FJRForum Official 2017 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis Thread

[Jaugie]

Dinosaurs, bears, fish, sea creatures, birds.

Let the games begin

 

[danalipps]

The poster really doesn't reveal anything other than it is going to be an interesting 2 weeks.

 

[puppychow]

Animal legends/statues/conservatories/......../....../ ?

Time to camp out in Happy Camp!

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Guesses:

Dinosaurs - Montana

Polar Bear - Alaska

Roadrunner - somewhere in the SouthWest

Bigfoot - Washington

Pike - Minnesota

Seems to be quite a few butterflies

 

[Bounce]

NM (Roadrunner - NM state bird)?, AK or far N Canada (Polar Bear)?, PNW (Bigfoot)?, Dakotas (Dino)?, WA/AK (Salmon)?, birds, octopus, and insects...?

...edit

Oops, Pike instead of salmon and Montana instead of Dakotas.

 

[airboss]

NM (Roadrunner - NM state bird)?, AK or far N Canada (Polar Bear)?, PNW (Bigfoot)?, Dakotas (Dino)?, WA/AK (Salmon)?, birds, octopus, and insects...?
...edit

Oops, Pike instead of salmon and Montana instead of Dakotas.

? Whatever. It's a jungle out there.

 

[Bappo]

Bigfoot could be in my backyard as well. There is a Sasquatch researcher, book writer just down the road from my cabin up in da UP eh. Also the Gay Bar is nearby which seems to be a favorite of the IBR. Can't wait to follow along.

 

[Chuck35]

So there was this guy Jerry White interviewing riders....

 

[Warchild]

Tech Inspection FAILURE!!!!

Watch for Thumbs Down at :09 mark....

 

[Bounce]

While I could feel the bottom drop out of his stomach, the fact that the guys were brainstorming a solution and bouncing "acceptable fixes" off of you (WC) was an excellent example of esprit de corp.

At the same time, I kept thinking, "venting from the cap down the side of the bike? wtf?"

 

[PapaUtah]

Welcome from a cool Minneapolis were a daytime high of 64 greeted riders in the 2017 IBR. Your un-official IBR photojournalist is here to give you a peek into the preparations for this year's IBR. While not as talented as Toby or eloquent as Chris I will try and give all of you unable to be here a sense of the inner workings of the rally prep on site.
I arrived at the hotel to this wonderful sight...a hundred or so motorcycle still in their beds.



Most of them hiding under indistinct covers, their real identity only given away by their classic lines and curves...but, there is always one alpha in the bunch who likes to advertise their presence. Yes FJRFORUM-ites...we are well represented at the rally.



I managed to stumble across a rider already at his steed, sporty a bright disposition and shirt that apparently got mixed in with "colors" when it was washed. Let's hope his riding skills surpass his laundry technique.



Dale "Warchild" (or is it "Warlord" now Dale?) Wilson was firmly ensconced in his Attila the Tech Hun chair giving directions to his charges who would soon be tasked with ensuring that each and every motorcycle and rider was in compliance with laws under which this years' Rally would be conducted.



The riders were lined up in the lobby, awaiting their paperwork and their first contact with the official rally volunteers. This lined moved with uncanny precision and speed. I commend the organization of the rally staff.

 

[PapaUtah]

Once "gifted" with their paperwork it is off to the parking lot and the real action begins to take place. Riders appear with their gear and paperwork and proceed to prostate themselves before Warchild...no wait...they really don't do that...they appear before the technical inspectors and one by one it's off to their machines. Once there, it really is a thorough inspection of the motorcycle systems and verification that ALL paperwork is in order.



Some hope they haven't missed anything...



Others jump right in with the inspectors...

 

[Warchild]

At the same time, I kept thinking, "venting from the cap down the side of the bike? wtf?"

What I was showing him down in the rear of the bike is where his previous gasoline overflows had literally stained his exhaust canister. Also, most of the rear end of the Burgmann showed fuel stains where the overflow had been disperse about the rear bodywork thanks to all manner of vortexes behind the bike.

Dude was basically a rolling fireball hazard, but he eventually got totally hooked up, and he passed Tech Inspection.

That having been said... the dude is Japanese, and he truly doesn't understand english. I foresee this as a problem. What he plans to do - I think - is plug in all the waypoints into his GPS, and it speaks Japanese to him. So, I am hoping he can at least route himself to the bonus location. Where I think the real problem comes in is the fact that the ******* guy isn't going to know what to do *at* the bonus, if he doesn't understand bonus directions.

I dunno, maybe he can read and understand english better than we think, but we saw a lot of indications that he really doesn't grasp english that is spoken to him. I'm pulling for him. I give him mad props for at least being at the Start Line. Dudes has guts. Sometimes, guts is enough.

 

[PapaUtah]

I had a chance to look over the inspection sheets as I found one riders paperwork blowing around the ground in the lot. I did return the paperwork to Dale....I am sure he will get it back to its rightful owner...but I didn't see anything about regulations on hair...a good thing for this rider I think as that mop appeared to be bordering on the edge of good taste...at least we know he is not there to impress the ladies and is concentrating on riding his plan.

I did see a good sign in the lot today...a motorcycle that you may have heard about in the official reports as being partially binned by a local dealer was at the lot in wonderful condition. We must commend the dealer for stepping up and taking responsibility and getting things right with the owner. Bravo!

As an outsider at this event, the one thing I took note of as I ambled through the proceedings was the familial feel of the event. This is really a gathering of friends and small groups of folks chatting dotted the parking lot. All had a kind welcome and great stories to tell as I passed by each one.

There is even an international flair to the event!

 

[PapaUtah]

The other distinction of this event is the level of backup I witnessed on almost every bike entered...if you are going to run in the IBR it now appears that everyone is running multiples of everything...here is a small sampling of the dash configurations I ran across.







And riders have things organized down to their snacks...folks....it's Saturday...the rally begins Monday...and the snacks are already in their assigned locations!!!



I found the GT again today...it was in line for the odometer test...it has a rider...it's really going...it's almost as old as I am...I want this thing to be a finisher...



Another observation I made today was the number of rally participants who have gone over to the dark side...amazed at the number of bikes that had a rear end that looked like this...

 

[PapaUtah]

The other constant here is the number of adhesive backed and ziptied elements attached to almost every bike...











Well, this is the FJR Forum and I have made the first step in moving my life from the midwest to southwest in the next few years. So to that end, I present to you some FJR1300 **** and few bikes I will be rooting a little harder for...









As the clock neared noon I was making my way across the lot. I heard a small noise behind me...I turned around...just in time to see this...yes, the Ninja is back...

 

[PapaUtah]

And as I was making my way to my bike to head off and take care of things on the home front I turned to my right at the odometer testing area...a group of bikes lined up...ready to roll..and I remembered the rider with the sunny disposition and bright shirt from earlier...a little inspiration from Toby flashed in my mind...maybe that rider knew more than I ever would...that shirt and a colorful assortment if his fellow riders...brightened my day...

 

[Bluesjammer]

Thanks for all the pictures, a great behind the scenes look. Very cool.

steve

 

[CraigRegs]

Outta likes, John, but thanks for those great shots.

 

[Warren]

I also have to say thank you for the pictures, they were great.

Warren

IBA# 27114