planning for a trip to Alaska

[cba191]

I'm planning a trip to Deadhorse next summer. I'm just wondering if there is anything special I should do to get the girl ready.
I just ordered new suspension, front and rear. Obviously, I'll replace the chain and sprockets, whether they need it or not. What are some of the other details that I might want to consider?  I'm going to solo it, so I'll be on my own.
One concern I have is tire repair on the road. Any suggestions with regard to that?

[HockleyBoy]

One of these http://www.busters-accessories.co.uk/productinfo/SGPTP/Tyres/Puncture-Repair-and-Prevention/Stop-and-Go

along with a mini compressor that will plug into the accessory socket is probab;y a good start.

[cba191]

That would be nice if I ran tubeless.   

[metalguru]

Which engine are you running 885 or 955?
Used to carry spare inner tubes and a compressor on longer europe journeys, till I got recovery.
Puncture repair kit.
Long high grade tyre irons. Tyre beads are a bitch to break in the cold.
Not sure what time of year you are planning to go but the anti-freeze could do with going to 70% in real cold temps.
As much crash protection as you can bolt on and take spares for all levers and cables.
Experiment with tools to see the minimum needed to work on the bike. ie a box socket/spanner sawn in half that will fit front and rear wheel fitments, takes up less room in the tool roll.

[John Stenhouse]

All I needed in '08 was tyres and brake pads. Neither of which was available locally. There are one or two shops in Fairbanks which will get you tyres but they need advance notice for sizes. Really depends on the weather, if it's dry any tyre will get you there, if it's wet then TKC or equivalent would be best.

[Chris Canning]

Just a couple of weeks ago when we went away,I leave a small stock pile with people I know so as if I needed anything they could DHL(other companies are available  :icon_wink:) me over night or in a shortish time.

[cba191]

I have a new set of mefos on right now, but will get fresh tires before I leave. Probably heidenaus or tkcs. I will be going in july/august, so freezing is highly unlikely, but not impossible. I was thing about getting the beadbreakR from bestrest.com. Anyone have experience with that?

[Mustang]

I'd seal my rims and go tubeless ................
get a small 12 volt compressor and a tire plug kit .
easiest way to fix a tire on the road
in 40 years of riding and probably a million miles I have had exactly 3 flat tires from a foreign object while on a road trip
breaking the bead on a 150/70-17 is a royal pain in the ass on the side of the road , for that matter it sucks in the garage too !
mostly because even though the spoke wheels have a tube they are still a tubeless style as far as the bead is concerned .

[lukeman]

I might be inclined to take a SPOT tracker with me if I was going alone through the Yukon.  Other than that, spare clutch/throttle cables, check the battery make sure you are charging ok.  Set of pads, wet and gritty tends to eat them fairly fast.  Light weight complete tool set.  Perhaps some LED spots if you think you might ride at night.

Trick is to bring enough but not too much 

I did 5 months from DC to Panama, packing with purpose is a must for these sorts of trips.

[cba191]

I'd seal my rims and go tubeless ................
get a small 12 volt compressor and a tire plug kit .
easiest way to fix a tire on the road
in 40 years of riding and probably a million miles I have had exactly 3 flat tires from a foreign object while on a road trip
breaking the bead on a 150/70-17 is a royal pain in the ass on the side of the road , for that matter it sucks in the garage too !
mostly because even though the spoke wheels have a tube they are still a tubeless style as far as the bead is concerned .

any recommendations on how best to seal them?  I've thought about it, but it makes me a bit nervous. If it's so easy, why don't more people do it?

[Dutch]

I might be inclined to take a SPOT tracker with me if I was going alone through the Yukon.

I can imagine cell phone reception isn't perfect up north but for the area's you have a connection the gps in a modern phone can be followed via www.greenalp.com. Tried it when my brother made a road trip down under, worked a charm.

[cba191]

I am planning on a spot tracker, am also thinking about renting a sat phone as well. 70-80$ for a week seems reasonable for a type thing of insurance like that.

[Marc]

any recommendations on how best to seal them?  I've thought about it, but it makes me a bit nervous. If it's so easy, why don't more people do it?

here is a link that might interest you:

http://cyb.smugmug.com/gallery/7250813_ZxQA5#!i=465979444&k=BjwM3St

[cba191]

Awesome link!  This will be another winter project.   

[cba191]

Has anyone on here tried this?  I've thought about it, but it's one of those mods that if you do it wrong, it can kill you.