Riding the Dempster, Six tips for adventure motorcyclists
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- Dempster Motorcycle Research
www.iti.gov.nt.ca/sites/iti/f...
Dempster Budget Video
• DHI Part 5A The Dempst...
Dempster Packing Video
• DHI Part 5B The Dempst...
Dempster Part 8 Incident Video
• DHI Part 8 The Dempste...
if you would like some documents of how I helped plan a trip with a group that were unfamiliar with the ride email me at iverson42x@gmail.com
And I will forward. Puts something like Dempster Info in the subject line.
Content
0:00 Intro
2:26 The Six Things
3:10 Planning
8:00 Tires
10:30 Fuel
12:16 Bike Prep
13:08 Rider Gear
14:20 Physical and Mental Limitations
16:05 Close Out
The 2022 Trip
The Approach
• DHI Part 1 The Dempste...
The Ascent
• DHI Part 2 The Dempste...
The Descent
• DHI Part 3 The Dempste...
The Retreat
• DHI Part 4 The Dempste... 
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Very well stated with both experiences & knowledge from multiple trips. Appreciate your effort & time associated to this video😊👍
Thank you for that.
I just watched another video of a few riders that made it to Eagle Plains on fumes.
And yes, I did that on my first trip as well. Kind of, anyway. My tank was near empty, but I had ten liters with me and a partner with a 30 liter tank I could have siphoned from. I do not think those riders understood the risk of having to bail without sufficient fuel.
And although you do not need a back up for everything, awareness and anticipation is essential.
Safe riding.
Nice video I found It very helpful
Thank you !!
Thank you for the kind words.
While it was kind of geared specifically for the Dempster, much of it is applicable to other rides.
Keep up the great work! 👍👍
Much appreciated
Nicely done Doug!
Thank you Martin.
The Dempster is like playing 3D chess, nothing is quite as it seems
Good video! I’m forwarding this to my riders that I’m guiding to Tuk in mid June.
In November of of 2021, I emailed a group of friends a: “How about riding the Dempster starting July 9th” it was 270 days out. Then each month I sent a new update with a countdown, cause that is what I do.
If you email me (I will put my email in the description for a week) I can forward to you as it helps with the thought process.
Also, as leader, I think my Part 8 video of the Dempster helps with group riding. What went well and what we missed. That is in the description also.
It is a fantastic trip.
Where are you travelling from?
Also the Dust to Dawn rally is often on at that time in Dawson City.
Doug
@@dougiverson4297 Thanks for your reply! I’m taking a small group up. Well we are going to attempt it! Two of them tried last year but failed just north of Eagle Plains due to mechanical issues. Myself and one other guy haven’t been north of Dawson City. We’ve been planning this trip for about a year. My truck is going as a support vehicle that will carry everything so the bikes will be unladen. It will be driven by one of the three wives going. Two of those are riding their own bikes to Dawson (Rykers) and leaving them there.
We are giving ourselves 3 extra days for weather and two more to attend the D2D event on the way back from Tuk.
I have told everyone that we will not be traveling in rain or on muddy roads due to lack of experience with two of the riders. Fires are another concern.
I made it as far as Rock River Campground but had to turn back due to Covid restrictions. I'll return one day and complete it. The scenery was like nothing else I'd seen before.
Congratulations on making it to Rock River. Yes, Covid put a damper on many plans when following the guidelines. We had planned on the trip in 2020 then 2021.
When I stayed at Rock River, July 2022, the mosquitos were pretty persistent. We arrived there at about 1 am on our way back out, That morning we started just north of the Mackenzie ferry, went to Tuk and then south.
You will enjoy the rest of the trip. The views remain spectacular. Some nice winding road just north of the border and then the weaving thru all the lakes north of Inuvik is wonderful AND you get to see it all again from the other direction out.
You are so correct. The scenery is hard to imagine until you are there with nothing around you for miles. At times we would drive an hour and see no one. That meant about 150 km (or more) between us. Stunning. And the views go on forever. That is what makes it difficult keeping your eyes on the road.
Hope the video helps you with some minor details but sounds like you have it wired.
Safe travels!
Doug, I enjoy watching your report of the Dempster Highway. I am now in Alaska and I'll do the Dalton, and Dempster Highway back to back. You emphasize a lot on tires, which makes me thoughtful since I am riding the Heidenau K-60 right now and they are already halfway down, and I am too cheap to put some new on prematurely. I hope that doesn't backfire on me. 😁
If you are resourceful you will be fine. I would highly recommend, given it is an in and out trip, to cache all unnecessary gear at the start. The amount you can cache will depend on the weather forecast.
Lets hear how it went!!!
Thanks for the video, watched the whole thing. Biggest trip I've done so far was 27 days out to NFLD and back but the Dempster still seems pretty intimidating. I have a bucket list goal to make it from Ontario to Dawson city and back one day. You have to love gravel, muck and offroad riding to do such a trip and even though I have the right bike to do it, not sure if I want to tackle that monster. I'm going to try a 4 day guided excursion on an offroad trail in September. I'm already starting to prepare physically. My quads get wrecked after a whole day of standing on the bike and I need to be able to last the four days. It's going to be a challenge for sure. Your tips were great and I'll certainly give them thought. Ride safe.
I watched your offroad course video and I do not think you will have any difficulty on the Dempster. I hit that thumbs up button!
You need good weather, everyone does, but it is just a wide gravel road that can be greasy, slippery, dry, dusty, or freshly graded. Or all of that within 100 km. You just have to pay continual attention and do not outdrive the conditions. Once you are near Dawson City, if the weather is good in 3 days you can cruise up and down it.
