Inuvik Northwest Territory ?

[Cycledude]

We hope to ride up there sometime in 2018, any advice ?

 

[gv550]

Don't turn back in Inuvik, the road to Tuktoyaktuk will be open by then so continue on the Arctic Ocean.

 

[ST-venture]

I rode to Inuvik on the Tenere in 2012 along with a couple of buddies on KLRs. We had an extra gallon of fuel along but didn't use it. We camped in Eagle Plains and at the Inuvik city campground. The first three days were hot and dusty, the last one was cold, wet and muddy.
Suggestions: Gas up as soon as you roll into Eagle Plains, so you don't have to wait for someone to show up and open the pumps in the morning.
Keep a close eye on the weather and if possible wait out the rain storms. We should have camped at least one more night in Eagle Plains and avoided the extremely lousy riding conditions on that 4th day.
The road can get very muddy after rain, so try and time your ride to avoid the worst of the mud - if possible.
Pull over and let the trucks go by or you will get blasted by rocks, etc.
Plan on staying in Eagle Plains on the way up and again on the way back. I would not recommend trying to ride the whole way to Inuvik in one day.
If the road is open north of Inuvik by then, that might be worth an extra day or two.

 

[RockyDS]

I went on to Inuvik in 2015 after D2D.

https://dualsportblog.wordpress.com/2015-dust-to-dawson-inuvik/

Weather and road conditions are key and June July August are usually the best months but bad weather can come at any time. Be prepared and equipped to wait out the weather. I was lucky with the conditions in 2015. Mosquitoes will be bad and it can get cold very quickly. The ferry decks can be extremely slick and getting on and off can be interesting.

Take your time and enjoy the ride and the scenery. And yes, plan on going all the way to Tuk.

 

[78YZ]

Subscribed. ::008::

 

[eemsreno]

I have rode to Inuvik twice in August both times.
No mosquitos, no mud that would even slow you down.
Great weather even with some rain showers.
They are really fixing the road up nice in the last couple years. It is not remote or challenging anymore but still very pretty.

 

[Cycledude]

Don't turn back in Inuvik, the road to Tuktoyaktuk will be open by then so continue on the Arctic Ocean.

Thanks very much for your reply, will have to see how it goes but Yes it's very likely we will continue all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, what a name !

 

[Cycledude]

I rode to Inuvik on the Tenere in 2012 along with a couple of buddies on KLRs. We had an extra gallon of fuel along but didn't use it. We camped in Eagle Plains and at the Inuvik city campground. The first three days were hot and dusty, the last one was cold, wet and muddy.
Suggestions: Gas up as soon as you roll into Eagle Plains, so you don't have to wait for someone to show up and open the pumps in the morning.
Keep a close eye on the weather and if possible wait out the rain storms. We should have camped at least one more night in Eagle Plains and avoided the extremely lousy riding conditions on that 4th day.
The road can get very muddy after rain, so try and time your ride to avoid the worst of the mud - if possible.
Pull over and let the trucks go by or you will get blasted by rocks, etc.
Plan on staying in Eagle Plains on the way up and again on the way back. I would not recommend trying to ride the whole way to Inuvik in one day.
If the road is open north of Inuvik by then, that might be worth an extra day or two.

After reading your post I am most likely going to just forget about bringing extra gas along, last year we rode from Coldfoot to Deadhorse which is about 250 miles, the low fuel light was flashing for about the last 10 miles, extra gas would be nice but with me and all the other gear things are pretty well overloaded.
What month did you go ? After our 22 day Deadhorse trip last June when it rained everyday we are thinking maybe July or August next time so maybe some of the road construction projects are a little farther along.

 

[Cycledude]

I have rode to Inuvik twice in August both times.
No mosquitos, no mud that would even slow you down.
Great weather even with some rain showers.
They are really fixing the road up nice in the last couple years. It is not remote or challenging anymore but still very pretty.

Thank you and everyone else that has replied !!! August is sounding like a very good month to go !

 

[ST-venture]

We went the last week of July through 3rd week of Aug.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

I did that run in 2013 on my 2012 Big Blue - although I carried gas, I made it to Eagle Plains with 0.8 litres left...

It was a truly awesome ride, but I highly recommend not high-siding somewhere North of Eagle Plains on your return from Inuvik - that gets both painful and expensive. Should you decide to do so, the folks at Eagle Plains are awesome and will help you out.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I did that run in 2013 on my 2012 Big Blue - although I carried gas, I made it to Eagle Plains with 0.8 litres left...

