How's this for my SS1000 ride?

[gstanfield]

I was playin around with Microsoft maps tonight and come up with this. It is 1008 miles round trip and is about 1006.5miles of it interstate. It should be easily accomplished in about 13-14hours and I konw all the roads pretty good, have traveled them, there are gas stops located just right, if not a little early, but I'll only have to do one each way and the stop at the middle, along with beginning and end. It will be my first step into the world of iron butt, and so I thought I'd go with an easy route to get my feet wet on. I am uncertain about the middle stop where I turn around and go back, do I need a witness there as well, or just my start finish and a reciept from the middle stop?

Thanks for any suggestions/criticism on this. I'm hoping to do it in a couple of weeks, still have to get a couple things together, but I'm positive I will do it before winter hits too hard around here.


http://bigbikeriders.com/photopost/data/4019/3680Casper-Butte-Casper_Map.JPG

Thanks,
George

[krishl]

George,

Looks like a good ride, but I'd recommend getting the mileage up a little higher. <10 miles out of 1000 is <1% margin of error. It'd be a bummer to have the IBA checkers do their calculations a little different from you and end up with 993 miles or something like that. For example, if you take 387 to Wright (receipt) and then 59 to Gillette on your outbound leg, then do the return as planned, then you have a 1094.8 mile ride, well above 1000 and certain to be approved.

You don't need a witness at the turnaround, but you definitely need a gas receipt at any "corner" for which a route-shortening cutoff is possible. I don't think you'd need a receipt at Gillette (if you did the suggested change), but I would probably get one anyhow, just to be safe.

My $0.02,
Chrish

[crazykz]

Can you drop a screen shot of your route up here? The 1000 mile thing is a good suggestion. Make sure you're a little over and remember the ODO on the ST is about 2% off on the high side.

Curt

[gstanfield]

I had other routes planned that were longer, but on this one I looked up thre address of a gas station in Butte, went address to address form my house to there, and I input the addresses in 3 diffrent map software programs, all of which were listed on the ironbutt website as ones they use. I may add a few miles to it just to be safe, but so far all the programs have come out to within .2 miles of the same reading.

Curt, were you wanting a screenshot of the route Chris suggested through Wright? I can post one of it if you want, I ride those roads pretty often, just wasn't sure how much over the milage that most people go. I may see about adding a couple of miles, I'll have to think it over some.

I appreciate the suggestions so far, I'd also welcome any suggestions for things to take, or preperations I may not have thought about. I think I am prepared, went through the IB's list of 25 suggestions plus a few added from personal road experience. I'm not a "weekend" rider, as even though I've missed out on 2 months of this summer due to my burn acident I still have put over 6,000 miles on since feb between my VTX and the ST.

Thanks,
George

[gstanfield]

Thanks for the input Paul, my fuel stops are planned at about 200-250 miles apart, no need to run out as you said. I also agree with you about going inside to pay, I do that most of the time when I'm riding, stretch legs, grab a granola bar, etc. I had input on the computer to give me 15 minutes every two hours, and it came out at 14hrs and a couple minutes. I would not try to push myself to do it in this time, just using it as a refrence saying that I will have plenty of time extra in case anything goes wrong. Also I aboid the credit card problem by taking wallet sized pictures of dead presidents, they are pretty much accepted everywhere :D

BTW< just did a check and I have to add 15 miles to it anyway, the place I was going to stop in Butte is not an exit, the computer screwed up so I have to go on farther a little bit tothe next exit toget my gas and turn around. This will bring the total to 1024miles now. I think that should be plenty enough cushion, whatcha think?

George

[krishl]

I think 1024 miles is good. I recommend a camelbak (or something like it) for water so you can drink while you ride. But I still like to buy a sport drink every other gas stop or so. I carry an easily accessible bag of jerky and pop a couple of pieces in my mouth whenever there's no nearby traffic and at each stop.

Chrish

[gstanfield]

Good idea Charlie, I was doing somethin kinda like that. I had went back in and set my MPH at 60 and it came out to 18hours or thereabouts. I'll try to mess with it some more and go that way. It's great all the good tips and such I get from the nice members here.

Chrish, Didn't really think about the camel back, I have some nalgien water bottles that hold a qt, I usually fill them up and freeze them before a ride and drink it as the water melts, the camel back would be good as I wouldn't have to stop or slow dow to drink with it. I'll check them out, also thinking of getting a tank bag to keep some goodies in to munch on the trip.

Thanks a lot,
George

[Mark]

In riding the ST1300 home from Ohio I found something that I will not ride an SSK without... eye lubricant drops. Not the 'get the red out type', the lubricant type.
Use them every time you stop for gas would be my recommendation.

My tear ducts stopped tearing somewhere in Arkansas; totally dry eyes are not comfortable when you need to get somewhere.

Good luck!
Mark

[crazykz]

Eye drops is a good one. A water system is a good idea although I don't like having ice cold water strapped to my back so I used the hose and bite valve from my camelback and adapted a Walmart 96 ounce water jug in an insulated holder to hold me water/gatorade/powerade. I've tried just water on really hot trips and it doesn't cut it. You need electrolites and potassium so pick what ever trips your trigger. Carry water and maybe a bottle of Powerade, etc. Powerade has minerals in it and is better than Gatorade although Gatorade I think just came out with something new that has the same things. Probably doesn't matter. a 16 ounce bottle at some point in the day would be a good idea.

Link to what my LD setup looks like (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/images/bonzai1.jpg)

There's tons of tips for LD riding and I could go on for days.

Here's the links to my trips:
Bun Burner Gold (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/index.php?page=bbg_ss1k)

Great Lakes Gold (http://www.hard-core-ware.com/trips/index.php?page=glg)

There's some stuff in there. Probably more in the first than the second.

Curt

[krishl]

I like the Camelbak Rogue (http://tinyurl.com/aos57) which you can get for less than list at a lot of places. Shop around.

As to printing out a 24-hr route, I usuallly make a short list of key points (crossing state lines and the like) with the time I should be making them. I am also addicted to GPS. I can just watch the average speed. Need 62.5 for a 24 hr BBG pace, or a 16 hr SS1K, and ~42 for a 24 hr SS1K pace.

For tank bag, the Eclipse I use on the ST1100 didn't work well on the '13, but the Wolfman Explorer (http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/03Tank/Explorer.html) I have for my V-strom is excellent on the '13.

http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~cdhall/img/Arches.jpg

Chrish