I'm riding up north and will need a place to mail my new tires. I'm leaving on 7/6/03 and will need to have them sent before then.
We will pick them up sometime around the 19th of July.
4 tires, 2 for me and 2 for my partner. I know it's a long shot but It would make things easier if we did not have to carry them.
So, Got any good buddies in the Fairbanks area?

Dear Darby,
Do you have money to burn? Shipping tires to Alaska will cost a fortune. If you put on a brand new set before leaving the lower 48, say in Seattle, you'll have plenty of tread left to make it back down at least as far as Whitehorse, Yukon, where you can buy replacements. Canadians do ride bikes, and tires of all sizes are, indeed, available in the great White North.

No, I hate burning money. I need advice on how not to burn money. Your Canadian wisdom is greatly appreciated. And I am aware that some Canadians do indeed ride motorcycles. I saw a some of them last time I was there. But I also remember looking at my back tire at Watson Lake and saying, "motherscratcher, what can I do?"
I have been worried about getting up to Fairbanks and getting the "oh, we just ran out," or, "here we are, that will one million dollars sir, and have a nice day." I have a friend who paid well over $220 for a rear tire for his Honda while up there.
I'm starting in Oklahoma, and expect them to be pretty gone by the time I get to Fairbanks. Think I should call ahead and ask them to hold a couple pair? Sorry for being ignorant but I've never been that far north, we are on a budget and are trying to be as frugal as possible. You are right though, I have not really considered what the cost might be to order tires and have them shipped up there.

[This message has been edited by darby (edited 24 June 2003).]

Hi Darby,
What kind of rubber burners are you guys riding? My set of tires on a BMW R100GSPD lasted from Ottawa (Canada East) to Deadhorse, and down as far as San Diego.
In your case I would phone one of the dealers in Fairbanks to hold one or two sets for you. This will be cheaper than your shipping up the tires via FedEx or similar.
Best of luck.

Yhoa Darby ..

aahhh never mind sending any tires up to alaska ... unless they are an odd ball tire. You can buy tires almost anywhere along your trip. The last best place to check into before heading up the alaska Hiway is Dawson Creek B.C. Depending on the tire you need ... just stop into one of the dealers there and make arrangements for the unexpected. Any of the dealers there will be more then happy to get you the tire you need ... but it on bus ship it north to where ever you need it. It will be a lot cheaper buying a tire here then in the states ... just for the exchange alone. Of course the farther you go up the hiway the more the tires will cost. Like I said before ... make arrangements in Dawson Creek ... if and when ... they will take visa, mastercard and ship you the tire. The next major city is Whitehorse Yukon and the dealers there will do the same. You can also get help or make connections in Fort Nelson mile post (300) and Watson Lake mile post (600). Once your in Alaska .... you’ll have to deal with the Alaskans and you will pay higher there .. no doubt.

No worries bro ... we'll take care of our friends to the south.

------------------
Murphy

__________________
Murphy

Hi Darby,
Nice to see someone from my area. I am interested in doing the same trip you are in the near future.... if you could send me any info ect. I would appreciate anything. Thanks, Eric

Welp, I guess you guys were right, you CAN buy tires in Canada. Unfortunately, $350.00 Canadian is just a bit steep for my cheap blood. That's right, by the time I got to Whitehorse (from Oklahoma City) the rear Bridgestone Trailwing on my KLR was almost bald. The cheapest tire that I could get for it (in town) cost $350. That's with the $80 charge for mounting it. I would have held out till Fairbanks where prices were much better, but I really did not think the tire would make it up the Depmster Hwy, which was next in route. When I got to Fairbanks I was able to bet a much higher quality tire (for my riding partner) at a very fair price and just mounted it myself.
Overall, the smartest thing I could have done would have been to mail new tires, tubes, rear brake pads, chains and sprockets to Fairbanks. After Prudhoe Bay, we needed them. The Dempster Hwy was dry and easy on the chains and sprockets, but Dalton Hwy to Deadhorse was very wet and dirty. No amount of oil, WD40 or chain lube save them.
In fact, we rode all the way to Price George with no rear brakes to prevent destroying the rotors, our pads were just gone. Our sprockets were so worn out, I saved mine. We probably would have been ok if traveling from one of the northern states (like Washington) or Canada, but I'm just going to mail my stuff next time. Would have worked out better.