How far is too far on a bike

jjrgr21

New member
A buddy and I had the bright idea of buying dual sports and riding the alcan highway- Dalton and back. Starting in Kalispell or similar.

Looking at the honda 650, buying a good used and kitting out from there.
What are the necessities, other than a bigger gas tank?

I haven't been on a bike in years, just looking for input on how stupid it might be.

What are the regs on taking a rifle into Canada. Not crazy about being on a bike without something to hand.

Thinking it might be smarter to do it in a truck first, but Idk.

Thanks
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
Just do it.......

Living off the back of a bike is a very rewarding and soul satisfying experience. Adventure will be had and mistakes and drama will occur. Don’t spend too much time buying farkles. Do a couple of local over night camping trips to shake out you, your friend and the bike. Less is more (think backpacking). Comfort items are worth their weight in gold. Don’t ride at night, if you can help it. Don’t drink and ride. Always take the locals recommendation on where to eat. Cheers.
 
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jjrgr21

New member
We backcountry hunt every year for a couple weeks, so we have that side of the gear covered.

What air compressor?
Do plugs work for motorcycle tires?
 

jadmt

ignore button user
We backcountry hunt every year for a couple weeks, so we have that side of the gear covered.

What air compressor?
Do plugs work for motorcycle tires?
Only on tubeless tires. It is pretty easy to change tires on most dualsports. Carry a couple tubes
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
We backcountry hunt every year for a couple weeks, so we have that side of the gear covered.

What air compressor?
Do plugs work for motorcycle tires?

I like/use the little co2 inflators. They’re smaller, lighter and take up less room. Most spoke wheels have tubes, so a patch kit is needed. A couple of extra inner tubes are a must. Sit in your yard and practice removing a wheel, pulling the inner tube, patching and replace. Helps reducing stress while on the trail.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
I like/use the little co2 inflators. They’re smaller, lighter and take up less room. Most spoke wheels have tubes, so a patch kit is needed. A couple of extra inner tubes are a must. Sit in your yard and practice removing a wheel, pulling the inner tube, patching and replace. Helps reducing stress while on the trail.
I have changed around a 30 or so and i never really had good luck with co2 inflaters. there are some compact 12v compressors that work well. I actually would carry two and when stripped of the cases would fit in a sock. I agree 100% practice at home Several times.
 

crazysccrmd

Observer
You can’t go wrong with a KLR650 as long as you’re not planning to do a lot of long distance highway high speed touring. The stock tank will get you 300+ miles and you can get a 10 gallon aftermarket for even more range. They are dead simple with no fancy electronics to go wrong and easy to fix along the way. Pack like you’re going backpacking as suggested to keep weight and bulk down. Solid waterproof and windproof gear is a must as are warm layers for underneath. Nothing makes a ride worse than being wet and cold.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
Ok

So is The kawa recommendation based on better comfort compared to the honda?
yes it will be a better bike to travel 70-75mph on for hours which is what you need to do to get up there from Kalispell. Also get a sargent or corbin seat or similar for comfort as stock seat is way to soft after about 100 miles.
You can get a longer windshield altho stock does ok keeping wind off your chest at 70mph.
056.jpg
 
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shade

Well-known member
Do a couple of local over night camping trips to shake out you, your friend and the bike. Less is more (think backpacking).
This is coming from a backpacker that is bike-curious about a dual sport. Since you're riding with a friend, that's an opportunity to keep the weight & bulk of gear down. Find ways to share gear and you'll both benefit, just like backpacking.

If you don't already have backpacking gear, start nosing around those forums for ideas. When I see overloaded, top heavy bikes on the highway, I can't help but think they'd be more comfortable and safer with better (and less) kit.
 

Charles R

Adventurer
When I was looking into riding my Concours 14 to Alaska a few years back, I quickly came to the realization that a KLR650 would be a much better choice. The popularity and common-ness of it means finding parts may be much easier/quicker than some other brands, should the need arise. It was unchanged for decades, so that means you can even get parts from used bikes that may be a different year. Another common thing I saw often on a lot of long distance chain driven bikes, was an automatic chain oiler. The dirt /calcium stuff will be very hard on the chain in particular.
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
I have changed around a 30 or so and i never really had good luck with co2 inflaters. there are some compact 12v compressors that work well. I actually would carry two and when stripped of the cases would fit in a sock. I agree 100% practice at home Several times.

Good to know. I've never used the pumps but I would be open to a good quality, reliable, compact one.
This summer the rimrocker in Moab ate my front tube requiring a tube swap and refill. The co2 did good pumping it up as usual......was 100 degrees in the shade....

I also concur on the KLR! 17 year old bike and still running strong.
IMG_4579.JPG4E115370-E850-4951-8120-F4AD157BA25B.jpeg
 
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jjrgr21

New member
Well y'all got me looking hard at the klr

I like the extended range over the honda for sure

What spare parts do you consider a necessity?
 

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