Iron Butt Rides?

[GeorgiaRoller]

I realize that Iron Butt rides are popular with the ST riding community and I guess that makes total sense. Truth be told I for one have never been tempted or interested in riding 1000 miles in 24hrs or any of the other type endurance rides that the IBA offers. But I do see many on this forum are quite the opposite and seem to really enjoy them.

I was just sincerely curious as to what you personally find as the draw to doing these types of rides?

I tried to think of some reasons you might want to select in the Poll Question (Your allowed to check multiple answers). If I've overlooked something please feel free to state your personal reasons for riding Iron Butt Rides.

 

[Willie]

I did my first SS1K with a group of 3 other riders, which is unusual. It was something to do and accomplish, however it did get me interested in the IBA. This led to completing 3 National Park Tours, which mean more to me than the SS1K. I am probably going to go after a BB1500 with a friend of mine this month some time. Why just because....

The National Park Tour was my motivator to get out there and ride all over the country, which has led me to participate in a bunch of Grand Tours and develop these little targets all over the place. One of them being National Historic Landmarks. I believe this all stemed from that first SS1K.

As far as the SS1K, they really are not that hard to accomplish.

Willie

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'm not one of the hard core LD guys by a long shot. I just did my first SS1K and have been wanting to do it for several years. Always just kind of never really happened. I wanted to do it for several reasons, first of course being to complete the challenge. It's kind of one of those milestones that stares you in the face as a motorcyclist and crossing it off the list seems like the thing to do. In the end, it wasn't nearly as hard or grueling as I had thought, and the bike sure helped with that.

The big thing for me though that I got out of it was the measuring stick. Here in Dallas, it's a haul to get anywhere interesting to ride. To get to my wife's uncle's place in Colorado is 853 miles. Taking that trip by car with my parents, wife and one year old son, we split the drive there into two days despite me having done it in a car in one day. Wasting two solid days each way of vacation time means losing two solid days in the mountains. I'd rather put my head down and cross the boring flat straight roads and get them behind me so I can enjoy myself. However, travel by motorcycle is far different from traveling in a car. Doing my SS1K now helps me better prepare for future trips by knowing that with the right bike, I know for a fact that I could ride from here to Crested Butte Colorado and still be able to get up the next day and enjoy myself and even go for rides.

As for improving my time. I doubt I'll ever do another SS1K for time again or many of the other LD type rides. The only one I'd consider is one I've thought about for some time and that's the CC50. Beyond that, I'm just all about enjoying my saddle time.

Oh yea, and if there's good BBQ 500 miles from your house, it makes an SS1K much more doable.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I checked the box saying that I have no interest in IBA rides. One caveat to that would have been the Instate SS at NAFO 08.

I have ridden from Long Island to Wheaton to get home.

I have ridden out to Denver area from Wheaton...and vice versa to make it so I could ride more days in Kali last May.

I did ride 500 miles of twisties in 12hours in AR in 2009...that was a fun ride. Not hard, but fun. A fun full day.

But I do not have this itch to ride for endurance as others do.

I do however respect many others that do these rides...but a SS1000 on superslab only. Nahhhh. Not for me.

That being said, I love "watching" the spot trackers of the IBR dudes and Big John heading south from Prudhoe Bay to Key West.

 

[CraigRegs]

Interesting poll. I've been rolling over the reasons in my mind these last few months as I prepare for my BBG this weekend. How do I try to explain it to non-riders and even riders who see no sense in sitting on a moving motorcycle for nearly 24 hours? Heck, how do I rationalize it to myself?

For me it comes down to the challenge. Planning the route. Planning gas stops. How long do I allow for them? How much cushion will I have if I encounter traffic/construction/etc.? Can I do this physically, and more importantly, mentally? Prepping the bike and prepping me. Progressively longer rides this spring have helped me learn to deal with discomfort in the saddle, and recognize warning signs of fatigue and how to deal with it. I've learned about my tolerances and about myself as a rider.

That being said, I think this is likely my last IBA ride. (I did a SS and BB on my '98 Honda Shadow 1100.) My riding style continues to evolve and I'd rather stop and see things along the way and when I get there, and find some interesting roads instead of just munching up miles of Interstate for its own sake. But these rides have shown me I can ride much farther than I thought in a given day. So my "universe" has expanded; I now know I can easily put in a 700-mile day to get closer to a destination, then spend more time exploring once I'm there.

