Bill Sowers
Member
First off, let me say this: I MADE IT..1,604 miles in 23 hours, 31 minutes.
Saturday I sat around home here In Princeton, WV waiting for the weather to clear but it didn’t so I left at 6:00 pm in the rain hoping for a let up. Down I77 to Wytheville, VA and then right on I81. About Bristol, VA the weather began to clear as the weather stations had predicted. Traffic was light and I had an uneventful ride to the end of I81 and caught I40 to Knoxville, TN, where there are usually traffic problems. For the last 20 years, Knoxville and traffic problems mean the same. Sure enough, right on the other side of Knoxville there was construction going on. Maybe because it was Saturday night, I slipped by with only a hindrance of speed. I followed I40 all the way across Tennessee using I440 around Nashville and Memphis. I took I30 out of Memphis and had planned to go to Texarkana, TX but after leaving Little Rock, AR, I was approaching 800 miles, far enough to begin a return trip. So, at 4:30 am in Malvern, AR, I gassed up at 802 miles and headed back.
The sun was coming up as I got back to Memphis and I knew it was going to be a hot one. Back on I40 I headed for Nashville. The ride was long and hot and fatigue was beginning to set in. I had allowed myself 15 minute stops every three hours and had actually done some 8 minute ones but this one made me realize I was in trouble. I had inserted the nozzle in my gas tank and began to do other things, drinking water and Gatorade , nibbling on an energy bar, etc. When I turned to get the gas receipt, it wasn’t there so I ran into the store to get one. The lady working there must have thought I was crazy as she pointed out that I hadn’t finished filling my tank as the nozzle was still in it. I ran back, finished up grabbed a receipt and took off. That’s when I noted that I hadn’t made the adjustment to my throttle lock (the device that locks the throttle in a position and allows you to rest your right hand on long trips) and it wasn’t working properly. OK, I figured I’d be alright for another 250 miles and get it at the next gas stop. To try and maintain close to a 70 MPH average you have to keep the throttle cranked on so after about 15 hours of this my wrist was getting extremely sore and my right thumb was numb. I really needed that lock.
I made Nashville and continued on toward Knoxville. My luck of the previous night didn’t hold as there was a huge backup at the same construction site. Stopped, in the sun, with riding gear on, hot cars and trucks all around, the bike thermometer read 95 degrees. Clutching and breaking as we moved feet at a time, were taking a terrible toll on my already sore wrists and the bike motor was getting hot. For the first time on the ’06 FJR, I could feel the heat on my legs but it went away as soon as we got moving again. As I entered the junction of I40 and I75 at Knoxville the traffic became bumper to bumper and I was starting to really worry if I was going to be able to get in enough miles in the allotted time. At the next gas stop I tried to fix the lock but to no avail so I just had to gut it out. In Bristol, VA, I hit the 1,500 mile mark (The Iron Butt Association recommends you travel over your limit as motorcycle speedos are generally inaccurate) and had a little less than 2 hours left but I knew I had to make at least one more gas stop.
I went on empty on the way to Wytheville, VA but the FJR has a 1.6 gallon reserve so I knew I could make it. In Wytheville, I did a quick “splash and go” of 3 gallons and quickly got back on I81, hit I77 and the sprint for home. In Princeton, I arrived at the same EXXON station I had left from the night before, 29 minutes ahead of schedule and very happy it was over but completely whipped.
Today will be bike cleaning day when I am able to move again. My right thumb is still numb.
I want to thank the guys that called me on the cell phone to chat and offer support. That was great and really perked me up.
Now, I just hope all my paper work is correct and the IB will OK the ride
Saturday I sat around home here In Princeton, WV waiting for the weather to clear but it didn’t so I left at 6:00 pm in the rain hoping for a let up. Down I77 to Wytheville, VA and then right on I81. About Bristol, VA the weather began to clear as the weather stations had predicted. Traffic was light and I had an uneventful ride to the end of I81 and caught I40 to Knoxville, TN, where there are usually traffic problems. For the last 20 years, Knoxville and traffic problems mean the same. Sure enough, right on the other side of Knoxville there was construction going on. Maybe because it was Saturday night, I slipped by with only a hindrance of speed. I followed I40 all the way across Tennessee using I440 around Nashville and Memphis. I took I30 out of Memphis and had planned to go to Texarkana, TX but after leaving Little Rock, AR, I was approaching 800 miles, far enough to begin a return trip. So, at 4:30 am in Malvern, AR, I gassed up at 802 miles and headed back.
The sun was coming up as I got back to Memphis and I knew it was going to be a hot one. Back on I40 I headed for Nashville. The ride was long and hot and fatigue was beginning to set in. I had allowed myself 15 minute stops every three hours and had actually done some 8 minute ones but this one made me realize I was in trouble. I had inserted the nozzle in my gas tank and began to do other things, drinking water and Gatorade , nibbling on an energy bar, etc. When I turned to get the gas receipt, it wasn’t there so I ran into the store to get one. The lady working there must have thought I was crazy as she pointed out that I hadn’t finished filling my tank as the nozzle was still in it. I ran back, finished up grabbed a receipt and took off. That’s when I noted that I hadn’t made the adjustment to my throttle lock (the device that locks the throttle in a position and allows you to rest your right hand on long trips) and it wasn’t working properly. OK, I figured I’d be alright for another 250 miles and get it at the next gas stop. To try and maintain close to a 70 MPH average you have to keep the throttle cranked on so after about 15 hours of this my wrist was getting extremely sore and my right thumb was numb. I really needed that lock.
I made Nashville and continued on toward Knoxville. My luck of the previous night didn’t hold as there was a huge backup at the same construction site. Stopped, in the sun, with riding gear on, hot cars and trucks all around, the bike thermometer read 95 degrees. Clutching and breaking as we moved feet at a time, were taking a terrible toll on my already sore wrists and the bike motor was getting hot. For the first time on the ’06 FJR, I could feel the heat on my legs but it went away as soon as we got moving again. As I entered the junction of I40 and I75 at Knoxville the traffic became bumper to bumper and I was starting to really worry if I was going to be able to get in enough miles in the allotted time. At the next gas stop I tried to fix the lock but to no avail so I just had to gut it out. In Bristol, VA, I hit the 1,500 mile mark (The Iron Butt Association recommends you travel over your limit as motorcycle speedos are generally inaccurate) and had a little less than 2 hours left but I knew I had to make at least one more gas stop.
I went on empty on the way to Wytheville, VA but the FJR has a 1.6 gallon reserve so I knew I could make it. In Wytheville, I did a quick “splash and go” of 3 gallons and quickly got back on I81, hit I77 and the sprint for home. In Princeton, I arrived at the same EXXON station I had left from the night before, 29 minutes ahead of schedule and very happy it was over but completely whipped.
Today will be bike cleaning day when I am able to move again. My right thumb is still numb.
I want to thank the guys that called me on the cell phone to chat and offer support. That was great and really perked me up.
Now, I just hope all my paper work is correct and the IB will OK the ride