It was a truly awesome ride, but I highly recommend not high-siding somewhere North of Eagle Plains on your return from Inuvik - that gets both painful and expensive. Should you decide to do so, the folks at Eagle Plains are awesome and will help you out.

That sounds both painful and expensive. It's why I carry MedJet:
https://medjetassist.com/?source=adwords-nonbranded&adcampaign=311068698&adgroup=20147506938&kw=medjet&adistype=paid_search&gclid=CjwKEAiArbrFBRDL4Oiz97GP2nISJAAmJMFaBgGAbjnA_n0Dh_4nz8JA_nswhznoBNVRzPQN7YtF_hoC4r_w_wcB

One of our local guys was doing a big ride in AZ or NM and got hurt pretty badly. Fortunately, he had MedJet and they got him home once he was stabilized.

 

[RockyDS]

I also recommend carrying a Spot, Inreach or similar tracking/emergency device. There places on the Dempster where should you come off the road you can be 20 feet down the bank in the Muskeg and might never be seen or found. And preferably carry it attached to you rather than your bike, so you can reach the emergency button should you require it.

North of Eagle Plains there is a GPS shadow for a while, so don't be surprised if your GPS stops working.

You need 400kms/250 miles range to get to Eagle Plains. There's gas in Dawson City, at the south end of the Dempster (cardlock only), Eagle Plains, Ft. McPherson, and Inuvik.

 

[Pterodactyl]

There can be some good information found about riding to Inuvik on the Alaska sub-forum of ADVRider.
http://advrider.com/index.php?forums/alaska.68/

There is currently an ongoing thread about the status of the new road going to Tuk.
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/the-new-road-up-to-tuk-increased-truck-traffic.1201353/

If you are headed to Dawson then try to time your visit to coincide with Dust 2 Dawson. I'm the guy who posts the sign-up thread for D2D and I may be able to answer any questions.
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/2017-d2d-sign-up-thread-read-the-first-post-before-posting.1197294/

"The Dick" posts on the AK forum often. He lives in Dawson and is very knowledgeable about riding in the Yukon. He also is helpful in resolving tire and mechanical issues. There are no dealerships in Dawson. The are a couple of huys that live in Inuvik that also post, although rarely.

For my part, having lived in that part of the world for many years, I once flew into Inuvik on a Canadian Forces C-130 while drinking champagne. Had a good look around and see no reason to hurry back.

 

[Cycledude]

Yes Spot tracker probably is something one of us should get.

 

[Cycledude]

Any tire recommendations ?
The total trip miles should be under 10,000 so I'd be very interested in an aggressive tire that would last the entire trip if such a tire exists for the Ténéré .

I did Deadhorse on a stock set of Bridgestone which worked mostly fine but with all the rain we had a more aggressive tread pattern sure would have been nice in some of the slop we had to ride in.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I did a 10,000 mile trip on K60s and they ultimately got replaced at 17,000 simply because the rear was so squared off. I think that the current E-07s will come close.

 

[Cycledude]

I did a 10,000 mile trip on K60s and they ultimately got replaced at 17,000 simply because the rear was so squared off. I think that the current E-07s will come close.

So these are the tires your talking about ? I never heard of the Heidenau brand before.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heidenau-K60-Scout-Front-Tire-for-Dual-Sport-Motorcycles-110-80-19-/161801754706?hash=item25ac22d852:g:uhAAAOSwwE5WZ3Cm&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heidenau-K60-Scout-Rear-Tire-for-Dual-Sport-Motorcycles-150-70-17-/161771355016?hash=item25aa52fb88:g:3JAAAOSwLVZVsCEh&vxp=mtr

 

[Pterodactyl]

I did a 10,000 mile trip on K60s and they ultimately got replaced at 17,000 simply because the rear was so squared off. I think that the current E-07s will come close.

Adventure Cycle Works in Fairbanks was among the first, perhaps the first, US dealer of Heidenau tires. I bought a set for Spousal Unit's GS in 2009 - 2010. Dan, the owner, was adamant about us running the rear 3-4 PSI lower than normal so that the tire would not square off. I didn't and the tire did.

 

[Cycledude]

Adventure Cycle Works in Fairbanks was among the first, perhaps the first, US dealer of Heidenau tires. I bought a set for Spousal Unit's GS in 2009 - 2010. Dan, the owner, was adamant about us running the rear 3-4 PSI lower than normal so that the tire would not square off. I didn't and the tire did.

Interesting, thanks for the information, seems like most Tenere owners run any brand of tires they happen to use including stock tires over inflated by 3-4 pounds even though Yamaha has their 33 front 36 rear recommendation clearly printed under the seat. Do u happen to know where Heidenau tires are made ?