Bike Service in Alaska

I've had pretty good experiences with the service people there. Like most people in Alaska they seem genuinely interested in helping out other people, even tourists. Of course, it's best to understand their perspective and meet them at least half way. They are busy in the summer and don't want to tie up mechanics with a major job that will leave several other customers waiting. Try to make sure your bike is in good shape before heading up the AlCan. Pay particular attention to the tires as you will likely travel several thousand rough miles before returning to the lower 48. New tires are much more expensive in Alaska and tire dealers won't ship there. The more work you can do on your own, the better off you will be. I was able to get new tires mounted in a day rather than weeks only because I was able to remove the wheels myself. Practice this at home. And lastly, I would say, be prepared to leave your bike there for the winter and fly home if there is a major problem and you can't wait weeks to get it fixed. That's just the reality of riding to Alaska, which is a great adventure but deserves adequate preparation.

I did require major service in Alaska last year, replacement of the starter, but that took only a week and was not the reason for leaving the bike there over the winter. Not making the return trip the same year as the outbound trip greatly helped the psychology of the trip. At times during a long trip the riding can get wearisome and it plays on the mind that every mile you ride out is another mile you need to ride back. On the return trip, there is a tendency for tunnel vision for just getting home, forgetting the critical objective of enjoying where you are. All that was eliminated by flying home. Doing the return trip during a different year makes it a whole new trip, one that can be enjoyed on its own merits. And the riding in Alaska and Canada can be so awesome, you may just want to do it every year. Having a bike already there, rather than having to ride thousands of miles to get there, is a treat.