TR: Riding up the ALCAN on a Great White Shark! (motorcycle related)
So, I picked up my (new to me) 2016 KTM Super Adventure 1290 in Wenatchee, basically brand new, what a Machine! 160 horsepower at ~9500 rpm, anywhere between 6-10,000 rpm was absolutely insane!!!
They call this bike the White Whale, but they are wrong. This beast is a Great White Shark!
It gobbles up the road and is the top predator in it's class.
The trip back to Alaska took me 6 days and covered ~2700 miles.
Temperatures ranged from 96* to 26*.
Checked out my 72 year old Dad’s new race bike, a fully built out Yamaha R1M race run SuperBike!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a7c3a5ca_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0b4e3988_b.jpg
He is also working on a fully original custom concept HyperBike.
He designed and is building it to the ultimate specs in hopes of selling the design/production to a company like Koenigsegg.
If you want to be a part of it let me know.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a2a9346d_o.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...664aa1d0_b.jpg
Due to some Covid outbreak craziness my route and time frame had to change. I lost three days, which meant I really had to hammer out the miles, the original plan was quite a bit more leisurely.
So, Dad and I took the opportunity to ride the North Cascades Highway, up and over to Diablo Lake, (~410 miles)
*There are a lot of deer on the East side around Winthrop and my Dad got ran into by a terrified yearling on his way home. Luckily it only smacked his leg and bent a pannier, no crash. Damn close…
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d61ce6a5_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cca3e04c_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e9f044b_b.jpg
First night at Birch Bay CG in Blaine, WA.
-rained all night…
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1b016673_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1987aa59_b.jpg
Got across the Canadian border at Sumas with no issues, besides all of the hoops.
Fraser River Valley, awesome riding!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ff261653_b.jpg
Freedom camped just North of Williams Lake (~360 miles)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...03326a4b_b.jpg
-I primarily ate hard salami and sausages for the trip.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3fb62163_b.jpg
Started raining around 11pm, didn’t stop until I rolled into Prince George.
Hauled ass through beautiful Smithers and up the Cassiar Highway to Meziaden Lake CG. (~570 miles)
This is a sad road with all the Maddy Scott Missing signs, as well as the many other women who have gone missing here.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b93d6c5_b.jpg
"Wish You Were Here"
Meziaden Lake
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...016c77cf_b.jpg
-a Grizzly bear was eating the berries from the bushes in my campsite when I rolled in, sorry no pics. Sun went down within 15 minutes of my arrival, my ears were piqued all night.
Huge day, started raining and continued to pour for 7.5 hours of an 11 hour wheels down ride to Whitehorse, the final hour was in the dark, which I hate.
(~660 miles)
I brought my massive Trew Beast as I knew I would have weather on the trip, lived up to the name.
Seth lobster claws were also dextrous AF!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...781c5c68_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...651a1fb3_b.jpg
The sign over there says Welcome to the Yukon, I was too wet and cold to get any closer.
I sang songs about being warm for the next couple of hours. It kinda worked, but I was starting to lose it.
Thank God for heated grips and a heated seat, also without Pinlocks this ride would not have been possible.
All my camping gear was soaked so I rented a cheap hotel in Whitehorse and dried out.
Tough getting out on the road in the morning…
Rode out of Whitehorse with a plan of getting to Tok, Alaska, pretty cold.
(~410 miles)
Kluane Lake
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cb43a73f_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c98822dc_b.jpg
Crossed the border in about two minutes.
Alaska was full of Sun!
Weird to be the only person at the sign.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...48761f33_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cfb49a73_b.jpg
Camped at Thompson’s Eagle Claw Motorcycle Camp in Tok.
Killer place! I stayed in the bunkhouse for $15, I was the only person in the whole compound.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...631cf941_b.jpg
Temps dropped to the mid 20’s and my bike battery crapped out and needed a jump.
-the camp owner had a friend drive over and help me out right away, so Stoked! (I didn’t even think of bringing my Jump Box, I will now).
It didn’t warm up until around 11am…
Drove back to Anchorage, it is a spectacular ride! (~380 miles).
Wrangell – St. Elias
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ed24bbcc_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e164cee_b.jpg
Chugach Mts., Home!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...06eec9db_b.jpg
The Super Adventure is soooo Sick!
If you can, get on one, you will not be disappointed.
This was an amazing Fall cruise, I literally saw 100 million trees in all shades of beautiful colors during the Turn.
I’m happy to answer any questions you have and hope this brings you some Stoke.
