woud you agree on this?

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looks cold... take a big coat and some furry underpants couple of sjaak's vids in the north

Extreme Alaska motor adventure-Deel 30-Canada/Alaska - YouTube

Alaska Deel 28 - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGFKL...24FC9&index=36

Gionata

Motorcycle travel in the north has been done, but you need to know the risks, the gear you need, the preparation...

Do on internet search for Paul "Iceman" Mondor. He rode across Canada in winter, and rode to the far north another time in winter. There is an old post of his ride report on adventurerider. He also wrote one or maybe two books. "Two Wheels Through Winter" is one. He's very honest about the issues and dangers and the why he did it. He also speaks to the nay-sayers.

There is another rider, Hubert, who has ridden in winter to the far north, but rode with a sidecar. You'll have to do a search again.

Get in touch with AKRider on AdvRider. He lives in AK and has ridden in winter, including the Dalton.

March is a winter month in the north. It is sunny, but it's a cold month.

Hope these resources help you make your decision.

MikeS

Responding to your exact questions; From a trip up the AlCan in Feb. onc time and then return in March: The AlCan was ice covered the whole way, both months. The graders put grooves in the ice for traction. You do cross several mountain ranges, so there are steep grades with icy roads. I drove up/back in a pickup on this winter trip. On the return in March, we hit quite a bit of snow that would cause a motorcycle to hole up until it passed.

Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay is mostly gravel, but again, it's the far north and the tundra. I rode that in summer on a street bike one time. There is one stretch between gas that I think is around 300 miles; the last section from Coldfoot to Deadhorse. The other gas is the Yukon River crossing, south of Coldfoot.

Like I already said, you need to evaluate your skills and think seriously about your decision to ride the AlCan and the Dalton. You need to know how to stay warm in the arctic, and know how to keep your bike running and on the road. It's been done before, but it needs to be done with the understanding that the north is not forgiving when the weather is adverse.

Follow through on my contacts in my previous post. Let us know if you decide to ride in March and post a report!

I have done three different trips in the 500 mile range/day in winter. This includes below 0*F. I was using a sidecar rig on all those trips. It is do-able, to ride in the cold. I have the gear and the keep warm part figured out. Traction is the biggest issue, even with a sidecar. I have never used studs, but motorcyclists who have report liking the ones from Riderwearhouse in Duluth. They have with internet/mail ordering available. They sell the stud insert tool because you will have to do that yourself and replace studs along the way.

After almost 3 months riding from South America I finally made it to Vancouver and I am staying at the International Hostel. I will spend some time tomorrow visiting hardware stores and motorcycle stores to buy some stuff to deal with the weather from now on.

If someone is from here and would like to join me while I go gear hunting is more than welcome.

I don't have a phone but I will get notifications on this post if you ever reply.

Studs: If I buy them here should I mount them on right away or wait until the road it's actually iced?

Does anybody in Anchorage know where I can find a motorcycle metal crate?

Thanks

Gionata Nencini

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+1.

The weather in northern Europe is still in "winter mode" and here, in parts of the UK, there are snow drifts many metres deep; northern France had similar snow fall just over a week ago.

How is the jet stream behaving in west Canada? It is being blamed by the meteorologists for all this cold weather and it caused the wettest of UK summers in 2012.

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Dave