Tuktoyaktuk June 2018 " Tenere Trio "

[Nikolajsen]

::008::

 

[towboatcrisco]

Great report. You did a great job of capturing the trip.

Your experience on Rock River reminds me why I have been told over and over to not use hard bags when riding in offroad or tough conditions. Soft side bags make sense now.

Thanks for taking us along on your trip.

Skoron

Yeah my future set up will be Mosko moto soft panniers for the knarly and Bumont's for the urban assaults

 

[towboatcrisco]

Yes indeed, I was lucky to land in the soft tundra rather than the gravel surface. My leg was twisted and foot stuck under the frame but I was wearing heavy motocross boots which likely prevented injury. As you found out, plastic doesn't play well with gravel, as did this fellow rider from Ontario. I don't know the rider but the talk at Eagle Plain was that he suffered a broken leg.

Nasty ... ??? On our ride we didn't encounter anyone personally who injured themselves or lost a bike . That being said our friends helped out a guy who abandoned a BMW and another guy on a V-strom on the road to Tuktoyaktuk . As for injuries one big group that went up a couple weeks before us , out of 10 riders 4 went down, 2 with trip ending injuries .
Other reported injuries , broken leg , broken arm , dislocated shoulders , and one fella broke his pelvis which was confirmed to his buddies ( he called from the hospital ) while they were toasting there ride .

It was also reported that the local towing / pick up truck for hire to transport your bike if damaged or un-rideable on the Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk was $ 700 to $800 ??? That's gouging

 

[towboatcrisco]

Great report and pictures. Life achievement.
Thanks!

Thanks , it was my first real out and out ADV ride with my Tenere and it didn't disappoint ::26::

 

[gv550]

It was also reported that the local towing / pick up truck for hire to transport your bike if damaged or un-rideable on the Inuvik - Tuktoyaktuk was $ 700 to $800 ??? That's gouging

I have a little story about transporting a bike from Inuvik, although I never followed through with it.
My first day on the Dempster was a bugger, but got to Eagle Plains for gas and late lunch and continued on hoping to make Inuvik that nite. I had my little get-off shortly after and the road and weather got worse so I camped in Ft McPherson. It began raining overnight and was 4 degrees and pouring when I got up but I packed and geared up to continue on. I had water but no food so I was hoping to make Inuvik for lunch, but the wet road and heavy rain resulted in a very slow ride and I didn't arrive until 7 pm. The last 30-40 kms was particularly bad with construction and 3" of new loose gravel, but I plodded along thinking about how much money I would be willing to pay someone with a truck to haul my bike and my a$$ back to Dawson on Monday morning. I was still committed to riding to Tuk on Sunday but I dreaded having to ride the 750 km Dempster again, after all, I told my friends I was riding to Tuk but never said how I was getting back! I came up with a number.............. $2000. That's a lot of money for my cheap Dutch heritage to pay but I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I left word and my phone number at the gas station and motel desk and pizza parlour that I wanted a ride.
I had a shower, got supper, and went to sleep. Nobody called me that night and when I got up I felt much better, and revised my offer to $1000.
I rode to Tuk and back to Inuvik on Sunday and felt elated that I actually made it, nobody offered the ride so I headed south Monday morning with a whole new attitude. ::015::

 

[towboatcrisco]

I have a little story about transporting a bike from Inuvik, although I never followed through with it.
My first day on the Dempster was a bugger, but got to Eagle Plains for gas and late lunch and continued on hoping to make Inuvik that nite. I had my little get-off shortly after and the road and weather got worse so I camped in Ft McPherson. It began raining overnight and was 4 degrees and pouring when I got up but I packed and geared up to continue on. I had water but no food so I was hoping to make Inuvik for lunch, but the wet road and heavy rain resulted in a very slow ride and I didn't arrive until 7 pm. The last 30-40 kms was particularly bad with construction and 3" of new loose gravel, but I plodded along thinking about how much money I would be willing to pay someone with a truck to haul my bike and my a$$ back to Dawson on Monday morning. I was still committed to riding to Tuk on Sunday but I dreaded having to ride the 750 km Dempster again, after all, I told my friends I was riding to Tuk but never said how I was getting back! I came up with a number.............. $2000. That's a lot of money for my cheap Dutch heritage to pay but I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I left word and my phone number at the gas station and motel desk and pizza parlour that I wanted a ride.
I had a shower, got supper, and went to sleep. Nobody called me that night and when I got up I felt much better, and revised my offer to $1000.
I rode to Tuk and back to Inuvik on Sunday and felt elated that I actually made it, nobody offered the ride so I headed south Monday morning with a whole new attitude. ::015::

