Alone to Deadhorse - A Solo Journey on the Dalton Highway 

Bruce Kratky I’m deeply grateful for your response and your story. Thank you. Wishing you the very best in all things.

Bruce Kratky I’m 64 this June. I’m going. It’s not age. It’s heart. Solitude at our age is a gift if you Know yourself

Bruce... your story brought tears to my eye !!

@@randyfarnsworth7825 I m 45 I just learned how to ride. You guys are all so inspiring. I will be sure to take on of these long distance trips soon.

You can share your Kodak picture. It would be honor for the biking community here. As there were very limited options back then

Thats awesome Yako.

Wish ALL truckers the world over were like you !!

Can you look out for 2004 green Mustang Mach 1s as well?

Yes You Are....Likewise Hear Also

A rider's best friend on a long ride.

johnhendrik thanks for watching. I’m so glad it resonated with you.

johnhendrik Well said.

@@snowmobilingburberry Great comment, it is a gentlemen's way.

I agree. Very well done. I've taken some long trips on motorcycles but this one sounds amazing. I don't think I'll ever have the opportunity to do it but at least this video gives me a taste of what it would be like.

@@WalterKitunduStudio Loved your video Walter. I grew up with the two wheels passion in my family and town since I was 10 or 12 but somehow for many different reasons I wasn't able to follow up on it for more than 20 years. Have a cousin that is like a brother to me and the same age (43) that unlike me never stopped riding bikes and traveling solo or in group. Last week he rided from my home country Angola to South Africa crossing Namibia in between and I realized that I've been missing out on that side of life. Took a resolution of starting doing my research on types of traveling motorcycles and prices because I'm going back to that old passion. I found your great video while doing that research. Thank you, you helped me a lot🙏👍😊 Regards from Angola

Mike Leggieri that means a lot coming from a fellow rider who knows what it means to be out there on your own. Thanks so much.

You might like to watch Itchi boots in Africa, fantastic.

Thank you! I'm glad it resonated with you and I do appreciate you taking the time to ride along.

Absolutely. Girlfriend and I watched a whole 2 hour vid of a guy on his KLR going from like Connecticut to Panama and back. He was pretty much just whining the whole way about the rain but it was fun. He did get the screwgy on the rain lol.

Yes mate! Yes! I am sick to death of reality tv muppets! I use RU-vid as a tool for sourcing awesomess.

sourcing awesomess - I've never heard it put that way but that's, well, awesome.

@ Matt Soper: "SOURCING AWESOMENESS" is a great term!

Russ the Highlander thanks for watching and for the feedback.

Mike O'Keeffe thanks for those kind words. Cheers.

73 no big deal way past that still do 6 7 on mild days

73 just a numbers boss. Keep on riding now.

"Ex Biker" ? Just turned 60.... and bought a new bike ! Don't plan on , or know how to get "too old". Now... get back in the saddle !

I'm 71 year old, just been back from 16 days, 6000 Kilometer, tent and some hotel, 70% rain, Slowakei, Ukraine, Rumänien, Serbia, Kroatia and Italie. Never any problems. So, I would say, it still works. 😎 Grettings from switzerland PS, great Video👍👍

The States have so much to offer! This was a good representation of some of its gems.

@@2UpAndOverloaded Yes they do. So much to see and so much to learn. My traveling Summers during college taught me more about just about everything than the schooling did. I'm a lucky man for having done it.

I started this trip on a 1988 Gold Wing with 160K on it. Never had a problem. Tires and oil changes. I got bad gas is Idaho that was so contaminated it scored the cylinders 5000 miles into the trip. Ended up changing rides in Boise. The Honda dealer there was fantastic. July 16 2019 I bought a Wing with 42K on it. By the time I parked it in November for it's Winter hibernation the odometer now read 61K and change. I liked the 88 better for it's giant size, fortunately the 2007 is a magic carpet ride as well.

