Iron Butt ride

[Wicked Whippets]

After 46 years of commuting, vacationing, racing and crashing motorcycles, I decided an Iron Butt SaddleSore ride needs to be added to the list. I have a buddy in Albuquerque who has accomplished a couple of the Iron Butt events and he did this on a dual-sport bike. I ride a BMW R1150RT which was designed for this sort of thing. I keep running out of excuses why I shouldn't do such a crazy ride: 1,000+ miles in a single day.

So, I read the rules on the Iron Butt site and then spent a few hours considering various routes I might follow. What I tentatively settled on is a big Southwest loop starting in Tempe, AZ and ending in Prescott, AZ (or back to Tempe...haven't decided on the ending point just yet) that totals about 1,100 miles.



As I write this I'm sitting in the parking lot of the Walmart in Deming, NM. I've spent the past few days in Roswell, so this gave me a chance to check out this section of the route. I'm familiar with the Albuquerque to Flagstaff route and the section back to Phoenix. I drove the Las Cruces to Albuquerque section about six months ago, so have a good idea that I can achieve a fairly high average speed with the lack of traffic on much of the loop.

The Iron Butt folks told me to watch the weather and when I see a day with clear conditions on the loop to do the ride. I'm hoping to complete the loop in about 18 hrs. I'll probably do this in the next 10 days and post my results when I complete it.

My bike doesn't have a cruise control or throttle lock. My biggest concern is losing feeling in my right hand and not being able to control the throttle. Any suggestions for how I can keep my throttle hand from giving up on me (or any other advice how to survive this)?

[Doggy Daddy]

With no cruise control, I suggest you get a throttle rocker.
It slips over the right handgrip and you use your palm to steady the speed.
I attained my Iron Butt certificate and pin over a year ago. Six of us rode from Santa Cruz to the Mexican border and return in about 22 hours. We stopped and stretched at each fueling, checked out a Harley Dealer, and took time for a relaxing lunch and dinner. When we returned nobody was hurting or exhausted. I suspect it was because we had fun along the way and stopped for relaxing meals.

Don't forget to always get a receipt and record the
time, milage, location of all stops, and when fueling.
Ride safe, don't rush and enjoy.

[JackHammr']

Dont be in a hurry to get your certificates either .. Took us almost nine months , got ours bout ten years ago ..

Did the 1000 and 1500 ..

[tmar10]

Doggy Daddy has some good points, take time to rest and find a throttle lock for your bike. BMWSportTouring.com The pin and certificate mean nothing if you can't complete the task safely.

Take your time and enjoy the ride regardless of any time constraints. Remember it is all about the ride, not fancy pins, patches or certificates.

[JackHammr']

Dont forget dehydration either , it will sneek up on you fast ..

I prefer gatorade , but others will work , always drink one at fuel stops and carry a couple for the road as well ..

If your not used to that kinda mileage that quick mileage , that quick , make some short 3-400 mile day trips to tweak your handlebars and your body ..

[Jim Stewart]

Watch out for the Jackalopes, they will jump right out in front of you out West. They are big and the horns can do a lot of damage!

[REWahoo]

Based on the title of this thread I was expecting another discussion of Koni vs. Bilstein shocks...

[jsmith]

We had these on some sport bikes. Worked well.
Throttlemeister - Home

[Wicked Whippets]

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm heading to the BMW dealer this morning to have the valves set and carbs synched. They have throttle rocker gizmos and I'll get one and try it out.

As soon as the weather improves in the region I'll plan on heading out. I'll be gone to a dog show from Thursday to Monday so it will be next week.

[sknight]

Throttle rockers are great, but I'd pony up for the Throttlemeister. Well worth it.

Good luck, be safe! I have several 550 miles in 12 hour days riding in the mountains, one of these days I'll do the full 1000 and get my pin.

[Wicked Whippets]

Lots of thunderstorms in the mountains, so it looks like I'll wait until next week to do the ride.

I picked up my bike from the dealer today and they had some difficulty tuning it to reduce surging (something that it seems all the oilhead BMW engines had to one degree or another). I'm think the hall effect sensor is thinking about failing; hopefully not on the Iron Butt ride.

I picked up a throttle rocker and will see how that works.

[CyberVet65]

Back in the 70's there used to be a ride called the California 1000. And it pretty much was a poker run all over So-Cal. I have two starter and one finisher pin. I wonder if I could submit that for a Iron Butt pin. Naw! I guess I'll have to do it all over again.

[Mc2guy]

If you have hand numbness, you need to get a throttlemeister or equivalent which is a clamp vs. the throttle rocker which will not allow you to release your hand and get blood back into it. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and need to keep my hand relaxed so the clamp was a necessity even for shorter trips. Keep in mind it will not keep your speed constant unless you are on a flat road...hills will cause your speed to go up and down.

I did an iron butt in 2005, DC to Asheville, NC and back on a V-strom 1000 Make sure you stop early and often. Better to stay hydrated than to try and rehydrate.

[Wicked Whippets]

It looks Monday at 0 dark 30 is when I will head out. The forecast for El Paso and Albuquerque looks good early in the week.

I changed the oil and had the valves and throttle bodies adjusted and I've checked every fastener that I can reach and everything is ready to roll.

Yesterday I received the Ram ball parts needed to finish the mount for the Garmin Nuvi 660. The 660 is not the ideal GPS for a motorcycle: it's not waterproof and the flat electrical plug is unique to that Nuvi series, however, it's what I have at the moment.

The base is a beautiful piece of aircraft aluminum that a guy in Canada mills at home. It replaces the plastic plug covering the nut in the center of the triple clamp. I have on order a shorter Ram connector than the one in the picture, but this one will work for now. I like the center mount as it is rock solid, is simple in design and doesn't require any permanent modification to the dash that could hurt resale value.







I decided to try the throttle rocker on this ride and then go with the throttle meister on the next one (the 1,500 miler in 36 hrs). Ultimately, I'd like to upgrade to the BMW R1200RT with the cruise control, but that will have to wait for a year or two.

So, if the creek don't rise I'll be on my way Monday, meeting up with a buddy in Albuquerque that afternoon and then back to Arizona that night.