1000 miles in <24 hours?

[D-Mac]

Hi everyone,

I bought my FZ6 as a 'do it all' bike. I've had it a month (exactly) and haven't had as much chance to ride as I would like (job, kids, all that stuff - I live across the street from my office so no real commute). I did the 600 mile maintenance about a week ago and am nearing 1200 miles now. Bike runs great.

So now that the bike is broken in and I'm familiar with it, I'm ready to try something "fun". Ever since I started riding I've been very interested in doing an Iron Butt ride (if you don't know what this is I'd encourage you to check out www.ironbutt.com) Basically, I'm interested in trying their minimum certification ride (Saddlesore 1000) which requires you to ride 1000+ documented miles in less than 24 hours. I'd be doing this solo.

Although many riders have done these rides, I was surprised at how few FZ6s have been used. I think there were only 3-4 last time I checked (all but one were 1000 mile rides - the other was a Border-to-border ride from Canada to Mexico in under 50 hours). I searched and found a short thread from back in March on this subject, but it seems that no one on the forum has done a certified ride (correct me if I'm wrong!) I know we're not riding Goldwings or BMW touring bikes, but the FZ6 seems more than capable of this kind of stuff. Obviously, it would be more fun to ride the twisties, but this kind of ride will require a lot of droning on the slab. It's the goal of just doing it that motivates me here.

My main problem is daylight. I don't like riding at night (my wife less so) so I'll probably leave super early (3 am) and try to get home shortly after dark the same day. Sticking to the highway, I think I can complete it in 17-18 hours or so.

Suggestions? I'd be leaving from south-central Michigan. I've already gone around some of the Great Lakes (albeit slowly) and don't want to deal with hassles at customs and in huge cities (Chicago, Toronto) so I'm thinking of heading south (down through Ohio, Kentucky, Tenessee and perhaps as far as Alabama or North Carolina AND BACK). Nearly all of this would be new territory for me.

 

[wrightme43]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sad...0625&sspn=18.653495,17.578125&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=6

Straight down 65. I live in BG and would be glad to meet you and ride back at least part of the way.

I know where all the fire departments are.

its 477 miles from Lansing to Bowling Green. I know you could tweak it to make it work.

 

[OKstate311]

Good luck man! My Dad completed 2 or 3 of them on his Honda Valkyrie, but never heard of anyone doing it on the FZ6.

 

[D-Mac]

from: KY 42101 to: lansing Michigan, United States - Google Maps

Straight down 65. I live in BG and would be glad to meet you and ride back at least part of the way.

I know where all the fire departments are.

its 477 miles from Lansing to Bowling Green. I know you could tweak it to make it work.

Cool! Playing around with MapQuest I came to the same conclusion. I-65 looks like the easiest route.

I'm about an hour south of Lansing (Albion, MI), so if go straight down 65 I'd have to go almost to Nashville to get 500 miles. I can mess around a bit with the route, although I'll probably try to make it as unambiguous as possible. In any case, I would pass through Bowling Green.

I'll post more details as this thing takes shape.

 

[D-Mac]

Good luck man! My Dad completed 2 or 3 of them on his Honda Valkyrie, but never heard of anyone doing it on the FZ6.

The Valk is a sweet ride. Part of the reason I love the FZ6 is that it's very capable, but still leaves a lot to the rider. We'll see how I feel about things if I do this ride (I suspect my high opinion of the stock seat might change).

 

[sideslider]

The backside of my thigh (just above the knee but on the back) gets cramped if just a few hours of straight freeway....

Maybe for another thread but I’ve thought about different pegs or a slider bar mounted down low:sinister:... yes on the bottom towards the front...

So do you do trip in stages throughout the day?

 

[D-Mac]

The backside of my thigh (just above the knee but on the back) gets cramped if just a few hours of straight freeway....

Maybe for another thread but I’ve thought about different pegs or a slider bar mounted down low:sinister:... yes on the bottom towards the front...

So do you do trip in stages throughout the day?

Eventually I'd like to get the engine guard and stick some pegs on it for longer trips (a bit unusual, but function over form). I find the pegs a bit high for me and it would be nice to be able to shift my feet. A new seat might help with that too.

Breaking down the ride into parts is probably a smart move, but I'm planning to get a lot of miles done early to bank some time for later in the day when I start getting tired and sore.

I don't plan to sleep at all. One thing about this bike - it keeps me awake. I've done lots of 30+ hour car rides before so I'm road-ready in that way.

