First Saddle Sore

[Uncle Hud]

Got more advice than you bargained for, eh? My three cents:

(1) try to time your passage through cities when traffic is light,

(2) convince yourself that sometimes bailing out is better than pressing onward, and

(3) audiobooks or podcasts keep my mind focused a lot better than familiar music. I prefer The Moth and Snap Judgement, but you're probably different from me.

Seriously, item #2. Seriously.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I've pressed on when I was fighting to stay focused/coherent. At night after being in the saddle for 17 plus hours. Could have easily ended my riding permanently, totaled the bike, perhaps killed myself. Didn't carry a spot at that time and was in the most remote part of that ride when I was at my most fatigued. Who knows how long it would have taken for someone to find me. A challenge is good. Being tough is good. But as Hud notes, you have to know when to say when. Music is great, but anything but music, also like Hud says, is pretty awesome for keeping your focus. Besides news and books, I like comedy channels on Pandora. Routinely, I never listen to them, but on a long trip, they're the shiznit. Every LD rider has tips and tricks they use. Find yours.

 

[Ludwig61]

Pulled a muscle in my back. I've got commitments for the next two weekends, so April or May will be my next weekend of opportunity.

BkerChuck, I've chosen all my gas stops, all at different towns each way. And I was looking forward to meeting some relatives for lunch that I've never actually seen in the flesh before. So I definitely have plans! My tank bag is too large - when I'm turning sharply, it hits the windshield adjust button and makes my windshield go up. So I don't ride with it very often. And I'd prefer to get off and stretch my legs if I'm getting thirsty.

Bill, I get off to fuel. I like the FOBO, too. I've stood for stretching a few times. But more often to see over cagers. I am taking toiletries and spare clothes as if this is an overnight trip, specifically to make it easier to say "when". I'll have to think about downloading some comedy.

Flars, I have wanted to do this for a while. I waited till I moved from Ohio to Texas because the speed limits are higher west of the Mississippi. My route is all 75mph and 80mph speed limits. So as long as the winds aren't bad, I'll have plenty of time for stops and still make good time. If I had cruise control, I'd set it for speed limit +8 or 9, just like when I'm driving a car. But my 50 year old eyes don't always see the speedo so well, so for me, trying to keep a particular speed works better when the lines optically meet.

MNFJR05, I've never worried about Hell's Angels, or other groups. I figure if I show them respect, they'll probably be fine with me. I'm more concerned about the zombie cagers.

Uncle Hud, this trip is across West Texas. The largest city, ignoring the end points, is Kerrville, population 22,663 according to Google. Traffic will only mean a wreck ahead. I am taking toiletries and a change of clothes specifically in case I choose to bail because I want that choice to be easy.

I have about 8500 songs on my phone. And [thank you, Audible] all seven of the Chronicles of Narnia. And The Hobbit. And all three Lord of the Rings volumes. All unabridged. Plus some more academic reads like A Paradise Built in Hell and Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me. When driving I don't like things that demand too much attention because it compromises my focus on the road. I'll have plenty to listen to if I decide to go that route.

I'll post when I have another weekend selected.

 

[Bounce]

1) try to time your passage through cities when traffic is light,(2) convince yourself that sometimes bailing out is better than pressing onward, and

(3) audiobooks or podcasts keep my mind focused a lot better than familiar music. I prefer The Moth and Snap Judgement, but you're probably different from me.

I agree with 1 and 2; especially 2. The ride will always be there to try again. Coming home safely is always the main goal.

Audiobooks, podcasts, comedy channels, and anything spoken put me to sleep and are something I'd never listen to while on a long ride. I find that if I focus on riding I miss the spoken content and if I get the spoken content I've not been paying attention to riding (job #1).

With music I can turn it down to be barely above the ambient noise floor and hear it enough to be entertained but not enough to lose focus on riding.

Know yourself and what works for you.

 

[101stpathfinder]

Oh… I forgot one of the tips I usually share:

On almost Every Cert. ride that I have done at one time or another a question comes to mind;

"Why am I doing this?" It sounds funny now, but at 0 dark thirty when you began to struggle it will not seem so funny.

You better have an answer for this question… a good one too! Otherwise logic will prevail & your ride will be over.

Find your answer now and stick with it… think of the accomplishment of completing the ride… Is it worth it?

If you can say "Yes", then your ride is already well underway.

Have a great time and enjoy those stars in the vast Texas sky.

 

[PapaUtah]

Ludwig,

My comment was not to warn you off the HA. Last summer my son, 17 at the time, and I completed a SS1000 together. We had an encounter with the HA along the way and I wrote it up in my ride report on our little excursion. Here is the HA encounter.

"We stopped in Roggen, CO for fuel. As we were fueling we were visited by a group of 20 or so members of the Hell's Angels as they pulled in to fuel also. Surprisingly a couple of the Angels struck up a conversation with Jack about his bike and he mentioned we was doing a SaddleSore 1000. The one Angel immediately spoke up, "Double check your receipts! Make sure they have the time and date. You're going to do fine." Apparently there are a few HA folks who are also IBA certified."

