I guess, especially GS riders wonder at times, if the "haul road", or Dalton Hwy, would be an adventure for them. In preparation for our trip this year, I read every magazin, website and publication about the "haul road" that I could get my hands on.
I got mostly irritated by reports stating the haul road is a piece of cake and you can do it on an RT, LT, Gold Wing or even sport bike... Then you read reports describing total disaster, GS bikes being shipped back, strapped on pallets...
About my riding skills:
I have been riding for 28 years. But, up until two years ago (2006) only pavement. Moving around on lose dirt and gravel was rather awkward. In September of '07 I took part of the XPLOR Event in Spartanburg, SC, where basic off-road skills were taught. It made a completely new rider out of me. Over the course of half a year, I was able to practice and define what I had learned 3-4 times in the North Georgia mountains. That was the extend of my off-road skills prior to the trip...
Everybody has a different understanding of what a successful or fun trip is. For me personally, dropping the bike and tearing off side cases in the process is not a fun trip.
About the haul road:
Approximately 480 miles long, it is a combination of pavement and dirt/gravel. It does not really matter how long the dirt/gravel sections are. What is important to the outcome of the trip is the condition of the dirt/gravel sections and your skills to negotiate them.
Road conditions you can encounter:
-paved nice
-paved bad (pot holes, uneven)
-packed small gravel
-lose small gravel
-packed coarse gravel
-lose, deep, coarse gravel
-packed dirt dry
-packed dirt wet
-freshly graded dirt
-mud
-pot holes (of all sizes)
-washboard
-any number of combination of the above...
Now, the next important factor without doubt is weather. We rode the first section in sunny weather on mostly dry packed dirt, giving us false confidence for what was ahead... The same sections were freshly graded, muddy and wet on our return trip, making it pretty dicey.
My conclusion, all the reports I read were correct and no reason for me to get irritated. Road conditions do change in a matter of one (1) day, just due to road maintenance. Throw weather into the mix and it can get pretty ugly. On a dry day, without graders tearing up the road, it's a piece of cake.
Rider skill will certainly make a huge difference. But, even if you're not an off road buff, you can do it. Simply adjust the speed to your comfort- and level of ability. Don't try to make the run up to Deadhorse in one day. There are accommodations half way at Coldfoot and Wiseman. We went at times 15 MPH in second gear. Start early in the day and give yourself time. If you have only been riding pavement, take a basic off-road course or get at least a DVD teaching basic off-road techniques and practice some.
Then you hear horror stories about the haul road truckers. Well, I have not had any close call or bad experience. When the road allowed, they always made room for us and slowed noticeably down. In turn, when we saw a truck coming up from behind, we pulled over and let them pass. Remember, those guys are in the process of earning a paycheck and they have to make time, while we are goofing off, seeking adventure away from our jobs...
To sum it up: Go for it and have fun, we certainly did. It is an adventure. Yes, I would do it again, given the opportunity...
Ahhh, ...another word of advice. If you want your bike keep looking like new, ...don't go 
!
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Thomas - I'll worry about assisted living later... IBA# 28109 '07 R1200GS Adventure
Csteinman said:
undoubtedly still flying high, but as you said... it goes by so quickly... then.. then you must face daily reality again... What's up with that???