My biggest worry is my right arm/hand. It gets sore after a few hours. I've got a Vista cruise, but it doesn't work that well (enough to stretch my hand, but that's all - I don't like losing control of the throttle and it seems to lose speed no matter what I do). I injured my hand earlier this year and it still hasn't healed fully. As long as I take breaks I think it'll be ok.

 

[mdr]

If you want info from people who have done lots of Iron Butt rides, look at this site: forums.ninja250.org No. That's not a joke. Search for "Iron Butt" or "Saddlesore" and you'll find tons of hits - and good info about riding one. One guy did a CC 50 last year. Several guys have done the "big one" on 250's where they do 10 SS 1000's in a row. If a 250 can do it, surely the FZ6 can too...

 

[sideslider]

My biggest worry is my right arm/hand. It gets sore after a few hours. I've got a Vista cruise, but it doesn't work that well (enough to stretch my hand, but that's all - I don't like losing control of the throttle and it seems to lose speed no matter what I do). I injured my hand earlier this year and it still hasn't healed fully. As long as I take breaks I think it'll be ok.

Mine do this.. I find it helps to scoot forward towards the tank and relax your hand. I use my legs and knees to help take pressure off of my hand.

 

[Tailgate]

Well, I did 500+ miles (Carson City to Las Vegas, NV) in one day (I think a few of us qualify here) and I find that if I'm riding unfamiliar territory that the scenery somehow makes one (or at least me) not even think about any seat discomfort. I think it's psychological too.

 

[mdr]

Well, I did 500+ miles (Carson City to Las Vegas, NV) in one day (I think a few of us qualify here) and I find that if I'm riding unfamiliar territory that the scenery somehow makes one (or at least me) not even think about any seat discomfort. I think it's psychological too.

Second that about the scenery. Also helps if you're young. 35 years ago I rode my Kawasaki Z1 from home in central Missouri to Estes Park Colorado straight through on a Friday. Then back home to Missouri on Sunday evening. I don't remember physical discomfort being a problem These days - unfortunately - it's a factor. I'd advise doing some "training-rides" of shorter duration, say 250 and 500 leading up to the 1000.

I did have to dodge some Colorado cows that had wandered onto I-70 at night so if you can do most of the ride in daylight that's a good thing. Traffic in cities and construction areas are your enemy. If you want to ride mostly in the daylight you will need to be averaging at or above the legal limit. So try to find interstates with high legal limits if you don't like risking a ticket. You will want to do some decent planning (gas, food, pit stops) and maybe a pre ride recon if you aren't familiar with the roads you'll be on. Take a good GPS anyway since accidents can close roads at any time for who knows how long. And the most important advice of all: Have Fun.

:Flash:

 

[fz6nick]

My biggest worry is my right arm/hand. It gets sore after a few hours. I've got a Vista cruise, but it doesn't work that well (enough to stretch my hand, but that's all - I don't like losing control of the throttle and it seems to lose speed no matter what I do). I injured my hand earlier this year and it still hasn't healed fully. As long as I take breaks I think it'll be ok.

Many people have recomended The Crampbuster on here. You should be able to get it at your local parts store.

 

[steveindenmark]

I rode 900km in a day in july which was easy enough, I didn`t need a cramp buster or anything fancy and we were 2 up.

Good ear plugs are essential and set off as soon as dawn allows. Take an alarm to wake you up if you have a nap for an hour,

Steve

 

[dako81]

I'm sort of planning a Lake Michigan 1000 that I want to do sometime in the next couple of years. Maybe I can do it this fall sometime. That would be cool. The route I have planned is right about 1030 miles, and that's not including any extra distance from the highway for stops and stuff. So I should be pretty well over. Google says right about 18 hours...

I plan on leaving from Kalamazoo and heading north to Grand rapids on 131. Then from there towards the west coast of MI on 96 and run pretty much up 31 all the way to the top across the bridge with a little 75 right before. Then hugging the shoreline again of the UP on 2 and down towards Green Bay. Then I want to head down 41 through Oshkosh and head straight back east over to the coast and go though Sheboygan. Then it's 32 down through Milwaukee and back on 41 towards Chicago. I'll avoid any toll roads in Chicago and follow the coast around the bottom of the lake, probably on 94 depending on which way I go through Chicago, and then 94 all the way back until Kalamazoo.

Should be pretty good.

