FJR's In The 2005 Iron Butt Rally

[Warchild]

Happened to catch one of the FJRs passing through Boise westbound on I-84 about 3 pm MST on 8/31. Not sure who it is,---but a 2005 blue man, New York plates. He got thru town in good shape, prior to any rush hour delays. I followed along for about 10 minutes, very solid rider, nothing crazy, stretching his legs quite a bit. On his way to the coast for a big bonus tally no doubt.FJR iron

Good luck, fella!

That is Harry Kaplan, who finished in 26th place.

 

[Warchild]

very nice photos great job warman . questions is what do most of the riders do for a living . middle income, upper income . i really did not no about this super long distance stuff before i owned the yamaha. so some of the riders need to be well off or have jobs will a hell of alot of vacation time .

The come from all walks of life, but are generally middle-upper income. And yes, the married riders have some very understanding wives, no question.

And sure, while the majority of the entrants are running modern, big-bore, liter+ bikes, there were some very crusty, 20-year-old bikes, and some very inexpensive small bikes (a Vespa, a Ninja 250, etc)

But for the most part, LD Riders need to be dedicated, not wealthy.

But there's no question participating in the Iron Butt Rally is an expensive proposition. And this was before gas prices went insane as they have lately.

 

[GunMD]

what do most of the riders do for a living

George Z is a self employed type...All I can figure is he must bust his ass all winter so he can ride all summer.

I can't speak for what any of the other riders does (or doesn't do) for a living. I am curious about it though...

Hey GZ, good job on your first IBR. You 'bout ready to tap that special occasion keg you've been chilling??

 

[Yambone]

That is Harry Kaplan, who finished in 26th place.

Warchild, Thanks for the follow up! Would have driven me crazy not to know the name of the rider. It was way cool to see one of the elite riding through Boise during the event.

Also thanks to all those who linked us up all along the way on this board and the IBR board. It was a great spectacle to behold to this first time observer. The behind-the-scenes work does not escape us.

 

[Bearly Flying]

Warchild: Thanks for the insites on the Iron Butt, and could you pass along our thanks to Robert Higdon for his excellant write ups on the IBR site. Good Job by all those involved, especially the Riders.

 

[Leonard Lloyd]

Thanks for the pictures of a Great Show! Inspiring. Well Done to all.

Leonard

Oakley, CA

 

[user 213]

Thanks for posting the pics Dale. Being in Denver for the finish was quite a experience. Seeing riders come in at various stages of fatigue was one thing, but I watched nearly all of them bounce back as they got off the bike.

For the last few, coming in during the penalty phase, Warchild was giving them a mantra of "Turn off the bike, put the side stand down, PUT THE SIDE STAND DOWN, unplug, GO STOP THE CLOCK!" where upon they would stagger off the bike and run inside to check in and stop the penalty points from conitinuing to build.

I worked my normal swing shift on Wed, got off at midnight, then took off for Denver at 1:30 am. I did take a few detours, so ended up arriving in Denver at 12:30 am local time with 1464 miles traveled. By the time I checked in and grabbed a shower it was a little past 1 am, so I just went down to the parking lot and waited for riders to come in. Many already had, some arriving as early as late afternoon on Thursday. Things got pretty busy around 5 am when official scoring started. I just tried to help out where needed and stay out of the way the rest of the time. By the time the penalty window was over at 10 am, everyone was either finishing up their score sheets in preperation for turning them in, or already finding some chow and a bed so they could finally get some sleep before the banquet. That was probably the quietest time at the hotel, between 11 am and 4 or 5 pm when many riders were sleeping.

I ended up being awake for 50 hours, grabbing 6 hours sleep, then going to the banquet. It was very nice to meet and listen to stories and tips from so many of the IBR participants. Though all were tired, they always made time to talk if you were willing to listen.

I took a couple days to get home and did another 1500 miles on the way. Any excuse to wander new roads on the FJR is a good one. I'm not sure I'll ever want to do the IBR, but I have a much better appreciation for what it takes and what it takes out of the rider to do so.

 

[zorkler]

it takes a special person to ride that rally was reading some of the days comments and wow some great stuff one guy doing 5485 miles in 4 days . going up and down the u.s.a like it was nothing . just amazing . from what i have read besides the great mental and physical strength. you also need cash . some sort of team work

with others planning routes , stops , tire swapping etc. questions are what is the fee to enter , are there teams , is there cash for winning , and if you were to enter besides the bike how much would it cost gps, feul cell , sleeping, tires. etc. ?..........

 

[Warchild]

questions are what is the fee to enter ,  are there teams , is there cash for winning , and if you were to enter besides the bike how much would it cost  gps, feul cell , sleeping, tires. etc. ?..........

The entry fee is far up there...$1500, if I'm not mistaken.

There are NO cash awards for a podium finish. Everyone who was a legitimate finisher (according to the rules) got a Finisher's plaque, and the podium finishers (the Top Ten) received an exquisite trophy made from crystal. These were really gorgeous.

Calculating the total cost is problematic... depends on the bike, the rider, etc. The vast majority of entrants have to at *least* have their rear tire replaced during the event. A fuel cell and a GPS are NOT mandatory, though obviously, they are very important if one intends to place well.

The Iron Butt Rally is an amateur event, and always will be. No commercial sponsorships are allowed. Other than the crystal trophies for the podium finishers, the only thing riders get is the admiration of their peers.

