jts6yf
New Member
Has anyone here done one of the Iron Butt rides on the FZ? I'm contemplating doing the Saddlesore 1000 on a whim one weekend and was wanting to know of any tips/tricks.
Iron Butt Association
- Thread starter jts6yf
- Start date
OldBiker
Wizard
Wear well fitting pants and underwear with no or flat seams that has good wicking qualities. Gel pad gloves wouldn't be a bad idea either.
trav87
Member
I attempted one in May on a mission to get me some In-N-Out lol...missed the mark by about 80 miles :doh2:
My route wasn't planned out well enough, and I got a later start than I wanted which resulted in lots of night riding which wears on me quickly. Had to pull off and get a few hours sleep at a motel in Central California after coming across from Reno. My next attempt will be more of a main highway route using a Pilot Road 2 or 3. I ruined a perfectly good Rosso II
Get some Quality riding underwear to help with the ol bottom. I ended up with a couple blisters from seams. :frown:
I used a crampbuster and a go-cruise to help with throttle hand fatigue.
Ibuprofen to help with muscle aches
My route wasn't planned out well enough, and I got a later start than I wanted which resulted in lots of night riding which wears on me quickly. Had to pull off and get a few hours sleep at a motel in Central California after coming across from Reno. My next attempt will be more of a main highway route using a Pilot Road 2 or 3. I ruined a perfectly good Rosso II
Get some Quality riding underwear to help with the ol bottom. I ended up with a couple blisters from seams. :frown:
I used a crampbuster and a go-cruise to help with throttle hand fatigue.
Ibuprofen to help with muscle aches
Strider7
Well-Known Member
I did a couple of long trips in May, but I didn't register with the IBA or anything like that - I just went. I figure folks I talk to will either take my word for it, and believe me when I tell them what I did - or they aren't worth my time anyway.
The first trip was Houston to Miami straight - that's about 1,200 miles in 18 hours. The second trip a week later was Houston to San Diego, and that one was 1,500 miles in 22 hours and 3 minutes. Both trips were just bucket list kinda things for me, and I hit up Key West while I was in Florida too.
As mentioned above, the proper clothes/riding gear will help. Of course, take your rain gear, but don't forget about layers that you can add during the night. If you have to cross the desert at all, remember that it gets cool there at night.
The Go Cruise, as mentioned by another poster above, is a good addition to your bike. They don't hold a steady speed for long, but they do offer some limited wrist relief - and you'll need it!
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!! Both WELL before, during, and after your trip. Carbing up is a good idea too, because you are about to attempt an athletic event, lol! I usually drink a bottle of water when I fuel, or at least at every other fuel stop. It's not a bad idea to substitute a Gatorade for the water every few stops too. The sugar and electrolytes will help keep you on track.
I keep the the snacks high quality and low volume. You don't want to be stopping for a 'heavy' pit stop all the time. A quick stop at the restroom when you're fueling, to drop some water, is fine - but anything more is too time consuming. Save the heavy meals for after you complete the ride.
Know your fuel capacity and mileage range, and don't pass a fuel stop just because you haven't maxed out your range yet. Hunting for fuel and hoping you'll find it when you desperately need it IS NOT a good feeling. Have I gone 186 miles on one tank with an average cruising speed of 90 - 95, yes. Would I recommend it, No.
With that said, I found that on my '11 the sweet spot for mileage and fuel consumption (or at least what I was happy with) was around 85 to 90 MPH average cruising speed. If you are easy on the right wrist, you should be able to average 160 to 170 miles to the tank.
As for rest? I would start the trip with a good week's worth of good, quality sleep under my belt. I'm talking 8 hours a night, for about a week. That will give you a good base and make sure that you aren't starting your trip behind the curve so to speak.
The IBA and others will advise against caffeine and other stimulants, but you'll have to make your own decision. A quick cat nap is certainly better, but I didn't sleep any on my trips, and only used minimal caffeine (coffee with breakfast and maybe twice more at fuel stops when I was REALLY hurting).
Have some good tunes on tap, and make sure your route is well thought out. Or at least if not well thought out, make sure you plan to take major roads that are sure to have fuel and services. You don't really need to have every fuel stop mapped out as long as you keep it to major thoroughfares.
And on the subject of tunes, if you don't usually use foam earplugs, I HIGHLY recommend it. The constant wind noise from a trip that long can and will damage your hearing. My ears were bleeding after that Miami trip, enough that I went ahead and bought a Sena SMH10-11 headset. Formerly I rode with what I thought were good noise canceling type ear buds. Well, they weren't good enough. Now I am back to using foam earplugs and the Sena headset. And while the sound quality and volume of the music at speed is nowhere near what it was with the ear buds (the music is actually pretty much a wash after 50 MPH in all but the most favorable conditions - and this in a Shoei Qwest) , I know that I am protecting my hearing. I'm getting long winded here so I'll try to wrap it up, but I could do a WHOLE 'nother write up on the Sena. Suffice it to say that the blue tooth capabilities and phone/rider to rider intercom (volume for those is fine up to the cruising speeds I mentioned above - you may just need to duck behind the windshield to hear) make it a very worthwhile addition to your gear.
Don't forget that you'll need to lube the chain, so pack what you'll need to do that. I lube mine every 500 miles or so. Also, a good flat repair kit, or two, is a good thing to carry with you. I carry two, the CO2 cartridge type, and the plug type with slime and a small air pump. Duct tape, carry a roll.
Check in with family and loved ones from time to time. It makes them feel better, especially if you go it alone like I do. Having a 'general' ride plan in the hands of at least one of those folks is a good idea, safety wise, for you. If you don't show up, or check in at a certain time, they can send out the cavalry.