Also with what wrightme43 posted, it got me thinking if I went from Kalamazoo to Bowling Green, picked him up and headed down to Mobile, AL and back to Bowling Green I could do a Bun Burner 1500 since the trip according to google is supposed to be 1502 miles, probably not the 24 hour Bun Burner GOLD, but the regular one in under 36 hours. And he could do the Saddle Sore 1000 since it said from Bowling Green to Mobile and back is 1027 miles. That would be cool, but I'd have to already have done my Lake Michigan 1000 so I know I can do it.

 

[Sawblade]

I was trying for 1000 miles on the first day of my TX to MD trip, but I was just too tired and the bugs got too bad as soon as the sun started setting. Only 720 miles.

 

[D-Mac]

If you want info from people who have done lots of Iron Butt rides, look at this site: forums.ninja250.org No. That's not a joke. Search for "Iron Butt" or "Saddlesore" and you'll find tons of hits - and good info about riding one. One guy did a CC 50 last year. Several guys have done the "big one" on 250's where they do 10 SS 1000's in a row. If a 250 can do it, surely the FZ6 can too...

Yup. I've seen some accounts of Ninja 250s at the IBR. I'm not sure any have finished the whole rally though. Tough riders in any case. There's a great story of a couple who did an Alaska trip over on advrider.com (actually, there are several accounts of major trips on Ninja 250s on there - including one where a guy did some SERIOUS off-road riding). Apparently, Kawaski was giving away a new Ninja 250 to the person with the best video of why they love the bike.

 

[D-Mac]

Many people have recomended The Crampbuster on here. You should be able to get it at your local parts store.

Yup. I'm gonna look for one for sure.

 

[D-Mac]

I'm sort of planning a Lake Michigan 1000 that I want to do sometime in the next couple of years. Maybe I can do it this fall sometime. That would be cool. The route I have planned is right about 1030 miles, and that's not including any extra distance from the highway for stops and stuff. So I should be pretty well over. Google says right about 18 hours...

I plan on leaving from Kalamazoo and heading north to Grand rapids on 131. Then from there towards the west coast of MI on 96 and run pretty much up 31 all the way to the top across the bridge with a little 75 right before. Then hugging the shoreline again of the UP on 2 and down towards Green Bay. Then I want to head down 41 through Oshkosh and head straight back east over to the coast and go though Sheboygan. Then it's 32 down through Milwaukee and back on 41 towards Chicago. I'll avoid any toll roads in Chicago and follow the coast around the bottom of the lake, probably on 94 depending on which way I go through Chicago, and then 94 all the way back until Kalamazoo.

Should be pretty good.

Also with what wrightme43 posted, it got me thinking if I went from Kalamazoo to Bowling Green, picked him up and headed down to Mobile, AL and back to Bowling Green I could do a Bun Burner 1500 since the trip according to google is supposed to be 1502 miles, probably not the 24 hour Bun Burner GOLD, but the regular one in under 36 hours. And he could do the Saddle Sore 1000 since it said from Bowling Green to Mobile and back is 1027 miles. That would be cool, but I'd have to already have done my Lake Michigan 1000 so I know I can do it.

Great ideas! I think it's definitely better to start with a SS1K first. Imagine riding a thousand miles and then trying to get back on the bike the next day for another 500. Yikes! I'm also tempted to try a loop around Lake Michigan, but I'm worried about Chicago (especially on my first attempt at this distance). The timing works out that I'd either have to go through early to get it over with (meaning I might hit morning rush-hour) or worry about it all day and do it when I'm tired (possibly hitting evening rush-hour). I don't have a GPS (at least one mounted on the bike), so that's also a concern for me.

 

[D-Mac]

I was trying for 1000 miles on the first day of my TX to MD trip, but I was just too tired and the bugs got too bad as soon as the sun started setting. Only 720 miles.

Good move. Better to live to try another day.

 

[Wh0M3]

I'm sort of planning a Lake Michigan 1000 that I want to do sometime in the next couple of years.

That sounds cool, I've been wanting to take a long ride on my bike sense I bought it. I've talked with some friends who were going to plan a U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) basic riding and camping type. The reason it got scrubbed this year is they deployed to Iraq, so we will have to wait till they get home to do it.

I have the problem with my hands going numb after a while on the bike, I have a type of cruse control/ throttle lock that came with the bike when I bought it. It's not the greatest thing, and kinda sucks but it's enough to give my hand a break and get the feeling back.