Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Winter 2014 | IRON BUTT MAGAZINE  wind, terrain, and altitude, my old car- bureted bike goes on reserve somewhere between  and  miles, so I planned for -mile gas stops. The Ride I really only had four mechanical issues. First, I lost a baffle in northern Florida on the first day of the ride. This resulted in the right cylinder running too lean.I adjusted the needle jet on the right cylinder’s carburetor and was able to cool off the cylinder sufficiently to allow me to continue the trip. Once I arrived in Fairbanks, I replaced the baffle. Second, the vibration from the Dalton Highway resulted in a mirror snapping off. I was able to make a temporary repair that held for the remainder of the trip. The third problem occurred when my gearshift lever vibrated off the bike and disappeared. Fortunately, I had a small vice grip that I attached to the shaft. By loosely looping some safety wire around my leg and the vice grip,I was able to use my heel to downshift and raise my leg to upshift. The final mechanical issue was that the rear tire wore to the cord. Since it was not worn around the outer edges, I believe that some weights fell off, which unbalanced the tire.The tire was so dirty from the road it did not appear to be badly worn until I washed the bike off. The trip from Key West to Prudhoe Bay was a success. All of the planning and preparation paid off, but I have to say that of all the things I considered that could have gone wrong, a baffle coming off the bike did not even make the list. I even had a spare electronic ignition with me that, fortunately, was not needed. I did change the one spark plug for the cylinder that lost a baffle, but other than that, the engine ran fine. UCC Lessons Learned Ensure you are prepared to sweat, freeze and get wet. Even in the summer, you will get cold and it will rain at some point. It may even snow! Map out the dealers along the intended route and plan in advance any supplies (like oil and tires) you might need. This will reduce the amount of supplies you need to carry. Call ahead to gas stations in sparsely populated areas to ensure they really do exist and what their hours of operations are. Don’t assume the unattended gas pumps work. Make one or two fully loaded test rides before leaving to characterize the effect the additional weight has on han- dling. Try to pack your heaviest items low. Start and end each day with a good physical inspection of the bike, including checking the bolts, nuts and screws for adequate torque. Rinse the mud and dirt off your tires before checking them for wear. Use a tracking device like Delorme’s inReach SE or SPOT Messenger. It will allow your family, friends and co-work- ers to track you near real time. Check the weather trends and high- way conditions frequently. Your Zumo  is worthless once you leave the lower . Alaska and the Canadian Provinces have great  information websites, which will give you a pretty clear picture of the day or days ahead. Take your time, enjoy the view and take lots of pictures — it is the ride of a lifetime!