An Iron Butt story

[bmccrary]

Good to hear you are going for your second IBA run!

Hopefully Dad and I will getting our SS1000 this summer sometime.

Oh and btw, have you talked to Barb about this? She might have some suggestions and tips as well.

-bryan

 

[D-Mac]

Ugh....I'm getting sick of maps. Classic overplanning.

After plotting out more routes last night and getting some feedback from LD riders, I've changed the route.....again.

It seems that I-80 through Pennsylvania is great, except for the fact that Penn State will be having their graduation ceremony right around the time I'm in the area. I've also heard some horror stories about I-81 in Virginia.

I'm feeling pretty committed to the route down I-77. It just looks cool and has great reviews. At one point I'd thought of taking it back up and cutting up I-79 on the way back as well, although I realized that the exciting part of that ride would be in the dark (tough to enjoy the mountains when you can't see them!)

At this point, I'm still thinking of going east on I-80 and South on I-77 (as before). This time, I'll take I-77 all the way down into the Carolinas and briefly enter South Carolina (near Spartanburg) before cutting west and heading back up I-75. This would add 4 new states to my motorcycle 'resume', keep me away from several major cities, and still give me time in the mountains. My rest stop would be near the TN/KY border (1025 miles into the trip). Here's the route.....is it the last one? Who knows?

Today I'll discuss gear and packing. I should have some pics up by tonight.

 

[bigdog9191999]

you are over by ann arbor right?? if so then when are you thinking of doing this??? i have been wanting to do this on the new tiger.. maybe some company? i will pm you my number and maybe we could work something out..

i also would like to to the lake mich one too. and figured i could do a couple iba in one run

 

[D-Mac]

you are over by ann arbor right?? if so then when are you thinking of doing this??? i have been wanting to do this on the new tiger.. maybe some company? i will pm you my number and maybe we could work something out..

i also would like to to the lake mich one too. and figured i could do a couple iba in one run

Check for a PM.

I'm leaving Friday early and coming back by Saturday afternoon.

 

[D-Mac]

One more tweak to the last map. I cut out the loop south to Charlotte and added back a bit of I-79 South through Pittsburgh instead (so no visit to SC, but hitting PA on the way down instead). This will allow me to avoid Charlotte NC at rush-hour and still keep some of the best parts of I-77 and I-79 in West Virginia in the route. Substituting some of the ride through Ohio for a portion in Pennsylvania should also be quicker (speed limit is 5mph faster).

It's ~1517 miles, excluding mileage on ramps for gas stops.

I think I'm getting close!

 

[D-Mac]

Update and riding gear!

Updates:

....and the there were two......

Bigdog9191999 (also known to some outside the forum as "Steve" - hereafter "Bigdog") is coming along! Yes folks - there is someone else around here crazy enough to drop everything on almost no notice and ride 1500 miles just for the hell of it. Even more unusual, by some strange convergence of the moon and stars, BOTH my wife and Bigdog's have given the green light to the trip.:thumbup:

Now I know what you're all thinking...... We don't know what we're doing. Well, like me, Bigdog is TOTALLY prepared for the ride in that (1) he's interested in riding 1500 miles, and (2) he owns a motorcycle (in his case, a beautiful Triumph Tiger - the bike I'd almost certainly buy if I could stop buying gear for my FZ6!) Just because we've never actually ridden together, or even met shouldn't matter should it? We spoke on the phone today and I didn't detect an ounce of 'serial killer' in his voice, so we should be all set, right? As we stop for 5 minutes every couple of hundred miles I'm sure we'll get to know each other better......we might even find out each other's LAST NAMES by the end of the trip

But seriously folks. We've gotta try.

I also joined AAA today (including their plan that covers bikes). What the hell....now that I have full coverage for towing, I'll probably never need it. Right?

Now for some more pics....my gear:

Jackets:
(1) My trusty leather jacket from Hudson Leather in Ohio is my favorite. It's heavy and has a liner. I'm comfortable to down below freezing with it on. Above 70 it gets hot.
(2) Firstgear mesh-tex jacket. It's supposed to be water resistant with the liner in, but I wouldn't trust it. Good from 65 and up. I'll probably use this during the day.
(3) Firstgear rain jacket. Tested it once and it works. It's even got a hood to keep rain from getting under your helmet. It'll probably get tested on this ride.

