My first SS1000 ride, a trip report of sorts.

[MidTNJasonF]

For one reason or another I have always wanted to do a few IBA rides like the Saddle Sore 1000 (SS1000) and the Bun Burner Gold (BBG). Miles and miles on the Interstate is not really the type of riding I prefer to do but it seemed like a fun and worthwhile challenge and something to check off the riding “bucket list”.

I have done some nice long day rides of 500 to 600 miles. I have managed some 1200 to 1400 mile 3 day weekend rides in the past couple of years as well. I also ran the entire length of the Natchez Trace Parkway in one day earlier this year which was over 500 miles at 50 to 55 mph. That ended up being just over a 12 hour day in the saddle but still not really a Iron Butt level ride. I got the opportunity this weekend to take part in a pre-set IBA ride put on in different regions by volunteer coordinators from MTF (The Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum). They made things easy by having a pre-approved route with pre planned fuel stops, ready to fill in forms, a start and end witness ready at the start and end points, and someone to make sure the paper work was properly filled out. It was pretty much a turnkey show up and ride event.

My choice of transportation for this event was my 1998 VFR 800. I have had it about a month and am still getting used to it. For touring comfort I have a Corbin seat with a homemade sheep skin pad. I have also added MFW Vario lowering pegs and a taller touring shield. I also recently added Givi racks with side cases and a top trunk. Before I do my next long ride I will ditch the clip-ons and put on normal bars for a bit more rise and pull back. I may also have to do a +1/-1 on the gearing because it you do want to wick the speeds up just a touch it really drops your fuel economy through the floor above about 5500 rpm.

So Saturday morning rolls around and the alarm would have gone off at 4am if I had not woken up at 3:50am. I was on the bike and pulling up the driveway at 4:30 to make the close to 1 hour ride down to the starting point of the SS1000 ride. There I pull in to find two other riders just about ready to finish their starting paperwork and pull out. A few good mornings and handshakes later I get my starting witness signature and paperwork packet and fill up the tank for the first gas receipt at 5:32 am. From there it is promptly onto I-24 headed North West.

I put middle Tennessee behind me fairly quickly, after I stopped to close the lid of the top box I apparently did not latch properly. No worries it was just the cooler with a couple bottles of water in there so nothing took flight. It was actually fairly pleasant with the sun just starting to rise behind me and over my shoulder. Traffic was light since it was early on a Saturday and the riding was easy. It was sort of downhill from there though. I hit some fairly heavy fog in a couple of places the worse being near Paducah KY, and Metropolis, IL. It might as well have been raining since it was nearly impossible to keep my visor clear and my gear was quite wet on the outside. Temps hovered in the upper 50’s and low 60’s and I was comfortable with the temperatures but visibility and the damp air rally made things a bit tough.

I started to get sore and stiff at around the 200 mile mark and was concerned. If I was already uncomfortable at this early stage how was I going to make it to 1000+ miles? Oddly enough once that base level of soreness set it things never got worse. I sort of adjusted to the comfort level and all it took was 5 minutes off the bike every fuel stop to stretch and feel pretty good again. The trip itself was staying pretty miserable though. I-24 North West to I-57 north was my route until I picked up I-70 East toward Indianapolis. More light rain, mist, grey sky, and crappy road surfaces were all that Illinois and Indiana had to offer. To be fair the sun did try to come out a bit in Indiana right about the time the multiple 45 mph single lane work zones started popping up every 5 miles or so.

The trip was honestly a boring miserable blur so far and my two major thoughts were:

“well I could finish just to say I did it but why the hell did I do this?”

and

“I am picking up I-65 in Indy and it would be a straight short shot home if I just want to blow off the rest of the ride.”

I got south of Indy and took another fuel stop and extended my break for a sandwich and to collect myself. The roads had been rough especially in the construction roads and the VFR is not exactly cushy. It has a bit of a firm sporting suspension so I was feeling a bit roughed up. I shook it all off and felt a bit refreshed so I jumped back on the bike to see what the next stretch held in store for me. I had a Text message from the site coordinator/starting witness that the I-64 Bridge was closed in Louisville and traffic was very slow so I had that to look forward to.

