FJR's In The 2005 Iron Butt Rally

[skyway]

Wifey and I are also following the progress of Tobie Stevens riding an FJR1300. We met his wife Lisa in June during the Cal24. Tobie was unable to attend due to a mechanical problem but Lisa rode the rally anyway. For those who attended the banquet, Lisa is the lady who won the Garmin 2610 for raising the most amount of money for the C.E.I.D. The GPS unit was intended to be put on Tobie's FJR for use during the Iron Butt Rally.

Gooooo Tobie!! :clap:

 

[tel]

I just read Higdon's latest report, which wasn't one of his best. I was hoping for more info on specific riders with some brief explanation of stories. But who am I to complain, I have no idea what happens between legs and he had a plane to catch.

I guess the story that surprised me the most was about Gary Egan. Can it be true that his claim for the fastest time from Prudhoe to Key West is bogus?

Whatever.

Hope they all stay safe.

tel

 

[valetz]

Hmm..... I guess I liked it, but then Eddie of course is one of the founding members of Team Strange (originally a Bowling Team ) And George bummed an Autocom from me to use for the Rally... So I know both of the riders he was referring to...

And as far as Gary Eagan is concerrned, he didn't say it's bogus, just that the IBA hadn't seen documentation.... (who really knows)

-bvw.

 

[Woodstock]

Yea, I'm sure some of the riders near the bottom have some great stories.

 

[protondecay123]

Methinks that Bob was saying that Eagans ride was undocumented rather than bogus. Not that he thought Eagan "faked" the ride, but rather that he didn't properly document the ride. Which means that it was 'gulp' bogus.

Great example of the impact of marketing.

I never realized that Eagan never documented the ride. I *** u me d that he had properly documented the ride.

Wow

:detect:

 

[tel]

Eagan is such a great rider, my feeling is he completed the ride. Maybe he has a beef with IBA. Whatever!

Looking forward to the next installment. I'm sort of dissapointed that there aren't more riders in the 30,000 point range. Hoping for a really exciting finish.

Took a ride to my local hangout this morning and not one of the guys even knew the IBR was on. :blink:

tel

 

[Drake]

I don't think anyone is saying his ride is bogus. Only that IBA was never given any documentation so they could confirm it.

Here is a link to Ducati's website that tells the story complete with photographs....

https://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthameric...tml?newsId=5701

 

[bikerbanker]

Spotted: Two IBR competitors on I-95 northbound just south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Sunday around 5:00 P.M. Temperatures around 80 with high humidity. One was on a blue FJR and the second was on a BMW GS.

I belong to a club in Baltimore; the Maryland Competition Riders. Eddie Phelps (Bike 6 on star-traxx) is one of our club members. He rides a K1200LT, so clearly, neither bike was him. Eddie is an old enduro rider that has given up his off-road ways for the LD community.

I was on my way home from New Jersey having just completed the Beehive Enduro. As I headed south on I-95, I spotted the very bug-covered blue FJR headed north (rider dressed in Greg/black Aerostich suit). Sadly, traffic in both directions was very heavy and speeds were in the 25-35 MPH range. About 30 minutes behind him was the BMW GS.

I’m sure the traffic was killing them. And there was no let-up in sight.

 

[Groo]

Very interesting statistical analysis of the IBR results to date...

FJRs are tied with GL1800s for the most in the rally (11 each)

FJRs are ranked tops in average points per rider for a given model.

Statistical anaylsis

 

[Warchild]

The Maine Checkpoint was today, and here's a good number of photos of the riders checking in, getting their next bonus listings, and they are off for the final leg.....

IBR Checkpoint photos - Maine

 

[Woodstock]

The Maine Checkpoint was today, and here's a good number of photos of the riders checking in, getting their next bonus listings, and they are off for the final leg.....

IBR Checkpoint photos - Maine

Wait-a-sec. They hold the IronButt Rally in the rain?!?! Whose idea was that???

