Ironbutt Bunburner Gold-1500 miles in under 24hrs

[stose85]

Just wondering how many of you guys have actually done this, or any of the other endurance rides that IronButt puts on. I figure you only live once so...Does anyone have any advice? I've already looked at the AOW top 24 but I'd like to hear about any personal experiences. Thats a hell of a trip from my house in Kansas to California in one day. I was thinking of taking Interstate 40 since its almost a straight shot from Tulsa to Oklahoma City and over to California. Any tips on that route? The plan is to start training for it this week, and take the trip near the end of summer, August or September.  

[dduelin]

I did a Saddle Sore 1000 a couple of years ago. I gather most people do these on the interstate but I did mine mostly on back roads. The IBA rides are mostly about preparation and time management IMHO, not high average speeds.

[miles]

Just wondering how many of you guys have actually done this, or any of the other endurance rides that IronButt puts on. I figure you only live once so...Does anyone have any advice? I've already looked at the AOW top 24 but I'd like to hear about any personal experiences. Thats a hell of a trip from my house in Kansas to California in one day. I was thinking of taking Interstate 40 since its almost a straight shot from Tulsa to Oklahoma City and over to California. Any tips on that route? The plan is to start training for it this week, and take the trip near the end of summer, August or September.  

Two summers ago I did I-40 from Arkansas to Flagstaff in one blast.  Nearly a thousand miles of pure suck.  Not the good kind of suck, either.

[stose85]

"I did a Saddle Sore 1000 a couple of years ago. I gather most people do these on the interstate but I did mine mostly on back roads."

I'm not even sure if you would have time to run the 1500 mile trec without being all interstate. Time management and planning will definately be on the top of my list.

[Attack Pug]

I've done two Land of Enchantment  Saddle Sore 1000's . A Iron Butt Rally is fun ,hard and challenging.
A 1000 or 1500 mile ride just hammering would suck bigtime.  Check for rallies in your area

[Justin]

I've done 1500+ in 24 hours once and many 1000+ mile days; but I don't have an IBA license plate, so that means I haven't   Doing 1500 in 24 requires roads where you can move fast, preferably in the big western states. Plan your route on the fastest roads possible. You need to average 62.5 miles an hour, including stops. Having a fuel cell helps, as it cuts back on the amount of stops. Pack healthy snacks in your tank back to munch on, and have a water pack with you to stay hydrated. Advil is my friend when I'm eating miles, I start taken em before I actually start riding, and on schedule throughout the day. You will get lots of inflammation and pain, and that will mitigate it. Also, it takes "training", as in practice. You need a lot of saddle time to toughen things up before you can do 1500 miles in a day. And I disagree with the IBA AOW when it comes to speeding. It would be immensely hard to do 1500 mile days without speeding, at least IMO.

[Justin]

I've done two Land of Enchantment  Saddle Sore 1000's . A Iron Butt Rally is fun ,hard and challenging.
A 1000 or 1500 mile ride just hammering would suck bigtime.  Check for rallies in your area

I did the LOE a few years back, and I'm planning on it for this year as well. Will you be riding the rally this year?

[county]

I don't get that sucky feeling on a bike.  I've ridden Memphis to Phoenix for Thanksgiving w/family several times and I love blasting along the interstate.

IMO the only "training" you need is several 600 + mile days.  And a water bottle and some fruit for your tank bag.  All the gas stops have coffee.....

And you will be riding E to W so you gain sunlight.

(And you must have the will to do it)

[Justin]

IMO the only "training" you need is several 600 + mile days.  And a water bottle and some fruit for your tank bag.  All the gas stops have coffee.....

+1 .. and careful with the fruit .. too much and you'll get the runs

[Andrew]

I did a SS (not a real SS as I never did the paperwork, but I did the ride) from the first hotel on I40 west of the Mississippi river to Albuquerque NM.   Started somewhere after I woke up to late in the evening. Nothing but I40 and I can truly say I40 can suck the soul from you. Boring !!!!  If I did not have an AutoVoxx CC and an I pod on the ZX11 I would have lost my mind.

If you decide to ride I40 the whole way make sure you have lots of water and a few good books on an I-pod and take Advil before and during

[meanstrk]

I did a BBG last August and can honestly say that it was the hardest ride I have ever done. Period.