I work on boats if you haven't figured that from my Inmate handle , on one particular boat there is a sticker in the engine room I've looked at for many years and it still brings a smile to my face

" ATTITUDE is the difference between ADVENTURE or ORDEAL " and I think that some s up what transpired for you over a few days and some accomplishment ::008:: I know I felt great after reaching our goal !

 

[The GYMMY]

Completed the trip to Tuk from Virginia. Left on 6/18/18 and returned on 7/12/18. We completed the Dempster, Top of the World Highway and Denali Highway. The Dempster was the tale of two roads - on the way up it was wet and nasty. Took two days to get to Inuvik. WE stayed at the Mckenzie Hotel (highly recommend) once in Inuvik. We left the next morning for Tuk - road was okay but mushy in some spots. Next Day we completed the return to Dawson City in one day due to it being dry. Excellent time and overall great weather. Loved the RR

 

[Nikolajsen]

Uh, you dirty man
Nice

 

[towboatcrisco]

Completed the trip to Tuk from Virginia. Left on 6/18/18 and returned on 7/12/18. We completed the Dempster, Top of the World Highway and Denali Highway. The Dempster was the tale of two roads - on the way up it was wet and nasty. Took two days to get to Inuvik. WE stayed at the Mckenzie Hotel (highly recommend) once in Inuvik. We left the next morning for Tuk - road was okay but mushy in some spots. Next Day we completed the return to Dawson City in one day due to it being dry. Excellent time and overall great weather. Loved the RR

Nice !! sounds like a great Trip . As for the Dempster that says it all " if its dry you can fly " but when its wet better be set .
Now come the real work cleaning your machine

 

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

I am looking to do Tuk in 2020 with my friend who has a 2018 Tiger 1200 and have a few questions. You went down 4 times I think you said, what skid plate/lowers/uppers do you have? What are your thoughts on the tires? Any extra tools you carried?
Thanks!

 

[towboatcrisco]

I am looking to do Tuk in 2020 with my friend who has a 2018 Tiger 1200 and have a few questions. You went down 4 times I think you said, what skid plate/lowers/uppers do you have? What are your thoughts on the tires? Any extra tools you carried?
Thanks!

I Actually only "went down" once on a wet Dempster , the other 3 times were just gravity and weight coupled with my short inseam Maneuvering the bike while parking or jockeying for a pic .. uneven ground More like a controlled ease to Terra Firma .

As for gear Altrider all the way around Skid and Crash , no uppers I did install a waterpump guard ( altrider too) OEM hand guards . When I left my house my own assessment was my OEM Panniers were going to be my weak point , and after my capsizing moment at about 15 KMS the pannier on the side I went down on exploded , nothing else was significantly damaged I had a small dent in skid plate and crash bars lost a little paint .
Tires... we all were on Mitas E07 Dakars we also used a wheel coating compound called " ride on " inside the tires for an extra piece of mind this would seal a puncture from inside out . These tires performed excellent until that really greasy Arctic muck , it starts to pack up in the tread pattern and now you have a slick . Some fellas reported there tires just stopped spinning period , this was not our experience but that road base once wet is not kind to anything .
Tools ... I packed them all on my bike it was a fairly big roll ( about 25lbs) a little over kill and we used absolutely Zero tools haha isn't that the way . One thing that was handy was a mini compressor and the XP1 Anti gravity Micro start power supply. Yukon Yamaha in Whitehorse is a great Dealership , they let you service your own bike right on the premises and offer simple amenities to assist.. Great guys !
Any more questions I will answer what I can from my own experience !

One thing I will mention another Tenere rider took a rock or ?? to the Radiator on the Dempster and it leaked on him through a pin hole . After finding the leak in Dawson City he used some stop leak and finished his ride all the way back to Ontario . this may be something to pack ..??

