Guest MDP Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 It had been a goal of mine for quite a while to try the Iron Butt Association’s entry level long haul ride called the SaddleSore 1000. I’m happy to report that I recently had the chance to attempt and successfully complete this 1000+ mile trip within a 24 hour time period aboard my 2005 VFR. I know that some of you have completed this particular (along with other) IBA ride and have posted on the topic so I won’t attempt to repost too many unnecessary details about the ride. I will however share some of the details from my trip for planning purposes should any of you wish to attempt a similar ride. The mileage numbers I was able to get were of particular interest to me given that I rode lots of miles in a wide variety of conditions so I see them as a pretty accurate reflection of the VFR’s capabilities. THE ROUTE I chose to ride the Lower Great Lakes 1000, a circular route around both Lakes Erie and Ontario. I started and ended my ride in Oakville, ON and traveled through a number of metropolitans such as Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Syracuse, Kingston and Toronto along the way. Here’s a snapshot of the route I took: IBA's Lower Great Lakes 1000 Route OVERALL TRIP SUMMARY Total Distance - 1036 miles (odometer indicated), 1024 miles as given by Map Quest Total Time - 20 hours and 14 minutes Overall Fuel Economy - 1024 miles / 23.98 gallons = 42.7 mpg Best Fuel Economy - 45.0 mpg (Kingston, ON to Bowmanville, ON) Worst Fuel Economy - 40.9 mpg (Oakville, ON to London, ON) FUEL ECONOMY SUMMARY Start Point: Oakville, ON (3:53am on Monday August 6, 2007) Fuel Stop A Location - London, ON (5:20am) Distance Traveled - 93 miles Fuel Used - 2.27 gallons Fuel Economy - 40.9 mpg Fuel Stop B Location - Windsor, ON (7:02am) Distance Traveled - 114 miles Fuel Used - 2.76 gallons Fuel Economy - 41.3 mpg Fuel Stop C Location - Toledo, OH (8:36am) Distance Traveled - 59 miles Fuel Used - 1.39 gallons Fuel Economy - 42.4 mpg Fuel Stop D Location - Concord, OH (11:30am) Distance Traveled - 142 miles Fuel Used - 3.25 gallons Fuel Economy - 43.7 mpg Fuel Stop E Location - Cheektowaga, NY (3:07pm) Distance Traveled - 168 miles Fuel Used - 3.78 gallons Fuel Economy - 44.4 mpg Fuel Stop F Location - Syracuse, NY (5:38pm) Distance Traveled - 138 miles Fuel Used - 3.30 gallons Fuel Economy - 41.8 mpg Fuel Stop G Location - Kingston, ON (8:07pm) Distance Traveled - 125 miles Fuel Used - 2.97 gallons Fuel Economy - 42.0 mpg Fuel Stop H Location - Bowmanville, ON (10:31pm) Distance Traveled - 115 miles Fuel Used - 2.55 gallons Fuel Economy - 45.0 mpg Fuel Stop J Location - Oakville, ON (12:07am) Distance Traveled - 70 miles Fuel Used - 1.71 gallons Fuel Economy - 40.9 mpg Finish Point: Oakville, ON (12:07am on Tuesday August 7, 2007) Here’s a picture of a willing VFR about 800 miles into the journey, just before sunset: VFR resting during SaddleSore 1000 ride OVERALL REFLECTION While I did lose a lot of time due to border delays and some serious construction delays on I-75 near Detroit and on I-90 near Erie, PA, I still had a great time conquering the SaddleSore 1000. The types of delays I ran into are pretty unavoidable and are a fact of life for those of us living in the northeast. I’ll definitely be trying another IBA ride in the near future. The BunBurner 1500 is the next logical step and I’m already looking at possible routes for this ride. For anybody wishing to attempt and IBA ride, pack lots of water, PB & J sandwiches and have a blast. Check out the Iron Butt Association’s website for more information on their rides at www.ironbutt.com. Ride safe and ride often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 nice work! even with delays that is pretty quick. after doing a 24 hour ride last summer from oregon to calgary i realized, that there is actually a limit to the number of hours i can sit on a motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer doug5551 Posted August 10, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2007 Please let me congratulate you on your success. I completed mine on June 9th of this year on a ride sponsored by the Motorcycle Touring Forum, a great group of people. As for BB 1500, it sounds like the addiction is starting. Yeah, I know, me too. But mine is gonna be in the California/Nevada Desert, so that should make it a little easier/quicker for me. You should get some bonus points for doing it back East and on a VFR. Way to go!