Iron Butt attempt and FAIL

troystr68

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SO I was on vacation last week and I was hoping to do the Lake Michigan circle tour and achieve the Iron Butt status,
I got up Monday AM packed up and was on the road by 5:30 AM
I set my GPS for the only known point I had Mackinaw island, I figured that was a great place to stop and see
so off I went, My GOS pulled me around the west side of the lake then the entire UP and across the mackinaw Bridge (very cool bridge)
the temps were 94 F and I was in full armor about 1/3 of the way up I had to remove my jacket it was un bearably hot
I made it 530 miles in the first 12 hours and decided to stay the night in Mackinaw
Got an over priced hotel room and then got up @ 4:30 AM and got back on the road for the remaining 470 miles.
All in all I made 1017 miles in 19 hours of which My GPS told me I was moving for 17.22 hours
I think the high temps played a factor for me and in fact I almost had a drop due to the kick stand sinking into the black top at the hotel
( I now have a foot for my stand)
so I must give a shout out to all you hard BUTT riders that is NOT an easy award to achieve!!!
 

dduelin

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Hey don't stop now, you are one step closer to achieving the goal than you were last Sunday night. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt. Congratulations on trying!

I will say that every SS1000 I've done was in one long day with no overnight rest. 17 to 20 hours odd minutes from like 3 AM to 11PM.
 

paulcb

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All in all I made 1017 miles in 19 hours of which My GPS told me I was moving for 17.22 hours
Well done! Would like to do one of those someday.

What's the "Fail part"... sounds like a pass to me?
 
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Well done! Would like to do one of those someday.

What's the "Fail part"... sounds like a pass to me?
That was my first thought too. I think he means the 19 and/or 17.22 were actual time to do the miles, however not within a 24 hour window.

Good try try again.
 
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troystr68

troystr68

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yeah I recorded they actual riding time as 19 hours out and 17.22 actually moving with my only real down time the over night from all the heat
I gave it a good go and now have a total of 4 states under my belt I need to update my map :)
 

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What's the "Fail part"... sounds like a pass to me?
He had to complete the 1000 miles by 5:30 AM the following day. He did not get up till 4:30 AM. He traveled the miles in less than 24 hours per the GPS, but not from start time to end time. That is the hard part.

Agree with dduelin. Early start and do not stop till the end. If you can.

Done 2. First in 16 hours, second in 15.
 

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You were moving for 17.22 hours - that's a pass to me, my bikes been sitting for a week.
 
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troystr68

troystr68

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He had to complete the 1000 miles by 5:30 AM the following day. He did not get up till 4:30 AM. He traveled the miles in less than 24 hours per the GPS, but not from start time to end time. That is the hard part.

Agree with dduelin. Early start and do not stop till the end. If you can.

Done 2. First in 16 hours, second in 15.

correct I did not complete it in 24 consecutive hours THIS TIME I will try again when its not so brutally hot
I did it in 17.22 hours but not how I originally planned. I still enjoyed the trip
the winds blowing off the lake were my only relief from the heat the ST1300 performed PERFECTLY
my longest day to date is 650 miles and I was on the road for 14 hours of which I was moving 10 plus hours
 

dduelin

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When it's hot you can stuff a bag of ice down the front of your jacket or suit. Believe me it works great
 
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Sounds like a great ride. I would like to do that ride some day.

Just think of it as a practice run.
 
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troystr68

troystr68

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When it's hot you can stuff a bag of ice down the front of your jacket or suit. Believe me it works great 
seriously? LOL never heard of this
and let me tell you it was HOT!!!!!!!

thank god for my MCL blades

High way pegs cooling crotches for over 75 years LOLOLOL
 

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Personally, I believe when it's hot you should drink your water not wear it - however, I do pour some on me from time to time but it's only a comfort thing and drinking it is a healthy thing...
 

dduelin

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seriously? LOL never heard of this
and let me tell you it was HOT!!!!!!!

thank god for my MCL blades

High way pegs cooling crotches for over 75 years LOLOLOL
This exact week last summer across the span of 42 hours 30 minutes I rode from coast to coast some 2366 miles. About 1900 miles were in temps over 90 degrees F and a good deal of that was 100+. Believe me I'm not the first to stuff a bag of ice in my Aerostich, I learned it from Shuey and other long distance riders. One bag lasted at least three hours to the next gas stop and during that time the melt water keeps your clothes soaked and really stokes up the evaporative cooling inside the clothing. I didn't specify but the clothing should be solid textile or leather where you can control the venting of intake and exhaust air through the jacket or suit. Mesh gear in really hot weather may dehydrate us faster then when wearing solid textile gear. Of course we have to drink water at a rate to keep up with sweating........but you won't be sweating that much :).
 
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The ol' bag of ice on the crotch trick is an old Iron Butt trick, developed by guys on the Iron Butt Rally who managed to get themselves stuck in the middle of death valley in the middle of the day. They would unzip their Aerostich suit and plop a small bag right in the middle. I've never had to do this but, I've never been stuck in death valley either!

It was a good attempt on your part, you may have shown the most important quality of a good long distance rider... You knew you limits and decided to stop. Thats a tough pill to swallow but, ignoring the warning signs that your not in the best shape to ride anymore, is when people get hurt.

I failed miserably on my first Iron Butt attempt, I did the miles but got careless on my paperwork. When I went to turn it in I realized that my ending receipt was no good. That sucked! I learned a lot on that ride though, as I'm sure you did as well. Every time you do a ride, you learn something new or figure out a better way to do something. Now you know what the miles feel like, next time you just need a shorter nap!
 
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Way to go Troyster. You gave a good shot and knew when to quit. Smart. Give it another go.

One of my SSs was the Lake Huron circle route. With 2 border crossings and a bunch of 2 lane roads and small towns it was my slowest but most scenic.

The fastest one I ever did was the Moonshine SS from Detroit to somewhere beyond St Louis (Lebanon maybe?) and back to Moonshine. I-75 and I-70 all the way. Good thing it was quick cuz it sure was boring. ;-)
 

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If you made it home safe and enjoyed the ride, its not fail.
I attempted the Saddlesore 1000 (the official name for it) with my sweetheart around a year ago for the first time. We made good time for the first 500 miles. We started in florida and decided to go up 500 miles then back down 500. We got to our turn around point N. Carolina at around 11:00pm and the Mrs. told me she can't go any further. She was falling asleep and had a bad headache (dehydration) so we stopped for a few hours of sleep and headed back down the next day. We completed it in 30 hours.
I first thought the same as you, FAIL. But, You only fail if you give up.
We have now completed a 3,000 mile trip where we averaged around 550 miles a day, easily. We will be doing the Saddlesore 1000 soon, and completing it (fingers crossed)
 
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