Has anyone made the trip to Alaska and up the Haul Road to Prudoe Bay on an LT?

I'm thinking of going.

I'm sure others here with more experience will chime in soon, but from what I've seen and read that's not a ride for an LT...

I have not, but I did travel the full length of the Haul Road 1.5 years ago in a Princess Tours bus. I wouldn't be afraid to make the trip on my LT if I could be sure it wouldn't rain. However, in the rain the road becomes very slick and would be hard to manage on street tread tires.

So, I wouldn't take my LT up the haul road, but mainly due to lack of appropriate tread tires. The other issue is that you would NEVER get all of the mud and dust cleaned out of the nether regions of the bike!

The other issue is that you would NEVER get all of the mud and dust cleaned out of the nether regions


That's EXACTLY what my ex-wife said when I got off the "Princess" bus!!

Pussy.

I just found this. Great video. Check out how mud covered his final drive is after doing some of the mud section!



Yeah, it would be nice to hit it during a dry spell. The KLT handles hard packed dry dirt and gravel roads pretty well IMO, but getting blasted with the "prop wash" of one of those tractor trailers barreling down the mud slicked road doesn't look like fun....

I am getting up some enthusiasm for a ride to Alaska.
That would be a memorable trip

Hey Curtis PM Motorman from Florida. He made the trip a few year ago on his LT

One thing to be aware of is the fact that the AlCan Hwy is so huge that there will always be some construction zones. And like someone else mentioned, the mud is very slimy when it rains (which it does!), but it is just as slimy when they water down the sections they are working on during dry days to keep the dust down!

I'm sure it is well within the LT's capability, but it may be tough keeping her upright in some sections if it gets too slimy. Just a caution.

Sounds like a great goal though!

John

Having followed CharlieVT for a few miles on some of Vermont's hard packed roads I'll testify to his ability. The biggest issue is going to be the weather. The slick, gumbo composition of the road surface after a rain is going to put the kibosh on the ride. Your options are to ride to the starting point and wait for a window of opportunity, ride on and sit out the periods of bad weather, ride out and head back if things turn bad. How much time are you allowing for this venture?

I agree, but I think I want a GS to make it on!!

A few years ago, on the way to the Utah CCR, I was in MT and ID (I know on the way to Utah from St Louis.. a little detour.)
I took my LT on a "shortcut" between highways that turned out to be all gravel. The LT seemed solid enough, but the sound was horrible.. I thought it was going to shake apart..
I slowed down a bit, but that didn't seem to help.
I had it max loaded, and there was a lot of washboard, but that was the beginning of the end for me and my LT.. I traded for a GS/A shortly after that.. (I always am solo too, that was another reason.)
I have a Alaska trip on my "bucket list" I'm 55, and work prevents me from taking a month off. Marriage prevents me from extended "solo" vacations. (I want to stay married.. )
So, when I go in the next few years it will be a quick one, where I miss 90% of what's up there..
If I still had the LT, I would still go, just try to stay as much paved as I could.
Jeff

I did an Ultimate CCC at the end of May in 2008 on my 2005 LT. As you have probably read in other posts weather is the key factor in a ride to Prudhoe. I was fairly lucky with only a slight drizzle of rain off and on, both on the ride up and the ride back. The more rain the nastier the road surface will be. The other hit and miss is road "construction" ie. re-grading and wetting that can be a real mess. If the road is dry you can make good time, just watch for ever changing road surfaces.

The LT is actually a very stable ride as long as you keep up your momentum, pick your line and stay with it. I had no problems on my ride other than fatigue from standing on the pegs when going through the whale snot. The bike handled everything that the Haul Road had to offer for the two days I was on it.. I did get so much calcium, mud and grit packed around the brake calipers that the back pads were gone and the rotor was scored. I spent about $15 at the Fairbanks carwash getting most of the shit off, but to this day if I dig deep enough I can still find souvenirs.

I made the trip solo and had an awesome experience, having done so I would not recommend doing the trip solo on an LT. If you were to go down (very easy to do in some areas) you might need some help getting back under way. The road is constantly being improved and my someday be paved all the way to Deadhorse, so get up there while it is still an adventure.

Chuck