Advice on my first SaddleSore 1000

[Geezer]

How many bikes are going on this adventure? Stick to a small group, maybe three or four at the most. Agree in advance that it is OK to split up so each of you can ride your own pace.

If you are going to be riding through rural areas late at night then make sure you can get fuel when you need it.

 

[Patriot]

wow, almost a year later:

planning to try next Sunday June 28, 2009 Thur, June 3, 2010

OK, if weather is favorable, this is gonna happen this THURSDAY (June 3rd)

I might have done it on DDay June 6th to always remember

Jeff Q and I are heading up I-55 to close to St Louis

I leave New Orleans, he leaves Biloxi, MS

Specifically, I leave my home in Metairie, LA and ride to Matthews, MO for end stop at the Flying J.

Then we ride back. The google maps or mapquest miles is 519. Jeff's is 100+ more.

We leave in the wee hours of the morning and try to time our passage twice through Memphis at a low traffic time.

Jackson, MS we aren't particularly worried about traffic. The rest of the run is minimal population.

Any advice, problem solving, comment, suggestions are welcome.

My butt is as tough as it's going to get with sfo, and PGR rides in a day of 350, 420, and Saturday's 750 miles with no real issues.

I'm in my best riding shape physically and mentally since the engine swap on Dec 6th.

All sytems on the bike working properly. Changed the oil today, tested out AVCC, adjusted and cleaned throttlemeister, and tires have a good 2/3 of tread worth.

Flight Plan filed and we're looking to taxi out to the runway...

 

[Jeff Q]

Hopefully the weather isnt too bad...

 

[BwanaDik]

Gonna be HOT and STEAMY!. I think we ended our SS1k very near where you guys are going. That's some monotonous highway out there. Good Luck!!!

 

[sportsguy]

Nice to see the bromance is still going strong guys!

Ride safe, best of luck for clear weather and here's a thought for no idiot son your route.

Post up when you're done and recovered.

 

[Happy Rider]

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It's easy to overlook the simple things when you're so focused on a goal. Ride the bike.

Gunny what GUNMD said. :haha:

On a long ride I get behind with hydration very quickly. I drink out of a Cammel back while on the fly. I force myself to drink every 15 minutes or so. When I stop I drink out of a water bottle at least 10 to 15 oz.

Leave very early. I didn't get back from my SS1K until 0130. I was wishing that I would have left earlier in the day. It would have been much better to do the dark riding while fresh.

 

[Patriot]

boring is good

I'm praying for gator (retreads) and critter LESS ride

I'm leaving 0200 and Jeff at 0110 to meet up in Hammond for first gas stop...mostly looking for Truck Stops along the way, but flexible fa sure

note to self: hydrate hydrate hydrate...I plan to stop every hour or so for pee and hydration break

will be using my Colorado Cooling Vest which has been a life saver this season

eat light and with intelligence (hopefully)...save the chili and country fried steak for another day

with my two sets of Clearwater lights, I'm loving night riding in the cooler temps

Thanx all

I hope to have this adorn my Feej real soon:

 

[Larry33319]

When I did mine I had an old IB veteran leading us on it. He said 10 minutes when we needed gas. At 9min 59 seconds, he was pulling out. 30 minutes for lunch, that was all. If you get off the bike, the longer you are off, the easier it becomes to get tired or sore. Relax and maintain a steady pace. I had a tankbag with Granola bars, hard candy, and gum to enjoy while riding. Be safe and have a nice adventure.

 

[bigtallguy]

Good luck!

Just did my first IBA ride a few weeks ago and all the tips so far have been good. One thing we did was to make an outline of cities we needed to be in at about what time, ie jackson by 0400 or something like that. It was a quick and easy way to tell how well we were sticking to our schedule.

And boredom is the worst, I actually perked up a lot when we went into cities due to the traffic giving me an extra challenge :blink:

The weather here in Jackson is supposed to be 40% chance of rain for thursday afternoon, hopefully you guys get through without any though B) If I'm up that early for some odd reason maybe I'll see y'all...

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Ride alertly and smart. Bring your bell.

 

[cota95]

I'm doing my first saddlesore this Saturday and I'm getting a little jittery. I am reading this thread very carefully.

 

[redtail]

No reason to be nervous, guys! It's just a great way to do a ride.

If you get too tired, say so , and stop and rest!

If you forgot something, buy another one!

If it goes smooth, you'll make it fine.

If it gets complicated, don't fight too hard for it! It's just a one day ride, and is easily attempted again!