One of the things I did between trips 3 and 4 was switch from a Ducati 1200 Multistrada GT to a Halfrica Twin (the CB500x with the Rally Raid conversion). That was a perfect change for me (much lighter / less stress), but it is just 2700 km from Calgary. I did miss the 140 HP, especially when passing on the highway, but ah! it is not a race. I am 5'8" and my bike is lifted another 2 inches but shorter than the AT. I did want to get the AT Sport at one point but did not. I also tend to ride some rougher stuff so lighter and shorter is better.
I think the AT would be a great bike for the entire trip.
If you would like any other info on the Dempster I put together a bit of a 'pdf' package. My contact info is in the description. Email me and I would be happy to send.
Thanks for watching.
@@dougiverson4297 Thanks for the great reply Doug :) I find mud and loose gravel to be the most challenging. I'll see how the 4 day trail ride goes first lol.
@@baldandbiking Hint: No one really likes loose gravel or mud.
Loose hands on the bars, look ahead, stand up if you have to (can feel better), and every time the bike gets squirrelly - by then you are past it. So all good. Ha.
Great content Doug,
(I'm wondering 🤔 if after watching a couple of your videos that if you did this trip again. you might be shooting for the middle or towards the end of August & would be willing to take the chance of not being able to complete this trip in exchange for no mosquitos 🦟 ..? (Cold -4 nights of course, & 12 Celsius days)=(there is probably only a 10 day window for no bugs before the snow hits I'm guessing?)
I'm in Burnaby {Vancouver lower mainland} & basically the same distance to Tuk as from Calgary .. would you say that 6 days up & 6 days back with a couple rest days in there somewhere is somewhat reasonable for time allocation .?
Subject change to tires ; { yes, endless debate 4sure } I have gone through many sets of TKC80 & although yes I love them, even cutting through Whistler in sub zero during late season there confidence inspiring, they never lasted long enough unfortunately so I changed to something almost opposite {Avon trailrider} for 10,000 kms but they were terrible in lose gravel, although very smooth & quiet & lasted forever, they weren't done when I took them off & changed to a {rear motoz tractionator GPS in the stock tractor tread long lasting direction instead of claw scoop direction @38PSI} & on the front {Dunlop trailmax mission @34PSI} & so far now I've gotten 8,000 kms & there probably halfway through .. this is amazing mileage & about half as good as TKC80 in gravel however, I don't really want to imagine spooning these things compared to anything else {maybe Heidi is tougher} although I have had to deal with TKC80 flats before & those are just as easy to work with as dirt bike tires. {Are they getting flats because there soft .? I dunno., I was traveling fast every time it ever happened to me {at or near 100 kph in a straight line)
I'm guessing there's no way to predict the road conditions for the Dempster so as a result tire selection is nearly impossible to guestimate { & then there's just chance & luck 🤞 in there somewhere
I'm holding onto this idea of; "waiting for the road to dry" ...
Of course on the flip side.. having enough food & supplies with you to wait for the road to dry is almost bear bait if you are wild camping between established resting places/services etc
Anyways, I am going to take your advice for the front fender mud guard extension, that looks like it could cause alot of problems otherwise
Probably easiest to email me via my contact info in the description, but at a very high level.
12 days should be enough if you are able to keep pressing forward.
mid/third week of August the colours should be changing. I was there Sept 3. Check out Google Maps street view.
I would use like a TKC80 knobby on the front. It will make the whole trip.
You could use a 70/30 (highway/off road) tire for the whole trip OR use an older rear tire and have a TKC80 rear tire shipped to Whitehorse. This requires some logistics if you do not install yourself. FortNine will ship tires there. Then cache the old tire somewhere you can access if you need and leave behind for another rider if you do not need
good intel, going july 5th 2024. so very soon.
Enjoy the trip. Please pop back in and comment on anything you would add to this.
Just be steady. I met riders that came a long long long ways to ride the Dempster, but when at the gas station they spoke to riders coming off it and decided not to go. They went to Dawson City and we rode to Tuk and back out.
Just one milestone at a time. Watch out for the views they are captivating and one moment you go from being "in a groove" to being "in a rut".
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
I would like a map of every gas stop along the route, and a lug it in to my gps
@@davechavis4275 If you email me (my contact info in the description) I can send you some details I put together for people. Put Dempster Info request or something in the subject line.
In there you will find links to:
www.bellsalaska.com/
themilepost.com/route/
www.dempsterhighway.com/maps-guides
From the above you can get all the gas stations whether you travel the Alaska Highway or the Cassiar Highway 37. I recommend you travel one of them up and one out.
My experience, is there is a credit card fuel station at km zero (no attendant). Then at Eagle Plains (fuel basically 8 am to 930 pm (guess), then at the Coop in Fort McPhersen (if you catch them, Sundays might be iffy), I found 24 hour fuel at the car wash in Inuvik (there are other normal hour gas stations as well). It looks like there is fuel in Tuk, but I have not seen it myself.
last week bad week for Dempster - 2 riders down airlifted. Todays date 23 June 2024
Thanks for the update. I am following a dual-sport buddy on the road now.
It is tough for sure. Everything seems to be out to get you. Our med evac person went from Fort McPhersen to Inuvik by plane and then on to Yellowknife.
There were something like 18 med evacs the 2018 season. We only made it to Eagle Plains that year as they were snowplowing by the Territories border on Sept 4th. We were kind of late but the colours were phenomenal.
We almost struck out in 2019 (rained all night and morning in Eagle Plains) but started out at about 2 pm.
Almost white out at the border but then down hill and it cleared until bright sun. Arrived Tuk after 1 am.