But that's just me. I could be wrong...

 

[pmspaul]

I've found that I am more interested in LD rallying than just certificate riding. I've actually only certified 2 rides, a SS1k, which was only so my wife could get her first certificate, and a 48+(49states/10days), b/c I rode that one with my dad and it was important to me.

But the rallying combines distance riding with an adventure. The rallymasters have a way of sending you to places I'd never otherwise go, or often even know about. My wife rode a 36hour rally with me in 2010 where we covered 1500 miles and visited 24 unique bonus locations. Our memories of that trip are as vivid and fond as our "sightseeing" trip last year to MT, ID, WY, CO & SD.

I've got 2 multi-day rallies planned for this year, a 4 day and a 6 day. Other than where each rally begins, I have no idea yet where I'm going or what I'll be seeing, yet I'm absolutely positive they will both fun, challenging and memorable. I may visit 1/2 the country or more(or less) in those 10 days hunting bonuses.

I couldn't plan an adventure like this on my own. That's why I do this kind of riding.

 

[BwanaDik]

The big thing for me though that I got out of it was the measuring stick. Here in Dallas, it's a haul to get anywhere interesting to ride. To get to my wife's uncle's place in Colorado is 853 miles. Taking that trip by car with my parents, wife and one year old son, we split the drive there into two days despite me having done it in a car in one day. Wasting two solid days each way of vacation time means losing two solid days in the mountains. I'd rather put my head down and cross the boring flat straight roads and get them behind me so I can enjoy myself. However, travel by motorcycle is far different from traveling in a car. Doing my SS1K now helps me better prepare for future trips by knowing that with the right bike, I know for a fact that I could ride from here to Crested Butte Colorado and still be able to get up the next day and enjoy myself and even go for rides.

As for improving my time. I doubt I'll ever do another SS1K for time again or many of the other LD type rides. The only one I'd consider is one I've thought about for some time and that's the CC50. Beyond that, I'm just all about enjoying my saddle time.

Oh yea, and if there's good BBQ 500 miles from your house, it makes an SS1K much more doable.

+1 I now know what I can easily do in a day or day and a half. As a result, I've done several "transits" where I ride out to someplace far away and pick up my wife at the airport, then go for a tour. I've discovered my "enjoyable" distance for a day is about 850 miles. Although I'm pretty burnt out on hammering out 900 miles of north central Texas just to start to get someplace

I had originally planned to do some rallys but I'm thinking the NP tour would be a lot more interesting. Probably not going to do any more cert rides unless I find a really interesting one.

Like the LA1k, "We were stupid first". Sign me up for that one if it's ever run again!!!! :yahoo: :yahoo:

Where's Kaitsdad?

 

[CAJW]

I accepted the challenge when Toecutter invited me on the "route from hell" IBR ride and ended up making my goal of under 18 hrs. Longer rides these days (400-500 miles) don't really feel that long any more and completing a SS1000 has given me a new appreciation for the stamina and commitment of those who compete in the 10 day event. I checked the "Challenge myself and my endurance" box which pretty well sums it up for me.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I do one every other year and have done 4 so far and am going to do another one this September. The ones I do are all withing the state lines and very very little slab time. They are pretty challenging and I hurt for a month afterward. :dribble: But to just get on the slab and go 500miles and turnaround and come back is way too easy, and I finish at around the 18 hours, unless I'm picking up points in a rally. :yahoo:

 

[airboss]

Just because

#1. Just to see if I could.

#2. Illinois instate, can you really ride 1000 mile in flatlandia and not fall asleep?

#3. How about a smaller bike? VFR 800.

#4. For a hamburger, actualy bacon double cheeseburger. Moonshine SS1K.

 

[Linc]

That being said, I think this is likely my last IBA ride. (I did a SS and BB on my '98 Honda Shadow 1100.) My riding style continues to evolve and I'd rather stop and see things along the way and when I get there, and find some interesting roads instead of just munching up miles of Interstate for its own sake. But these rides have shown me I can ride much farther than I thought in a given day. So my "universe" has expanded; I now know I can easily put in a 700-mile day to get closer to a destination, then spend more time exploring once I'm there.