I hit a bad storm on the coast ( 80 mph winds, hard rain, in the dark) and called it a day. Waited a little while and tried again. This time it was smooth as silk. Now I know I can do it, and I didn't do anything to tarnish the IBA safety record!! I'd like to stay off that list!

 

[Patriot]

OK, ready to go

All lights sparklin on bike (rest not so much :blink: )

tank bag with all doc ready, itineary made with estimated stops along the way

tylenol, advil scheduled to take every 4 hours; afrin, sudafed packed if needed

two 6 pack ice chests...one with 5 iced Mountain Dew, one with 4 .5liter waters

another 10 waters in trunk

Colorado Cooling vest mandatory...extra waters: half to drink and another half to pour on myself as needed for cooling

Clouds and a little rain good during the hottest part of the day

big dinner at 6pm, sleep hopefully 7pm to midnight...KSU (kickstands up) at 2am...home around 10pm

yahoo :yahoo:

if ya wanna pray for me, pls mention the big five:

safety

mechanical reliability

health

weather

mood

I'm siked, but going in with failure is OK and try again next time with experience and more wisdom

I'm not pushing it and I'm not jeopardizing me or anyone else (NOTE TO SELF AND REPEAT !!!)

I am thankful for all my motorcyclist peeps

let's ride safe and be careful out there (again NOTE TO SELF)

Mike in Nawlins'

oh Shiny...bell still hanging proudly from my left Wild Bill Highway Peg bracket

it rings and hits my boot ocassionally which kinda gives me comfort in an odd way :yahoo: ...or makes me hungry for lotsa food :blink:

 

[cota95]

Good ride and luck Mike. I'll be waiting for your report. My ride will be a little different. I'm on an organized SS1k (minuteman 1000) which means that record keeping is alot easier as the witnesses are the organizers and we have very specific places that we have to get to to get receipts. If you complete the ride and get all your receipts etc. you will get your certificate following the ride. A minus feature is that the ride starts at 6am so there will be quite a bit of riding to be done in the dark.

George

 

[Slade]

Best of luck! I'm in the planning phase for a SS1000 myself right now. Watching you closely. Go get'em!

 

[Wanderer]

I'm probably not giving the advice you wanna hear, but my first SS1k-ish ride I did absolutely NOTHING to prepare.

I was living alone, had a 4 day weekend and a pocketful of cash. I thought to myself, "screw this I'm not sitting around bored", so I threw two changes of clothes and a toothbrush into a sidecase liner, my heated liner and a 2nd pair of gloves into the other side, a gatorade bottle and a PB&J sammich into the tankbag one night and left at 6am the next morning. I had no plan, no direction, no itinerary other than 'stay gone 'til Monday night'.

I rode west, then south and found myself in Taos, NM shortly before lunch. Before my food was gone I had plotted a route of about 30 miles of interstate and alot of fun highway that would get me from Taos to Prescott, AZ and my parents house. Filled up the bike, and burned down some roads. 9 hours later I ran out of road into the driveway with 980 on the trip since leaving my house in the Springs.

Since I hadn't planned to do it, I had no documentation, so the last 20 miles or so were irrelevant. I've done a few 1000-1200 mile days since( someday i'll do it and document it for the lic. plate ring). The best way to beat fatigue I've found is simply don't plan a sucky route. 1000 miles seems like a long way on paper but it's not so bad if you are enjoying the ride. Plan some points you look forward to as a reward... favorite restaurant, neat tourist attraction, twisty road, etc.

 

[Patriot]

well, it's o'dark thirty and fell asleep at 7pm, up at midnight

flight plan files, taxi ing out, and zooming on the runway

wish me luck and I'll post something tomorrow

 

[Tree Doc]

GOOD LUCK!

Have a safe ride.

 

[Solo]

Mike,

I hope you are having a good day riding. Be safe, and we are looking for your report upon your safe return. Good luck.

Tom

 

[CAJW]

Good ride and luck Mike. I'll be waiting for your report. My ride will be a little different. I'm on an organized SS1k (minuteman 1000) which means that record keeping is alot easier as the witnesses are the organizers and we have very specific places that we have to get to to get receipts. If you complete the ride and get all your receipts etc. you will get your certificate following the ride. A minus feature is that the ride starts at 6am so there will be quite a bit of riding to be done in the dark. George

What? No waiting for the better part of a year to get your certificate? That's half the fun (read: anticipation). It's all worth it for bragging rights and better yet, a sense of accomplishment. My non-riding friends (and some that ride) don't understand what possesses one to do this, but then, they just don't get it. Have fun, rest when your body tells you to and enjoy it when you join the fraternity. Mike & Jeff, have a safe "uneventful" ride!