I'm sure there is other stuff I could say, but I think those are the high points. Have a safe trip, and take a few pictures if you can.
:tup:
EDIT: Oh wow, my first post here ... Ha, ha! I didn't realize that I've just been lurking here on the site. And what a long first post it was. I guess I should go and make a thread with some pics of me and the bike.
The first trip was Houston to Miami straight - that's about 1,200 miles in 18 hours. The second trip a week later was Houston to San Diego, and that one was 1,500 miles in 22 hours and 3 minutes. Both trips were just bucket list kinda things for me, and I hit up Key West while I was in Florida too.
As mentioned above, the proper clothes/riding gear will help. Of course, take your rain gear, but don't forget about layers that you can add during the night. If you have to cross the desert at all, remember that it gets cool there at night.
The Go Cruise, as mentioned by another poster above, is a good addition to your bike. They don't hold a steady speed for long, but they do offer some limited wrist relief - and you'll need it!
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!! Both WELL before, during, and after your trip. Carbing up is a good idea too, because you are about to attempt an athletic event, lol! I usually drink a bottle of water when I fuel, or at least at every other fuel stop. It's not a bad idea to substitute a Gatorade for the water every few stops too. The sugar and electrolytes will help keep you on track.
I keep the the snacks high quality and low volume. You don't want to be stopping for a 'heavy' pit stop all the time. A quick stop at the restroom when you're fueling, to drop some water, is fine - but anything more is too time consuming. Save the heavy meals for after you complete the ride.
Know your fuel capacity and mileage range, and don't pass a fuel stop just because you haven't maxed out your range yet. Hunting for fuel and hoping you'll find it when you desperately need it IS NOT a good feeling. Have I gone 186 miles on one tank with an average cruising speed of 90 - 95, yes. Would I recommend it, No.
With that said, I found that on my '11 the sweet spot for mileage and fuel consumption (or at least what I was happy with) was around 85 to 90 MPH average cruising speed. If you are easy on the right wrist, you should be able to average 160 to 170 miles to the tank.
As for rest? I would start the trip with a good week's worth of good, quality sleep under my belt. I'm talking 8 hours a night, for about a week. That will give you a good base and make sure that you aren't starting your trip behind the curve so to speak.
The IBA and others will advise against caffeine and other stimulants, but you'll have to make your own decision. A quick cat nap is certainly better, but I didn't sleep any on my trips, and only used minimal caffeine (coffee with breakfast and maybe twice more at fuel stops when I was REALLY hurting).
Have some good tunes on tap, and make sure your route is well thought out. Or at least if not well thought out, make sure you plan to take major roads that are sure to have fuel and services. You don't really need to have every fuel stop mapped out as long as you keep it to major thoroughfares.
And on the subject of tunes, if you don't usually use foam earplugs, I HIGHLY recommend it. The constant wind noise from a trip that long can and will damage your hearing. My ears were bleeding after that Miami trip, enough that I went ahead and bought a Sena SMH10-11 headset. Formerly I rode with what I thought were good noise canceling type ear buds. Well, they weren't good enough. Now I am back to using foam earplugs and the Sena headset. And while the sound quality and volume of the music at speed is nowhere near what it was with the ear buds (the music is actually pretty much a wash after 50 MPH in all but the most favorable conditions - and this in a Shoei Qwest) , I know that I am protecting my hearing. I'm getting long winded here so I'll try to wrap it up, but I could do a WHOLE 'nother write up on the Sena. Suffice it to say that the blue tooth capabilities and phone/rider to rider intercom (volume for those is fine up to the cruising speeds I mentioned above - you may just need to duck behind the windshield to hear) make it a very worthwhile addition to your gear.
Don't forget that you'll need to lube the chain, so pack what you'll need to do that. I lube mine every 500 miles or so. Also, a good flat repair kit, or two, is a good thing to carry with you. I carry two, the CO2 cartridge type, and the plug type with slime and a small air pump. Duct tape, carry a roll.
Check in with family and loved ones from time to time. It makes them feel better, especially if you go it alone like I do. Having a 'general' ride plan in the hands of at least one of those folks is a good idea, safety wise, for you. If you don't show up, or check in at a certain time, they can send out the cavalry.
I'm sure there is other stuff I could say, but I think those are the high points. Have a safe trip, and take a few pictures if you can.
:tup:
EDIT: Oh wow, my first post here ... Ha, ha! I didn't realize that I've just been lurking here on the site. And what a long first post it was. I guess I should go and make a thread with some pics of me and the bike.
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bewarethefuzz
Well-Known Member
Great advice there from Stryder7
I'd just add that rider discomfort can wear you down mentally. So, sunscreen, lip balm, eye drops, medicated wipes(especially in summer), screen cleaning gear, vaseline+towel(dry hand cleaning) and spares of anything essential to your comfort.
As to hydration, camelback serves me well.
Best to consider your launch time carefully, too. I've found 10am works well for me with a couple hours of sleep in the last half of the ride around 2am.
Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, rest when tired and ride, ride, RIDE!
I'd just add that rider discomfort can wear you down mentally. So, sunscreen, lip balm, eye drops, medicated wipes(especially in summer), screen cleaning gear, vaseline+towel(dry hand cleaning) and spares of anything essential to your comfort.
As to hydration, camelback serves me well.
Best to consider your launch time carefully, too. I've found 10am works well for me with a couple hours of sleep in the last half of the ride around 2am.
Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, rest when tired and ride, ride, RIDE!
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