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/168990-father-son-ss1000/?hl=%2Bfather+%2Bss1000

 

[Uncle Hud]

Ludwig61 posted: .... <snip, snip> Pulled a muscle in my back. I've got commitments for the next two weekends, so April or May will be my next weekend of opportunity.
Uncle Hud, this trip is across West Texas. The largest city, ignoring the end points, is Kerrville, population 22,663 according to Google. Traffic will only mean a wreck ahead. I am taking toiletries and a change of clothes specifically in case I choose to bail because I want that choice to be easy.

Kerrville (Quality inn) was our halfway stopover for our 50CC run. If you're going west from there, make sure you have communication capabilities. It's pretty all the way to Fort Stockton, but it's also pretty empty.

 

[Bounce]

And Hill country is deer-dense, unlit, and far from straight.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Bounce posted: And Hill country is deer-dense, unlit, and far from straight.

That last part makes it wonderful for FJRs.

 

[dravnx]

I'm starting to plan my first SS1000. A lot of good information here. Do you guys stay in the saddle from tank to tank or do you have other strategies?

 

[Uncle Hud]

Did not consider calling myself a "long distance rider" until I rode tank-to-tank-to-tank without other stops. That said, an SS1K doesn't require tank-to-tank riding.

You only have to average 42 mph to ride 1,000 miles in 24 hours. Plan your ride so that 990 miles of it are on Interstate highways. Keep your stops to 10 minutes: fuel, receipt, pee, eat, drink, SPOT, go. You won't even need to exceed the speed limit!

I actually gave up halfway through my first one, then realized I could still meet the requirements. IBA agreed, and I have that SS1K certificate framed on my office wall amid professional licenses and certificates.

 

[BkerChuck]

Ride report for one of my Saddlesore rides.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/169457-mufflerman-1000-a-24-hour-rally/

This was my wife's first official IBA ride but probably not her last.

This should give you at least some idea of just how much time you really have to complete this ride. We had multiple stops for photos. Several fuel stops and breaks for food and still finished with more than an hour to spare. Follow the advice everyone is giving, plan your ride and ride your plan.

Write it up after you're done, I'd love to hear about your experience.

 

[Spud]

I'm starting to plan my first SS1000. A lot of good information here. Do you guys stay in the saddle from tank to tank or do you have other strategies?

The few I've done my strategy is to go tank to tank and take a nice 45 min or so break for breakfast or lunch (depending on departure--around 1/2 way done or more) in a sit-down diner somewhere. Here's your no-brainer route

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Santa+Rosa,+CA/Rawlins,+Wyoming/@39.571578,-118.2742565,6z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x80843bc936e647d7:0x5ccd656bc54f4849!2m2!1d-122.7140548!2d38.440429!1m5!1m1!1s0x875c4e954ff4de09:0x3c20a46abf95fc13!2m2!1d-107.2386627!2d41.7910697

 

[Ludwig61]

Ludwig61 posted: .... <snip, snip> Pulled a muscle in my back. I've got commitments for the next two weekends, so April or May will be my next weekend of opportunity.
Uncle Hud, this trip is across West Texas. The largest city, ignoring the end points, is Kerrville, population 22,663 according to Google. Traffic will only mean a wreck ahead. I am taking toiletries and a change of clothes specifically in case I choose to bail because I want that choice to be easy.

Kerrville (Quality inn) was our halfway stopover for our 50CC run. If you're going west from there, make sure you have communication capabilities. It's pretty all the way to Fort Stockton, but it's also pretty empty.

If late April or May, I will have a 50watt ham radio programmed for all the repeaters on the way. It will be an 8w HT till then. I expect to have phone coverage on I-10 either through Verizon (personal phone) or AT&T (work phone), just no serious data.

 

[Bounce]

Great tips here:

https://www.ironbutt.com/aow.cfm

 

[TripperMike]

You know Ludwig, everybody has been giving you pretty good and sound advice for attempting this SS1000; but I have yet to read where anyone gave you a solid warning. So here's one: if you should attempt, and subsequently suceed, in this crazy LD riding effort; don't say you weren't warned that you might find you enjoy it. I mean REALLY enjoy it. You'll be sitting at your kitchen table for breakfast, most likely on a Saturday, and your thoughts will start wandering about mountains. Curvey roads. The openess of the west or the old historical buildings along the east coast. Maybe even the shorelines along the northern coasts of the Great Lakes. Then you'll start picturing a thousand mile compass in your head and begin realizing that in ONLY one day, you could be riding to and experiencing these great places.

You say 50 year old eyes? I envy you, you've got lots of great riding years ahead of you. I've got you by a good number of years, and there's many o' riders older than I who I can't hold a candle to. Don't let age hold you back.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Don't come crying to us when you get the itch to try your umpteenth IBA ride; we'll just get pissed that we can't come along.

On a serious note though; water and rest are the two most important aspects of the long ride. You don't get enough of either and you begin to compromise your alertness and focus on the bike. You can plow through the aches and pains, that's just a matter of mental fortitude. But when you begin to feel that you might be feeling drowsy, ask yourself, would you want one of your kids, or any motorcycle riding family member, to try pushing through if they were feeling the way you were. Just remember, it's always better to live to ride another day. More importantly, to be able to hug the ones you love after you've parked your bike back in the garage.

 

[HelzBelz]

....plan your ride and ride your plan.....

how did it take so long the get to this. Single most important rule of LD riding.