I guess I'm too much of a pansy to do an ironbutt

[lolife]

I've been contemplating doing an iron butt ride for about a year now.  I've ridden 12-15 hrs in a day several times.  I've ridden 500 miles in a day before.  I average about 15,000 miles a year on my mc.  I've put 6500 miles on my C-14 since the end of June.

Me and a friend who rides a FJR rode to the outerbanks NC this past weekend.  We rode 1035 miles in 2 days & we didn't even sniff an iron butt.  We decided to try to use this ride as a test ride to an iron butt.  The longest interstate we rode as about 400 miles & we covered it in 6 1/2 hrs & that included all gas & lunch stops.  We rode gas stop to gas stop approx 180 miles.  We had to stop when we saw a station b/c we didn't plan out the gas stops beforehand.  

My problem is the time frame.  When we rode 400 miles in 6 1/2 hrs we never got below 80 mph & bounced between 80 & 90 with a top speed of 119 mph.  We used a gps to keep up with our time.

We've always thought the 1500 miles in 36 hrs seemed the best option for us b/c our thinking was 12 hrs there, 12 hrs to eat supper & sleep & then 12 hrs home.  I think that was a bit optimistic.  After riding now, it seems like it will take 13-14 hrs each way & that doesn't leave much time to eat & get some sleep.

On the 1000 miles in 24 hrs do y'all do it without any sleep?  If it takes 8 hrs to ride 500 miles, then it will take 16 hrs riding time to do the 1000 miles.  

I guess my question is how fast do you ride when attempting an iron butt?  How did you do your 1000 mile & 1500 mile trips?  Did you do the 1000 without sleep just ride 20 consecutive hrs?  On the 1500 mile trip, how long did it take to ride 750?

I've been to the iron butt website but that's made me believe that accomplishing a ride isn't that difficult but after gauging one with a trip, its a lot more difficult than I had anticipated.

Thanks for any advice & information  

[schmii]

pretty much just winged it.

http://www.bcsportbikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122922

Sleep shouldn't be a concern around 1000 miles.  An ideal day for me is 8 hours of sleep 16 hours of wake with the ability to push another 4 hours here or there.  If you have 16 ideal hours that's 60MPH average, 15 minutes for gas every 180 miles or 3 hours, 6 fuel stops x 15 minutes add 1.5 hours so 17.5 hours total and that's still below interstate speeds.

Consider the IBA tips:

http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aowprintout.cfm

Plan where to fuel make it convenient, try and only stop for fuel, drink enough then drink more, pack food with you.

[lolife]

Congrats on your ride.  Sounds like you have the same problem I do, I can't sleep the night before a ride either.  I usually dream of riding all night & lay there waiting for the alarm to go off so I can get started.

[jwhite518]

On the 1000 miles in 24 hrs do y'all do it without any sleep?  If it takes 8 hrs to ride 500 miles, then it will take 16 hrs riding time to do the 1000 miles.  

That's about right. 16 hours is a good time when you're on all slab, running the speed limit up to about 10 over, and being efficient on your stops. I've done it in less than 15, but that was under extreme conditions.  I use 500 miles / 8 hrs as a good rule of thumb.

How do you plan sleep? Sleep isn't an issue, because 16 hrs is just a long day. Say you leave at 6 AM, you're done at 10 PM. Even if you lollygag some, you're home at midnight or 1 AM. A saddlesore 1000 should not be an allnighter.

The absolutely most important thing is to keep your stops short. You might be stopping 7 or 8 times for gas. The difference between a 15 minute break and a 30 minute break is two hours. That's how a 10 PM finish time stretches to midnight.

[miles]

Last Saddle Sore I did took 23 hours and 58 minutes, pretty much all in the saddle except for gas stops and one 35 minute breakfast break.
And that was on a Speed Triple.

Of course, I picked a route that was going to guarantee slow average speeds...

[Blue Bye You]

A 1K day isn't difficult, but it's a different type of ride than just normal touring. You said you used a GPS on your trip. Look at the average miles you traveled verses the average miles driven. That's what you have to work on, getting them closer. To do that you have to reduce the time stopped. Economising stop time means planning the trip. Working out as few stops as you can. Gas, food, rest and pit stops should be made together and kept to a minimum in number and time. I've done a 1K run in 15 hrs flat. Running 75 to 80 MPH with 2 20 min stops. But I have a 7.7 gal fuel tank and can get 50 MPG if I keep in below 80 MPH. If you want to do a 1.5K day you have to cut your stops to 10 min, except for 1 30 min rest stop, and forget about sleep. You can do it in about 23 to 24 hours. You can go faster but getting pulled over will ruin the whole run, and you can't add that increase as a linier improvement as there may be a lot of things you have to slow down for. Plus if your fuel mileage drops alot you have to make more stops. You've got to know what you can get out of a tank full of gas under those circumstances and push it to the limmit to reduce the number of stops. Although IBA rules restrict you to 300 mi between stops for safety. They won't certify the ride if you exceed that by more than a couple of miles. It's not a pleasure ride, it's an endurance ride, not a joy but a challenge, not to be taken litely.

