Saturday Ride

I've always been curious about the Iron Butt guys thinking to myself "I wonder if I could do that?" Answer is yes. Took off from Hollywood yesterday morning at 7am and headed North up the I-5 to Sacramento. Then it was the I-80 to Reno. This was a beautiful section of the trip, if you live in the western U.S. and haven't crossed the Sierra Nevada, you are missing out. There was SNOW on the side of the road at Donner Summit! From Reno it was South to Carson City where I took the 50 to Tahoe and back up and over the mtns and down into Sacramento. From there it was a straight shot down the 99 into L.A. at 3am. 4hrs to spare!! woo hooo!! 1170 miles on the odometer... a bit less according to mapquest, but still over 1k for my certificate. My 96 R1100R ran like a charm, and I have to mention one little gear item... Gerbings electric jacket liners are the greatest thing since sliced bread!!

It's like that T.V. commercial for Quiznos Subs... "mmmm toasty!"

Might just try the Great Lakes ride next summer...

Cheers
RW

...Saturday Ride

Woo Hoo.... Gambrinus....... You Go......
Congtrats.......

Congratulations on an SS1K!!!!!

Did you keep the gas logs and stuff so you can get your license plate frame?

Oh ya, I kept all the gas receipts etc. Everything goes in the mail tomorrow. I gotta say, that for my not so "Iron" butt, 1000 miles in a day is pretty much my limit on the current mount. The bike ran like a champ, but the "R"'s main purpose in life just isn't long distance hauling.. It CAN be done, but that smallish gas tank keeps you stopping every 160 - 170miles. In a way this is good, as my bladder is on the smallish side, so maybe the bike and I are a good match!

Once again... mmmmmmm toasty!!

Cheers

RW

Congrats

Good for you - well done. My butt is far too marshmallow for such undertakings.

Good stuff! I'm going to give the SS1K a shot going up to Spokane this summer. Think I'll leave the Bay Area either Sunday or Monday. That will give me a day or two to recover at my folks before the Rally. I think I have my R set up. Bar risers, pegs lowered, highway pegs off the jugs, and a Rick Mayer seat. Again Congrats.

Thanks for the kind words and congratulations! If you are considering doing a SS1K, I'd stronly suggest reading the "archive of wisdom" on the IBA web site. The biggest hints that paid off on this ride and the cross-country trip that I did last summer:

Camel Back.. drink LOTS of water

Bicycle shorts, the padded kind under your riding pants. This just plain WORKS.

Already mentioned my love affair with my electric jacket liner...

I'm a bit more sore today than yesterday. I'm not sure that I'd suggest doing a SS1K as a part of a longer trip. I know that I was certainly not in the mood to ride yesterday or even today for that matter.

YMMV

Good Luck!

RW

Just found out that my riding jacket, First Gear, has a space for putting water. Wondered what the big pocket in the back and holes up the side were for!

Been reading all I can get my hands on concerning long distance riding. IBA site is book marked.

How did your right wrist fair? I don't have a throttle lock, just a throttle rocker. Wonder if this would be necessary. I find my wrist gets tight and uncomfortable after 4-5 hundred miles.

Haven't gotten electrics yet and don't think they'll be needed in July. Getting new tires, tuned up and will rock and roll all the way home. The draw of returning to my old stomping grounds will surely be worth a few extra humdred miles. Just wonder how such a trip will affect my 50 year old body.

I've got the throttlemeister. Very nice to have. Not so much for the wrist as being able to twist around a bit and stretch my back while riding. Take a few shorter rides 400-500 miles to test things out before the big adventure. Work you way up to it. That's how I got myself ready for my cross-country ride last summer.

RW