[richnct]

I've ridden my GL650I to Radisson Quebec, does that qualify as "Northern Canada"? If it doesn't, you'll need a plane to find Northern Canada.

 

[Gene McCall]

I've ridden my GL650I to Radisson Quebec, does that qualify as "Northern Canada"? If it doesn't, you'll need a plane to find Northern Canada.

Rich, Don & I took the northern route across Canada in 08, does that qualify for this room?

Gene

 

[gopher]

OK, Yankee and Southern boys - a brief geography lesson.

See map below. Green area is Northern Canada.

Rich, that was an admirable trip considering all the gravel. If the 650 liked it as well as the 500s, I'm impressed. I live under the red dot in the west, nearly the same latitude as Radisson, and we are surrounded by farmland here. I don't live in the north of Canada.

That was commendable Gene, camping all the way. Good stuff and beyond the vision of most motorcyclists. Your "northern route" across Canada though, as shown roughly by the red line, for the most part appears to me to hug the southern part of Canada.

For some legit bragging, put on some different tires and do a real Cross Northern Canada Trip. I don't think it has ever been done. The camping is free. Carry extra gas.

The natives are friendly.

 

[Gene McCall]

OK, Yankee and Southern trolls buddies - a brief geography lesson.

See map below. Green area is Northern Canada.

Rich, that was an admirable trip considering all the gravel. If the 650 liked it as well as the 500s, I'm impressed. I live under the red dot in the west, nearly the same latitude as Radisson, and we are surrounded by farmland here. I don't live in the north of Canada.

That was a commendable trip Gene, especially camping all the way. Good stuff and beyond the vision of most motorcyclists. Your "northern route" across Canada though, as shown roughly by the red line, for the most part appears to me to hug the southern part of Canada.

For some legit bragging, put on some different tires and do a real Cross Northern Canada Trip. I don't think it has ever been done. The camping is free. Carry extra gas.

The natives are friendly.

Gopher, unfortunately Don & I did not meet any young ladies like the one in your post. If we had I am not sure we would have lived to finish our trip! I will have to drag out some maps to verify my memory but I think the line you drew is much south of our actual route across your beautiful country. Obviously, the only areas where we were in northern Canada were the Yukon Terr. and I think northern Sask. We made an effort to stay north and as far away from the southen border as we could. The trip you describe would be an epic of the first order, requiring quite a few months and air drops of fuel for your bike. Wonder what bike you would even want to start out on? Why not go over on the Adv board and challange anyone to ride a bike from one point to another in northern Canada, who knows, you may get a taker! There are a lot of crazy people in the world.

Gene

 

[Trickster]

Unless you have snowtires and a flotation device, Northern coast to coast would be say, a bit of a challenge.

Dual Sport or not at all, BMW GS/GSA. My dream is from here to South America, but tis only a dream, at this point.

 

[gopher]

In the late 60's, my uncle showed up at our house, after a Trans-Canada and a circumnavigation of Australia on his Suzuki 50 (yes,

) and invited me to do that exact tundra trip with him. My parents were horrified and called it "insane". It didn't happen of course.

As Trickster pointed out, the short summer season with all the melt water sitting on the permafrost and all the rivers flowing across the E-W route into the Arctic Ocean could be a trip killer alone. Maybe spring and fall, when the ground has firmed, would be easier.

But challenging adventure firsts are getting harder to find now and with todays GPS, satellite phones, google imagery and search and rescue, someone will likely try it eventually.

 

[redneck_pilot86]

I live in Whitehorse, YT. Does that count for anything?

 

[gopher]

I think it does Pilot. You are now the Official Spokesman for Northern Canada. Welcome!

 

[2VRoy]

Lived in Labrador for over 30 years and did ride a CX500 deluxe, did one trip out of Labrador, across the western side of Newfoundland and did 9 days in Nova Scotia before doing the return trip. My old CX500 is now owned in Cartwright Labrador and spends its summers riding on Dirt roads with dual purpose tires. Don't frett, the owner has amassed enough spare parts to fully rebuild the bike at any point.



