From Virginia to Alaska and back....or bust!

For about 5 years Mark Finkler and I have been talking about riding motorcycles to Alaska. OK, usually this was also when we were drinking some adult beverages while at Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida. We have finally come to the point of do or die so we are going to leave Roanoke, Virginia on 5 June bound for Fairbanks, Alaska. Mark's son, David, is our third member of the insane threesome. I'm riding my Ducati Multistrada while Mark and David are riding Yamaha FJR's.

Since I had months to get ready for the trip I have made some changes to the Multistrada so it will better support me on the trip. The bike now has a Pro Oiler to automatically oil the chain. I have installed a Fuzeblock to power various electrical devices (power to the tank bag, volt meter, electric vest, and GPS). I also installed guards for the sump and front forks in addition to a new front fender with greater clearance from the front wheel. Speaking of wheels, I now have new tires (Dunlop 616), chain, and sprockets. Dave Lillard at Redline Performance Motorsports offered to fine tune the bike prior to the trip. While Dave worked on the bike he found that I needed a new clutch as well as some seals. Dave also set the CO to 3.5% and balanced the throttle bodies for the smoothest ride imaginable. As a final step Dave convinced me to get an Ohlins rear shock. Man, what an improvement in the overall ride! Now the bike glides over potholes..well, almost.
To test all this out I rode to West Virginia for East Coast Madness. This was a 250 mile trip each way so it was a serious test of all the systems. I found that the Pro Oiler needed to be dialed back for less oil delivery. I started on table 12, went to 15 and now am on 18. The chain still looks good but now my rear wheel is not covered in oil. This will be a work in progress. I have a sheepskin seat cover and it seems to be letting my ass go longer in the saddle. This is something I need to sit on for a few thousand miles before I can decide if it is a good thing or not.
Even though I have made four cross country motorcycle trips in the past this one is taxing my ability to plan. The problem is that we will hit rain, freezing rain, snow, more rain, and then really hot summer weather (with more rain). How do you pack for that without taking a trailer? I pride myself in packing light so this is a big deal. I'll be re-working my clothing list in the next few days.
A trip like this is great fun but lacks something if you can't share with all your friends or bore your neighbors. To that end I'm taking a netbook computer and a digital SLR camera. I hope to post to this blog from time to time (frequently?) to reassure Sara that I have not fallen off the edge of the world. Depending on the WiFi connections we find in the hinterland, we will post photos to keep you on the edge of your seat or at least fill up the blog pages.
Wish us luck. If the bank calls please say that our credit is good. If the police call please do what seems most likely to keep us out of jail.

Peter Y.