| Author | Message | ||
     Impulse_101 |
Sunday August 1st I'm going to ride from Racine WI to Winston-Salem North Carolina solo. The total distance is only 811 miles, so to make up the extra I'm going to ride through Knoxville TN, down 129 and do "The Dragon". Insanity? Yes, but there is a method to my madness. First of all, I'm leaving sunday night and getting through Chicago and hopefully Indiana. Then I'm going to catch 6 or so hours of sleep before heading across Kentucky, Tennessee through the dragon into N.C. and then onto Winston-Salem, where my family will be nervously waiting for me. My bike is in the shop until late this week. When it gets out it's going to have a few new parts in the suspension and steering. So I have to break it in a bit, but everything else is in great repair and all the fluids are being replaced with fresh Redline 20w50 synthetic. This isn't really all the hard of a ride but it will be my first long distance solo trip, so I'm a little nervous. What's making it more interesting, at least to me, is that I'm a type I diabetic who uses an Insulin Pump. So I'm going to have all kinds of goodies strapped to the bike to make sure I stay in good shape through out my ride. I've got a cooler for one of the bags to hold extra insulin and various stuff. Extra test kits for my blood and lots of glucose tablets (SweetTarts!!!) in the tank bag. I'll have plenty of cargo space, more than I'm really going to need. Tank bag, ferring bags hard luggage and a bag slung behind me on the seat should provide plenty of extra room for tools, spare parts and rain gear, hot and cold weather gear and all the other stuff needed on a ride like this. The Badweb riders assistance list will stay in my tool kit as well. I'm not leaving home without that! Any suggestions? Route suggestions? Comments? Good places to sleep/eat/see along the way? I'll post the whole route once I make my final decisions. JT | ||
| Chainsaw |
Sticking to the interstate is the easiest way to click off miles. The speed limit is typically 10mph faster than a secondary highway and passing is easier with 2 lanes in the same direction. I would save the Dragon for the return trip when you are not under the time constraint. When you are on the secondary highways, you will hit a number of small towns where the speed limit drops down to 25mph. This time of year some of these little towns have Turnip Festivals and the like, which will cost you even more time cruising down a crowded Main St.. Add a lot of double yellow lines and some slow moving RV's and you will have trouble reaching the magic 1000 mile mark. Figure out your fuel range! On my Sporty speeding into the wind with a windshield on, I'll get 39mpg, which makes my gas stops 128 miles apart. If I am doing 65mph in favorable conditions, I can get 188 miles out of a tank. That 60 mile difference is almost 1 more hour of riding between fuel stops. Driving the speed limit may be better for your range, which means fewer fuel stops and more time clicking off the miles. That said, I carry a liter of extra gas, 2 liters of water, a tire plug kit and a small manual tire pump. My HOG membership gets me 1 free tow per year , BRAG does the same. I also have a AAA card, which gets me 4 tows up to 100 miles in the directions of my choice. They will also deliver gas and give me a jumpstart if need be. The AAA card gets me free maps, and hotel discounts, 10%-30% off. If you are looking for hotels, I have found that the "AAA Approved" sign out front generally means it's not a craphole, if that sort of thing is important to you.  If your bike burns oil, pack some along. I typically will burn half a quart of oil every 1000 miles on the Sporty. To make the 1000, expect to ride for 16-18 hours whilst making brief fuel and food stops. My last road trip of 7/04/04 (coming soon to the Tale Section near you) consisted of 5.75 days and 3788 miles. That's around 650 miles a day. I did a considerable amount of screwing around and sightseeing, and I was spending 12-14 hours a day in the saddle. Lastly, be safe. If you gotta stop and rest, do it! You can do an IronButt 1000 anytime. Not worth riding past your abilities to get a license plate holder.  | ||
| Impulse_101 |
