Anyone interested in a James Bay Road trip? | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Anyone interested in a James Bay Road trip?

When all else fails, get the phone number and call and confirm they are open, hours, and fuel availability..but as mentioned, when you get into more remote territory stations become more of a utilitarian essential service vs mom and pop places.

But, all that said, there's a reason I carry a jerry can of fuel when travelling remote territory. Have never needed it, but it's cheap insurance...and if you break down somewhere remote it's also going to be useful for starting a fire to stay warm.

This was from a trip last summer. All the rest of my luggage was left at our base camp that day, but the fuel came along.

Hmm interesting. I wasn't expecting to see a large jerry can like that. I have been looking at one which sit inside the saddlebag, but I am sure it's smaller then that. I guess better safe then sorry.

Are some of the roads on your route gravel? I thought one was a hydro access road.
 
If you miss out on visiting Petoskey and heading north west along the tip of Mich to Mackinac Island you'll miss the Tunnel of Trees http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/309/Michigan/Tunnel-of-Trees-Road.html#sthash.o0PMCpfQ.dpbs .... and also some beautiful roads on the northern UP along the coast.

Knowing how I ride, and any time I can be near the water I will get as close as possible, I find is quite enjoyable, and like the view.
I would do something like this:
But returning possibly back up to Sault Ste Marie. The extra ferry ride could be interesting.... but so would more riding!! :D

Of course the image dosn't want to show.... basically a Duluth I would stay next to the lake up to copper harbor, then back down to Oshkosh, them Milwauke, out of there along Lake Michigan to the point, back down and around to return to SS Marie.

lakesuperior%20copy.jpg
 
That James Bay Highway looks like a blast. I wish I had that time off. It's definitely on my to-do list. My Softail gets close to 400km on one tank including the reserve. I typically fuel at 300km but I can go 370 to reserve in warm weather. You would really need to load the bike down with essentials. Best to pool your items. Looks like a great ride, especially if the weather is good.
 
Let's put it this way ....looks are deceiving and you will be very glad you have a soft tail.

The frost heaves are epic and at the speeds you want travel to make time your mileage goes way down.

The bug count is incredible ...

That said

You won't see a caribou running beside you many places......and it is wild country.

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worth doing once...not sure about a second time tho I would like to see that dam. Maybe next year.
 
Hmm interesting. I wasn't expecting to see a large jerry can like that. I have been looking at one which sit inside the saddlebag, but I am sure it's smaller then that. I guess better safe then sorry.

That's a 10L can, not particularly large. On that particular trip I was carrying the emergency reserve for both bikes as my buddy's Indian has even less storage space/options than I had. We came back across Highway 11 and for anyone who's been on that road there's about a 250KM stretch at long point where it's pretty remote and without any gas stations between Geraldon to Hearst. If the Hearst station had been closed we would not have had enough to make it to the next gas 100KM further down the road in Kapuskasing. 5L extra per bike however would have got us there, still on fumes (or close to it), but it would have got us there.

My bike runs about 250KM (+/- 10KM) before hitting reserve..and I've pushed it to about 35KM and don't figure there's much more than that to be had. At about 5.5L/100KM, that means I will need (for my bike alone) about 7-8L of gas to make the James Bay stretch to the mid point gas station, so 10L adds a little comfort reserve, especially considering (as mentioned) I know speeds will be brisk and the bike will use more gas than perhaps anticipated.

Anyhow, a 10L jerry can isn't a biggie to carry. Compared to the rest of the luggage I carried on that trip it was one of the smallest things, actually.

vtxcamping.jpg


My main luggage bag was on my pax seat, had my clothing, some emergency gear, and my sleeping bag in there..hence why it looks like the stay-puft marshmallow man LOL. Tent and air mattress (a frill, sure, but I'd be crippled in the mornings without it) as well as a smaller bag with all my camping toiletries and such was on top of that. Jerry can is underneath that as you can see in the photos - never took it off for the entire trip. My only normal on-bike storage is the saddlebags which had my rain gear in one side (where it always stays), and my extra gloves, some road-food, etc in the other side. Also had my full face helmet on there as well which turned out to be a great decision as on that particular trip we spent pretty much an entire day riding in torrential rain, but that was another story.

Isn't your HD a full decker, beer box, et all? Cargo rack on top of your beer box? If so (A lot of the ex OPP HD's had beer boxes IIRC)...90% of what I had strapped to my bike will fit in your built in cargo space alone. If not (saddlebags only?) you just need to get a little more creative so far as securing luggage..but a 10L jerry can really isn't that much.

Are some of the roads on your route gravel? I thought one was a hydro access road.

Asphalt all the way from the GTA to both Chisasibi as well as Radisson. Only the short stretch from Chisasibi to the actual shores of James Bay is gravel. Not a biggie, I'm not too scared of gravel...have been over some wild crap in the last few years LOL, this was one "road" we traversed east of Kirkland Lake on this same trip.

badmotorcycleroad.jpg
 
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How fast can you run that highway? Is it policed for speed? Are road conditions conducive to running fast?

