Yamaha 1300 Tourer - Yamaha 1300 Tourer Fansite

Once in a while there are questions posted on this forum that relate to touring Alaska on a motorcycle. Being the summer riding season is approaching and people that are planning such a trip would be in the process now I thought that I would post some information that could be helpful.
I lived in Alaska for 27 years and am pretty aware of what the ramifications of motorcycling in the Last Frontier entails.
First, our standard cruisers are perfectly capable of performing adequately on the roads from the U.S. through Canada and on all of the paved roads in Alaska. Remember though, U.S. riders will need a passport to travel through Canada to Alaska.
Several of you have asked about traveling to Prudhoe Bay. In order to do that you would start in Fairbanks and head up the Dalton Highway (made famous in the Ice Road Truckers series on TV). I strongly recommend NOT riding your nice motorcycle up that road. You could expect that the rocks will severely chip your paint on the frame/tank/fenders/headlight, tires would be extremely degraded and your windshield will be beat up. There are big rocks on the road and in the air!
From my viewpoint the best way to travel to Prudhoe Bay from the lower 48 is to get on whatever touring bike you have and ride on up. If you want to go all the way to the end of the road however, I would recommend parking your bike in Fairbanks and renting a motorcycle for the Dalton Highway portion of the trip. A friend of mine has new BMW's for this purpose and you can get in contact with him at http://www.fairbanksriders.com/ for a rental.
If you make the trip you will not believe how big British Columbia is...You will see incredible scenery...You will meet interesting characters along the way...and, if you are alert, will see a lot of caribou, moose, bears etc along the way.

I hope this helps you intrepid tourers. Good Traveling!

Paul