Lastly, be safe. If you gotta stop and rest, do it! You can do an IronButt 1000 anytime. Not worth riding past your abilities to get a license plate holder Ain't that the truth. Getting to W.S. is more important than the iron butt, but as long as it's close as far as distance and time I'm going to try it. It's 811 miles to Winston-Salem using my usual route, so I need to add the extra 189 miles, which led me to the detour though TN. I'm planning on stopping in or near Lexington Kentucky. That's about 450 miles and 7 hours of riding. I've ridden in state that much in one day and it's not a big deal as long as the weather is good. The second day sees me riding to Knoxville and then a loop through southern NC and up to Winston. I have just about everything you mentioned. My Camelback will hold enough water for any given section, even with a breakdown, there will be more in my cooler bag. As for the motel I'm looking for a nice respectable dive where I can catch a few winks without disturbing the roaches. I'll have my army issue Poncho liner, I won't need their blankets. The bike holds its oil very well I've only added half a quart in the last 3000 miles. But I'll have a quart with me in my tool bag. If I wasn't going for the iron butt I'd be going the other way through West Virginia, Virginia and down into Carolina. Even with The Dragon I'm still short a few miles, so I need to add 150 or so miles or just blow of the certification and go ride The Dragon one of my spare days in Winston. JT edited by impulse_101 on July 18, 2004 | ||
| Curtyd |
GET A BIG TANKBAG, the kind that attaches with straps, and pack it full enough you can rest the front of your chest on it to relieve the weight on your hands and wrists. I recommend RKA because when you fill the back pocket with soft stuff, rags and gloves, your chest goes right up against it. Cover your skin completely with light clothes under what ever riding suit is. Some say use bicycle shorts with the chamois pad in the crotch, I never tried them. Wool socks even in the summer because they wick perspiration. I did Minneapolis to Tampa in 3 legs, 1st to outside Chicago, 2nd to Chatanooga, last to TPA on my 1989 ZX-7, no problems. Carry cell phone, your BRAG roadside assistance club # and a extra qt of oil, just in case. AAA or any normal auto club won't even bring you gas if you tell them you are on a motorcycle, guess how I know? Try and get off the road by nightfall, better to start at first light at 5 AM then to drive into the nite. Have fun. | ||
| Impulse_101 |
No way I'm getting off the road by nightfall the first day. Most of it will be at night. But I'll be at my destination by the nightfall the next day. JT | ||
| Curtyd |
You'd be real surprised if you actually are on the road at 5AM, don't stop for anything but gas, where you snack, pee and that's about it. Run until 7PM and you have put 14 hours on the road. That's a lot in anyones's book. If you are even averaging 60mph, that's over 800 miles. The first time that will probably be your limit. The KEY is not stopping but every 3 hours or so. That's the hardest thing for newbies on the long distance runs. Not trying to put in 20 hours in a day. After a fullday it's nite and your eyes are starting to cross. Not a good position to be in on a bike on an unknown ride and road and after DARK. TRUST ME on this. I have run cross country on bikes numerous times. | ||
| Henrik |
The key to making good time/distance is, as others have pointed out, not stopping. Sounds easy, but takes some planning to avoid too many gas/restroom breaks. When you *do* stop, make sure you have a plan that minimizes the time you're not moving. Good Iron Butters can do a gas/restroom stop in 5 minutes or less. If you haven't been to the Iron Butt website (I'm guessing you have, but still), go and look through the Knowledge Vault. Lots of good info. Also, again. The second you feel your concentration drifting: STOP! Too easy and much too dangerous to try to ride it out. A good indicator that you're fading is when you catch yourself daydreaming. That's just one step away from falling asleep. I've found that a 15 minute power nap followed by some exercise gives me enough of a boost for a few more hours of riding - safely. I don't think I'd use a shoulder bag for that long of a ride. Could get really cumbersome. As mentioned here on Badweb, Wallmart carries inexpensive photo bags that can be converted to decent tail trunks. As Curtis mentions, a big tankbag is good for resting. I also use a throttle rocker and sometimes the Throttlemeister for resting my right hand. Above all, stay safe and have a great ride. Henrik | ||
| Impulse_101 |
I'm not using a sling bag of any kind. My camelback is a small one and I barely feel it through my armor. I'm not actually leaving until 5 or 6 at night. I'll make it through Chicago and Indiana and then rack out. That way I'll be better rested for the real riding the next day. JT | ||
| Spooky |
John, Whats bringing you to W-S? It is my home town after all. Eric | ||
| Chainsaw |
AAA or any normal auto club won't even bring you gas if you tell them you are on a motorcycle, guess how I know? That would be incorrect. AAA Plus RV membership covers motorcycles, regardless of brand (unlike HOG and BRAG) and WILL deliver gas to you, as they did to me outside of Las Cruces New Mexico in 2002. | ||
| Kaudette |
Ride Safe and don't forget to drink lots of water - especially on the second half of the day. Stay away from caffeine, it feels good for the first hour and after that, downhill fast. Other than that, what the other guys said... | ||