[DNA]

I've done 1000+ mile days many times - most resently on New Years Day. Typically 1000 miles takes about 14-16 hours on the east coast.  1500 is on my todo list - ride east to west start before the sun comes up and watch out at sundown as it will be blinding.

Hydrate, eat a little, and wire in a MP3.

[stose85]

Thanks guys for all the advice. This forum has definitely opened my eyes to some true motorcyclists.

+1 .. and careful with the fruit .. too much and you'll get the runs...Justin

Yes mom always told me to watch out eating too much fruit ha ha. I'll be sure to map my progress to the point of starting my journey and take some pictures along the way, as long as I have time of course. Any other suggestions on hard wiring an ipod to my 07 zzr600? I also wanted to ask you guys about seat modifications. I've look at Corbin seats, but I've heard they take a while to break in and it nails your wallet for about $250 on my bike. Thanks again for all the great help.

Abel

[kyzrex]

1000 in 24 can be done pretty easily, even using non interstate, and can be fun.

1500 in 24 has to be almost all interstate

figure this..1500/40mpg=37.5 gals of gas.  37.5/4 gal=9.375 stops

figure 15 mins for each stop, gas, pee, eat, stretch  15x10=150 mins

150min=2.5 hours worth of stops

so 24 actually becomes 21.5

1500/21.5= 69.76 mph avg

some people might call that fun....

[Andrew]

"Figure 15 mins for each stop, gas, pee, eat, stretch  15x10=150 mins"

 NOT true. The trick is to hotstop for fuel only maybe to pee but nothing more . Have the CC ready to swipe, fill the tank and go.  Practice how fast you can stop for fuel ect and get back on the road. 10 min is a LONG stop.
Another trick is drink water but not so much that you have to pee every stop (every other stop) Carry power bars, M&Ms dried fruit what have you and eat while on the road

As to hot wiring an I-pod, put a cigaret lighter socket on the bike, wire it to the battery or through an ign triggered relay and plug the I-pod into the cig lighter socket. OK so you may have a set of wires running into your pocket.

[dduelin]

I'm not even sure if you would have time to run the 1500 mile trec without being all interstate. Time management and planning will definately be on the top of my list.

True that. If you are starting out why not a SaddleSore 1000 or the BunBurner 1500? The latter gives you 36 hours for the 1500 miles. I wanted a fun ride not an ordeal. I did my SS1000 in 20 hours (1033 miles) and that including eating lunch at the Stockton, AL RTE. I left home at 2 AM and returned at 10 PM. I could have rested/slept 4 or 5 hours and knocked out the last 500 fairly easily. 'Course the ST1300 eats miles and hits low fuel blinker only after burning 6.5 gallons @ 42 mpg. Like has been said, I combined stops for gas and what not and only drank .25 liter of water at a time so I did not have to pee 30 minutes after a stop. Hey, when you are 54 like me and one of the FloMax generation you'll know exactly what I mean.

[jeffmccracken]

I was involved in a group ride out of Minnesota that, at least at one time, held (or maybe still holds) the group BBG record. Here's a link to a ride report. Almost 50 riders completing it between 19 & 24 hours.

http://www.bsu.edu/web/00amleduc/iba/bb1500gg.htm

[bassjones]

You're going to do this on your zzr600?    I'd start with the 1000 in 24 or the 1500 in 36 for sure.  That bike is not going to be super comfortable for interstate travel, and with the 1000 you can take better roads.  Still long hours in the saddle but you're shifting your weight around more and using the bike for what it was made...

[Attack Pug]

I did the LOE a few years back, and I'm planning on it for this year as well. Will you be riding the rally this year?

Yes I'm planning on it but it really depends on work 50/50 chance, I did them in ( 07 Cold ) & ( 08 Wet )

[kyzrex]

"Figure 15 mins for each stop, gas, pee, eat, stretch  15x10=150 mins"

 NOT true. The trick is to hotstop for fuel only maybe to pee but nothing more . Have the CC ready to swipe, fill the tank and go.  Practice how fast you can stop for fuel ect and get back on the road. 10 min is a LONG stop.

Is this a race?  Pitting for position?  Sure not EVERY stop will be 15 min, some might be longer, some shorter.  I've found that it's nice to get off the bike every 200 miles or so and WALK around for awhile.  Keeps the muscles loose and the mind clear.  Makes it a LITTLE more enjoyable IMO.