[D-Mac]

For the SS1000, I've always planned on a short break at the turn-around point. I usually allow for an hour, which still leaves me with 4-5 hours to spare for the whole ride. Sometimes I've used the break - sometimes not. In one case the weather was horrible and it was dark for the last 6 hours, so I broke the ride into increasingly smaller pieces near the end (180 miles between stops, then 90, and the 40-50 for the last 150 miles or so). Even with all of those stops, I still finished with 4 hours to spare.

For the 1500 (in 36h), I did the first 1000 as a "regular" SS1000, took a 5-hour rest break, and then rode the rest.

You're right that it is different than touring, but it grows on you too. I love to run a Saddlesore pace now.

The key is keeping the bike moving more than speeding.

[jfremder]

I guess my question is how fast do you ride when attempting an iron butt?Thanks for any advice & information  

Speed is NOT the key to high mile days. Managing stops is the key. We do our endurance riding 2-up, and don't have auxilliary fuel. Fuel stops are 7-10 minutes tops. That includes rest room break for two people. Hydration is on the bike, as well as snacks. We don't stop for meals, just consume high protein snacks as needed.

1500 miles = six fuel stops @ 10 min ea. = 1 hour stopped
1500 miles @ 79mph is Nineteen hours with wheels rolling
Sleep for four hours, and repeat and you just did back to back Bunn Burner Gold's

We have many 1000 mile days under fourteen hours.

15-16 hour saddle sore rides aren't hard if you plan...

[lolife]

Thanks for the replies & that's what I was wanting to know. It seems I need a different approach.

What are butt burner golds? We rode approx 500 miles on the first day & then just over 500 the second. A lot of the riding was back roads & secondary roads so we couldn't haul ass.

I'm going to plan on riding from my house in Anderson SC & ride to the Arkansas line. I'll cross the Mississippi River & turn around & come home. Its 500 miles each way. If I get tired I'll just stop & rest & try again later.

I don't really know why I want to do this. I already ride more than anyone I know but there's always someone who rides more & I want to do an iron butt. I always thought the 1500 mile would be easier b/c of sleep but if you're only getting 4 hrs of sleep then that's not really an advantage over the 1000.

If I accomplish the 1000, I'm curious to find out if I want to do another or give up on the idea.

[jwhite518]

What are butt burner golds?

It's called a Bun Burner Gold, not a butt burner. 1500 miles in 24 hours, and it's damn hard. (Even though Jeff makes it sound easy, I've never come close to 20 hours on a BBG.) A regular Bun Burner is 1500 in 36, which is what you mentioned earlier. It's a Saddlesore times one and a half. (and strictly speaking, there's no such ride as "an iron butt." It's called a Saddlesore 1000. But when you say "I did an iron butt" most people know what you mean.)

Since you have a GPS, let me introduce you to the Avg MPH statistic. That's how most IBA riders manage their pace. We are talking total avg mph, including stopped time. Moving avg is meaningless. A SS1K requires an avg mph of 41.7. A BBG is 62.5. Watch that number while you're riding, and you'll see how important stopped time is.

[Ignacio]

It's called a Bun Burner Gold, not a butt burner. 1500 miles in 24 hours, and it's damn hard. (Even though Jeff makes it sound easy, I've never come close to 20 hours on a BBG.) A regular Bun Burner is 1500 in 36, which is what you mentioned earlier. It's a Saddlesore times one and a half. (and strictly speaking, there's no such ride as "an iron butt." It's called a Saddlesore 1000. But when you say "I did an iron butt" most people know what you mean.)

Concur.  BBG's are an extreme ride and not allowed for folks first ride...it's says it at the IBA website very clearly.  Saddlesores and Bun Burners over 36 hours are for first-timers...focus on those.

41.7 mph average gives you time to stop, eat, fuel, and even take a nice long nap if needed...assuming you don't choose two-lane twisties all the way.  I think the last 500 miles are easier than the first 500 miles personally.

Then, IF and WHEN you accomplish one of the beginning rides...the hooks might be set to try a BBG.

Don't worry about speed...worry about riding for a long time at or near the speed limit...and not dallying at fuel stops.

[squeezer]

+1 on what other experienced riders are saying. Speed is not the issue. Keep rolling and make the gas stops fast. On my BBG, I had several thunderstorms, a 40 minute or so park on the freeway while while a beam for an overpass was installed, and a fairly significant detour towards the end. I never broke into triple digits on that ride. I just stayed on the bike.

Speed can actually work against you. It takes a lot of energy to keep aware of your surroundings at speed. Run with the prevailing speed of traffic, and you're safer and going fast enough.

Make the Saddlesore your first ride. It's not that difficult (well, my first was thanks to four hours of thick fog -- that wore me out, but that's a freak thing) and you'll learn a great deal, especially about what bits of your gear and bike are comfortable enough to use on later long distance rides and which bits need to be changed.

[SalsaShark]

Last Saddle Sore I did took 23 hours and 58 minutes, pretty much all in the saddle except for gas stops and one 35 minute breakfast break.
And that was on a Speed Triple.