Now boots and pants:
(1) SIDI OnRoad boots - love these things. I wish I'd had them on my last ride. They do get warm in temps over 80, but they're absolutely, positively 100% waterproof (assuming water doesn't run down your legs and into them!)
(2) LD comfort shorts (long ones on the left side, short ones on the right side). These wick away moisture and make long rides much more comfortable. You can also wash and dry them in minutes. Mine are nearly worn out - having suffered from being worn on kayaking trips and trips into the rainforest.
(3) Firstgear HT Overpants II - these riding pants are great. They get warm at temps over 85, but I always wear them. The liner makes them waterproof (or at least close) and they're great in very cold temps (good to well below freezing in my experience). You can also zip the Firstgear mesh jacket to the back of them, which holds them together nicely.

Some additional stuff for the bike:

WD-40, Chain/cable lube, Tire pressure gauge, paper towel, LED headlight, tire plugger kit, and Slime compressor (I have it rigged to plug in under the seat to an SAE plug that runs to the battery). Hopefully I won't need any of this stuff. I have a Scottoiler, so I shouldn't even have to oil the chain if it holds up. I need to add some electrical tape, duct tape, something to clean the windshield, and the owner's manual to the pile.

Some additional stuff for me:

Helmet: Nolan N-102. It's a bit heavy and not that quiet, but it's a flip-up, which is WONDERFUL on long trips. It also has a sunshade which flips down - saving stops to change glasses/visors.

Left of the helmet are earplugs, my iPhone, an iPod, and cheapo earphones. You can also see the Garmin Zumo GPS. To the right of the GPS is the SPOT satellite tracker (bright orange box). The SPOT, GPS, and my camera all mount to the bike (I'll show where in a future post).

Just below the SPOT is a balaclava for cold days (rarely needed if temps are above 45) and my mini tankbag.

At the bottom on the right you can see my Camelbak water supply. It holds 3L, although I can't fill it much if I want to put it in my tankbag. I've also included a bag of banana chips, and I'll probably buy some jerky. Having something to eat and drink is really helpful on long rides. Water is especially important as dehydration can become a big problem after hours on the road.

On the bottom left is my selection of gloves. It includes Fieldsheer waterproof gloves (these are truly waterproof, but have a thick layer of thinsulate which makes them HOT), a pair of cheapo mesh gloves (good for temps over 70F), and my trusty leather/deerskin/thinsulate gloves made by Hudson Leather (good for temps between ~40 and 70F). At the very bottom you can also see a small bag. This contains a pair of Fieldsheer overgloves. They are supposed to make any gloves waterproof.

Missing (for obvious reaons) is my camera, which will be coming along for the ride. It's a Pentax point-and-shoot W30. It's fully waterproof, so it's perfect for this kind of ride (the SPOT and GPS are also waterproof). I'll be taking pics along the ride this time - something I regret not doing last time.

If we were stopping longer, I'd consider bringing a bike cover of some sort. Apparently, theft rates are lower is thieves can't actually see your bike (or at least exactly what it looks like anyway). In our case, the bikes probably won't even have a chance to cool off let alone be stolen.

Keep in mind, except for basic safety gear, NONE of this stuff is really necessary. On my last ride, all I had was one jacket, an old pair of boots, the riding pants, and the tankbag (mostly empty). I was fine.

In an upcoming post, I'll review the bike - including mods for the trip.

 

[D-Mac]

Good to hear you are going for your second IBA run!

Hopefully Dad and I will getting our SS1000 this summer sometime.

Oh and btw, have you talked to Barb about this? She might have some suggestions and tips as well.

-bryan

Bryan,

I've been following your posts in the Touring forum and elsewhere. A father-and-son SS1000 would be very cool! I haven't spoken with Barb, but I've learned a lot from reading her posts (and those from other riders who are much more 'hard core' than I am).

 

[D-Mac]

Track our ride - link

If you'd like to track our ride, click the following link.

SPOT Shared Page

It should be active starting at about 6:30am EST on Friday. It should update automatically every 10 minutes (barring interference).

 

[dako81]

I can vouch for Steve, I met him this week. He's a really cool guy. I'm the ugly dark haired guy in in the middle of this picture:

Also, I would have been interested in this trip if I didn't have some plans this weekend already, and had some new tires...So, keep me in mind for the next one!

 

[cv_rider]

Re: Update and riding gear!

Helmet: Nolan N-102. It's a bit heavy and not that quiet, but it's a flip-up, which is WONDERFUL on long trips. It also has a sunshade which flips down - saving stops to change glasses/visors.