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Sam Bel Posted August 10, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2007 :thumbsup: Congrats on the ride. I did this in June of 2005, also with the help of the Motorcycle Group mentioned, BUT, I did it on my GL1800 Gold Wing. I don't think I could do it on my VFR. After not being able to sit down for two days (even on my bed), I have no desires to try the 1500 mile journey. I also had the advantage of Texas riding, which was flat, mostly empty, and about 300+ miles of legal 75MPH speeds, although I did keep things around 78 to 79. With all that, it was still a 17.5 hour trek. I wasn't trying to break any records, unlike one guy that finished a good 3+ hours ahead of everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Yeah, the delays are pretty typical of eastcoast riding...I'm jeleous of those of you that get to ride out in the midwest where you can pretty much plan a ride without considering traffic and construction delays too much. What really killed my time was the fact that my route had me crossing the Canada/US border twice! These days, there really is no quick way to cross the border. I crossed into Detroit at about 7:30am and had to wait about 45min in all. My way back into Ontario via the Thousand Islands border crossing near Kingston was about 12 hrs later at 7:30pm. Again, I got delayed at least 1/2 and hour just waiting in line for the next available customs inspector. Those were the worst things about the trip. The most remarkable thing about it was how good I felt when I got home. Yeah I was a bit sore in the tush, but not nearly as much as I thought I'd be. My Sargent seat really proved it's worth on this trip...I remember how 500 mile days on the stock seat would leave me beaten and bruised. I think I nice Bun Burner 1500 ride would be to depart from Toronto and do a lap around Lake Huron (~1000 miles) before catching some zzzz's at home in T.O. and then going for a quick ride around Lake Ontario (~500 miles) the next day. Lake Ontario was way easier to ride around than Lake Erie because you don't have to pass through such populated areas like Detroit and Cleveland. That sees a lot of border crossings unfortunately, but we just don't have enough superslab roads up here in Canada to do these timed long haul rides on. If one departs for a lap around Lake Huron around 4am and returns by 1am, they could get 4 hrs of sleep before getting up for a 9 hr ride around Lake Ontario. That should put you back home by 2pm the following day which is still 2 hrs shy of the 4pm cut off time for the 36 alloted hours for this ride. Hmmm.... I don't know if I'm sounding crazy, but I'm definitely sounding like an addict! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyminds Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Congratz on ur completion. Did mine back in April, to complete my two week Tmac trip, coming from Kentucky to Florida a long route. Had blast, would love to do the 1500 if I could ever find time. Speaking of which I still havent sent that stuff in to the IBA. Its all still on my desk at home since the beginning of April. Managed to do the 1042 miles in right at 13 hours, didnt really seem that fast though. Have yet to see if IBA will deny it because of speed. Guess that would give me a reason to do it again. Anyway gratz on ur completion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer doug5551 Posted August 10, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2007 You are not sounding crazy. There are lots of LD riders who do the exact same thing, present company included. Don't forget you can cross the border just once and head to someplace out west to then start/do your ride, if you ever wanted to see lets say Montana for example.... Now that you know you can ride 1,000 miles in a day, North America just got a lot smaller for you. Ha Ha! You really don't have a problem until you start thinking about an auxiliary fuel cell, but that is just my opinion. I am not quite there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmv Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 As I said before, Congrats me VFR Brethern! Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 My ass hurts just thinking about those long rides. Nicely done MDP. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NorthernVFRDave Posted August 12, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted August 12, 2007 Well done. wish I had of known you were up to this, would have joined you for the ride, I didt 1100km two days in a row coming back from the east coast the second week of July, could have done the extra needed if I had knowen where the next gas station was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Congrats! Do you think you could have pulled it off on your F4i? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Congrats! Do you think you could have pulled it off on your F4i? The most milage I'd ever done on my F4i in one sitting was a 985 km (~600 mile) round trip from Ontario to the Honda Homecoming event (central Ohio) in the summer of 2004. Upon my return, I had to stop in Windsor, ON (across from Detroit) and crash at a friend's place for the night b/c I was just too sore and beat up. I had an older F4i with the two piece seat mind you, I hear the newer ones are quite a bit more comfy. But to answer your question SEB, there's no way I think I could pull off a 'thousand miler' on a F4i. BTW, the most milage I'd ever done on my VFR with the stock seat on it was an 1100 km (~700 mile) round trip through New York's Finger Lake region. Upon getting home, I was also quite sore and uncomfortable. I'm thus amazed at how well I felt after doing almost 1700 km in one sitting...it's yet another testament to the value and benefit of installing a Sargent seat...it really is the first mod anybody should consider for their VFR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Congrats! Do you think you could have pulled it off on your F4i? The most milage