| Mikle |
Spent two days on the dragon last week. You will love it. I am going back tomorrow. Check out the anti monkey butt powder in the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort store. Sounds like you are going to need it. Good luck. If you ride the dragon after dark, watch for bears. The four legged kind. | ||
| Court |
I always keep 3 laminated plastic cards attached to my helmet, swingarm and tank bag with EMERGENCY INFO when I am (or was) doing all nighters and cross country riding. What do you want the first person, if you are found unconscious, on the scene to know immediately. I put: My name Emergency Contact Info Blood Type No Allergies Just a thought. Court P.S. - I affix to the side of the swingarm. I've seen people put these atop the tank, but have never seen a motorcycle light on it's wheels. | ||
| Whodom |
Here's some good advice from "archive of wisdom" at the Iron Butt website: http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aow.cfm | ||
| Impulse_101 |
Court, I have my Medic Alert necklace and my old military dogtags. I hadn't thought about wearing them, I guess that would be a smart thing to do. Thanks for the tip. Who, You can bet I've been all over the Ironbutt website. JT | ||
| Buckinfubba |
JT if it wasn't all abput time I'd tell ya to hop on 421 either in lexington or corbin ,KY. then ride it all the way down to mountain city ,TN. Irode it last year from nc back to indiana, but it is not a good road for making time , it is a good road for riding fun. becareful when you get to the gap,and make sure your alert right then after your ride. the gap is no place you want your head to wander | ||
| Bomber |
Impulse I've got a cavernous Tank Bag that normally lives on the superthumper -- you're more than welcome to borrow it if you'd like . . .just say the word! also, consider heading down the highway to Intersate 57, drop down to Kankaee Ill, and then cut over to I-65 in Indidana . . . . . only adds about 45/50 mikes to thr trip, and, depending on the traffic on the underconstruction I-80 or the always being worked on Skyway, can save you lots of time (read easily 90 to 120 minutes) paddling your bike is first at 3 mph through the construction zone | ||
| Impulse_101 |
Bomber, That sounds like a plan. I have an offer for a slightly used leather tank bag for $50 from Thunderbolt_Dad. But free is always good too.  Bring it to the meeting on the 27th, I'm sure that it'll be on SuperTuber anyway. JT | ||
| Bomber |
actaully, pulse, I don't use it on the buell, as iot blocks the view to the clocks (and you thought I was remembering large when I said cavernous! | ||
| Impulse_101 |
Which bike is the Super Tuber then? | ||
| Bomber |
superTHUMPER! different scoot altogether -- mebbe I should bring it to the next meeting and introduce it! havta see if the tires have turned to wood yet (grin) | ||
| Rocketsprink |
I'll be making the trip myself on the 4th of August leaving from Kenosha. We'll have to hook up at the meeting on the 27th. I'll bring a map and a high-liter, so Bomber can show the secret, faster routes. And any good roads around to ride also. If ya don't mind. | ||
| Mbsween |
Impulse, I did a similar ride from Rochester, NY to Deal's Gap solo. Since my X1's reliabilty was less than stellar I stuck to the highway, ended up riding to Columbus Oh, the straight down to Knoxsville then to Deal's Gap. I got lost in Kentucky for a bit, and my map ended at where 129 starts. Get a good map and study it ahead of time. Really knowing where you vs knowing about where your going makes a big difference when your tired. The distance from where you turn from civilization to Deal's gap is in the 30 - 40 mile range if I remember right. There isn't much but Tennesse/NC woods to look at, man made light pretty much ends about 20 miles after the turn. It took me just over 19 hours and I covered 940ish. But I was getting pretty spacey towards the end. The dragon is pretty interesting at 1am. I got lucky, it was a regional brag event and V2win had a problem with his bike, so he got to the overlook about 30 minutes after I did. I never thought the sound of a Buell could bring that kind of relief. He guided me thru the 1st part of the dragon before disappearing into the blackness, which is to say he's a hell of alot faster than I am. The only other weird thing was my credit card company called home to check if I was traveling or if maybe my card had been stolen. If there's nobody at home to answer that you might want to call them ahead of time. That S3 will be much better than a loaded down x1 for this sort of thing. Good luck | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
