Iron Butt Swap Ride

[Doctor Chopper]

To all my fellow hard core long distant biker and piper friends! I am sure there is a plethora of these types out there (Not!). I challenge you to do a Rendezvous / Swap ride for the Iron Butt Association- Rendezvous - Swap Rides) - https://ironbutt.com/themerides/rendezvous/

The Iron Butt Association has many rides, all of which require riding a motorcycle at least 1000 miles within 24 hours. I have done over 30 now and have gotten quite good at planning for them. I will be doing several during a trip from Wisconsin to Seattle and wanted to reach out and see if any forum members are interested in doing a 'Rendezvous Ride'. This is where we start at least 200 miles apart, meet up and swap an item, and then both complete a 1000 mile ride that day.

If any one is interested and you are within 500 miles of my route, we could plan to meet up and swap some tobacco or a pipe or any item. If you can't do it in the timeframe that I am traveling to Seattle and live within 900 miles of Wisconsin, we can come up with a plan later. If you have never done an Iron Butt ride, I can offer some experience to help you succeed whether you want to meet up with me or not.

Details: I will be traveling from southern Wisconsin to Spearfish South Dakota along I-90 on July 14. I will be doing a Wyoming In-State ride (1000 miles within the state of Wyoming) on July 15th, ending up in Evanston (Salt Lake City Utah area). I will complete the trip from Salt Lake City to Seattle on the 16th of July. I will be returning on the 21st-22nd of July from Seattle to Wisconsin along 90-94 route, staying in eastern Montana (Miles City) overnight. This will be a quick and easy 2000 mile ride in 2 days.

I think that a swap with a fellow piper would make this fun! Anyone interested send me a PM. If you are not interested, reply with your best butt joke! The best joke gets to send me a tin of tobacco for the swap . If you are an Iron Butt member, let me know. I am starting to think that I may be the only one.

 

[mso489]

I'm not a biker at all. I'm of the opinion that for most people, if you weren't born on a bike, riding daily between the ages of 15 and 17, the younger the better, don't do it. Muscle memory is everything. If you have to think about it, you ain't safe. But that's just me.

There's a reason riding a motorcycle is one of the primary questions in selecting people for military pilot training.

Nonetheless, I'm fascinated by the idea of how you do this. Do you have ear buds and listen to music all the way, or do you keep your head entirely in the wind and on the road? What's a pit stop? How long? Gas, piss, water, roll?

Have you ever found yourself dozing off? Do you do this solo at all? You'd have to have this down to a science, or you wouldn't still be with us. Is this exclusively a Harley thing, or are there an array of machines?

 

[verporchting]

I just clicked in morbid curiosity about the title. Inquiring minds just had to know.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I'm not a biker at all. I'm of the opinion that for most people, if you weren't born on a bike, riding daily between the ages of 15 and 17, the younger the better, don't do it. Muscle memory is everything. If you have to think about it, you ain't safe. But that's just me.

There's a reason riding a motorcycle is one of the primary questions in selecting people for military pilot training.

Nonetheless, I'm fascinated by the idea of how you do this. Do you have ear buds and listen to music all the way, or do you keep your head entirely in the wind and on the road? What's a pit stop? How long? Gas, piss, water, roll?

Have you ever found yourself dozing off? Do you do this solo at all? You'd have to have this down to a science, or you wouldn't still be with us. Is this exclusively a Harley thing, or are there an array of machines?

As the old Harley marketing used to say: “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand”

Not to make light, but trying to explain why I ride to someone that critically looks at the safety and practical aspect would be like Lindbergh explaining to a non-flyer why it made sense to solo across the Atlantic.

@Doctor Chopper -that sounds very cool but my dance card is pretty full, not to mention I’d wind up bending your ear enough to knock you off schedule.

 

[canucklehead]

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I'm not a biker at all. I'm of the opinion that for most people, if you weren't born on a bike, riding daily between the ages of 15 and 17, the younger the better, don't do it. Muscle memory is everything. If you have to think about it, you ain't safe. But that's just me.

There's a reason riding a motorcycle is one of the primary questions in selecting people for military pilot training.

Nonetheless, I'm fascinated by the idea of how you do this. Do you have ear buds and listen to music all the way, or do you keep your head entirely in the wind and on the road? What's a pit stop? How long? Gas, piss, water, roll?