 

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

I Actually only "went down" once on a wet Dempster , the other 3 times were just gravity and weight coupled with my short inseam Maneuvering the bike while parking or jockeying for a pic .. uneven ground More like a controlled ease to Terra Firma .

As for gear Altrider all the way around Skid and Crash , no uppers I did install a waterpump guard ( altrider too) OEM hand guards . When I left my house my own assessment was my OEM Panniers were going to be my weak point , and after my capsizing moment at about 15 KMS the pannier on the side I went down on exploded , nothing else was significantly damaged I had a small dent in skid plate and crash bars lost a little paint .
Tires... we all were on Mitas E07 Dakars we also used a wheel coating compound called " ride on " inside the tires for an extra piece of mind this would seal a puncture from inside out . These tires performed excellent until that really greasy Arctic muck , it starts to pack up in the tread pattern and now you have a slick . Some fellas reported there tires just stopped spinning period , this was not our experience but that road base once wet is not kind to anything .
Tools ... I packed them all on my bike it was a fairly big roll ( about 25lbs) a little over kill and we used absolutely Zero tools haha isn't that the way . One thing that was handy was a mini compressor and the XP1 Anti gravity Micro start power supply. Yukon Yamaha in Whitehorse is a great Dealership , they let you service your own bike right on the premises and offer simple amenities to assist.. Great guys !
Any more questions I will answer what I can from my own experience !

One thing I will mention another Tenere rider took a rock or ?? to the Radiator on the Dempster and it leaked on him through a pin hole . After finding the leak in Dawson City he used some stop leak and finished his ride all the way back to Ontario . this may be something to pack ..??

Excellent info, thanks! What a great idea for the wheel coating, I never thought of putting something like that inside the tires. Will have to look into that for sure. I am usually the guy that carries all that stuff too and rarely need it. On a trip this year one of the guys was having electrical issues and finally pulled over in a pissy mood, I asked what the problem was, I said we could fix it on the road and he says, "How? Do you have a roll of F**king electrical tape?" I start laughing (not the right thing to do by the way) and say "actually yes I do!". The we all started laughing and one of the other guys said too bad you don't have any duct tape so I can fix the visor on my helmet. Hahaha, I have that too!". I have an old toilet paper roll that I wrapped some duct tape and some electrical tape on, just in case. We had a huge laugh...
Maybe I will have to pack an extra toothbrush to clean the muck out of the tires

 

[AH]

I went in June and got to Inuvik. Rain and mud. Inuvik was booked solid so I had to leave. Tuk road impassable. First pic is me heading south. Second pic is me at NWT Yukon border. Rain turned to ice. 60 mph crosswind. A big gust blew me down. Badly sprained left leg, broken plastic luggage, bent shift leaver. Hobbled around in circles for 25 min till an 18 wheeler picked me up and took me 150 km to Eagle Planes. Spent 3 days there. Great people. Bike picked up by tire shop. I got it running at Eagle planes and rode it out.
*Don’t go alone *Don’t use street tires *Don’t go too early * Don’t ride in the rain.
Unfortunately you can’t predict this road.

 

[gv550]

Wow, AH, you had quite an interesting experience! I was a week after you and if I recall the road to Tuk was listed as closed on NWT website when you were there, it opened on the 15th I think and that's when I headed north from Dawson. If you waited 3 days at EaglePlains then we likely met each other on the Dempster. Forgive me if I didn't wave, I was concentrating on the road and mentally kicking myself in the ass for doing such foolishness.
There was snow and ice on the mountain pass but nothing like you photo.

 

[towboatcrisco]

I went in June and got to Inuvik. Rain and mud. Inuvik was booked solid so I had to leave. Tuk road impassable. First pic is me heading south. Second pic is me at NWT Yukon border. Rain turned to ice. 60 mph crosswind. A big gust blew me down. Badly sprained left leg, broken plastic luggage, bent shift leaver. Hobbled around in circles for 25 min till an 18 wheeler picked me up and took me 150 km to Eagle Planes. Spent 3 days there. Great people. Bike picked up by tire shop. I got it running at Eagle planes and rode it out.
*Don’t go alone *Don’t use street tires *Don’t go too early * Don’t ride in the rain.
Unfortunately you can’t predict this road.