I’ll Be getting my license and a klr GOD willing

Brian Wells thanks for watching! As we say in Tanzania, Safari njema, travel well!

me too, 75 now

jorge perez congratulations on your incredible journey. I know there are many stories and memories that you will treasure for a long time to come!

Hello, with Walter's permission, I'm going to answer you in steps, because I have to check my notes. I am Cuban, I have lived in Miami, Fl for 10 years, I came from Miami to Mexico City on the bike, for business and from here I started my solo the trip to Prudhoe Bay and back. 1. Personal travel equipment. - Jacket and pants Klim Latitude - Adventure Forma Boots updated whit drytex liner - HJC helmet - four long-sleeved polyester jersey from Fox racing clothing - six cotton t-shirts from Walmart - six pairs of black cotton socks from Walmart - a jacket North Face - a pair of HOKA One One boots from REI - a pair of pants Nort Face Paramount Trail convertible pants - beach shorts - crocs flip-flops - slim sports pants from Walmart - six underpants Revision of all the above: The hiking boots used them in 42 days only on 8 occasions they are not really WP like on the specification, the worst of all was the HJC helmet, it is very noisy, does not close tightly, in the rain and in the fog does not work well. The jacket and pant Klim and the boots form are excellent, the boots are 100% water resistant, are very light you can use with the jeans. in the next comment I tell you about the bike and its accessories and tools

Dear Walter, with your permission, I go ahead. 2. The bike and its equipment F800GS year 2016, black color nickname La Negra (black woman). At the beginning of the trip, the bike had the next mileage from new 35420 km (22000 miles). The week before leaving, I did the following works -Change of oil and filter - Installation of a new K&N air filter - Installation of new front and rear brake pads, ECB type, the rear ones were changed in Utah during the rally of the MOA 2017, also there I did a change of the oil and the oil filter - Installation of a new front tire TKC-70 (reach for the entire round trip) - Installation of a new rearTKC-70 - Arrived at Fairbanks, Alaska very worn, there installed a new Heidenau K60 Scout Dual Sport tire, buy it online from www.rockymountainatvmc.com, being in Dawson Creek at the beginning of the Alaska hwy and send it in advance to the University of Fairbanks, Alaska. This Heidenau K60 tire made the trip to Prudhoe Bay and back to Mexico and it are still in a good condition. The bike has installed the following additional equipment of Touratech although I confess I am not a fan of Touratech but when I bought the bike in the dealer, I got a good discount for the following. - Quick release clear headlight guard - review very good - Engine crash bar - review near the border Mexico USA broke a fixation piece, still Touratech did not replace me this part - Upper crash bar - review good - stand support extension - review very good - large engine guard - review very good Other equipment - Hand guards BMW Motorrad - review very good - Tank Bag BMW Motorrad - review very good - Touratech waterproof adventure dry bag 31L - review very good - AltRider 25L Synch Dry Bag - review excellent - AltRider Luggage rack for f800gs - review excellent - Givi 37 Liter treckker outback - good and nice, but I do not recommend them for long off-road trips, their bottom bracket is plastic and can be damaged, I leave them at the University of Fairbanks and to the Prudhoe Bay only carry the soft Touratech and Altrider bags - Ram Mount Universal X-Grip - excellent fixation and very useful my cell phone made the whole round trip on this support and did not suffer any damage. - Rotopax 1 gallon gas fuell Pack - excellent use it twice in the segment of the Dalton hwy between Coolfoot and Prudhoe bay, that is a very long space without gasoline and back in a very long segment of the peninsula of Baja California in Mexico, although in the Alaska hwy sometimes you found gas stations without gas or closed. - Rotopax 1 gallon water Pack - excellent use it more than gasoline, all the time was full, very useful in camping and in case of a break in the middle of nowhere water is important to survive and prepare meals - GPS Tomtom Rider 400 - very good and exact, I stand the rain, the sun, the mud, all the way, the only negative is that the letters on the keyboard are very small the next comment for parts and maintenance and behavior of the mine F800GS

