trying to shut down my ride!

[Oldswimr]

Last minute, my wife says, "I wish you wouldn't do THAT ride Sunday.."  I've been planning this Saddle Sore 1000 for several months now. The forecast is great, co-riders are experienced/safe. I have a GREAT 2000 Valk I/S. Been doing all the prep work

She says it just doesn't sound safe..      I feel less safe going to Food Lion for bread and milk sometimes.

I'm going... screw it.. Don't get this chance every day..

Ride report next week!

[Ghost]

You only live once, and if it is safe then i would go also. Have a wonderful and safe trip. And lots of pictures.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Wanting to do one and my wifes against it also. Have a safe run. Only a matter of time before I do mine too. 

[kruzn]

I did the Bun Burner 1500 this past spring with 5 other guys (4 Harleys and a 'Wing plus my Valk). We had a blast even though the first day was cold and rainy. All good riders...at times it felt like we were one unit rolling down the road. We did 920 miles the first day, short 4 hour sleep, then finished up the next day which was a piece of cake as the sun came out and it was a beautiful ride. We went all the way around Lake Michigan...Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, back to IL. Covered 1550 miles in 35 hours. We all had very understanding and supportive wives  ...although I think there was a lot of praying while we were gone...

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

I'm hoping to plan the 1000 and the 1500 in the same trip to get them both at once. 

[Oldswimr]

OK, first off, I had to bail at mile 675. Things I learned:
NEVER jump into a ride without knowing everyone on the ride, and HOW they ride. My FIRST mistake. Second mistake, my ride gear wasn't up to the temperatures late night/early morning. COLD=FATIGUE.
Worse part, I have never been so tired in my life. Even though I bailed at 675, I still had a 245 mile ride home. I felt that with a meal and some rest I could get home safely. And I didn't want to pay for a hotel room. As it was, I got to my garage door at 9:45 p.m., had started at 1:00 a.m. that morning. Had 920 on the odometer, but doubt I could have safely ridden another mile. Next time I'll get picky about the group, and have more of a say in planning the stops.
Good things, the Valk performed flawlessly. Saw a sunrise, sunset and a moon rise from the back of my bike.
Wants: Get my Sirius radio hooked up. GPS. Bluetooth for my cellphone, and a fullface helmet.
Next year, I'm looking at a run to Florida from here in N.E. N. Carolina.

[Cattman]

I did a 1200+ mile ride in April from Galveston to Indianapolis.  Left at 11pm and arrived home at 6pm. Always get off the bike and at least get a drink of water at each gas stop. Those 5 hour energy drinks do work but can tear your gut up when combined with Mt. Dew and a Snickers. Limit yourself to only 2 of the energy drinks or prepare to be wired for a few days.  When you feel sleepy pull over at the next rest area or exit and splash cold water in your face and walk around to get ready to ride again. Only think of  the segment to the next gas stop, not the final destination. Watch out for critters both small and large at night, if you're seeing too many deer, tuck in behind a semi and at least you'll only have to ride thru a gut pile instead of hitting one. 2 hours of sleep can do wonders!

[Jabba]

I have a loop aroung lake michigan in my head.  I have not had the balls to do it yet though. 

Although I still plan to.

Jabba

[Black Pearl's Captain]

When it comes to SS rides, 1 rider is good, 2 is company only if you've put 1000's of miles in with the person before and know how they handle your bitchyness and 3 is 2 too many.

I'd never try a SS with more then 4 riding together. Everyone needs to pee and stop at different times and I can't see it ever working for me.

I also think it's poor planning to leave at a different time in the morning if you're not used to that time. I'm never more tired in the afternoons then when I get up an hour or two early. You start your day everyday at 5:30 then get up and leave by 5:40. Works for me. I done around 12 SS rides and never had a problem with much.

I've only done one 1,000 mile ride with some else and Scott in OK is a riding sonofgun so no problem there.

Raymond

[Charlie]

I did mine with four other people.  I agree that you have to know how each one rides and also you have to come to some agreement about the number of stops to make the trip.  It is all about planning. 

I do think it is best to ride in groups though.  You will have to ride at night, and the more lights on the road, the less likely you will meet up with road rats.  On out run, we ran into rain and fog after it got dark.  It was a nerve racking experience to say the least, but we perservered and completed the ride.

Also, try to ride with bikes that get about the same amount of miles per tank of gas.  Our group had two bikes that could only get about 100/tank, and the others got around 150-170/tank.  It caused us to make more stops than we would have had to make if we all could do the 150-170/tank.

[mikeb]

i think its easier to run in a small groups with tanks that top off at the same time is a must and running a bit harder keeps ya from the droupies hitting .mx radio a must.i use a little 150 mw head phone amp so i have volume control with out dealing with the menu  . gps a plus  with bluetooth is way cool too . tried to make a long run with a buddie that thought his bike looked cool as a choper but the 90 mile tank sucked.. i hated  stoping every time we blinked..i have a few close friends i will not even ask to ride with us .the type that hangs back 3/4 mile and ya have to wait for at every turn and like to vanish with out warning and will not drive over 65 mph. the last group we went with was great we knew when we were stoping and for what each time

[fudgie]

I did a 1200+ mile ride in April from Galveston to Indianapolis.  Left at 11pm and arrived home at 6pm. Always get off the bike and at least get a drink of water at each gas stop. Those 5 hour energy drinks do work but can tear your gut up when combined with Mt. Dew and a Snickers. Limit yourself to only 2 of the energy drinks or prepare to be wired for a few days.  When you feel sleepy pull over at the next rest area or exit and splash cold water in your face and walk around to get ready to ride again. Only think of  the segment to the next gas stop, not the final destination. Watch out for critters both small and large at night, if you're seeing too many deer, tuck in behind a semi and at least you'll only have to ride thru a gut pile instead of hitting one. 2 hours of sleep can do wonders!

Just watch the energy drinks. Some will make you crash, systemicly. They never have worked for me, they just make me a little sleepy. Now the ones with alcohol in them are a different story!  Once i'm up past the 20 hr mark I'm usually awake anyway. Its the being up for over 35+ hrs that kill me. 

[Oldswimr]

When it comes to SS rides, 1 rider is good, 2 is company only if you've put 1000's of miles in with the person before and know how they handle your bitchyness and 3 is 2 too many.

I'd never try a SS with more then 4 riding together. Everyone needs to pee and stop at different times and I can't see it ever working for me.

I also think it's poor planning to leave at a different time in the morning if you're not used to that time. I'm never more tired in the afternoons then when I get up an hour or two early. You start your day everyday at 5:30 then get up and leave by 5:40. Works for me. I done around 12 SS rides and never had a problem with much.

I've only done one 1,000 mile ride with some else and Scott in OK is a riding sonofgun so no problem there.

Raymond

Completely agree with group size, we had 9, way too many. For the ride we did, their speed was excessive in heavier traffic, and they took too many chances trying to dominate the left lane, my main reason for bailing when I did. Also the ride leader didn't pre-brief the stops, so each stop was a mystery until we pulled off. I won't start again at 0100, that's for sure. It just doesn't work with my internal clock. I had two Red Bulls towards the end,but honestly, I felt that Gatorade and a good snack had a better effect when I was really fatigued. The best way I have to describe the last two hours was like driving drunk without the alcohol. Also when I was fatigued I lost my appetite, and I wasn't drinking enough fluids, because I was trying to stretch out the miles between pee breaks. I think I have a small bladder anyway, so I was good for the 100 mile legs usually, but not much beyond that.
And I'll definitely upgrade my layering systems for cool weather. Anyone been down through Florida, like down 95 to Key West? Would that be do-able, or is it too busy through the populated areas? It's 1094 miles from here to Key West..

[Black Pearl's Captain]

When it comes to SS rides, 1 rider is good, 2 is company only if you've put 1000's of miles in with the person before and know how they handle your bitchyness and 3 is 2 too many.

I'd never try a SS with more then 4 riding together. Everyone needs to pee and stop at different times and I can't see it ever working for me.

I also think it's poor planning to leave at a different time in the morning if you're not used to that time. I'm never more tired in the afternoons then when I get up an hour or two early. You start your day everyday at 5:30 then get up and leave by 5:40. Works for me. I done around 12 SS rides and never had a problem with much.

I've only done one 1,000 mile ride with some else and Scott in OK is a riding sonofgun so no problem there.

Raymond

Completely agree with group size, we had 9, way too many. For the ride we did, their speed was excessive in heavier traffic, and they took too many chances trying to dominate the left lane, my main reason for bailing when I did. Also the ride leader didn't pre-brief the stops, so each stop was a mystery until we pulled off. I won't start again at 0100, that's for sure. It just doesn't work with my internal clock. I had two Red Bulls towards the end,but honestly, I felt that Gatorade and a good snack had a better effect when I was really fatigued. The best way I have to describe the last two hours was like driving drunk without the alcohol. Also when I was fatigued I lost my appetite, and I wasn't drinking enough fluids, because I was trying to stretch out the miles between pee breaks. I think I have a small bladder anyway, so I was good for the 100 mile legs usually, but not much beyond that.
And I'll definitely upgrade my layering systems for cool weather. Anyone been down through Florida, like down 95 to Key West? Would that be do-able, or is it too busy through the populated areas? It's 1094 miles from here to Key West..

How lucky are you? It would take some good luck with the cities. I did a long winter ride in 2007 and one day I rode from Kissimme to Key West and back to Lake City, 935 miles. I was as lucky as one could with traffic and never even slowed down in the big towns (Miami). It was a 19 hour day and very intense riding in heavy traffic. I doubt I could do it again without LOTS of good luck. Your talking about even further of a ride so how lucky do you feel? There is no way to plan for Miami traffic and the entire road in Keys (128 miles) is speed limit 45 and will take you 3 hours alone.

Oh, no doubt there is construction somewhere along the route.

There is only one way I ever find something out for sure. That is to try it and see what happens.

I wish you luck whatever you choose. FYI, that would be a very hard choice for an Iron Butt ride.

Raymond

[Big IV]

Miami is ofcourse the biggest problem. It is a straight shot.

You might want to play with a camel back to carry fluids. Being dehydrated sucks and is dangerous as you've already noted. I find that when I start to think about needing to pee if I sip on a little water for some reason the urge passes temporarily. I can actually stretch the pee breaks better with a camel back giving me water. Of course, when I do stop to pee I plan to spend some time standing in one spot looking at a wall.

[Oldswimr]

When it comes to SS rides, 1 rider is good, 2 is company only if you've put 1000's of miles in with the person before and know how they handle your bitchyness and 3 is 2 too many.

I'd never try a SS with more then 4 riding together. Everyone needs to pee and stop at different times and I can't see it ever working for me.

I also think it's poor planning to leave at a different time in the morning if you're not used to that time. I'm never more tired in the afternoons then when I get up an hour or two early. You start your day everyday at 5:30 then get up and leave by 5:40. Works for me. I done around 12 SS rides and never had a problem with much.

I've only done one 1,000 mile ride with some else and Scott in OK is a riding sonofgun so no problem there.

Raymond

Completely agree with group size, we had 9, way too many. For the ride we did, their speed was excessive in heavier traffic, and they took too many chances trying to dominate the left lane, my main reason for bailing when I did. Also the ride leader didn't pre-brief the stops, so each stop was a mystery until we pulled off. I won't start again at 0100, that's for sure. It just doesn't work with my internal clock. I had two Red Bulls towards the end,but honestly, I felt that Gatorade and a good snack had a better effect when I was really fatigued. The best way I have to describe the last two hours was like driving drunk without the alcohol. Also when I was fatigued I lost my appetite, and I wasn't drinking enough fluids, because I was trying to stretch out the miles between pee breaks. I think I have a small bladder anyway, so I was good for the 100 mile legs usually, but not much beyond that.
And I'll definitely upgrade my layering systems for cool weather. Anyone been down through Florida, like down 95 to Key West? Would that be do-able, or is it too busy through the populated areas? It's 1094 miles from here to Key West..

