Alaska to New York
 

Hi All

The cunning plan is to purchase a couple of BMW F650 Dakar's in Anchorage and head south along the Rockies turning left into Alberta through the states and Black Hills, turn left again back into Canada north of Superior, around Ontario and then flat chatting to New York...cheap flight and arrange shipping. Any tips would be greatly appreciated as on this sojourn it really is the crazy leading the afraid...cant bloody well wait!

Hi,
Can be done easily. But there is a lot of work you must do first. (1) Contact the BMW dealer in Anchorage to make sure he'll have the hardware ready for you when you want it. Are you going to pay cash? (2) Find out from US Customs, if it is possible for non-resident aliens (I assume you carry a UK passport) to buy and register motorcycles in the US. (3)Check out shipping lines. Are you planning to ship to the UK or back to Alaska? If you're planning to ship to London, there is an economical way to ship by air from Ottawa, Canada, much cheaper than from the US. Have fun!

You have arranged to have the bikes there and held for you, right? They are at
http://www.themotorcycleshop.com/
Then the 600 miles service. If you ride around Alaska you could make an appointment and have them do it. If not then call ahead and find another dealer to do the 600 mile service along the way.
Most dealers will help with an emergency, but they can get booked up for weeks and a 600 mile service is not an emergency and you may have to wait. Call a month ahead.
Don't forget insurance that is good in the USA and Canada.
As for the route the Cassiar Highway is nice. At my web site I have a trip reoprt and pictures of last year in Alaska and a page of places to stay and their phone numbers along the route, print it.
www.geocities.com/widebmw@sbcglobal.net
Have a good time.
John

The ride along the north shore of Lake Superior is absolutely spectacular but weather can be cold and wet, even during the summer months. Check out Ney Provincial Park in Ontario. Don't even think of riding at night because of the Moose.
The border crossing into the states at Sault St. Marie can be slow and the American border guards surly.
The trip will be more relaxed if you allow for the fact that distances may be more than you think and some of the north is still pretty wild.