3 Spare parts and maintenance - NGK DCPR8E Spark Plugs Qty 2 - Not Used - ECB front and rear brake pads, rear was changed in Utah, the front was not used - Chain master link Clip Type 525 Qty 4 from Amazon - most experts say it is not very safe, but believe me that on the road is much easier to install than the riveted link. I have had bikes for more than 10 years with this type of link without any problems, I had to use one in Fairbanks when I changed the chain of the bike, give one to another motorist who was in trouble. - lamp H7 12V / 55W, from Walmart they are better than from the Autozone, last more hours Qty 1 - not used - OEM throttle cable from Bmw Qty 1 - not use - OEM clutch cable from Bmw Qty 1 - not use - OEM oil filter Qty 1- use 2 - tube for front tire Qty 1 - not use - tube for rear tire Qty 2 - not use - Spray WD40 QTY 1 - very useful - Spray of chain Lube - during the trip use several, following the recommendations of the our teacher and master Walter, to lubricate the chain every day before going to sleep, I made the mistake of using a lubricant not suitable with PTF or Molly, my chain arrived at Fairbanks, Alaska in bad conditions this topic will be commented on separately - Spray of special oil for maintenance of the K&N air filter - the air filter I recommend cleaning it frequently in this type of travel, when you go through the forests of USA and Canada in summer time there are full of insects, cleaning the filter on the F800GS is very easy, and the bike sounds different with the clean filter - two small rolls of electrical cables black and red from Autozone - not use - Electrical tape Qty 2 - use one - Nylon cable ties medium and large size - use de medium sizes - small brushes to clean chain and filter Tools and accessories - Ultimate Deluxe tool kit for F800GS from www.advdesigns.com - very good and compact use them very frequently not only on my motorcycle but also to help other bikers - Spark plug Cap removal tool from www.advdesigns.com - in the trip do not use it, really the spark plugs can be removed without this tool - Oil filter wrench from Autozone - I did a three oil changes, this tool is not expensive and is easy to transport I recommend - PBR 3 in 1 Chain Breaker tool from Motion Pro www.advdesigns.com - this tool is very good, I use it in Fairbanks when I had to change the chain, but it is very heavy to carry in a trip, I recommend to take from Amazon a cheap chain breaker only to break the chain and carry some master links of the clip type - BeadPro Tire Bead Breaker and lever from Motion Pro www.advdesigns.com - very good and light tool use it in Fairbanks when change the rear tire, if you use tires with tubes you have to carry with some tool of this type - Mine tire inflator “Hyper Tough” from Walmart - compact air compressor, light and cheap, certainly made in China, use it very often without any fault, there are different brands but they are all the same - Trail strap emergency from www.advdesigns.com - no use - Rock Straps - medium and large I recommend carry several are often used, always appears something to tie the motorcycle - Tie down straps medium from Autozone Qty 4 - I recommend taking at least a couple, they are strong and can be very useful and I use them to tie the motorcycle when boarding the ferry in Baja California, Mexico - Yellow electrical tester from Autozone - is small, light and costs only about 11 dollars, if you have elementary knowledge of electricity you can take it, use it once to check the battery and a fuse on another motorcycle The F800GS - The motorcycle remained excellent throughout the trip without any fault, my average speed was at 6th speed 5000 rpm the speed is between 120 and 130 km per hour (74 - 80 mph), this bike is a rock. Problem with the chain: Before the trip I look at many videos on RU-vid, many times look at Walter because he use a bike just like mine. Walter recommend me lubricate and clean the chain every day. So I did but when I was at Lake Louise in Canada, the chain came behaving in a strange way, you adjusted it in a position, and when it turned it was too loose, if you stretched too much it was dangerous, it was not well, so when I arrive to Fairbanks, Alaska there I had to change it. At this moment that chain had from new 45325 km (28163 miles), I discovered that I was using an incorrect chain lubricant, maybe it could have been chain fatigue for so many miles or the weight of the bike plus passenger and cargo… weight of the passenger 100kg (220 pounds), weight of the load two side bags with 8 -10 kg each (22 pounds), bag with camping equipment and a gallon of gasoline and a gallon of water total weight of the cargo about 30 to 35 kg (66 - 77 pouds)

Gracias, Jorge, for the useful information.

