We need something fast and powerful to reach escape velocity from the time machine we’re trapped in.
We have two models here for your convenience - make your choice by clicking: a 1915 Hotrod Harley
or how about a Harry Molenaar Hillclimber from the thirties.
Prattleprattle and away…
There’s nothing overcautious in questioning a visit in a restaurant that is looking for more than one experienced cook on an illuminated panel. But on the other hand - we are just out for breakfast. Getting two eggs sunny side up ready to serve should be genetically fixed somewhere in the gene pool of the american people. And there’s so many cars parked outside, we had to use next door’s parking lot - let’s go, inside Bob’s Mountaineer Restaurant.
We feel immediately at home in this loungy log cabin. This place is american to the core - in the best of meanings.
And despite the lack of experienced chefs, the kitchen’s output leaves no room for complaints.
And there’s not too much out there to beat a zesty, nutritious breakfast that bans any thought about ingestion to the far outposts of your brain for the next hours. (Exceptions to the rule could be found aboard the southbound truck.)
Viola, Wisconsin - and then some miles off the main road: the fastest, most horsepowered ranch worldwide: S&S Cycles.
After a short coffee-talk in the S&S-showroom/museum…
…Scott Sjovall is our welcome-committee and he is showing us around. With Scott being the vice-president in charge of product-development even the most secret doors opened for us and we felt we could boldly go where no mere mortal has gone before.
The endurance-test bed under natural conditions - and with a datastring attached to the computer (which they keep indoors))
Now it’s time to change the rubbers
Pros at work made the tire-job a quick one and we rolled out from the ranch double quick, Milwaukee bound. Thanks to all ladies and gents at S&S Cycles, you have treated us nicely!
We received a lot of letters in the last hours: why a post about Aerostich? Because this Duluth, Minnesota (N 46° 46.190 W 92° 07.175) based outfit American-made the special overalls (not the jackets, btw, these are by Canada Goose) for the Ice Road Riders, to the specifications from the Wrecking Crew. On the last trip to Patagonia, we also used Aerostich equipment, and based on the good experiences made there, we came back for more.
Better than 30 hours in the truck: late check-in, early check-out. Sleeping in the hotel gives the Wrecking Crew strength and pleasant odoriferousness.
Smelling good is important, because today the Wrecking Crew pays an official visit to Aerostich , manufacturer of fine motorcycle-suits and international distributor of motorcycle accessories. The Wrecking Crew were welcomed by charming Lynn Wisneski, standing in for Aerostich’s boss Andy Goldfine, who was out fishing. Lynn took the visitors on a nice and entertaining guided tour along the production lines of the famous Roadcrafter motorcycle-suit.
It’s quite logical that at Aerostich there are some details from the design and the production that are not meant for the general public. See our entertainment-programm in the meantime.
For all those who might not be so familiar with Aerostich, for example because of the lack of a motorcycle: it might give you an idea how famous the Roadcrafter among bikers is that it was copied with duct-tape by an obviously slightly misguided fan:
To get an idea, here’s the original:
And then there it was again: the road called for us - erm, it roared. Time to say goodbye. And thank you. To Lynn and all the others at Aerostich, the guys and gals that kept us warm at 40 below.
And then:
Breakfast in a hurry, the schedule for today was packed: execute shopping list , final adjustments to the bikes, kick it, out of Inuvik, onto the Dempster Highway as far as possible, maybe as far as Dawson City. The first stop to shop was right next to the hotel. The Wrecking Crew had shopped there already, some anti-freezing stuff like gloves and balaclavas. But the silicone wasn’t up to Paul’s specs. Thanks anyway.
Inuvik wouldn’t be called Biker’s Mekka of the Mackenzie Delta if there wasn’t another hardware store right round the corner. Paul got the silicone of his choice: Ultra Copper Silicone, the brake cleaner as well. Meanwhile Herr Schmidt was preparing the other vehicle, the Mobile Support Unit, as almost every day. For the Wreckers the mission was: get them things running, goddammit: gasket off, clean, gasket back on, silicone on top, cover back on, torque everything down and off we go.
As Herr Schmidt finally shows up, to check how the bikes are doing, he meets three guys in Army-Outfit who are filling up their Pickup. Filling up in these parts means to fill the 250l-reserve-tank in the back of the truck as well. Or the two reserve-tanks like the guys in the army-outfit have. Why you wearing army stuff? Ah, so you’re army guys. Canadian Air Force to be precise. Hey, want to take a look at our bikes?
And these army guys are in the garage for two microseconds and the Canadian Air Force goes: “Whoa, a Panhead, whoa a Shovel”. Respect. OK you’re a biker as well, Fat Boy, oh and more:
Sir, yes, Sir, nice meeting you, Sir. But off we go, you know, Call of … Duty, erm, the other D-word: Dempster!
The daunting task to experience cruising the Arctic Ocean on two wheels has been acomplished. Still the Wrecking Crew were dancing upstream the Mackenzie River. Where in summer (yes, we do have four seasons up here: june, july, august, and winter) freight-vessels carry goods into the north-canadian heartland or bearded trappers go trolling for salmon, the Wrecking Crew rumbled on an autobahn-like ice strip southbound.
Traffic: close to none. A pickup every 15 minutes, a truck every half an hour. This means more time for the real thing: the grumbling (Peter’s Pan) and sprattering (Pauls Shovel) of the Big Twins, the metallic scrunching of the spike tires on the ice, the barely audible crackling of the still -38° cold air - and the ubiquitous cracks in the crystal clear ice, some inches-wide, some thinly covered with snow.
That’s the stuff legends are made of: one ‘48 Panhead, one 2006 Shovelhead, a merciless Wrecking Crew, -35 degrees C and a road that leads across the frozen Beaufort-Bay up the Mackenzie-River. After getting familiar with the icy track the Wrecking Crew gets a grip on the conditions and scoots smoothly across a widescreen Nothing on top of a totally frozen bay - the only way to reach Tuktoyaktuk with roadgoing veehickles, the last town at the edge of the universe - and - to leave it again.
Just figure yourself in your trusty long johns, with plenty of swinging room inside. On the outside it’s -35°C in Tuktoyaktuk, or it was yesterday on my weatherwidget. See picture. Thats a cool -50°C wind chill included. OMG, my nose feels pretty brittle already. The good news is, the temperature will rise to sauna like -24°C the next couple of days.
deutsch
english
