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Old Guy on a Couple of Pan America’s

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Big Red 1

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Two ways to ride to the Arctic Ocean in North America. I did one on my 2021 PAS in 2022, and the other in 2023 on my 2023 PAS.

Deadhorse / Prudoe Bay Alaska is the first pic on the 2021. (65 yrs old 😎)

Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories in the second pic. (66 yrs old 😎)

I’ve been riding since the early 1970’s. I’ve had Harley’s continually, and lots of other makes as well. Still have 7 motorcycles. The Pan America is my favorite of all time. Period.
 

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Discussion starter · #5 ·
gentimmy said:
Calcium Chloride cand efinitely be tough on motorcycles. What are your plans for deep cleaning the bike? This is what has me hesitating to bring my own and wondering if I should just rent
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Calcium Chloride is mainly an issue on The Dalton, not so much on the Dempster. When I took my trip to Prudoe Bay / Deadhorse in 2022, it had been raining non-stop for eight days before I hit the Dalton north of Fairbanks. It was still raining the day I departed FB and rained the entire trip up and 1/2 the trip back south to Fairbanks. About 1000 miles of calcium chloride infused mud. Yes, the mud was deep, I was standing almost the entire time, and I don’t think I ever got higher than 3rd gear anywhere except the rare patch of pavement. Hardest, but by far the most rewarding and adventurous trip of my life.

After getting back down to Fairbanks, I needed to clean the mud off the bike. It had calcium chloride mud PACKED everywhere. (I’ll post some pics). A local trucker told me how to clean it off and it worked great:
  • Go to the store and buy a one gallon metal can of WD40 and a large spray bottle.
  • Go to a self serve car wash, remove your panniers, bags, etc, and spray off the gross amounts of mud out of all the nooks, crannies, etc. Be thorough.
  • Fill the spray bottle with WD40 and spray it EVERYWHERE on the bike. EVERYTHING. Get under the seat, all nooks, crannies, radiator, etc. Let it set for 15 minutes or so.
  • Repeat the WD40 process again, wash and rinse again. Repeat until you get the desired results.
- When you get back home, do it again if needed. This process really works great.

A final note: If you’re afraid of getting your Pan America ADV bike covered in mud, dust, calcium chloride, or getting it chipped or a flat tire in the middle of the tundra, (I did that too), a dent or two in your skid plate, or maybe a broken clutch or brake handle, then you better not do the Dalton or the Dempster, those trips aren’t for you. That’s not a bad thing, a trip like that isn’t for everyone. If you hit good weather for the entire trip, it can still be challenging. If the weather turns to crap, you can be in for the adventure of your life, or a life threatening situation, survival situation, etc. You also need to feel comfortable repairing a tire on your own in the middle of the wilderness, removing and replacing a tire on the rim on your own, and doing some basic mechanical repairs on your own. There is no help available on the Dalton or the Dempster, and it can literally cost thousands of dollars to get your bike recovered from the wilderness in case of accident or breakdown.

I wouldn’t trade my experiences on the Dalton or the Dempster for anything. I’m glad I did them both on a Pan America. Absolutely AWESOME bike which is a lot more capable than I am! 😎
 
#7 ·
Congrats and good write up! I was right there with you in 2023! I went in Sept and the colors were great, hardly saw any other bikes the whole way. Bike did great, I did get one flat but was lucky as I was just getting into Inuvik as it leaked down. Plugged it but didn't want to risk the ride out with a plug so spent an extra day and had a tire flown in from Whitehorse. Really cool trip overall!
Image
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Yeagar said:
Congrats and good write up! I was right there with you in 2023! I went in Sept and the colors were great, hardly saw any other bikes the whole way. Bike did great, I did get one flat but was lucky as I was just getting into Inuvik as it leaked down. Plugged it but didn't want to risk the ride out with a plug so spent an extra day and had a tire flown in from Whitehorse. Really cool trip overall!
View attachment 5801
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We must have passed each other, I was there in September as well!
 
#10 ·
Doing my research for a potential 2026 trip to Alaska from Wisconsin. Long time Harley rider. Soon to be first time adv rider. Plan to buy a 2024 PAS this spring and use 2025 to get the bike setup

I hear and read about the PA reliability issues. You guys have done the trip to AK. Where did you ride from? Miles put down on trip? Any issues with bike?

What are the must have upgrades for a trip like this to AK.

Thanks in advance
 
#11 · (Edited)
Saltydog said:
Doing my research for a potential 2026 trip to Alaska from Wisconsin. Long time Harley rider. Soon to be first time adv rider. Plan to buy a 2024 PAS this spring and use 2025 to get the bike setup

I hear and read about the PA reliability issues. You guys have done the trip to AK. Where did you ride from? Miles put down on trip? Any issues with bike?

What are the must have upgrades for a trip like this to AK.

Thanks in advance
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Bought my first one in 21 in TN, rode to FL, then to Alaska. Had what I call minor software issues on the way up but nothing that stopped me. Dealers I stopped at during the way were awesome and got me rolling again. Later rode that bike from Seattle to AZ then around there a couple weeks then back to Alaska. Then on the same bike this year I went Alaska western US then back to Alaska. I keep up on maintenance and had any issues corrected at dealers in between trips. It never stranded me in 34K Miles. I recently traded it on a ‘24.

You could get the CVO which is decked out and ready to load your gear on and go or you can go through the process of outfitting one. I truly believe you can’t do it for less than the CVO.
 
#12 ·
Several of us completed the 2024 Hoka Hey on Pan Americas, which started Aug 4. We started in Daytona, headed south to Key West, then turned around. Hit GA, AL, MS, AR, OK, NM, AZ, UT, WY, SD, MT, Alberta, BC, Yukon and into AK. 9700 miles of back roads in 12 days. Shipped the bike to MN so I could hang out for a couple of weeks. Flew down, picked up the bike and headed back to AL. Total riding days were 14.5, total mileage 11,347.

I lost an oil pressure sending unit on Day #3 and had a fuel pump starting to act up a day or so later in OK. It went out in Anchorage and was changed there. Keep up on your chain maintenance. Wouldn't hurt to have a spare fuel pump with you.

I'd recommend highway pegs, auxiliary lights and good riding gear. Maybe look at seat options as well, depending on your needs.
 
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