I have always been curious about this route, but after a lot of reading I get the impression it's a bit like crossing the prairies. If it's 100kmh for a few days of James bay lowlands scenery... meh. If there's a bit of spirited running through a lawless frontier, maybe interested.
 
AFAIK it is a private road - we did not see any police ...you need to run at 130-150 indicated but also watch your fuel. We had fun but of course the Burgman's suspension was not up to the frost heaves tho buddy on his 650 Strom did just fine with them.

It's more interesting than the prairies ...if you have done the Superior Loop or up to Chapleau it's a bit more remote than that.
There was caribou running in the forest beside me for a couple hundred yards ...that was cool.

I didn't think I'd do it a second time and it would be a chore on the CBF just because of fuel but it was certainly fun and worthwhile.
 
Then frost heaves (and to a much lesser extent the bugs) are what have been turning me off of doing the JBR anytime soon.
 
AFAIK it is a private road - we did not see any police ...you need to run at 130-150 indicated but also watch your fuel. We had fun but of course the Burgman's suspension was not up to the frost heaves tho buddy on his 650 Strom did just fine with them.

It's more interesting than the prairies ...if you have done the Superior Loop or up to Chapleau it's a bit more remote than that.
There was caribou running in the forest beside me for a couple hundred yards ...that was cool.

I didn't think I'd do it a second time and it would be a chore on the CBF just because of fuel but it was certainly fun and worthwhile.
Do you think this ride would be better enjoyed on an FJR or Vstrom 650?
 
Vstrom as long as your seat is good. Think you have a long fuel range and longer shock range. Lighter bike and you can do the gravel in the area far easier.

BTW the frost heaves are not continuous the whole way ...some with none, some with areas that do get tiresome.

Vstrom would float over them.

Too bad this is not updated
http://www.jamesbayroad.com

This is very good info

http://www.jamesbayroad.com/chisasibi/index.html
 
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Vstrom as long as your seat is good. Think you have a long fuel range and longer shock range. Lighter bike and you can do the gravel in the area far easier.

BTW the frost heaves are not continuous the whole way ...some with none, some with areas that do get tiresome.

Vstrom would float over them.

Too bad this is not updated
http://www.jamesbayroad.com

This is very good info

http://www.jamesbayroad.com/chisasibi/index.html
It really comes down to the quality of the road, the FJR will out-everything the Wee except for handling rough terrain. I have one of those gelly filled Saddleman Adventure Track seats for the Wee (comfortable but has a major material selection flaw -- the polysuede cover soaks up rain like a sponge - what were they thinking?)
 
Take the Strom ...I had that seat too ...could not get along with this tho it was pretty close. Only you can judge how well the FJR will handle pretty rough frost heaves.

The other question is if you want to get off the pavement at Chisasabi
 
Hijacking this thread again.

Since my recent flat tire situation, I have been giving thought to what emergency gear, tools, etc (besides fuel) I should have on hand.
Is there a list or some basics you all can recommend?
 
12V air compressor
plug kit
usual bike's tool kit
adjustable wrench
vise grips
leatherman type multi-tool
fuses
roll of tape
 
..toilet paper.

More seriously....(but actually serious about the toilet paper).
Emergency blanket (not necessarily for you).
Basic first aid kit (Highly recommend some clotting kit too. These things do have an expiry date but in the event something happens with a serious bleeding event these things can save a life. They are the same things used to pack firearms/stab wounds. Amazon sells them, so does MEC, some are Israeli military origin).
For camping up there it seems bear spray might be a wise thing.
 
My kit for travel and camping in the wild this year:

Tools: (all fit under seat)
3/8 Metric sockets
Allen key tool
test lamp
wire cutters
vice grips
zip ties
gorilla clear tape

Safety and comfort:
mini 12v compressor/inflator/deflator
12v solar charger
first aid kit with tourniquet and clotting sponge
Glock 30 brand bear spray
thermocell + 5 days of suppliers
 
Cheapest place to buy bear spray or is this stuff really $40 a can?

Edit: $42 on Amazon with a holster, I guess that’s not too bad.
 
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..toilet paper.

Yep. I carry it on any long trip into known desolate territory, or when I know I'll be camping.

And I have needed it, especially when on some real hard core trips ones diet can degrade to gas station pickings and mixed fast food, sometimes resulting in mother nature calling unexpectedly at inopportune times with no bathrooms an hour or two either side of you.

And yes, I carry bear spray when camping anywhere even semi-remote in a tent.
 
Cheapest place to buy bear spray or is this stuff really $40 a can?

Edit: $42 on Amazon with a holster, I guess that’s not too bad.
I got mine at Sail some years ago. Price sounds about right

Sent from my Redmi 4A using Tapatalk
 

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