Have you ever found yourself dozing off? Do you do this solo at all? You'd have to have this down to a science, or you wouldn't still be with us. Is this exclusively a Harley thing, or are there an array of machines?

I agree with you, the new biker is the most dangerous, and the older you are the more dangerous. Combine the 2 and it can end badly. I have been riding since I was 5, so being on a bike is second nature to me.

I ride a large Harley, which has speakers. I put in earplugs and turn up the volume! Music and podcasts make the time go fast. My usual gas stop is perhaps 15 minutes if I have to piss. If not, I fill and roll. I usually stop for 1 meal and try to make it a buffet or fast food so I am not waiting for a check forever, but I am not concerned with time if I find a nice place that I want to eat at.

I have rarely been too tired, and if I would feel like I am dozing off I would stop. Most of the time I do these alone, which affords me the luxury of taking or not taking breaks or stops as I please. Also, I leave when I get up, and don’t have to wait for someone else.

People ride all sorts of motorcycles, about half are Harley’s. The majority of other bikes are BMW or Goldwing. Look at the website which lists the riders, their motorcycles and the rides they finished. https://www.ironbutt.org/certified.htm

The real crazy rides are ‘Gold’ which is 1500 miles in 24 hours. That is at least 21 hours on a highway rolling averaging 72 MPH. It takes 10 stops. 15 minutes per stop adds 2.5 hours. Take a 30 minute lunch or dinner and you are barely making it. A single traffic jam can make your whole effort a failure. I have several of these under my belt so far.

In the end, it is a challenge. If it were easy, then it would be meaningless. This is why we are called the “Worlds Toughest Riders!”

 

[Doctor Chopper]

As the old Harley marketing used to say: “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand”

Not to make light, but trying to explain why I ride to someone that critically looks at the safety and practical aspect would be like Lindbergh explaining to a non-flyer why it made sense to solo across the Atlantic.

@Doctor Chopper -that sounds very cool but my dance card is pretty full, not to mention I’d wind up bending your ear enough to knock you off schedule.

Why do people do so many things? You are correct, you cannot explain it to someone who does not ride long distance.

What I will say is that the stress of life blows away in the wind as your ride. I know that you get that.

 

[ssjones]

I think my best was 675 miles (Maryland to Hudson NY and back), so you have my admiration. The last 75 miles, I felt every rumble strip, or pavement break (on a 900 cc Triumph, with a gel-seat).

In Key West, a few years ago, there was a long distance ride called the Hoka Hey Race - from Key West to Alaska. A guy in our hotel, rode in from NJ in one day (1,400 miles) than was starting the 7,000 mile race. First to finish was a pretty big prize, $500,000! (the riders paid a pretty hefty entry fee)

Unfortunately, the event was snake-bit from the start. Several racers were in accidents almost immediately, and I think two killed along the route. The organizers also proved to be scam artists, and never pad the first prize money. I followed my guy from NJ (his daughter ran a NJ shore restaurant I was familiar with) He made it, but far from first place, and in my book, an incredible accomplishment. He slept in a sleeping bag beside the bike at rest stops most of the way. Many of the riders didn't prepare very well for Alaskan weather, even in the summer. My guy then rode home to NJ, but stayed in hotels, etc. on the way back. A pretty epic trip.

https://hokaheychallenge.com/Library/rider-stories/2014_Richard_Rutherford.pdf

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I think my best was 675 miles (Maryland to Hudson NY and back), so you have my admiration. The last 75 miles, I felt every rumble strip, or pavement break (on a 900 cc Triumph, with a gel-seat).

In Key West, a few years ago, there was a long distance ride called the Hoka Hey Race - from Key West to Alaska. A guy in our hotel, rode in from NJ in one day (1,400 miles) than was starting the 7,000 mile race. First to finish was a pretty big prize, $500,000! (the riders paid a pretty hefty entry fee)

Unfortunately, the event was snake-bit from the start. Several racers were in accidents almost immediately, and I think two killed along the route. The organizers also proved to be scam artists, and never pad the first prize money. I followed my guy from NJ (his daughter ran a NJ shore restaurant I was familiar with) He made it, but far from first place, and in my book, an incredible accomplishment. He slept in a sleeping bag beside the bike at rest stops most of the way. Many of the riders didn't prepare very well for Alaskan weather, even in the summer. My guy then rode home to NJ, but stayed in hotels, etc. on the way back. A pretty epic trip.

https://hokaheychallenge.com/Library/rider-stories/2014_Richard_Rutherford.pdf

The Hoka Hey is an intense ride, I am not sure that I am man enough to do it, but sure want to find out. It is always close to 10,000 miles in up to 10 days, but it is a race and the first place will cross well before the deadline. It is held every other year. The route is not known until you roll up to the starting line where you are given a map, which in notorious for being inaccurate. Hoka Hey is Sioux for essentially "let's go!" that they yelled as going into a hunt or battle. Their motto is "It's a good day to die", and many have done just that attempting this ride. No GPS, maps only. No hotels, you sleep with your machine. No outside help. Brutal!