I'd ever done on my F4i in one sitting was a 985 km (~600 mile) round trip from Ontario to the Honda Homecoming event (central Ohio) in the summer of 2004. Upon my return, I had to stop in Windsor, ON (across from Detroit) and crash at a friend's place for the night b/c I was just too sore and beat up. I had an older F4i with the two piece seat mind you, I hear the newer ones are quite a bit more comfy. But to answer your question SEB, there's no way I think I could pull off a 'thousand miler' on a F4i. BTW, the most milage I'd ever done on my VFR with the stock seat on it was an 1100 km (~700 mile) round trip through New York's Finger Lake region. Upon getting home, I was also quite sore and uncomfortable. I'm thus amazed at how well I felt after doing almost 1700 km in one sitting...it's yet another testament to the value and benefit of installing a Sargent seat...it really is the first mod anybody should consider for their VFR. I have an '01 F4i, with a Corbin seat. I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt after the 330 mile group ride during the TexasMac event this year. It helps a lot to be in and out of the seat thru nice corners, instead of slabbing, but I don't think I would have felt the same with the stock plank of a seat! +1 on the Sargent seats as well, mine literally saved my behind on my trip last year. I did three long days at the end, 550, 650, then 785 miles(Colo. Springs - Topeka, Topeka - Marion, IN, IN - home in NY). I didn't feel "fine" after all those miles, but most of my discomfort came from between my shoulder blades, not the seat. Well worth the investment!! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Congrats MDP, Did mine back in June, Albuquerque to Memphis. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Here's a few more images from various stages of my SaddleSore ride. You'll note a number of comfort mods I've made to the bike to try to minimize the negative effects of rider fatigue/discomfort. The first comfort mod is a Puig double-bubble windscreen which really helps to lift the airflow nicely over the heads of riders - unless you're really tall that is! I also replaced my MagKnight tank protector with a LP tank bra...it's not as slippery as the magnetic piece I used to have on which lets the knees better grip the tank on longish rides. The Joe Rocket tank bag on the bike I've used for many years. It's a good balance between size and function, although it is quite cheaply made. This is the 3rd one I've owned in 7 years. I used it b/c it has a little bottom storage compartment that let me keep a clipboard in it with the rider log you're supposed to fill out at every stop/refueling. This way, I could take out and put back the log without ripping through all the other stuff in the bag. We all know the benefits of the Sargent seat and the OEM hardbags, rider gear however is something to consider on a long haul ride. I wore an Alpinestars Stage perforated leather jacket (good airflow + protective benefits of leather) along with the Alpinestars GP Plus gloves and Shoei RF-1000 helmet you can see in one of the pics. I also had on a pair of Alpinestars S-MX-4 boots. The only (safety) weakness in my attire was the blue jeans I had on...not very protective. I was going to wear my two-piece leathers until the morning of my ride...I backed out because I didn't think I'd broken them in enough yet having just replaced my old one-piece set of leathers in early July. I just didn't want to spend the latter portion of my ride thinking about how stiff my new leather suit still is! The pics... VFR-IBA Ride1.jpg Side view of VFR during the morning hours - a little wet it was! VFR-IBA Ride2.jpg VFR resting roadside somewhere in Pennsylvania. VFR-IBA Ride3.jpg Late in the day near Watertown, NY about 30 min before I crossed back into Canada. VFR-IBA Ride4.jpg Some of the gear I had with me sitting atop the bike at a gas stop. *NOTE* I won't claim any comfort/safety benefit from the LeoVince pipes I've got on the bike, but the wonderful exhaust note did help keep me awake and alert all day long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 UPDATE... A total 5 months and 2 days after my Aug 6/07 Lower Lakes 1000 ride, my Iron Butt documentation finally arrived!! Although it seems like a long wait, I'm totally aware that many riders have had to wait far longer than 5 months to get their documentation. IBA's Lower Great Lakes 1000 Route I had my new plate back installed on my VFR no more than 10min after the mailman delivered the goods. Iron Butt plate back Incidently, participating in this Iron Butt ride convinced me to get a GPS unit to make future long haul rides / Iron Butt challenges that much easier. I chose to mount my Garmin on the left handlebar for ease of use but I have yet to test it out on the rode - January can be a cruel month in Canada! Garmin Zumo GPS mount So I guess I can finally close the book on this particular ride. I hope to be able to try a BunBurner 1500 ride sometime in 2008 between my planned trips to (1) Deal's Gap, (2) the Gaspe Peninsula and (3) the Indy MotoGP race. Happy New Year to you all and ride safe. IBA#31939 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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