FJRForum Official 2019 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis Thread

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Further, if the idea is to get from "point to point" as quickly as (legally) possible in order to grab the most tags, then why would anyone waste time enjoying the Dragon or the BRP or any other tourist infested, twisty speed limited road? Unless of course its because a lot of the high point tags are embedded deep within those ribbons of lovely pavement?
Which brings me to my final point. I wish there was a concise, easy to read explanation of the strategies associated with the IBR. As a "spectator only", I grab bits and pieces here and there, and then often question my knowledge when I read something that can be interpreted multiple ways. It would help if the "play by play" peeps here were supplemented by the "game analyst" that usually can tell the story behind the story in an entertaining way. Not a compliant, just an observation.
The objective of a rally is to gather the most points plain and simple. There are no points for finishing first, no points for riding the most miles, and no points for grabbing the most bonuses.

Often times the reason why you see riders on twisty windy roads is because that's where the rallymaster puts the large bonuses.

Routing in a rally is part art and part science. The more you do it the better you become at it. We'll use a simple 24 hour format. But the basics are this. Take the amount of time you have to ride (24 hours) and subtract your down time.

This is any time you are not turning the wheels. That includes stops to collect bonuses, refuel, use the bathroom, take a break, take a rest, eat, etc.

Then we use the remaining time for riding.

24 hours - 3 refueling stops (3x10 min = 30 min) - 10 bonus stops (10x5 min = 50 min) - 1 rest break (1x6 hours = 6 hours)

Total non riding time of 440 minutes or 7 hrs 20 min which leaves 16 hours and 40 minutes for actual riding.

Now use your mapping program of choice to map out a route that allows you to collect the most amount of points while riding approximately 16.5 hours.

That's a basic summary.
And I've heard it said that it's not only time management but also rider stamina and even tire management. And normally the bonus point values increase in the 2nd and 3rd leg so riders need to be careful not to over do it on the 1st leg.

 
I certainly get that Dan couldn't bring himself to ride on another's bike for this event. I would have called it too. When the machine is such an integral part of the activity, doing it on another's machine takes a lot from it, including doubts over whether the pride is truly deserved or not. Its abundantly clear that preparation and maintenance of the machine is a HUGE part of the success (or the failure).
I have seen riders "sell" their bikes to other riders for $1 with the agreement that it would be sold back to them afterwards. It then removed the original owner from any liability that might be incurred.

As for "not deserving" the (podium) finish, put those concerns behind you. Knowing I wasn't in the run for a top 15 (top 40%?) finish, I was still amazed at the higher plateau those riders are at than I even knew existed... and that was after riding with a lot of them in shorter rallies for some years before getting into the big show. I had heard the phrase, "It's the rider. Not the bike", but I never truly appreciated it until then. Don't kid yourself, it's deserved.

 
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Damn! They've already come and gone through ATL!
No Bonus Listing yet, so I wasn't able to effectively stalk them. Have done so in the past -- just watching and clapping -- and it's the BOMB. Always thought that an appreciative observer makes a positive difference in the rider's psyche.
Bonus listings for Leg 1 won't be released to the public until after Leg 2 starts. We had to start doing that after mobs of spectators started creating problems for riders are bonus locations (2001?).
We kinda figured it out anyway- Last time I put up a "go IBR!" sign along MN23 and went down to greet the riders at the Pipestone National Monument bonus location.

 
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Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?

They almost need to start heading straight to the checkpoint!

 
Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?
I'm more concerned about the riders in central Kansas and the ones around Mobile, AL. Looks like those groups are getting hit with some serious weather.

 
Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?They almost need to start heading straight to the checkpoint!
There's your key word...bolded. Do the calcs. 2972 miles. To make the checkpoint without accruing penalty points is 58 hours and change. That's 51 mph average in IBR conditions is all in the realms of normal for many IBR riders even with a sleep bonus probably Wednesday.

However, the first leg though isn't the one to show up to a checkpoint crispy. IBRs typically follow a structure that the first leg points are 1x, second leg 2x, third leg 3x points.

 
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Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?They almost need to start heading straight to the checkpoint!
what about those still in long island? If I did the math right they have 58ish hours until they start accruing penalties. Google maps has it at 43 hours so they have lots of time. lol

 
Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?They almost need to start heading straight to the checkpoint!
what about those still in long island? If I did the math right they have 58ish hours until they start accruing penalties. Google maps has it at 43 hours so they have lots of time. lol
Again, do the calcs. 2776 divided by 58 hours = 48 mph average. Normal stuff.

