Tips & Info greatly appreciated
 

Just got the net, am planning a trip from AK
to Ushuaia in fall of 04. Planning is in its
infancy as had little means of info. Any help
with border crossings, bike insurance, carnet
de passage would be very helpful. I'm 28, have a 98 Adventure, but am trying to purchase a R80 GS. Would like to be on the
road as long as it takes. Any help with routes would help as well. Anyone planning a
similiar trip & like to share info?

Thanks, Olee

Hi
at present i am in nicaragua having riden down from prudhoe bay in june this year. i am taking 6 months off the trip to go back to the uk to earn some more money and will have access to my pc there. i will be able to let you know whatever i have found out in more detail than i can at the moment. cyber cafes here are real real slow. as for insurance get it for ak, canada and the lower 48. i decided to forget the rest as i am told it aint worth the paper it written on. a carnet has not been needed so far and i am told will not be needed in sth america. an adventure seens a good choice for the trip but find out what regularly breaks on it and have someone back home ready to ship the parts to you if needed. As for the rest of the questions you have please feel free to mail me from the contact icon and i will get back to you as soon as poss. its a big undertaking to plan the trip but well worth it. (at least you live in the most northerly city and need not ship your bike there like i had to)i look forward to reading you in the future
oz

Hi Olee,
Welcome to the HUBB, and congratulations on your trip planning so far. In my opinion, the planning stages can be a great source of entertainment and good fun: you've got the 'where' and 'when' figured out, now you get to plan the 'how'. Don't worry about 'why', that will be answered at the end of day 1 on the road. Your best friend during the next year of planning may be the 'search' button on the top right hand corner of the screen. Guaranteed you will be wondering about fuel capacity on the R80, or which tank bag will fit, or where you can get tires in Equador, and at 2:00am you can do a search for it and giggle to yourself as the search engine spits up the same question from somebody else 2 weeks or 2 years ago, along with answers.
Another great way to prepare is to start reading all the travellers tales that are on the site. Most will give routes, and interesting things to do and see along the way.
Enjoy,
Rene

Thanks for the info. and inspiration. Wanted
to leave sooner but next fall would be much wiser. Looking forward to planning & heading
out. AK is an awesome place to ride but very
short season. Time to follow motorcycle weather as far as possible. Enjoying stories
and advice on HUBB. Cold and rain has finally
been replaced by snow so AK is once again
beatiful. Perfect time to start planning a
nice long motorcycle ride. Thanks for the advice on insurance etc. I will give you an
e-mail oz- much appreciated

How's the weather in Vancouver. Any rides in
the future in the works? Thanks for the help olee

The most important is that the window to go to Ushuaia is only December to February, then all your timings must be coordinated to arrive Ushuaia during the summer.

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Ya verás como quieren en Chile al amigo cuando es forastero (traditional song)

Jose Pedro Espinosa
Curico, Chile

Olee,
A buddy and I spent 7 months traveling from Seattle to Buenos Aires and have a ton of info imbedded in our online journals. go to our website, click the journals button then click a country to hear how our trip went for us. We plan to get the info more catagorized soon, but it's a lot of work that'll have to wait. Hope it helps!
Regards, Steve

www.bikerswithoutborders.org
www.bikerswithoutborders.org/journal

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Olee:

The only information I can help you with is to tell you that whatever insurance you have for your bike in the State of Alaska is automatically valid for all Canadian provinces and all the other US states - there is some kind of treaty between Canada and the USA on auto insurance that requires any insurance issued in either of the two countries MUST be valid for all states and provinces in both countries.

So, that's one worry you can check off your list.

[This message has been edited by PanEuropean (edited 12 November 2003).]

Olee, I am 6 months into a RTW, and IMHO, the city of Vancouver is so beautiful, it doesn't matter what the weather is!! But to answer your question, hazy blue skies, and +10C. I was in AK two summers ago, and would love to go back to explore more - beautiful country up there.
I'm not sure how far you are along with the BMW aquisition, but www.ibmwr.org is a great source of info and prices on used bikes. And you also might want to give George at Trails End BMW in Fairbanks a call - a great character who usually has good leads on BMW's up there - the older the better.
Cheers, Rene

Each state in the US has different insurance requirements. Not all meet the Canadian requirements. If you go into Canada and are stopped and asked for insurance papers you have to have the card that says that your insurance specificaly meets Canadian requiremnts. Your insurance company should give you the Canadian card If you ask for it.
John

Thanks for the insurance tips, I travel into the Yukon & Northwest territories a lot during the summers, customs has not once asked us for insurance, only trouble ever had
is been searched a few times (once quite extensively, dogs, boots and all riding gear off etc) I think they thought we were bringing pot in because we go back in forth to Dawson 5 or 6 times a summer.
George at Trails End is a good friend of mine
I have a /7 with a hack and he likes his hacks, he rode with us to Dawson this summer
for a whoop up, his 1st time since (in Dawson} since 1968. I rode to Inuvik on my KTM after Dawson City Music Fest with a brand new set of MT21's road was a dream, I
can see my ass killing me after about 10000 mi. not to mention I love my BMW rock solid reliability. But time will tell. How long do you plan on staying in Vancouver? Where next?

All help is greatly appreciated, olee

Olee,
I met a few fabulous folks from Dawson who I camped and partied with in Keno that summer. One had a old Guzzi with his dog in the hack. There was also a Norton and a few HD's. I am in Vancouver for another month - recovering from a deer smack a little while back. And since I'm form here, decided to get some dental work before heading into Central Am for 6 months, then south from there. The bike is in Miami and will continue travelling in early Dec. I have some of the travel journals at www.renedian.com, although the AK trip isn't on there.
Cheers, Rene

I have not been asked by customs about insurance but I think the insurance problem may come up if you are stopped for a traffic violation. I don't think that PanEuropean had the correct information. I know in Nevada that you only need to have $15,000 in libility. And as far as I can find In Canada They want $200,000 in libility. You should have a " Canadian non resident interprovincial motor vehicle insurance card." See below
http://gocanada.about.com/cs/borderc.../carpapers.htm
"Lois on the loose" website is the best example.
John

Hello there,
I am doing the very same trip at the moment. I am currently in Peru.

Have a look at my website www.b13media.com/lois for stories along the way, including getting my bike impounded in Vancouver for not having insurance!
You can email me from my site if you have any specific questions.
Good luck and have fun. It is a great ride.
Cheers,
Lois

Rene-did you tag a deer on your bike? If so how is it? After you leave Miami where are you headed?
Lois-where did you start your trip from, how long are you planning on being on the road?

Good time to start planning from here as the weather man is saying -40 F for the weekend no joke. Keeping the woodstove full and beer cold. This time next year warmer climates will be welcomed.

thanks olee

Olee- Hit the critter in New Brunswick on the way to Moncton to get the bike appraised for a carnet, of all things. 10:30 in the morning. The bike has nominal damage, mostly plastic bits, turn signal, the Touratech right hand pannier had to get hammered out (oddly the lid fits tighter now and is more waterproof than before). The deer took off, we couldn't find it. Would have enjoyed venison that night if we did.
After Miami I will spend Christmas/NYE in Copper Canyon, Mexico followed by 6 months in Central America, 8 months in South America, then over Africa way. Or something like that. I've been a firm believer in not letting excessive planning get in the way of a grand adventure. I'm not sure how full your local library is, but there a handful of moto-travel books that would go well with -40 and beer.