FJRForum Official 2017 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis Thread

[101stpathfinder]

^ it probably is a "BMW THING"

 

[PapaUtah]

A BMW K1600...on autopilot back to the mothership it looks like...if they have Sam and Sydney's number they can call for advice...history repeating itself??? I hope not...but...I checked the dealer website...they have a new 2015 1600GTL in stock...they can trade him out and he can be on his way. Discounted $4K too!!!

 

[Warren]

Hmm. I see 2 riders at a Yamaha/Suzuki/BMW dealer in Memphis. Going to go out on a limb and say that is probably not a good thing.

I see him in a tire dealer across the street

 

[101stpathfinder]

Can't wait to hear the stories and see the standings from leg 1 ! I think we will see Wendy in the top 5.

 

[Hello Kitty]

Ah, the pain of missing out on a combo bonus. That sucks in a massive way.
Big props to DougC for coming to the rescue!

I'm looking forward to seeing the bonus pack for leg one. I'm thinking there is more to these "strings" than just combo's. Do they need to be taken in order? Can you work on multiple strings at a time? Are they always in 3's?

I think it seemed pretty straightforward as explained in the daily report, but there could always be more to it and I could have totally misunderstood. But as I understand - Yes, always 3's, I don't see how you could work on more than 1 at a time. There are categories of bonuses and if you get 3 of the same category in a row, the third is double points. I hope they release the rally pack!

 

[Hello Kitty]

Sorry, meant to copy this from the daily report:

"The bonuses are divided into five categories, with a twist in the puzzle. There are “strings”. If a rider can create a string by visiting 3 bonuses in a row from the same category, the third bonus value is multiplied by two. Multiple, separate strings are allowed."

 

[BwanaDik]

Missed this earlier. Anybody know what the categories are?

 

[rickcorwn]

Talking about going off-pavement, I think one of the most notable dirt/gravel roads to LD riders over the years is the Jungo Road to Gerlach, Nevada (home of Brunos and the IBR memorial). It cuts off significant miles to Gerlach when coming from the east, but it can be very sketchy. Alan LeDuc had to be airlifted out of there after dumping his Goldwing on an IBR (2003 I think?).
When I rode the Butt Lite IV, Gerlach was a bonus, and we did not take Jungo, but I believe John Coons (on the same RS1100 he is on in the IBR right now) did, but Coons is a different breed of animal. He did inspire me to ride through a rocky ditch in Iowa though on that same rally, because, well, "What would Coons do?"

IIRC John didn't take Jungo Rd he came in from the north which makes Jungo look like I-80. His fuel cell mounts needed to be re-welded after that little jaunt. Look at it in Google maps

 

[eldouble]

Missed this earlier. Anybody know what the categories are?

Iv'e seen riders stop at Dragons, Mammoths, and Dinosaurs, as well as the bird in the beginning. Not sure the actual categories.

Miles

 

[rickcorwn]

Missed this earlier. Anybody know what the categories are?

They were announced at the banquet, from memory which isn't exactly the best source, Land, Water, Air, Mythical, and a couple of others.

Three from the same category collected consecutively, third bonus doubles in points.

 

[discochris]

Talking about going off-pavement, I think one of the most notable dirt/gravel roads to LD riders over the years is the Jungo Road to Gerlach, Nevada (home of Brunos and the IBR memorial). It cuts off significant miles to Gerlach when coming from the east, but it can be very sketchy. Alan LeDuc had to be airlifted out of there after dumping his Goldwing on an IBR (2003 I think?).
When I rode the Butt Lite IV, Gerlach was a bonus, and we did not take Jungo, but I believe John Coons (on the same RS1100 he is on in the IBR right now) did, but Coons is a different breed of animal. He did inspire me to ride through a rocky ditch in Iowa though on that same rally, because, well, "What would Coons do?"

IIRC John didn't take Jungo Rd he came in from the north which makes Jungo look like I-80. His fuel cell mounts needed to be re-welded after that little jaunt. Look at it in Google maps

Yikes. That's even worse!

I remember the busted fuel cell in Tombstone.

 

[mz33]

I've attended many rallies in the Deals Gap area, many riders choose to make night runs for the fun of it.
Not me.. I see enough wildlife during daylight hours, been almost taken off the bike on more than one occasion..

No kidding. These riders are after stationary, artificial animals.

 

[DaJuice]

I just got a call from John Coons who is having charging issues with his Samsung S5 (Micro USB). He is wondering if any one that will be at the checkpoint can meet him with a new official Samsung wall charger (the one with the charger that plugs into the wall and a USB cable plugs into it). Apparently his charging port on the phone is a little wonky and is eating his USB cables. He prefers the official one that you can buy at a Verizon or AT&T store because somehow his phone knows and will charge faster with that cable. The generic one he is using now is charging but does not keep up. He doesn't actually need the wall charger piece, just the cable but I assume that will be hard to come by. If a wall charger can't be found he can also make the official cig light charger work.

He will pay for the charger via paypal once the rally is over.

Please send me a PM if you can help and I will connect you with John and his father Charlie.

 

[Warchild]

The Day 2 SPOT Markers are now online under the "Links" section: https://ibr.wvi.com

We will post up a SPOT Marker image for each day.

In fact, the SPOT Markers for Day 3 will be posted up in another hour or so.

 

[hppants]

Thanks to Hud and the others for helping me get educated. Knowing this makes the cheering much more fun.

Now that I'm armed and dangerous with this new found knowledge, let me ask a couple more pointed questions:

1. What is the advantage of having more than 1 GPS? Do you leave GPS#1 always navigating on the next checkpoint to make sure you stay on overall schedule, and then perhaps GPS#2 is sending you to the next bonus?

2. The definition of Rest Bonus is not entirely clear to me. Is there a minimum amount of time per 24 hour period (or other) in which the motorcycle may not move? If so, what amount is that?

3. Are competitors required to submit photographs that prove bonuses or strings to the rallymaster as they take them, or at the checkpoint, or other? Are there safeguards in place to ensure nobody gets stupid with Photoshop?

4. If a competitor follows the rule whereby he renders aid to another rider or a member of the public in an emergency, and that causes him/her to miss the checkpoint time deadline, is he/her still disqualified?

5. Are rally teams competing for the same prize as individual riders? Do teams have to follow more strict rules?

6. Is the selection of the bonuses engineered such that it is impossible to grab them all? IOW - are there so many bonus point opportunities, that each rider has to develop/design their own ride/routes/stops/etc?

7. How to the riders determine where the bonus places are? For this years event, in which they are looking for roadside animal art, do they just pull out their phone, google it up, and hope for the best?

8. I can't see where there is a minimum amount of miles that need to be ridden, other than the shortest route from checkpoint to checkpoint. Why then is the odometer certification and other odometer related rules necessary? What am I missing? Is it to prove that the competitors actually rode the motorcycle to the various places (as opposed to throwing it on a trailer)?

 

[BikerGeek99]

Looks like at least a couple of bikes are at the checkpoint hotel, and there are some that look to be cutting it close to arrive in time to avoid any penalties.

 

[PapaUtah]

And the BMW is once again on the move!!!

 

[Warchild]

Boom... Day 3 SPOT Markers are up... they are closing in on Dallas now...

 

[JohnF]

Was it announced, as in the past, what the recommended minimum target point level is for Leg 1?

JEF

Cincinnati, OH

 

[heynowref]

475 miles from Lakeland TN to Dallas

less than 7 hours till penalty points

close - but doable