RE Bear 650 - Gearing Up for Alaska - What? Wahoo!

[@Timothy-ns4qn]

Decisions decisions, right?! All I know is that I’m looking forward to “our” trip - whatever you ride!!😁

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

It's gonna be a great ride. Wahoo!

[@johnlenart597]

I think both bikes would be contenders for the Alaska trip. With additional fuel the trip would be possible. Mosquitos 🦟 will be a problem to contend with. Looking forward to the Alaska trip - videos. Should be epic. 👍👍

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Mosquitos are a pain...but the adventure is worth it. Wahoo!

[@davidwildman6379]

Bear and hard luggage perfect !

[@FernitoAM]

it looks so good ey

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

We're gonna do some testing. Wahoo!

[@639viablecarrot]

The "Bear" with soft luggage would be my choice. Great looking bikes as always. The top bag with the hard luggage is not 100% waterproof it comes with a rain cover and also expands to 60L across the side boxes if you need more capacity 👍

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Thanks for the info on the luggage. Wahoo!

[@davidskaggs9914]

Thats a perfect setup with the RE panniers and a big waterproof 💦 bag 25L on the backseat

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Wahoo!

[@YobelMoto]

Very nice and I was waiting for this..!

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Lots of great options...Wahoo!

[@hershchat]

Soft luggage, Himalayan. Reasons Soft luggage doesn’t hurt you if the bike falls on you. They can hold a tiny bit more. The tail bag can hold your delicates, such as camera gear. Himalayan because posture and protection, albeit only a little bit, will be better and, over 10,000 miles it will matter. Sitting higher and seeing further will make it a tiny bit more fun and safe. My $0.02

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

I'm leaning towards the Himi but will do a bunch of Bear rides soon. Wahoo!

[@adventuristnw2321]

Either the Himilayan or the Bear would do the trip just fine, but I would lean more toward the Himi. It seems like it would be more comfortable for a long trip. However, the BEST bike for any trip is the one you got!

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Agreed!

[@adventuristnw2321]

@forgottenmotorcycles Something else I thought about...The Himalayan 450 is throttle by wire, if I am not mistaken. If so, that means you could fit an electronic cruise control, which, as I get older, I learn to appreciate more and more for longer trips.

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

Gonna be a great trip. Looking forward to seeing your videos.In my experience you can do long trips on any bike, it just depends on your pain threshold!!

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Very true!

[@pinkiewerewolf]

Great look at the bikes Fuzzy. The Bear or Interceptor would be great bikes set up for an Alaskan trip. The bike you're showing in this video looks like its ready go except for the windshield, like you pointed out. I think the Himalayan was made for that ride though. Through the years my best luggage set-up was on the 890 Adventure. I had Touratech rear rack and side racks. I had all three hard cases (left over from a 1290 that I had for a very short period of time) but I mainly ran the rear case with the Giant Loop Great Basin on the pillion seat,. It hang over the sides, because it is a horseshoe shape bag. that's why I liked the Touratech aluminum top case, it can be locked and a decent theft deterrent. Other brands would work the same way. The Key is getting a rear rack that will mount the top box far enough to the rear of the bike to allow which ever soft luggage you want to mount in front of it. I say all that and on my T-7 I am totally set up for soft luggage only, running the Camel ADV minimalist rear rack. I'm just trying to keep weight to a minimum on the bike. anything valuable will have to come into the restaurant, room or tent with me. I've started using backpacks with water bladders on the longer rides, once again I have to keep it light since I'm getting older and protecting my back is a priority the older I get. Plus, most riding suits have plenty of pockets and all my money, credit cards, Garmin inReach mini, EDC gear, stays on me all the time. I'm sorting out some of the wiring that I wasn't satisfied with the shop's job installing. The battery was going dead. Have a great day, stay warm! Maybe some garage therapy instead of riding therapy today?

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Sounds like you've got some great experience with touring. I'm sure the Bear will be a great ride. Wahoo!

[@pinkiewerewolf]

@ I’ve had a great motorcycling life, and I hope it continues for another 25-30 years. 😂 Older motorcyclist like you and I have seen a lot of changes in the industry. I think RE is on the right track.

