Hey! I met you guys at a highway rest stop just south of the Canada/USA border in late June of this year. Your project's working title at the time was "Off the Couch and Up to Alaska" or something like that?
Awesome trip. Can't wait to see more. The first thing I saw when exiting the Fairbanks Airport terminal July 4 this year was an orange Uly just like mine. Although the cruise my wife and I went on for our 30th anniversary was awesome I couldn't get that vision out of my head! A Uly trip to Alaska is definitely on the "must do" list.
I never went on the haul road. Although, some parts of the Alcan Hwy were gravel and the Uly handled it fine. I would like to mention how it handled hills while fully loaded - Basically the bike appeared not to know it was going up a hill!! That engine just wants to GO!
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 07:06 pm:
I bought an 08 XT today. Can't wait to take it to Alaska in June. My main concern is fuel. Did you carry extra? I have heard of something called a "fuel cell". Do you know anything about it. Sounds like a glorified gas can
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 07:37 pm:
If you're going up the haul road to Prudhoe Bay, you will need extra gas cans. I recommend at least 2 1/2 gallons. I've not heard of this "fuel Cell." The Alcan Hwy through Canada, BC has plenty of gas stations, however, sometimes they are sold out. I never ran out of gas and got approx. 45-50 MPG fully loaded.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 08:43 pm:
Grats on the Uly. I need to dig it up, a few people get this thing, it looks like a beer keg, put it up on the back rack instead of a top case, and it holds a good amount of fuel. When the gas light comes on, flip the petcock and it drains into the frame tank without having to make a stop.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 09:00 pm:
Sounds like the location of all those extra gallons of fuel may be a bit top heavy, especially for riding on gravel. Recommended load for the top case is 15lbs. Replacing the top case with even 2 gallons of fuel will exceed that. Just my opinion, but there must be a safe, more stable way of carrying fuel.
P.S. My top case was dedicated to camera equipment, etc. I couldn't have made my film without it.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 09:27 pm:
It looks like the longest ride with out fuel stations is from Coldfoot to Prudhoe Bay. I am waiting to get 2009 version of the Mile Post to determine how far that ride will be. It looks like the Tourtank is the way to go but I don't want to carry any more fuel than necessary.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 09:39 pm:
"but there must be a safe, more stable way of carrying fuel"
I have a 5.0 gal on my Uly. I reinforced the top case mounting bracket. I've gone down twice now with no damage to the tank or supporting equipment.
One of the tests on IronButt tech inspections is to grip the fuell cell and shake the entire bike, looking for any weakness in the set up. Mine passed with flying colors.
Some have made a mount over the passenger area. That way you can still use the top case, but you loose the passenger space.
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 09:42 pm:
Good luck on your adventure. Remember that as you check your average MPG on your way to Alaska to help you determine how much fuel you'll need, that there are long sections of the haul road that are unpaved and will drastically reduce your MPG. So, a little extra is advised!
Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2008 - 04:52 pm:
Another disadvantage of having a permanent fuel cell in place of the top case is that if, for example, you're going on a 6,000 mile trip and you may need to carry extra gas for approximately 250 miles of it, why lose the storage capacity of a top case for the other 5,750 miles by having a fuel cell that's not needed? I say take a couple of empty gas cans and only put gas in them when you need them.