 

[bvail]

Warchild,

Very nice pictures. That place looks familiar. Thanks for the reference to George Z. and Doug C. as 'team tire swap'. It gave me an opportunity to experience a small part of the IBR. I asked Craig Larsen (Craig in Denver) if he would like to help me and he jumped at the chance. He even told me that he dismantled his FJR several times for the practice. So, when it came time to do the deed we were ready to go (mostly Craig). He performed like a member of a NASCAR pitcrew. Thank you very much for your assistance, Craig.

I'm sure that Craig experienced at least a bit of the angst experienced by me about working on someone's bike on such an important occasion. Everything when smoothly (except for Doug's ABS bolt - I just about shit a brick on that one!) and obviously no wheels fell off during the remainder of the rally :clap:

It was back to work for me on Friday, so I couldn't see the arrival of the finishers, but the photos put it in my mind's eye. Congratulations to everyone. Nice third leg, George.

See you in Reno (I hope).

 

[Woodstock]

Other than the crystal trophies for the podium finishers, the only thing riders get is the admiration of their peers.

And my guess is the latter is more appreciated/valuable than the former. :clap:

 

[rublenoon]

Congr'ts to all the IB Rally riders, their families and those who work at the rally so the riders could play.

It is good to see that an a crusty old bike, ST1100, under a sound rider can still bring home the crystal [here hoping the Mississippi man still has a home to go to].

That said I'm still hoping that Santa brings the deposit slip for the 2006 model FJR.

 

[beeroux]

Yo CATS!

A huge thanks to Gun MD, Ron Cohen, Bob Vail, Craig in Denver, Warchild, et al.

Ron graciously loaned me his wheel for the first leg, and Craig with Bob changed the tires and did my oil at the first checkpoint, all while I slept. Scott ( gun md ) hooked me up with a local shop who swung me a deal on tires, and Scott helped a bit with some loaner cash.

Gun MD, I'll be tapping that keg real soon, you'll be warned fa sho.

Brothers and Sisters, what can I say? I let the FJR community down. I took the first leg WAYYYYYY to casual. I rode right past bonii in hopes that a rested rider would prevail down the road. My strategy was wrong. Dead wrong. Live and learn, and in those 11 days, I lived and learned a great deal.

2007 will be a very different story, I assure you.

With the greatest admiration for this community,

George Zelenz

 

[bvail]

It was an honor and a pleasure to meet you George. Sorry I couldn't make it to your finish.

Still have your oil out in the garage. Maybe Craig and I can partner up and sell genuine Iron Butt oil on E-Bay :lol:

 

[RonC]

Congratulations, George, on a mighty 3rd leg. And congratulations to all the competitors!

Thanks for the wheel changing lessons. I didn't have to use much of my new found wheel experience as Bob V and Craig did all the changing like professionals.

Not one FJR failed to finish due to mechanical problems! One went out due to gravity issues - it fell over on the sleeping rider. Maybe the 2006 model will have a gravity fix.

Ron

 

[smthng]

Brothers and Sisters, what can I say? I let the FJR community down. I took the first leg WAYYYYYY to casual. I rode right past bonii in hopes that a rested rider would prevail down the road. My strategy was wrong. Dead wrong. Live and learn, and in those 11 days, I lived and learned a great deal.

Who exactly was it that made it from 65th back up to 29th?!? Dude, you're my hero for the week... I was rooting for you the whole way!

Honestly, it was more exciting for this armchair throttlemonkey watching you fight your way back up that it would have been if you'd gotten a higher place on the first leg and stayed there.

"Let us down..." Sheesh... I think the saddle time affected your brain. You totally kicked ass in my book, Z!

 

[Howardrg]

***The entry fee is far up there...$1500, if I'm not mistaken.***

Warchild, You can't be serious ?? That sounds like a lot of money. for an entry fee. What would it include.

Well done to all the finishers

Howard

 

[Warchild]

One went out due to gravity issues - it fell over on the sleeping rider.

But that rider (Rick Martin) made it back to the Finish Line just fine.

It was Andy Mills on a 2005 FJR that DNF'ed due to a crash just a heartbreaking few hundred miles from the Finish Line. Andy had a Top Ten Finish going when he hit some road debris on I-80 in western Wyoming just as he was coming back to Denver and the Finish Line. His bike will undoubtedly be totalled.... the front forks were bent and the wheel was pushed to the side of the frame. :bigeyes:

***The entry fee is far up there...$1500, if I'm not mistaken.***
Warchild, You can't be serious ?? That sounds like a lot of money. for an entry fee. What would it include.

Oh yes, I'm serious. Putting on a rally of this duration and magnitude is incredibly expensive. Entrants get a lot out of it though.... most of all, the chance to get massively abused and fatigued for 11 continuous days.

 

[gypsy]

There have been mentions of "the penalty for switching bikes". I am just curious what this penalty is? Are you pretty much out of the running if you switch bikes? I am just wondering if Jim Owen could have still won had he found another machine to finish on?

gypsy

 

[Ignacio]

1/2 the points removed so it would have made it pretty much impossible (edited from 10,000 point penalty for switching bikes. Pretty hard defecit to overcome and still win, but maybe hold on to a top ten finish.) One can speculate by analyzing the points after each leg and routes chosen, but my guess is that Jim was cutting time close when he broke down in Elko. I thought he was reported in Elko, Nevada at midnight. I would imagine spare bikes are pretty scarce at that time of night. 700 miles with 8 or 9 hours to make it to Denver after finding a bike in a foreign town.

....I guess it's doable :blink: