Iron Butt Rally

[SmithSwede]

Anyone else following the Iron Butt Rally?  They just left Allen, Texas. 

As a fellow two-fiddy aficionado, my hat is off to Kurt Worden, who is currently holding the #10 spot, riding a 2003 Ninja 250.   

I don't know a lot about this rally.  Have people finished, or won, riding some kind of Moto Guzzi?

[n3303j]

Is it 2 years already?

[Texas Turnip]

A Englishman rode a LeMans arriving in foat Wurth, Tex on one cyclinder. The next time he wiped out by hitting a dear. I was in Huntsville, AL when the IronButt finished there. Talk about gadgets and gizmos. I think one had a red phone in case he got a call from Putin.

[PJPR01]

Good to watch...there are a couple of videos on this as well which document the preparations, and quite a few good books about Iron Butt...good reads as well!

Prescott - Tom here in town wants to do a IB certification...are you actually thinking about getting your IB license plate too?

[Roebling3]

In 1993 Steve Atwood, from England, rode an '83 LeMans III to 1st place. He clocked 12,458 in 11 days. There was a write up on his adventure until several years ago. I have not looked recently. As mentioned previously, it was not and never is a walk in the park. He did come in on one cylinder after riding that way for a few hundred miles.
Guzzi's have run over the years, since 1984. I recall a few Norges competing. 2 Guzzi's have finished, including Steve Atwood's 1st place.  R3~ 

[ITSec]

Anyone else following the Iron Butt Rally?  They just left Allen, Texas. 

As a fellow two-fiddy aficionado, my hat is off to Kurt Worden, who is currently holding the #10 spot, riding a 2003 Ninja 250.   

I don't know a lot about this rally.  Have people finished, or won, riding some kind of Moto Guzzi?

There have been a number of small displacement bikes that have done well in the big dance. It's definitely a difficult thing to do, particularly with the combination of reduced weather/wind protection, limited electricals, and a small rider space that quickly becomes less comfortable. The improved mileage of the small bikes does help; being successful in this event usually means having a range of 250 miles or better between fill-ups, and more is of course better.

Several Moto Guzzis have finished the event. I believe a Norge finished reasonably well about 6 years ago. If I were to try it, I'd likely use a newer Stelvio and avoid the need for an auxiliary fuel tank (most riders add one up to the limit of 11 US gallons).

[Roebling3]

Addenda, if you please? I think Mr. Atwood did something to the valve train so that he wasn't pushing useless compression, could leave the spark plug in, maintain oil and not soil his riding gear.  Be resourceful or don't finish!  R3~ 

[oldbike54]

 All of this discussion about the IB reminds me of a thread from 3 years ago , To pee, or not to pee

 There is no way I can sit on a motorbike for 250 miles . 

 Dusty

[Roebling3]

The details escape me; it's an aging process. A fellow named Kruemke, or similar did huge miles rounding Salt Lake City for  iirc 36 hrs. non stop. He carried all the fuel he expected to use on board his Gold Wing.
The phrase, @ the time, was don't follow Kruemke. He was known to catherize himself for the ordeal.  R3~ 

[drbone641]

All of this discussion about the IB reminds me of a thread from 3 years ago , To pee, or not to pee

 There is no way I can sit on a motorbike for 250 miles . 

 Dusty

Reminded me of flying an A-10, across the Pacific to Korea. We went out partying in Honolulu the night before and drank copious amounts of coffee before departing HNL. I carried 2 'piddle paks' that we peed in, and had filled one up before the first hit on the KC 135, for gas. 3 hours in, I had filled the second up, and about 2 hours later, topped both of them off, filled up a coke can and a milk container. The landing at Wake Island was the most painful of my life and I think I peed for at least 2 minutes on the ramp.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Sportster content for Kev..
1-moto pix 2017-6-6 049 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Third place in 07.

[fotoguzzi]

Dave Barr, more extreme than Iron butt!
In 1994 Barr set a world record for riding a Harley-Davidson 83,000 miles around the world,[3] including a 13,000 mile Atlantic to Pacific segment across Northern Europe and Siberia.[4] The bike that Barr used for the journey is currently on display at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.[5]

that bike was a clapped out 1972.

83,000 miles! AND THIS GUY HAS TWO ARTIFICIAL LEGS!

read the book, "Riding the Edge"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barr_(motorcyclist)

[Kev m]

Sportster content for Kev..
1-moto pix 2017-6-6 049 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Third place in 07.

My buddy Chris is running it again on his Sportster. He ran for the first time last time on it and it already had 200k miles at the time.

He lunched a bearing this spring and botched the rebuild so a month ago he bought a used motor (with less than 20k miles on it) and stuffed it in his right.

Anyway he was 30th a couple of days ago. Pulling for him to have a good rally!

[SmithSwede]

Kev:

Is your friend Chris Comly?  He was 22nd as of this morning.

[Kev m]

Kev:

Is your friend Chris Comly?  He was 22nd as of this morning.

Yup!!!

