Also, don't be a strangler. Interested in your views on the Transalp as you rack the kilometers on.
Okay, time for an update on the Transalp. The bike now has 7,350 kms on it after taking it to the Dust 2 Dawson event in Dawson City, Yukon at the end of last month.
The bike was flawless except I stupidly blew the aux outlet fuse on the morning just before I left; forgetting it's only rated at 2A. Not a big issue and it didn't prevent me achieving anything - plus it was soon fixed.
750cc and 83bhp is plenty of power. The so-called weak suspension is perfectly adequate for its intended purpose - albeit with increased pre-load due to my gear.
I used a throttle lock but cruise control would be nice tbh.
Would I prefer tubeless? Yes, but I carried spare tubes and tools, so I could have dealt with a puncture. Even if that meant using the excellent Honda roadside assistance, included in their warranty.
I can't think of anything not to like about this bike. It's not a dirt bike and it's not a Goldwing, but is is an excellent mid-range adventure tourer.
Day one of the trip meant rerouting via Drayton Valley north of where I live, due to snow forecast on the Icefields Parkway; making it a very long day. It was very windy at times and all morning I rode through heavy rain before meeting up with my partner for the rest of the trip. I was glad of the heated grips and my heated liner.
It rained every day. Not all day but every day. Our tents never got dried out but my Klim suit kept me dry.
My air bed developed a slow leak and I had to buy a replacement in Whitehorse after a couple of nights with it deflated by early morning. $160 I wasn't planning on spending.
The snow line stopped us getting to the Salmon Glacier viewpoint but we were close enough to get some decent pics.
Power was out in Stewart, BC on the morning we were trying to leave. No power meant no gas at the only gas station. We scrounged enough gas to get to the Meziadin Junction gas station from the campground managers lawn mower supply. That set back a couple of hours but without that gas, we would have lost a day.
My riding partner lost a bag on the Cassiar, so he went back to find it. I went back to find him!
We rode through a vicious hailstorm near Iskut. More than an hour of 40 km/hr riding through hail piling up on the road, which was soon closed by the RCMP. We followed the track a car or truck had left which was slightly less sketchy that the rest of the road. We stopped short of our planned destination and dried out in a hotel for the night. That set back our schedule even more and we had more than 150kms to make up the next day.
The Alaska highway was closed near Johnsons Crossing due to a fatal accident. We'd caught up time but to no avail. We broke camp at 4:00 am the next day to make up time. That became a 12 hour day in the saddle by the time we got to Dawson City.
On the way home, the Alaska highway was closed near Pelly Crossing due to reduced visibility from a wildfire but had opened by the time we got there. The smell from the fire was still strong in the haze but at least we got through.
I lost the keys to my panniers along with the attached penknife at Liard Hot Springs. I had spares with me - fortunately. The penknife and keys turned up in Ft. Nelson. They were apparently in one of my pockets the entire time. lol!
Heavy rainfall warnings for Pink Mountain and Fort St John caused us to stop early in Fort Nelson and cost us a half day of riding and meant a day longer than planned for the trip. but it meant riding in sunshine rather than rain, so it was a good decision.
Almost nothing went according to plan - but that's why it's called an adventure!
Salmon Glacier.
Dome lookout, Dawson City.
D2D events.
Mile Zero on the Alaska Highway, Dawson Creek.
And finally, my Transalp in its natural setting.
Back home, my rear mixtour was done, so out with the old, in with the new.
Mission this time - the tire Honda should have put on these bikes imho.
My wife said, when I got home, 'This will be your last long trip on the bike, won't it? You're 70 and should start acting your age'.
'I don't know how to act my age', I said, 'I've never been this old before!'