When in June did you go ? and street tires ...yikes . Sounds like you had a little to much adventure glad you and the bike are all good

 

[gv550]

His photos are dated June 11, and I headed north from Dawson on the 15th so we likely crossed paths somewhere. Helluva ride!

 

[brianhen]

I left Winnipeg on the 14th of June made it to Dawson on the 17th and then up to Tuktoyaktuk on the 18th. The Dempster was quite the ride that's for sure. First half was good dry and smooth. The second half was good with the exception of some construction that was wet and down right scary to ride on. Leaving the border from Yukon to NWT was a treat. That first down hill the road was wet and soft as a pillow. Made it to Tuk around 11pm on the 18th and set up my tent by the ocean as it started to rain. That's when it got interesting. rained all night and the next day as I tried to head south. Got about a 100 feet on the Clay that is just south of Tuk. That was it dropped the Super Tenere on its side just standing still. Long story short the Dept of Highways guys were nice enough to come get me in a front end loader and bring me back to town. I am still pissed that I didn't take pictures of that. I was stranded in Tuk for another night as there was no way I could get south until the rain stopped. The road dried up and off I went, about 12 noon on the 20th I guess it was. Man that section of road from Inuvik to Tuk is soft and moves around a lot when wet. Overall a trip I will never forget.

 

[towboatcrisco]

a

I left Winnipeg on the 14th of June made it to Dawson on the 17th and then up to Tuktoyaktuk on the 18th. The Dempster was quite the ride that's for sure. First half was good dry and smooth. The second half was good with the exception of some construction that was wet and down right scary to ride on. Leaving the border from Yukon to NWT was a treat. That first down hill the road was wet and soft as a pillow. Made it to Tuk around 11pm on the 18th and set up my tent by the ocean as it started to rain. That's when it got interesting. rained all night and the next day as I tried to head south. Got about a 100 feet on the Clay that is just south of Tuk. That was it dropped the Super Tenere on its side just standing still. Long story short the Dept of Highways guys were nice enough to come get me in a front end loader and bring me back to town. I am still pissed that I didn't take pictures of that. I was stranded in Tuk for another night as there was no way I could get south until the rain stopped. The road dried up and off I went, about 12 noon on the 20th I guess it was. Man that section of road from Inuvik to Tuk is soft and moves around a lot when wet. Overall a trip I will never forget.

Wow , I heard all about the first 20km south of Tuk when wet no one is going anywhere !! Luckily for us we made are assault in the dry , but you could see if that was wet it would be almighty hell . We were still in Whitehorse on the 20th , we planned for the Dust to Dawn then the Dempster . I believe we were in Tuk on the 25th We also had Crap Weather at the boarder of Yukon and the NWT . It was a fog mist where you couldn't see anything thank god it only lasted for about 35 kms . Lot's of Tenere's around that we saw plus the guys resonding to th thread ! Awesome more proof its a reliable capable machine !

 

[tntmo]

I rode the Dempster with a buddy on an Africa Twin, July 20th all the way from Dawson to Tuk in one shot. We camped the night of July 19th by the cardlock gas station. The Dempster was blocked off and had an electronic sign saying it was closed due to mudslides. Yikes! The sign was still saying closed in the morning, but changed about 0900-ish. The road was in really good shape, except for the mudslide area which wasn't too bad. We got to Inuvik about 2300, decided to just keep going since the weather was good and the road was working in our favor.t Took about 3 hours to get to Tuk, my buddy was going a bit slow for me but probably for the best.....it was kind of loose gravel.

Camped on the ocean for a few hours, then got word of a big storm coming in. We decided it would be in our best interest to get out of Tuk before the weather so we didn't get to do any sight seeing or visiting with people. I guess we got lucky, talked to some people later who were stuck there for 2-3 days. We stayed ahead of the rain until after the first ferry. Camped north of Eagle Plains. My buddy crashed in some mud just past there and broke his hand. Then he got a flat tire about 20 miles after that. Damn long day.

I'm ready to go again!

 

[eemsreno]

I found this video and it has 2 of our members on here in it, Limey, and Patrick.
I have hit them up about pictures from their trip up to Tuk.
This confirms that they really did make it.