You flip that visor up while you are riding? Unless you'd stolen a windscreen from a Goldwing, I'd think wind blast would deafen you in a second with it raised, if not rip your head off outright.

 

[D-Mac]

Re: Update and riding gear!

You flip that visor up while you are riding? Unless you'd stolen a windscreen from a Goldwing, I'd think wind blast would deafen you in a second with it raised, if not rip your head off outright.

It doesn't stick up much. I used to think it caught some wind, so I took it off for a while, but since I put it back on I don't notice a difference.

It takes 10 seconds to pull it off, so I'll do that if it gets annoying.

 

[necrotimus]

I assume you have power on your bike since you have a lot of electronics on it but if not you can get an sae to cig outlet adapter.

Looking forward to following your trip... good luck

 

[rider1a]

Re: Update and riding gear!

I wish you a safe trip. I saw from your gear picture that you plan to take the SPOT Tracker....great idea. Perhaps you can make your location snapshot public so people can track it in real time on their web site?

Fred

 

[D-Mac]

Re: Update and riding gear!

I wish you a safe trip. I saw from your gear picture that you plan to take the SPOT Tracker....great idea. Perhaps you can make your location snapshot public so people can track it in real time on their web site?

Fred

You read my mind!

Below is the link anyone can use to track us in near 'real time'. It should update our location every 10 minutes during the ride (sometimes the signal is blocked, but it usually works). The site should be 'live' starting tomorrow morning (Friday) at about 6:30am EST. Once the first location is sent, the maps should work better as well.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0RZ0l0m28r5ZrHHjEqHSKohFt6H0CqVlB

 

[rider1a]

Re: Update and riding gear!

You read my mind!

Below is the link anyone can use to track us in near 'real time'. It should update our location every 10 minutes during the ride (sometimes the signal is blocked, but it usually works). The site should be 'live' starting tomorrow morning (Friday) at about 6:30am EST. Once the first location is sent, the maps should work better as well.

SPOT Shared Page

Kewel! Ya da man!

Fred

 

[bigdog9191999]

dako, wish you could come too. but i understand, i wasent sure at first if i was going but i am:rockon:

as for gear, i dont have riding pants nor time to get some in time so heavy jeans it is(probly the same ones in the pic that dako posted)

here are the gloves and helmet i will be using and

and this is the best pic i have of my jacket

and just about what i look like while i ride

i will get pants and GOOD boots someday. till then my upper half is safe

 

[D-Mac]

I assume you have power on your bike since you have a lot of electronics on it but if not you can get an sae to cig outlet adapter.

Looking forward to following your trip... good luck

I've got the heated grips and GPS wired to the battery. The gps connects via an SAE plug under the seat (I can swap the plug for the air compressor or battery tender as needed).

The SPOT runs on Lithium batteries - supposed to last a week when transmitting constantly.

 

[D-Mac]

BigDog,

Glad you bought a rain suit. You'll probably need it at some point tomorrow afternoon or Saturday morning. Weather looks pretty good for the first part and not too bad for the rest. It looks like very little wind in the forecast, so that's a big plus.

I've likely overpacked. I figure I have the space so I might as well use it. All I have in the tankbag is some food (pre-opened for easy access) and an over-sized Camelbak reservoir I jammed in there. I've got one side-bag with misc crap for the bike, and the other side case has a few clothes in it, some personal crap, and more food. I put a rain jacket, sweater, lots of gloves, my mesh jacket, and my mileage log for the trip in the topcase. It's probably half full. It would probably all fit in the side cases, but then everything would likely explode out whenever I opened them. My only issue will be getting on/off the bike without falling over!

I meant to take some pics of the bike today, but didn't get around to it. Oh well. I'll snap some during the trip (my camera is mounted to the handlebars with a RAM mount).

Nerves are getting to me a bit. The anticipation is killing me now. I can't wait to hit the road and calm down a bit. Hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight.

I'll be waiting for your call and standing by at home from 6am onward.

 

[rider1a]

I just checked their real time location. They are west of Charlotte, NC. Based on their ten minute snapshot, they are keeping an even pace. It looks like they might catch some bad weather tomorrow.

Fred

 

[D-Mac]

WE MADE IT!!!! 1000 miles in under 24 hours and 1500 miles in under 36 hours.

Pretty crazy ride. I've now experienced riding in hail in 5 new states.

Pics and details soon.