I'm interested in riding the Dempster Highway to Inuvik. As familiar and reliable as my trusty Kawasaki ZR-7S is, I know from experience up north and in Baja that it is truly a menace on dirt or gravel roads and would be no fun at all on the Dempster, particularly if there's fresh gravel or rain involved.

My current thinking is to go light and acquire a quarter litre-ish dual sport. Having previously ridden up to Whitehorse, I have no need to do that again, so I'd trailer the d/s up and begin riding from there. Therefore, high speed highway travel is not a real concern, although I would like to do some touring into Alaska as well.

There's plenty of choice available around here including the Suzuki DR200SE, Yamaha XT225/250, Honda CRF230L, Kawasaki Sherpa and the Kawasaki KLX250S. I've sort of ruled the KLX250S out because it's much taller than the others and has the unecessary complexity of liquid cooling. The seat looks dirt bike uncomfortable as well.

Occasionally, a DR350 or Honda XR250L comes up for sale but they're typically of a certain age and rare here so I would not consider them.

Other than that it seems to be a toss up. Has anybody done the Dempster on a bike of this sort or have any strong preference or dislike to pass along? Are the electrical systems on these bikes capable of powering a vest?

Thanks.

Normw.

Why not just go 400cc, like the Suzuki DRZ400? Almost same size and weight, just a bit more power. Come to think of it, the good old Honda XR400 is an old bullet proof favorite and cheap if you can find it. And the KTM's, Husquvarnas and Husabergs all come street legal.I'm asuming you not carrying a huge amout of luggage?

Hi Norm,

A light bike is certainly the way to go if you're planning to trailer the bike up to Dawson. My friend and I rode the Dempster last year on the wettest 4 days imaginable. On a dry day, the road can be dusty but totally manageable for even the heaviest of bikes but the rain can churn up a paste of mud and calcium chloride that is as slick as pottery glaze and about 4 inches deep. This can and will get flung by your tyres into any radiator or oil cooler that's positioned near the front wheel. My friend's KLR overheated twice due to this issue.
Just be cautious of cooler location upon purchasing your bike.......just in case it rains half way on your trip.
Fuel load is also a good factor to consider bearing in mind that the first gas station is at Eagle Plains, 360 kms from the start of the Dempster.
Tyre repairs could well be part of your day too so this could be another fator when purchasing the bike.

Kindest regards

Nevil

www.mytb.org/nevil

Oh....one more thing.

I met a girl on a CRF 230L that had ridden the Dempster and Dalton in 2009. She had ridden the bike from Philadelphia and changed the oil only once.
I now have huge respect not only for her but the bike too.

All the best and good riding!

Nevil

Thanks for the comments.

To me the KTMs, Husquvarnas etc. are essentially tall dirt bikes with lights and not really what I had in mind. A few decades of experience have taught me that being able to get your feet good and flat on the ground will save the day in many awkward situations and I've made that an essential in my research.

The intersection of calcium chloride infused silt with radiators and oil coolers is one I'm familiar with after a very wet trip on the Cassiar Highway a few years ago. However, I learned an interesting lesson which is that...it's all in the fender friend.

I went to considerable trouble before the trip equip to my ZR-7S with a stainless steel oil cooler cover, which had to be sourced from England. The cooler is right up front and looked very vulnerable to being sprayed. However, when my friends and I hit the slimy dirt sections of Cassiar it proved to be completely unnecessary. In fact, the front end of my Kawasaki completed the trip in sparkling clean condition, looking as though it had been through a car wash.

My friend's BMW 650GS, on the other hand, was completely covered in that rapidly hardening grey crap as was he. Progress was painfully slow as he needed to stop every few minutes to wipe off his face shield. That model year the GS came with only the high dirt bike style fender, which was useless at dealing with the spray. On the other hand, the Kawasaki's almost sport bike type fender did a perfect job. Surprising, really, when you consider the "adventure" heritage of the BMW.

A letter to BMW brought an acknowledgement that they were aware of the issue and an offer of a free, second, low fender installation. I notice that subsequent model years dealt with the issue.

Perhaps Nevil's friend's KLR needed something like that to prevent the overheating problem.

Norm