The only other weird thing was my credit card company called home to check if I was traveling or if maybe my card had been stolen. If there's nobody at home to answer that you might want to call them ahead of time. good point, that just happened to me on my ride to Zion, fortunately they reached me on my cell, would really SUCK if one's plastic went toes-up on a ride. FB | ||
| Bomber |
Rocket -- I'll be glad to share whatever knowledge I may have -- tip the first, go to any of the webs sites (tailofthedragon, dealsgap, etc) and print out the maps they've got there . . . free, interesting, free, put up by bikers, did I mention free? definately call your CC company, as Mr H suggests . . . it's not fun having your most powerful tool out of commission when you need it also, for those headed to the gap, and who might be addicted to cell phone usage, pack the thing away when you clear Marysville, you ain't getting a signal for a long long far (which I find wonderful, but makes others nervous) | ||
| Bomber |
tip the second, when using a xerographioc copy of a map, a lasesr printer generated version, or an ink jet generated map, put it in a clear baggy, then put THAT into the map pocket of your tank bag do NOT put that copy straight into the tank bag map holder, unless you want the image permanantly fused to the inside of the pocket (I've got a couple examples of this technology at work in the entropy lab, if anyone's interested) | ||
| Henrik |
Impulse; sorry, I misunderstood your pack description  unless you want the image permanently fused to the inside of the pocket Bomber; that's funny  Been there, done that. Some imprints I've been able to get off with rubbing alcohol - but then, others just smeared worse Henrik | ||
| Curtyd |
AAA delivers gas to motorcyclists... Glad to hear it, it was the Good Sam Club (false advertising there) that refused to bring gas to me on the I-75, s. of Bradenton. It's a bad place because there is no crossover access from S to Northbound, so they have to go 40 miles s from nearest gas station and then back the same miles N. I ran empty on my RD400 and no one could figure out how to get me gas. So I just started pushing it since I was still a mile or so S. of the exit. After a hundred yards or so I spotted a tractor clearing a field, jumped the fence and asked if he had a gas can on the trailer, he did, Not diesel, and I was able to cruise into the gas station. No one, not two deputies, Good Sam, or a classic car Good Samaritan could figure out how to get any gas to me even though I was only about a mile or two from the station. HP figured out a way once I gave up and started huffing it. | ||
| Bomber |
you can pick up a little aluminum fuel container at a camping store -- bottle that holds a little less than a quart (litre, mebbe?) with a screw down top made for camp stove fuel -- painted red, so's that gas station attendant won't get all goofy on ya (if he's paying attention) -- it'll slip into the bottle carrier on a fanny pack or the like, and seals fluid-tight if you put it in your tank/saddle/tail bag . . . . . good for 10-15 miles if ya need it better than pushing, for sure | ||
| Impulse_101 |
I fill up as soon as I hit reserve. I'm not going to play games like that for the sake of time. I do like the camp fuel container idea though. That's clever most likely the most leak proof method I've heard of. The only downside I can thing of is if you have a static electricity discharge with a tightly closed container of gas. That's going to do some serious damage. JT | ||
| Bomber |
not if it's really full! | ||
| V2win |
Impulse, Here is a link to my first Ironbutt ride. http://www.dcbrag.org/JCv2win2.htm Matt, I too will never forget riding in the dark up to the overlook and finding you sitting there wondering were the hell you were. I was glad to be able to help you out. By the way, I sold my S3T a week or so ago. One of the regulars here bought it. When I get well enough to ride, I plan on getting another bike. Maybe by Sept. | ||
| Mbsween |
John, see you at runnin the ridge maybe? Get Well! | ||
| Impulse_101 |
Well, after some serious map checking and several "discussions" with my family I've decided to make the dragon a day trip. My route to Winston-Salem will now be entirely interstate highway and it will be 1040 miles according to mapquest. I'll be sleeping for a few hours somewhere in Kentucky and then back on the road in order to make it in less than 24 hours. It's a little disapointing but I think it will be more fun to ride the dragon when I can take the time to enjoy it. Besides, I think that it will require my full attention and I'd like to be in good condition before the ride so I can be in good condition after the ride. JT PS, My bike will finally be out of the shop tomorrow. It's going to cost a whopping $125 for new Neck and swingarm bearings as well a new swingarm pin and isolators, plus they changed the oil and primary fluid with Redline synthetic. Thank goodness for extended warrantys. |
