Danimal

Today I made it to Dawson Creek British Columbia, the official start of the Alaska Highway!

tomorrow it’s onward to Fort Nelson BC, named after Admiral Nelson and an early fur trading post in the area. 

from the Fort Nelson museum’s webpage:
Fort Nelson, named after Admiral Nelson, was established as a fur post in 1805 and is the gateway to the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. Life in Fort Nelson began to change drastically in 1941 and 1942 mainly as a result of World War II. The Northwest Air Staging Route established an airport in 1941. The population of Fort Nelson increased substantially in 1942 with the arrival of US Army troops to begin construction of the Alcan Highway, now called the Alaska Highway.  With so many people working on the highway, it only took 9 months to survey and build the 1500 mile stretch of road.

after that its two solid days ride to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. There I have a new rear tire waiting for me. My rear Mitas E-07 is toast. Sure hope it makes it. 
 

My host last night in Prince George BC, Larry Sievill. Great guy! 
 

DR650 first expenditures for a man your size B should be suspension. 
Then a quality seat. 
 

Enjoy the pig

https://youtu.be/ixld3o72K6U?si=QecBzbSgnE-_fW3E

https://youtu.be/ueSJHI69vCQ?si=_WbV5EtDqdj7gFGD

Arrived in Red Lodge MT last night. 
Sadly, Beartooth pass (the reason I’m here) was also closed again last night near the MT/WY border due to two feet of fresh snow. 
Onwards towards Great Falls tomorrow and then the border crossing at Carway. 
 

Done and done. Thank you Michelle! Thank you Procycle!

So far I’ve only ridden probably 3-400 miles of dirt roads in the last week, and on only a few were under dusty conditions where I was following a pickup. I was surprised how much dirt made it into the fork seal area with those cracked boots. 
Much better now. Confidence restored. 
 

Heading NW towards the Carway border crossing tomorrow 

There are friends I don’t hear from much anymore that still frequent this site, and their signatures on my bike are a steady reminder of fun times in the past. So I’ll keep updating here as well

So I decided to stay an extra night here in Pettibone ND at Chris’ cabin in order to do a maintenance day on Sunny. There were a few things to address, namely getting the horn working and a few other things. 
Well, things never are as simple as that are they?
During cleaning and inspection I see multiple cracks all over both front fork boots. These boots are criticize keeping dirt and grime away from the fork seals. 
I contacted Procycle and they are shipping no cost a new set a day ahead of me where I can do the install (which requires both fork legs to be removed). 
So guess where I’m heading tomorrow? A long day SW to Custer South Dakota where I’ll be visiting and staying with friend and Moto-author (and fellow contributing author with me in the Moment Collectors book) Michelle Lamphere !! I last saw Michelle when leaving Denver heading back to Ohio right after getting out of the wheelchair!
Also will be visiting friends Shana Sanderson and her husband Eugene where I can do the work changing out the fork boots. 

So all in all a productive day. 
Horn repaired
Chain cleaned and lubed
Carb breather filter cleaned
Small section of fuel line replaced with one the correct length
Two pounds of bug guts removed. Yuck lol. 
Highway peg pivots cleaned and lubed

so much blood

disassembly begins

horn now works again

Random campsite in MN near the ND border. One week out

Ya. You’d think that for BMW money they would be color matching 

Are those big green panniers behind a special accessory? Waterproof liners?

at 1200 miles I made the change today to synthetic oil on Sunny2.0. Motul 7100 20W-50. And she is purring like a happy cat. So I wandered around a bit to feel her out and man, does the DR like the 20W. Shifts like butter. 
Ready now for leaving next Monday for a week in Appomattox VA and the Horizons Unlimited event there. After that? The Yukon and Alaska!

I sold what’s left of the old bike along with the unused parts from the new bike to a fellow DR650 enthusiast who has the tools and capabilities to rebuild motors. 
He sent me pictures of the old lump. As suspected, the cage on the main bearing failed. Somehow bizzarrely, no apparent damage anywhere in the motor other than some scoring on the crank. He’s replacing the bearing a confident she will run again!

Thanks Jim. The sync with Pink Floyd was absolutely fucking perfect. One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. 

 

Nice! Throw on a big tank and some soft bags and come to Alaska with me. You have time. 

2 hours ago, mello dude said:

Thank you for posting these.. its a good reminder for me to get off my ass. 

You’re thinking of doing some traveling?

Can you do the same for the other two?

No way of imbedding the video’s thumbnail? What am I doing wrong Jim?

Thought some of you might enjoy a few. My editing skills are lacking as was the equipment, but the results aren’t too bad 

I mounted the speed sensor more permanently on my lower fork leg using Sugru, same as the old bike. The tape will hold it in position until the Sugru cures, about 24 hours

then put one of the new decals on the topcase to make it official 

It’s simple really. Those sections of New England are the oldest, most densely saturated population wise in the US. You can’t ride more than a few minutes without coming through a small township.ive found the best scenery along the coast