 

[twowheelnut]

WC? Do you have to schlep about the country to keep tabs on the technical aspects of the bikes, too?

 

[Paid2Ride]

Cheers to all who are riding and the staff people involved. It's great to be following the riders via the maps,photo's, and updates by Warchild. Checking out the gear on the FJR's is interesting; getting some ideas. Good luck to the riders; DANG that's a lot of riding.

 

[gypsy]

Am I reading this correctly. George Zelenz in in the Hopeless Class? Why would that be?

"Other members of the Hopeless class battled on during leg #2. Duke Dunsford's 250cc Ninja, the smallest bike in the field, holds close to a 1,000-point lead over George Zelenz' FJR1300. Steve Steller's Vespa motor scooter had a great second leg. He gained 705 points on Zelenz and closed the day just 92 points back of the FJR jockey. This fight promises to go right to the wire."

gypsy

 

[Warchild]

Am I reading this correctly. George Zelenz in in the Hopeless Class? Why would that be?

No, no... Higdon is simply belittling George by comparing the Vespa to the FJR1300. The "Hopeless Class" is comprised of the Vespa, the Boss Hoss (which already DNF'ed), a couple of sidecars, and a few other motley bikes.

I'll have to admit the FJR's are not doing as well as I had hoped so far, but in this particular IBR, it's hard to predict final standings based upon the previous leg's standings. The largest assembly of high-point bonuses are all on this last leg. Anyone could still end up in the lead when all is said and done.

I depart for the Finish Line myself tomorrow evening; I should be in Denver by early Thursday evening. The riders should start streaming in right around that time. We'll be scoring their routes throughout the night right through till mid-day on Friday. Then there's the Finisher's Banquet that evening.

 

[nusman68]

The Boss Hoss DNFd? Mechanical failure? Figured the old Hoss wouldn't even be breathing hard....

 

[Rogue]

The Boss Hoss DNFd? Mechanical failure? Figured the old Hoss wouldn't even be breathing hard....

The rider overslept and missed the first check point.

Rains that were sweeping the riders off the Great Plains on the first day of the rally returned on the fourth day with even greater violence. Morris Kruemcke wanted nothing to do with two large bonuses in downtown Chicago but rode north to the Windy City anyway just to avoid storms in Missouri. Torrential rains stopped Phyllis Lang cold and may time bar her at the first checkpoint. Nine horses yesterday were swept away and drowned in floods of Biblical intensity in Kansas. Far to the north in Montana the Boss Hoss rested safely in a metaphorical corral as its owner, Bill Crittenden, peacefully slept. And slept. And woke up so late today that he has no chance to arrive before the checkpoint window slams shut in Denver tonight. Thus does the brief career of the largest horse ever to run the Iron Butt end, not with a 300-horsepower bang but a snore and a whimper.

 

[Bounce]

place...name..................miles...points

9.....Andy Mills...............7,919...39,542

10...Peter Hoogeveen...7,695...38,635

18...Harry Kaplan..........7,520...37,054

27...Dean Tanji.............7,548...36,210

32...John Ferber...........7,438...35,569

34...Bob St George.......6,539...35,470

43...Tom Melchild..........6,500...34,102

50...George Zelenz.......6,175...32,598

56...Doug Chapman......7,026...32,023

69...Tobie Stevens........6,548...28,112

 

[RonC]

George Zelenz lost a bonus because the lighthouse he was too approach did not appear in the photograph. When I was there on Friday, the reason was variously given that the lighthouse was behind a tree or that it was too small in the distance and was disallowed.

I think that George has been saving himself for the right leg of the trip, sort of like a virgin saving themselves for the right guy.

Ron

 

[NHFRKLS]

A little surprised when I went to the picture web site and saw my GTS as the featured picture show up. Wished I could have stayed longer to see the riders off but had to get back to work. Thanks for the shot and wishing the participants the best on the last leg.

I heard several riders mumbling about trying to get shots of the lighthouses to come out properly. Seems the night kept getting in the way.