[@daves6380]

Himi was literally MADE for this trip and has more storage options. The Bear would do just fine but the Himi would be likely more confortable with it's superior suspension..

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

I'm starting to think I should do two rides up to Alaska and back...one on each bike...lol!

[@JoeJoe-v1w]

I'd take the Bear 650, I think 130mm of suspension travel is good enough for gravel roads, the extra power would make for better cruising speed too. I think the Himalayan is more suited for South East Asia and India where road speeds generally don't get much past 90 km/h (not to say that they don't but as a generality). I think the Bear is a winner and will be a sales leader for RE.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Love both bikes 🙂 Time will tell which one goes. Wahoo!

[@thegreenman2030]

Take the bike that you can get the biggest windscreen on. The amount of bugs especially the mosquitoes in Alaska during the summer is massive.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Dang!

[@Bygkydcmc]

The Bear is a great bike, but with a windshield and center stand (I know - I'm still on about that), I would probably stick with the Himalayan for the Alaska trip.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

The Himalayan is a great bike!

[@veiledallegory]

The Himalayan is already set up for that trip and it water cooled so you won’t have as much engine heat cooking your legs.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Love that Himalayan. Wahoo!

[@douglasbrubacher609]

Be sure to pack a tire repair kit and air pump. There are a lot of rough roads with very sharp stone etc.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

You betcha...this will be a long ride.

[@tylermegehe]

Take the Himalayan and the soft bags. Who else is going? I would love to go. I have a 2017 Africa Twin and would love to go. I retired this year!

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

We hope many will go. Plan is to leave around the 15 of June. We'll be posting more details soon. Wahoo!

[@stanleylawson9015]

Looking Good

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

I do like it. Wahoo!

[@iraxef1]

If one were sticking to paved roads only, would you take the Super Meteor?

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Yes, I think the Super Meteor should do the Alaska ride well. I've got my SM set up with good bags, rear luggage rack, YSS rear suspension and a good windshield. I'm betting it would do this run fine.

[@timlubbers2884]

In 2018, north of deese lake, there was a 50 mile run of construction. The guys on Harley’s and big cruiser bikes weren’t allowed to go through because they didn’t have the clearance or tires (as well as all RVs) . We got through because we had knobbies. There was mud deep enough that when we were stopped, it went over the rims of our tires … construction season can be a horror story up there …

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

@timlubbers2884 dang!

[@iraxef1]

Really interesting / good to know!

[@timlubbers2884]

If you are going strictly pavement, the bear would be ok, if you have a good sump guard … if you intend on any gravel, which you should plan as all the interesting places require a lot of gravel, chemical roads, you really should take the 450 …

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

We're going to do some gravel...but not a ton. The adventure is the thing! Wahoo!

[@kostis2849]

Soft Luggage all the way. Especially looking at how faaaaar back these hard ones are sitting. This is gonna mess the feeling real good for you. Get a decent windscreen, this one is for looks only. Also, never mind the headlight protector, do you really wanna have less illumination? Are you really going to be traveling on gravel, right behind a large truck?

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

It's gonna be an interesting summer...Wahoo!

[@kostis2849]

@@forgottenmotorcycles Very articulate

[@papertiger795]

The bear is better looking. I have little doubt both bikes are capable of doing the trip, so that might actually matter.

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Love that Bear look. Wahoo!

[@edwardkaminsky8142]

That exhaust 😂😂😂OMG. Im looking for the emoji biting his nails. This little excursion I look forward to watching. Any of the 3 Enfield's mentioned will be all excellent choices for this kind of distance. In Motels or on the ground. All will depend on what is carried and distances between points. Have seen others make this journey, and one individual had to pay thousands to have his bike rescued on the Dalton highway. Dig all the videos. Stay warm. Still riding around Red Rock canyon daily. Fortunate is a good term for the 22nd. 🎿🛷⛸️

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

It's gonna be a fun ride...Wahoo!

[@keithfoote2012]

Watching from Ahmedabad City in India

[@forgottenmotorcycles]

Thanks!