writetome

@shigeta just got my barkbusters as the oem handguards are useless Great write up. i am wondering how did you install the right hand side guard? I tried and looks like the brake fluid reservoir is in the way? am i doing something wrong?

hahaha sounds like the right amount of puckering fun. Meanwhile, just talked to my local tire guy for the street tires. Dunlop Roadsmart IIIs are about 100 bucks cheaper than PR5s here in CA. I have decided to go with those for the paved section until Fairbanks and get the TKC80 for Dalton. If i have to, i will cut the front fender a little - will call it battle scar

I was mainly looking for tire suggestions. I am ok cutting the fender off a little to accommodate the tire. Oh damn! how did those street tires do on Dalton?

The problem is my fender sits a little close to the street tires at one point near the suspension (had a crash which bent the fender mounts a little). It doesn't touch the street tires but it can touch the TKC80s i feel. That leaves me with TKC70 or to cut the fender off in the problematic area (if the tire doesn't fit). Just found out about Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR - reviews seem good. Anyone has any experience with these? TKC70s seem to move around a lot in mud and it can rain almost anytime at Dalton

I have this thread : but i wanted to start a new one specifically for tire choices for the bike. Due to the 17inch rims, there are not many off road tire options for the FJ. I am looking to compare and take suggestions on what tire i can use on Dalton Highway, AK. I have very little dirt riding experience but can manage slow speed easily. The bike will be fully loaded as I plan to camp most of the way from CA to Prudhoe Bay and back. I am looking to change the tires at Fairbanks as suggested by folks on the other thread, to ride on Dalton Highway and back. I am planning to run Michelin Pilot Road 5s from CA - Fairbanks - CA. From various threads they seem to last long enough for the trip. (more about that towards the end) From my understanding following are the tire options that I have: 1. Continental TKC80 - called the Fairbanks tire guy at http://www.advcycleworks.com/tires . He mentioned that the bike might not have enough clearance to run the tires on it. Has anyone mounted these tires? Did you have to modify the fenders front or back? 2. Continental TKC70 - less knobbier than the TKC80s. Not sure if they will be up for the task on dalton (again - very little dirt experience). I called up the Whitehorse, YT, Canada tire place (i was planning to change tires there previously) and he was completely against anything non knobby like the TKC80 (he swore by TKC80s). Also, have heard these tires have wobble issue - anyone experienced that? 3. Shinko 705 - similar to TKC70 but i have heard good things about them. The tire shop at Fairbanks does not carry those so i might have to ship them there. I am ok with it as long as the tires are good. My main question is which tire would be most suitable for the road? If not these, what other options do i have given the rim size? Also, about the Michelin Pilot Road 5s, the Fairbanks tire dude said something about the roads in Yukon being made from crushed marbles so normal street tires will get killed very quickly. Anyone has any experience with that? We (me and a buddy on his Tiger 800) leave for the trip end of June. Super excited and looking forward for the responses.

@fddriver2 thank you for the references. @keithu i dont think we will be doing dawson. We plan to hit TOWH on our way back but only up till the US-Canada border from Alaska side. It will be like a day trip from Fairbanks where will keep our luggage so we don't want to spend time with immigration. @nsmiller super helpful note on the tires. I think i will switch my metzlers with a fresh PR4 or PR5. @chitown good note about the fuel. I am going to carry two gallons with the bike. I hope it will be enough. With the load and gradient of the Dalton, i think i will barely, but, make it. @gv550 yeah we were looking at changing tires in Whitehorse. But they would be squared off by the time we reach Dalton. For doing Dempster, like you suggest, Whitehorse is a better place for sure. Saving Dempster for some other time Current plan, reading all comments here is to ride up to Fairbanks, change tires there to TKC70s, ride Dalton up and down back to Fairbanks, ride the TOWH up to the border and get back to Fairbanks. We will switch to road tires and continue our way back home. We will be hitting Valdez-Glennallen-McCarthy though. Any idea about those roads?

Hello! I am going to attempt CA (Bay Area) -> Prudhoe Bay, AK -> CA this summer (June-July). Due to the road conditions on Dalton Highway, I will have to change tires midway somewhere. I had a few questions around that: 1. Where to change tires? There are two options i have - Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada OR Fairbanks, AK right before Dalton starts. The tires (options discussed below) don't last as long so i was wondering which is a better option? Are there unpaved sections before Dalton as well? How bad are they? Will I need knobbies before Dalton? 2. Tire choices: emailed the dealership in Whitehorse, Yukon and he swore by TKC 80s. But these tires are super bad on pavement (redirect to Question 1). Especially under load, it is known to wear out quick and wobble/is loud. The other option is TKC 70. Suggestions? Either those or something else like Shinkos maybe? 3. What street tire to run? I am currently running Metzler roadtec 01. While the grip is exceptional for touring tires, under load, the tire has started squaring off in about 4k miles. I am thinking to try PR5s for the trip. Suggestions? Any other suggestion is also welcome for the trip. Thanks!

@octane25 how was the trip? i have a lotta questions haha. me and a buddy on his tiger 800 are gonna attempt CA-> prudhoe bay this summer. Needed some insights on what to hope for, how to prepare etc.

ah! really helpful information. Thanks a lot guys. I went ahead and ordered ACF-50. I was planning to use WD40 for this but this seems like a purpose built thing for the use case

I currently do my motocamping trips in the Olympia Odessey textile riding suit. I have been very satisfied with it and it has held up pretty well over the last 3 years. No complaints so far apart from slight leakage from the main zip near the crotch under heavy downpour - does not make a good conversation topic at work hehe Anyways, I am willing to upgrade/move on preferably to another textile riding suit. Any suggestions? Looks like the only option i have left is Aerostitch. If you guys have any other suggestions, preferably cheaper, that'd be great. Ventilation is pretty important for me and that is something i love about the Odessey.

@wordsmithwhat PVC product do you use to coat the forks?

Ah! good to know that rust is a non issue *phew* Rotating the tube is a great hack haha I think i will try to find a clear nail polish or something of that sort and patch-fix it. ACF is a great idea - I did not know something like that existed. I might not use it for this specific purpose, but do you guys think it will be helpful to coat few parts of the bike with it before a long dirt trip?

2017 model bought exactly a year and a month ago. ODO: 14,000 miles. I commute on it (28miles a day) and do a bunch of weekend rides, motocamping trips etc. I have successfully completed the SaddleSore 1000 on it. Planning to hit Alaska next year summer. Routine maintenance, nothing special. No issues so far. Nothing needed replacement yet except tires. Moved from stock Dunlops to Roadtec 01 - never going back. Mods: 1. LED tail/brake lights to Givi V47 top case 2. LED driving lights on the suspension 3. Higdonion urban crash guard and belly pan 4. Extra USB ports - super helpful on long trips (two on the front dash in cigarette adapter, two near the front seat / crotch with a direct SAE connector which i use for battery tender, two relay'd ports inside the top case for those bad weather days) Overall pretty satisfied with the bike. I do most maintenance myself/self-help garage.

As the title suggests, there is a small chip on the gold part of the right fork. I am wondering if it will get rusted if i don't treat it? What should i treat it with? Previously i have applied touch up paint on such small chips but i am not able to find the right color touch up paint for the gold forks :/ Looked online to find clear coat touch up pens - i am pretty sure that will not provide rust protection like paint would. Any ideas?