That said, about 1/3 is sloggy eastern yuck...but once clear of Chicago that's offset by fast midwest and Montana goodness.

Outliers are always fun to watch in IBRs as they appear to be that one lonely ant that needs to group up with the other organized ones. But sometimes they're doing it on purpose and may see something we don't.

 
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Condolences, Dan. Bill's bike was well setup. I suspect that moving a few personal things and the contents of the panniers would have been all that was needed. But those Tens are tall.
On the surface, yes, but in my mind it would be much more than this.

I was struggling very hard with this decision for hours, as Warchild is well aware.

Bottom line -- I couldn't bring myself to borrow another bike in this event. I had to run this IBR on my own bike that I customized - not just borrow a foreign machine, hand the keys back to the rightful owner and wash my hands of it when the IBR was through.

I realize that probably sounds ridiculous to some, but that's simply what I needed to have happen to be able to put a full effort into this event. Plus I knew I'd be worrying & dwelling on my toasted Tenere engine the entire time, and I couldn't possibly give this event the 100% it deserves because of it all.

Thanks for the comments.

Dan

What a tough decision it must have been. But I'm sure it was the right one. We all look forward to seeing you in the next one.

 
Watching you in my mirror on Hwy 20 last summer, I didn't notice your Goldwing on a CT having any trouble keeping up with me. It might have felt like crap, but you were still moving at a pretty decent clip!
A decent clip indeed! We tore it up on that road.

 
Is anyone else starting to be concerned for the riders still in Florida?They almost need to start heading straight to the checkpoint!
what about those still in long island? If I did the math right they have 58ish hours until they start accruing penalties. Google maps has it at 43 hours so they have lots of time. lol
The weather is doing that rider any favors.

 
It is interesting to hear from those in the know on this thread about loosing the handling of the bike with the C/T. In my ignorance, I would think that this would be irrelevant. A C/T will likely get you to the end of the rally, and you might (long shot) make the entire rally with one fresh front tire from the start. That buys you at minimum 2-3 hours of down time over the rally.
Like everything in life, it's a compromise. If you're completely 100% comfortable on a car tire then it's a no-brainer. Run one. If something bothers you about it, you might feel that little "bother" hundreds or thousands of times during the 11 days as you ride down the road. That adds up. As a rally veteran I can't stress enough the importance of conserving mental energy. Worry and stress adds up and contributes to fatigue.

The compromise comes in when you weight the little bothers against the feeling of security you might get in a heavy rain. Car tires are better in the rain. And there's the lack of mental stress around a tire/wheel change at a checkpoint, as many MT folks will plan. And you don't have to worry about tread life at all during 11 days. So it's all up the individual. How do you like the feel of your bike with a CT compared to a MT? How much of a worrier are you? How confident are you in your choices? How do you manage your mental state?

 
To add to the car tire debate....

If I remember correct weren't the early radial tires more rounded edge to edge than modern radial tires??

I wonder if that company that makes the tires for antique cars might have something that would work better for bikes? Ya know...something that would give the wear of a car tire but a profile more suited to motorcycles....

Just musings of a wandering mind.....

Really wish it would find its way back.

 
The Africa Twins are riding as a team. Also, the 2 "putt-putt pink" FJRs
bike.gif
ridden by Corey and Brian Nuehring are identical except for their top box covers. One is red and the other is black. I guess that's so they remember who's bike is who's!
I chatted with Corey and Brian on Saturday. The bikes are actually more different than would seem at first look. I'm not up on specific options for those but one of the bikes has inverted forks. They said what the difference was but I forgot exactly what they said....just that one was more expensive to fix. LOL

 
The Africa Twins are riding as a team. Also, the 2 "putt-putt pink" FJRs
bike.gif
ridden by Corey and Brian Nuehring are identical except for their top box covers. One is red and the other is black. I guess that's so they remember who's bike is who's!
I chatted with Corey and Brian on Saturday. The bikes are actually more different than would seem at first look. I'm not up on specific options for those but one of the bikes has inverted forks. They said what the difference was but I forgot exactly what they said....just that one was more expensive to fix. LOL
Yep, one's an A and one's an ES. I have a 14 ES with 135K and I have yet to find someone who can rebuild an ES shock. I have an ES shock from a warranty replacement bike and might take it up to Cogent and let them experiment on it.
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I'm just disappointed nobody jumped on the "putt-putt pink" comment.
grin.gif
LOL...shoot...when I first saw them sitting there on Saturday when the guys weren't around I sent a pic to the wife with the caption "his and hers ??"

 
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