The Iron Butt Association has a yearly race as well which is better planned, and they allow technology and hotels. They use checkpoints and a point system, you get points for certain sites seen and get points off if you are late to a checkpoint. Planning your route carefully and staying on time is important.

Man, just talking about it is getting me fired up. I am trying to finagle going to next years Hoka Hey ride from Dayona Florida to Homer Alaska. I don't think that I can get the time off.

 

[futureman]

These threads never contain what I'm hoping to find. No butts (iron or otherwise). And no butt swapping.

 

[trudger]

I ride but my attention span wouldn’t hold up for 1,000 miles.

 

[macaroni]

"... the stress of life blows away in the wind as your ride. I know that you get that...."

Yes. I remember. But 500 miles always did me in, AND I'm almost embarrassed to add I was always on my Dynawide glide. But it's all fun if the hinderparts can absorb the beating LOL (as if I would know! That Dyna had cushion to it and I added a big soft tractor seat and round rear pad LOL)
kindly
mike

 

[kcghost]

You guys have to be mad!!

 

[mso489]

Doctor Chopper, that was a great synopsis! It is obviously a high art, but you gave the basics, and clearly you have a lot more detail for those who could take it in. You actually make it sound fun (mostly) rather than just arduous. Happy trails, and be safe.

The doctor who wrote "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," Oliver Sacks, was an ardent long distance motorcyclist. I'm not sure he hit the 1000 mile mark, but he'd ride all night from somewhere in California out into the Western desert and back, much of it with his belly on the gas tank at full throttle. He survived into old age, so he must have been pretty good on the bike.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Yes. I remember. But 500 miles always did me in, AND I'm almost embarrassed to add I was always on my Dynawide glide. But it's all fun if the hinderparts can absorb the beating LOL (as if I would know! That Dyna had cushion to it and I added a big soft tractor seat and round rear pad LOL)
kindly
mike

It's not for everyone I will admit. I would go out on a weekend and put on 600-700 miles without thinking about it. I always loved to ride long distance. A little planning ahead, and the extra milage to complete an Iron Butt is fairly easy. Most people like to stop and smell the roses or taste the coffee / ice cream along the way.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

You guys have to be mad!!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Before I stopped riding, due to every idiot on the road paying more attention to various screens than the road, I used to ride from the NJ shore to Burlington VT a couple times a summer on a ZX6-R. My butt was fine, but my knees would be SCREAMING by the end.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Doctor Chopper, that was a great synopsis! It is obviously a high art, but you gave the basics, and clearly you have a lot more detail for those who could take it in. You actually make it sound fun (mostly) rather than just arduous. Happy trails, and be safe.

The doctor who wrote "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," Oliver Sacks, was an ardent long distance motorcyclist. I'm not sure he hit the 1000 mile mark, but he'd ride all night from somewhere in California out into the Western desert and back, much of it with his belly on the gas tank at full throttle. He survived into old age, so he must have been pretty good on the bike.

Before I stopped riding, due to every idiot on the road paying more attention to various screens than the road, I used to ride from the NJ shore to Burlington VT a couple times a summer on a ZX6-R. My butt was fine, but my knees would be SCREAMING by the end.

That is why I have highway pegs. Allows me to put my legs in 3 positions, including completely stretched out during the ride.

 

[ssjones]

Sadly, many use forward controls, the worst posture position in the world. I had some stupid setups on my old Triumph chopper, all for the purpose of looking cool. (cool usually also equals dangerous). But, I never had to ride 1,000 miles on that bike! I did put maybe 350 miles on a hardtail '61 Sportster chopper! (GF, now wife on the back...)

 

[Jbrewer2002]

I have rode since I was 14-15. My wife and I go on rides but usually keep it around 300-400 miles in a day. We ride a Heritage Classic. An iron butt ride doesn’t even appeal to me lol.