How lucky are you? It would take some good luck with the cities. I did a long winter ride in 2007 and one day I rode from Kissimme to Key West and back to Lake City, 935 miles. I was as lucky as one could with traffic and never even slowed down in the big towns (Miami). It was a 19 hour day and very intense riding in heavy traffic. I doubt I could do it again without LOTS of good luck. Your talking about even further of a ride so how lucky do you feel? There is no way to plan for Miami traffic and the entire road in Keys (128 miles) is speed limit 45 and will take you 3 hours alone.

Oh, no doubt there is construction somewhere along the route.

There is only one way I ever find something out for sure. That is to try it and see what happens.

I wish you luck whatever you choose. FYI, that would be a very hard choice for an Iron Butt ride.

Raymond

Awesome advice, that's why I ask you guys. For the ride last week, we went out to 95 to Rocky Mount, then south to 26 in SC, over to 85, then north, I jumped off in Lexington NC, they continued up to Richmond then down 64 to 17, into Elizabeth City. 1025 miles I think.
Anyway, going through Charlotte, other areas was very dicey at the speeds they were travelling, and the way they were managing the line of bikes in the left lane. Just not my cup of tea.
I used to run up and down the Keys when I lived in FL., so I'm familiar with the traffic issues. My thought was that if I travelled with one other person, and made good time before hitting the major metropolitan areas and the Keys, the slower speeds may not be too detrimental.

The camelbak is a good idea, oddly enough, I just had one given to me as a gift, and was wondering what I would use it for..

Ideally I'd love to do this out west, but not much chance of that with my current lifestyle. (wife, kids, mortgage, etc.)
I'll find a good route for next year, start cultivating some potential riding partners.
YOu guys are great, thanks for the feedback, priceless.

Rick

[Rocketman]

From the comments you've made, it sounds like you haven't done much in the way of long runs before.  It's imperative that you do some "warmup" runs to determine if you're really ready.  Slowly work up your goals.  More and more miles for a day ride, then topping it off with a full 1000.

[Oldswimr]

From the comments you've made, it sounds like you haven't done much in the way of long runs before.  It's imperative that you do some "warmup" runs to determine if you're really ready.  Slowly work up your goals.  More and more miles for a day ride, then topping it off with a full 1000.

Completely agree.

[suthrncop]

Did one year before last, not much planning but it went great anyway...just me and one other bike.  Made it from Mobile, AL to Des Moines, Iowa in 19 hours....1,1XX miles..had a blast.  took a little longer route home, 5 days...Plan on doing another one next spring if all works out well..didn't send the paperwork in to get the certificate so that is my excuse for having to do another one

[Hoser]

Me and Klopp rode straight thru Rapid City SD to Toepicker Ks. last summer.  Left at 6am, pulled in at 9pm. 15 hrs, 850 miles, had a steak and couple of beers,  watched Leno, hit the sack at midnight, we don't need no stinkin paperwork mon!     hoser

[Willow]

Me and Klopp rode straight thru Rapid City SD to Toepicker Ks. last summer.  Left at 6am, pulled in at 9pm. 15 hrs, 850 miles, ... , we don't need no stinkin paperwork mon!     hoser

And it would do you no good to file the paperwork.     An Iron Butt ride is at least 1000 miles.  850 miles is just a good day's ride on a Valkyrie.    

Real Iron Butt riders have done twice a good day's ride.   

[Hoser]

That's zactlly how I feel, it's no big deal, even if it's 150 more miles, still would have been home by midnight.  Hoser   If one wanted one could run I70 to Denver and back and do the 1000, and never slow down below 70 mph.  probly take way less than 24 hrs. Would hate that ride though!  Lotsa open ground out this way.