I was thinking of building a GL500 to do the ride across Labrador and out though Quebec, approximately 1500 kilometers of dirt. Completing the trip, by returning back through quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to the Rock.



Now for the person who thinks getting North of Quebec is by flying only, start looking at some maps dud, there is a lot of road north of that and some great country.



Would this qualifiy for northern?

 

[richnct]

At the risk of diminishing my reputation (???) the trip to Radisson was all paved roads, and chosen for that reason. All roads from Radisson except the one we came in on are gravel, and it appeared none went north. And none had any fuel to speak of. The next village north was accessed by air. Because we rode a GL500I and a GL650I, discretion seemed the better part of valor, and we waved at the adventure riders heading out on 400 mile rides on the gravel roads. The ride from Connecticut to Radisson and back was a fine enough adventure for this grey haired roamer. I fantasize about the Labrador Road, but it just looks like too much for an unmodified GL650I. See? I do get smarter in my old age. The biggest challenge for us was the 15 hr ride from central Vermont (New England Rally site) to 50 miles onto the James Bay Road, where I was determined to camp. Big mistake! Other campers in motor homes were great folks, even if we could not speak french, and they no english, but the mosquitoes not so much. I've camped all my life, a lot, but never experienced mosquitoes like that! Early July, and they were thick enough to eat, if you sought revenge. The other interesting part of the trip is that the James Bay Road has a stretch without fuel (or anything else for that matter), that exceeds the fuel range of the GLs, so extra fuel had to be carried with us. Both ways, of course. I highly recommend that trip for asphalt riders who want to challenge themselves, but aren't ready for Alaska yet.

Although that's a poor comparision, the latter having many miles of gravel roads. I hope to do Radisson again sometime.

 

[Wrenchtard]

Did a road trip through Yukon and came back down through Alaska and back over to BC through Haines Junction..... in an 86 Dodge Getaway. Saw lots of rvs, trucks, trailers, cyclists and plenty of touring bikes. Many many kilometers of gravel road and ounce you hit Alaska around Chicken its all mud "roads" which is where i got my first flat tire!! The factory jack aint worth shit, would have better luck hitting the van with a dead tree branch till the tire inflates!! Awesome trip , beautiful part of the world.. would wait till you hit Canada till you get that tire fixed, spent about an hour back and forth talking to a pair of legs under a truck till i finally realised i would not be getting my puncture repaired anytime that day... great trip... lots of fantastic memories.. got my dog in Dawson City , best part of the trip!!

 

[Wrenchtard]

Oh yeah! you wont just need extra gas( found out the hard way), bring bear spray!!!!!! Really .....

 

[Willys]

Excellent....I have ridden fro the toronto area to Inuvik twice now and also across the labrador Highway and through NFLD and back, then up to Raddison then to Long Point....just to say I've ridden to all edges so to speak of this fine land of ours. I will return to Inuvik when they finish the Dempster Highway in a year or two so I can ride to the Arctic Ocean.......that should stroke off the bucket list item ....now to find new locations to ride to....Sorry all done on a Kawasaki KLR650....my long distance adventure machine. So I guess it doesn't count....lol.
Dream big and do your rides while you can.....

 

[richnct]

Adventuresome devil, aren't you! I think Don/AU holds a record that will be hard to beat though; he's ridden motorcycles within both the arctic and antartic circles! We heard first person tales of those trips at an Amish Rally a few years ago. Neither was on a twisted twin though. Gene/TN was his co-conspirator on the arctic trip. Those two old coots on a hack, they're probably still talking about it in Alaska. Combined age at the time of 140 plus as I recall. Both still twisting a throttle AFAIK. Guys (or gals) in our community who have cycled in/on Newfoundland would be a rather small group too, I'm guessing. You and Dave/WI I know of offhand. Not many admit to even having been to Radisson, a fur piece for a street/pavement bike from the States.