But that's just me. I could be wrong...

Wowzers, my last bike was a '98 Shadow Aero 1100, highway pegs, Mustang seat, windshield, etc. I CANNOT imagine doing EVER completing a SS1K on that bike, my highest respect to you sir!

Gonna take a 10-day 4,000 mile trip (Montana, Idaho, Wash, Oregon, California, back to Bozeman) on my FJR this fall with my buddy and his FZ6. Hope we are up to it, he's not going to be outfitted as well for LD riding & it's frustrating to not be riding with equal partners. Oh well, I might end up with a SS1K somewhere in there.

 

[FJRBandit]

Looking at the current status of the poll it appears that "To challenge myself and my endurance" is in the lead. I selected both that choice and the second place option of "preparing and and accomplishing", which is my second choice as well.

I was just having this discussion with a guy yesterday who rides a Harley 880 Sportster. My explanation to him was that there are different kinds of rides. Long distance riding is just a different type of ride. It is differentiated from touring in that when you are on a LD ride it's more like being on a mission than it is touring. In addition, LD riding is really more of a mental challenge than it is a physical challenge, although it is a combination of both. I primarily use LD riding to maximize the time I have available for touring.

My entire perspective of touring was changed when I completed a SS1000 three years ago. Now when I look at the map there generally is no area in the Continental US that is not doable in the max time frame I have for a vacation, which usually is 9-10 days comprised of a week off sandwiched between two weekends.

When planning a "touring" ride, it often includes at least one day of LD travel in order to get to the general area that I want to "tour" as quickly as possible. Once I get to that general area my pace slows down from a LD pace of 600-700 mile days to a touring pace of 350-400 mile days. Those touring days are still 10-12 hours, but I stop and smell the roses a little on those days. After two, three, four days, whatever of touring, I get back into LD mode, hit the "Go Home" button on the GPS and have the confidence in knowing I can knock out the necessary miles from pretty much anywhere to get back home in the shortest amount of time. Put this way, I select my destination for my touring riding and then "fly" into the destination via FJR, tour a vast area for a few days, then "fly" back home via FJR LD riding. Then its back to the office to veg out for three days trying to recover! :dribble:

 

[Geezer]

I completed my first and only IBA ride so I could find out if I could do it. Honestly, the 1000 miles in less than 24 hours is pretty easy on a FJR. Since then I have ridden many 1000+ mile days, but I don't like to plan and I don't like to collect receipts and such, so I am not really IBA material. Planning your ride and riding your plan, and collecting evidence to prove you did it are a big part of the IBA challenge. Riding the distance is the easier part.

 

[TripperMike]

I had checked "to see as many places in the shortest amount of time" and to challenge myself and endurance.

For starters, I had gone one a few trips on my bike in my youth back in the late 70's early 80's. Back then a big trip was about 500 mile days. I had heard of a much older "guy" who rode his bike from MN to CA after he graduated from high school. Thought that was just the coolest thing. Yrs later when I had gotten my first bike I still thought back to that looong trip that guy took and thought someday.....someday. But always thought that would require weeks off of work.

About a month after I bought my FJR, I read an article in the local paper about the IBR and the "crazy" distances these people ride in the rally. Lemme tell you, that opened up a whole new perspective about lengths of trips on a bike.

I am in the same boat as FJRBandit when it comes to vacation days. So my trips and the places I see have to fit into a narrow window of a week "sandwiched between two weekends". To see how far I can travel in that time has allowed me to visit places I never would have considered going to otherwise. Another thing, the thought of trying to see those places in that same time frame in a car I think would bore me to tears. Slab, twisties, Interstate, two lane roads....I don't really care. I just want to go places I haven't been to before.

My apologies for being long winded. I'd continue, but my two fingers are beginning to cramp up.

Mike

An added bonus to all this, it's also allowed me to meet some pretty cool folks to boot. How many people can say they worked on a bike with a sheep (Dolly) looking over their shoulder?

 

[dcarver]

Only reason?

It's the antithesis of the Candy Butt Association!