Of course, I picked a route that was going to guarantee slow average speeds...

sounds a lot like my story...

My first IBA run was on my Speed Triple and we did most of the distance on 2 lane country highways. We tried to minimize the amount slab interstate. We had a couple of long stops.

1. was at lunch when we just kind of messed around way too long
2. was at Devil's Tower (our turn around point)... Hey, I'm not going to ride all the way there and not take a look around
3. was on the side of the highway when my buddies wing decided to up and die in the middle of the night... at 997 miles. Well we had to get it towed off the highway, he got a ride halfway home with another friend and I completed the ride on my own.

Route: goolemap
Total ride time: 21 hours

[schmii]

If I accomplish the 1000, I'm curious to find out if I want to do another or give up on the idea.

One way or the other you'll know if you ever need to cover that distance for whatever reason you're capable or know what needs tweaking to do so.

[Slonishku]

My first SS1K was during the Cal24 rally- a rocking good time.

I was on a bone stock 1997 Bandit 1200 and did just fine. I personally think a 24 hour rally is the way to go for a first time SS1K- boredom is offset because the ride is broken up into many short, fun, interesting segments. For me, it took some doing but wasn't terribly difficult. Lots of stops, plenty of time off the bike, and a fun event along with an SS1K cert... Brilliant!

I really can't tell you just how fun most of the 24 hour rallies are. Any one of them is an experience you won't forget!  

[county]

I wanted the license bracket so I did the BB 1500 as I thought it would be easier...I was nearly 60 years old when I did it

I rode interstate, East to West for the daylight, left at sunrise and checked into a motel at dark (about 925 miles), up at first light and finished the trip in Phoenix at my nieces house....

Nobody is much gonna talk about speed because of the IB rules...except to say that we all obeyed the speed limit.

[Slonishku]

I wanted the license bracket so I did the BB 1500 as I thought it would be easier...I was nearly 60 years old when I did it

I rode interstate, East to West for the daylight, left at sunrise and checked into a motel at dark (about 925 miles), up at first light and finished the trip in Phoenix at my nieces house....

Nobody is much gonna talk about speed because of the IB rules...except to say that we all obeyed the speed limit.

Simple math will show you that, if you choose your route, plan well, and execute the plan, there is no need to speed. At least in the Western US. A "flow of traffic" pace will obviously get you in a bit quicker, but it's not necessary.

[Justin]

Simple math will show you that, if you choose your route, plan well, and execute the plan, there is no need to speed. At least in the Western US. A "flow of traffic" pace will obviously get you in a bit quicker, but it's not necessary.

+1, in the west a 1000 mile day is @ 15-17 hours quite easily. But I digress from some of the other posts, speeding DOES help, above and beyond managing stops, as long as it's consistent. A quick blip to 100 here and there will make no difference, but 100 for an hour straight will.

[marc11]

When people ride 400 miles in 12 hours, they may think they are running 80 MPH all the time, but the fact is you piss a ton of time away at food and fuel stops.  The key as been said many times is AVERAGE SPEED.  You can do an SS1000 at the speed limit if you just maintain that speed the entire time.  You do not sleep, 15 hours of riding is not that hard, and you do not dilly dally at food and fuel stops, especially fuel stops.

The key is to map a route away from traffic but mostly on interstates or highways with at least 55 MPH speed limits, that do not go through towns and that have large passing areas so you can maintain an average speed of 55 MPH at least.   The next point is to map out fuel stops based on your bikes range and maximize the time between stops, meaning if your bike has a 250 mile range, do not stop every 100 miles, stop every 225 miles, this means fewer fuel stops, less wasted time.  Be sure to RESEARCH fuel stops, especially in smaller towns at night to be sure they are open and have alternative stops, do not map out a fuel stop where you only have 5 miles of fuel left, leave at least 20 or 25 miles of reserve.  When you do stop for fuel it is gas and go, have your credit card ready (cash takes too much time) and DO NOT remove your gear, just pull in, fuel up and go.  Try to keep breaks to a minimum, like every other fuel stop or at a meal stop.  A Camelbak is great for water, just don't drink too much or you'll need to stop and use the bathroom, a sip every so often is fine to keep you hydrated but minimize waste.

You should plan on two meal breaks of 20 to 30 minutes TOPS and align them with a fuel stop, so it is an all in one stop.  Bringing a few breakfast or energy bars for a quick bite at a fuel stop (eat while you fuel) does wonders and wastes no time too.

I've done 2 SS1000 and one BBG1500 without any issue and lots of time to spare, it is all in the preparation.

[jwhite518]

+1, in the west a 1000 mile day is @ 15-17 hours quite easily. But I digress from some of the other posts, speeding DOES help, above and beyond managing stops, as long as it's consistent. A quick blip to 100 here and there will make no difference, but 100 for an hour straight will.

Unless you're in Nevada I have no idea where you can run 100mph for an hour and not worry about cops and other traffic. Mostly cops. And that hour of cop-stress will contribute to fatigue much more than you know it.
Running 100 for an hour is for rookies. Experienced Iron Butt riders keep it much closer to the speed limit. Keeping the wheels rolling and limiting stops is where it's at.