JAPN Jim always great to hear from people with firsthand experience. I'm old school enough to be nostalgic for film cameras. Kudos to you for venturing into the real wilderness back then. All the best.

The 'old' days....iron men and aluminum motorcycles.....quite a trip back then.

Wow ! I know those old bikes, myself being 59 years old, and been riding for 41 years. Those old 4 cylinder Hondas were top heavy. I'm guessing that was a REAL challenge.

Nooo chance i find you here

John Hoey I’m so glad to hear it. Congrats.

I couldn't ask for more. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time. Much appreciated.

This was very nicely laid out!

Melvin Jacobs thanks for watching. Ride on! 👊🏾

Bill S. Thanks for riding along!

osimnod thank you for watching. I certainly learned some lessons that are applicable in the classroom. The trip made me aware of my capabilities and I gained confidence as a teacher and parent and partner. I like your phrase "reasonable risk." It resonates with me. You can step outside of your comfort zone in ways that test you without being too careless. It's an important skill in long distance travel, and in life too.

Warren Currier thank you for your thoughtful and kind words. They are deeply appreciated.

Hey thanks so much. Glad you are enjoying it. I appreciate your kind words.

Thanks Tad. I appreciate you taking the time, both to watch and to let me know in the comments. All the best.

Thank you for the feedback and congratulations on a successful run to Deadhorse. That's a serious bike to take and it must have been a great ride. All the best to you!

tentcamper well done

Hey thanks so much. Always good to hear from folks who know the area. Must be an intense place to work!

Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Ogsonofgroo thank you for your warm and gracious comment! All the best to you!

Vanna So thank you. I'm glad it brought back memories. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!

Shane F thanks for your comment. All the best.

Thanks for letting me know. Glad you are enjoying it!

john.advrider thank you for the feedback. When I was planning the trip I remember wanting basic information on the scope of the trip and footage that clearly showed the riding conditions. I'm glad this will be useful. I highly recommend the ride if you get the opportunity!

Thanks so much. I’m sure we must have crossed paths or given a wave at some point. All the best.

Advantur with gr150 thank you for the kind words. All the best!

You absolutely have to get out there and explore the world on two wheels!!!! It is an amazing experience!

You will never forget it. It is life changing and validating.

Awesome Players thank you! That means a lot coming from you.

what kind of bike is that it looks cool for touring like this

BMW F800GS but it looks like he took off the "beak" that they're well known for. I'm actually curious about how Walter did that as well.

Wow...well done & thank you!

There was a short beak conversion kit from Wunderlich that I installed. Think it might have been discontinued. I just liked the look with the tall screen and it felt more rally-ish. Purely an aesthetic decision. Every other mod was functional but I allowed myself that extra. And yes, 2012 F800GS

Bob R thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. I've been blown away by the positive responses and it makes me want to make a proper film when I ride the length of Africa in a few years time.

Din Rima peace. Thanks for riding along.

Thank you

Cliff Bellas that sounds like a memorable adventure. Respect!

Thanks much appreciated.

Let me put a bug in yer ear. I always wanted to drive from Key West, Florida to Van Buren, Maine. Now that would be a great ride on a scoot

You wouldn't regret one second of it... I hope that you take the leap and we meet you on the road in some far away country!

For genuine “me time”, you cannot beat motorcycling.

isadore adger enjoy your 7th trip. So glad you took the time to ride along with me. You seem a true adventurer at heart and in practice. All the best!

Reminds me of a cousin and I met 3 guys riding identical SL 100 across country as my cous and I were but on large bikes. It was all good as we met many folks who either said they wanted to this or a few actually had. A great journey on small roads, by choice.

John Roth thank you for the kind words.

Roger Perrett my pleasure. Thanks for watching!