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/would-you-ride-the-iron-butt-rally-on-a-sportster

[SmithSwede]

Thanks Kev.   It's interesting that Chris actually prefers a smaller, lighter Sportster rather than his Heritage Softtail Special. 

[Kev m]

Thanks Kev.   It's interesting that Chris actually prefers a smaller, lighter Sportster rather than his Heritage Softtail Special.

Makes perfect sense.

As he's said, when he's exhausted and pulls in a gravel parking lot he is less apprehensive of a mistake that might lead to a drop, or the result of the drop.

We might fail to mention in the article that his Heritage is a decade or so older than his Sporty (though has a buttload less miles).

[radguzzi]

A Englishman rode a LeMans arriving in foat Wurth, Tex on one cyclinder.

In 1993 Steve Atwood, from England, rode an '83 LeMans III to 1st place. He clocked 12,458 in 11 days. There was a write up on his adventure until several years ago. I have not looked recently. As mentioned previously, it was not and never is a walk in the park. He did come in on one cylinder after riding that way for a few hundred miles.
Guzzi's have run over the years, since 1984. I recall a few Norges competing. 2 Guzzi's have finished, including Steve Atwood's 1st place.  R3~ 

That was a great story.  I'll see if I can dig it up from the MGNOC Newsletter.

_Rob

[Farmer Dan]

When I was stationed in Fort Devens, Mass my only transportation was a CB900Custom.  I loved that bike.  When we had 4 day weekends I would make the ride home to Shepherd, Mich.  Just a hair over 1,000 miles.  Ride home in one day, hang with my buddies for two days and take one day to ride back.    Never had a chance to do an official ride.

[Arizona Wayne]

When I was stationed in Fort Devens, Mass my only transportation was a CB900Custom.  I loved that bike.  When we had 4 day weekends I would make the ride home to Shepherd, Mich.  Just a hair over 1,000 miles.  Ride home in one day, hang with my buddies for two days and take one day to ride back.    Never had a chance to do an official ride.

I'm like you, Dan.  I've ridden long distances, but not to get some badge or certificate.  Just personal satisfaction. 

[Kev m]

I'm like you, Dan.  I've ridden long distances, but not to get some badge or certificate.  Just personal satisfaction. 

That's fine, I'm that way too.

But I have to acknowledge what it takes for someone to complete the IB rally. It's way more than just riding long distances. It's doing it with a purpose.

Granted, I think it's nuts, but it's tough and requires both endurance and strategy, and maybe a little bit o' luck.

[Arizona Wayne]

That's fine, I'm that way too.

But I have to acknowledge what it takes for someone to complete the IB rally. It's way more than just riding long distances. It's doing it with a purpose.

Granted, I think it's nuts, but it's tough and requires both endurance and strategy, and maybe a little bit o' luck.

I ride long distance with a purpose, endurance and strategy too, getting from point A to point B (rally) in X time.    But unlike an Ironbutt I don't push my limits.  If it's going to be 2,200 miles I did it in 550 mile days.  Longest bike riding day I've ever done is 800 miles because I was comfortable with that coming back from a rally.  That was on my MuZ 660 single.

Back in `99 Judy and I rode from Laguna Seca races to Elkader, Iowa Guzzi rally in 4 days on my VX800 then and back on the stock seat !!!  Coming back we took longer.  I later got a used Corbin seat. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Granted, I think it's nuts,

We agree, there. Of course, everyone is different, but *I* wouldn't have a prayer of doing it. Period. That first long day is fairly easy. The following day, not so much. I can't imagine what it would be like to do several iron butts in a row.  Like Az Wayne.. on a trip, around 500 a day is about all I want.

[Travlr]

Where are the daily standings being posted?  I'd like to follow my buddy Scott Madsen.
He game me his Spotwalla so I know he's still moving.

Mike

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=14a5b59354e17a3472&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes

[Two Checks]

Sportster content for Kev..
1-moto pix 2017-6-6 049 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr
Third place in 07.

I talked with the owner for a bit at the rally hq. IIRC he owned a HD dealer. Nice guy.
There was 1 Guzzi at tbe 07 IB...mine. I shuttlled bikes from rally hq to the BMW dealer for maintenance.

[SmithSwede]

As near as I can tell, there are no Guzzis in the rally this year.

Here are the various updates so far:

http://ibr.wvi.com

Here is a Spotwalla link for all the riders.  Pretty interesting how quickly they have fanned out all over the country after having just congregated in Allen, Tx.

https://spotwalla.com/locationViewer.php?id=429

[rocker59]

All of this discussion about the IB reminds me of a thread from 3 years ago , To pee, or not to pee

 There is no way I can sit on a motorbike for 250 miles . 

 Dusty

Cath up, brother.  It's what the big dogs do...

[oldbike54]

Cath up, brother.  It's what the big dogs do...

 It wouldn't matter , after three hours in the saddle non stop I would need a crane to lift me off the motorbike 

 Dusty

[Two Checks]

Cath up, brother.  It's what the big dogs do...

Do you have a lithp?

[rocker59]

Do you have a lithp?

Cath = catheter.

But  you knew that.