Gotta piss them CBA dudes off once in awhile.. sure it cost a fine, but it's worth it! :huh: :lol:

 

[Bounce]

You left out:

As the typical LDR type, endurance riding is one of the few things that keeps my ADD in check (as a series of discrete smaller tasks) long enough for me to complete a project before getting distracted by something else...

Ooo, SQUIRRELS!

Most of my off-the-clock rides are longer than "average" too because I'd rather spend the day riding than hanging out at a hotel or gawping at some tourist trap. That usually means kickstand up early in the morning and riding until 10 pm or later.

 

[kevinw]

I ask myself the same question whenever I am in the middle of an IBA ride in the UK because to be perfectly frank they can be very monotonous - miles of boring motorway full of endless traffic jams and roadworks and I hate motorways at the best of times. It's not the certificates or patches which get stuffed in a drawer. The only answer I can come with is 'To see if we can'. At least I am controlling the bike which relives the boredom a little, I have no idea how my Wife copes on the back.

I did enjoy our recent Welsh SS1000 as that was more challenging and we like doing IBA rides on the continent as they take us to places we might otherwise not have visited; there are still those "Hmm, that looks interesting over there, shame I'm on the clock" moments though.

There's no denying that doing them definitely equips me for long distance when I need to do it for other reasons. I managed to stack our GS at low speed after a RTE to Romania in 2010. Unfortunately I landed on my wife which is what probably broke her rib . Once she was in a taxi on her way to the airport I jumped on the bike and rode the 1300 miles home. I don't think I'd have been able to do that without the IBA experience under my belt.

Like pmspaul, we definitely prefer the rallies and I think we've probably done all the IBA rides we want to do in the UK.

Kevin

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

I've found that I am more interested in LD rallying than just certificate riding.

But the rallying combines distance riding with an adventure. The rallymasters have a way of sending you to places I'd never otherwise go, or often even know about. My wife rode a 36hour rally with me in 2010 where we covered 1500 miles and visited 24 unique bonus locations. Our memories of that trip are as vivid and fond as our "sightseeing" trip last year to MT, ID, WY, CO & SD.

Interesting. I've never done a "rally" before so I can't comment on that. However how you describe these rallies does sound more appealing to what my understanding of your typical IBA ride would be.

When planning a "touring" ride, it often includes at least one day of LD travel in order to get to the general area that I want to "tour" as quickly as possible. Once I get to that general area my pace slows down from a LD pace of 600-700 mile days to a touring pace of 350-400 mile days. Those touring days are still 10-12 hours, but I stop and smell the roses a little on those days. After two, three, four days, whatever of touring, I get back into LD mode, hit the "Go Home" button on the GPS and have the confidence in knowing I can knock out the necessary miles from pretty much anywhere to get back home in the shortest amount of time.

Ok now this is very similar if not exact to my riding mindset. However what your describing is not a Iron Butt ride...but just a good long distance trip. I can totally dig this type of riding!

I ask myself the same question whenever I am in the middle of an IBA ride in the UK because to be perfectly frank they can be very monotonous - miles of boring motorway...

This is 100% reason why, for me at least, I have no interest whatsoever in IBA rides. Its doesn't sound enjoyable in any way, shape or form to me.

 

[FJRBandit]

When planning a "touring" ride, it often includes at least one day of LD travel in order to get to the general area that I want to "tour" as quickly as possible. Once I get to that general area my pace slows down from a LD pace of 600-700 mile days to a touring pace of 350-400 mile days. Those touring days are still 10-12 hours, but I stop and smell the roses a little on those days. After two, three, four days, whatever of touring, I get back into LD mode, hit the "Go Home" button on the GPS and have the confidence in knowing I can knock out the necessary miles from pretty much anywhere to get back home in the shortest amount of time.

Ok now this is very similar if not exact to my riding mindset. However what your describing is not a Iron Butt ride...but just a good long distance trip. I can totally dig this type of riding!

Agreed, but the point being that completing the IBA ride is what set the stage and gave me the confidence that I could do these LD rides. Whether it's 700 miles or 1,000 miles in a day it is the same mindset. It takes very focused discipline and a distinct effort to stay on plan. I love it! To me, it's as fun as the days of stopping and smelling the roses, but just a different type of ride. To make it even more fun I try to stay on secondary roads or State Highways or US highways instead of interstates where there is much less traffic and you still get the flavor of small town America.