Louisville came and went without any issues and my return to Kentucky started a new much brighter chapter in the ride. I picked up I-64 and headed toward Lexington. The sky was clearing up a bit and the sun was attempting to make a showing. Temps still were not getting higher than 70’s but that was making for some nice riding weather. Kentucky reminded me why I love living in the South East. Even from the interstate that section of the state is very attractive with acres of green picturesque horse pastures and fields. When I picked up I-75 South in Lexington the riding got even better. The sun was getting lower and the light was great. The ride through the Richmond, Berea, and Mt. Vernon was beautiful even for interstate riding. Things really got great as I began to pull up into the foot hills of the mountains and the road went from more or less straight to nice sweeping curves. Now this was starting to make the crappy morning and mid day riding worth it. Unlike the crappy views offered to me in Illinois and Indiana where I never desire to set my wheels again I really need to get back to ride more of Kentucky.

The sun set as I got back to Tennessee still winding my way through the foot hills of the Smoky Mountains. I picked my way through Knoxville via I-75/I-640 despite UT game day traffic and two wrecks on the Interstate. Have I mentioned that even though I am a Tennessean I absolutely hate UT, UT football, and a fair number of UT’s fans? They really are an obnoxious bunch some times. I stayed on I-75 and made my way toward Chattanooga in more ridiculous game day traffic. Things started to open up as I got into Chattanooga and picked up I-24 once again headed toward Monteagle Mountain and Manchester for the final leg of the trip. Temps were back into the mid to low 60’s and the ride was nice pulling through the curves of Monteagle even in the dark. Traffic was nearly nonexistent so the last leg was really stress free and enjoyable. I was feeling very good as I crossed the 1000mile threshold about 40 miles from the end point. I honestly felt like I could have ridden another few hours. I filled up the last time for my receipt and checked in with my ending witness at 10:40pm.

Things I learned on my first SS1000 IBA ride:

1) Honestly it is not that hard. Just have a plan and get out there on the bike.

2) Fuel stops can get long if you are not careful. Multi task by getting some snacks or water while you are getting gas into the tank. 4 gallons, a granola bar or some jerky, and a bottle of water should take less than 10 minutes.

3) Do not sacrifice quality of ride for miles. I would have been much happier just running up and down I-75 in Kentucky and Tennessee or I-24 back and forth over Monteagle for a thousand miles.

4) Speed is not your friend. At least in my case running faster to make up time just adds a level of stress and leads to me being far tenser than need be. Cruising along at 70mph while keeping stops short seems to be far more efficient.

5) Have fun with it and do not push. I was surprised I never got tired and as long as I took in the sites a bit and enjoyed myself the miles went by very quickly.

For those interested my gear/clothing choices were perfect and I was comfortable the entire trip. They were:

LD comfort shorts

UA base layer top

UA Heat Gear boot socks

Joe Rocket ¾ length Ballistic 7.0 touring jacket

Joe Rocket Ballistic Dry Tech touring pants

Alpinestars Ridge waterproof boots.

HJC CL-15 Helmet (really sucks and I really need a new quieter helmet)

Total Distance for the day was 1164 miles. Total Distance for the SS1000 ride was 1044 miles. Total time for the day was just at 19 hours but the time for the SS1000 ride was just a few minutes over 17 hours.

I failed to take many pictures since forgot to take my camera but I did remember to snap a couple at the end of the ride with my phone.

How the bike was setup for the ride.

I forgot the starting mileage shot but it was 18209. Here is an ending mileage shot.

My Route

http://maps.google.c...irflg=d&t=m&z=7

[NorthernVFRDave]

Way to go on the Iron Butt, I did mine first and only in May coming back from T-mac. Took me just over 18 hours, wasn't hard but boring yes. My god Virginia is a big ass state, 365miles long I81.

I did it once, but I don't thing I'll do it again, there are better ways to spend 18 hours on the bike than on the slab.

[MidTNJasonF]

I will do more but it will certainly be only one small portion of my riding. I have a few long rides I want to do including another SS1000 in a couple of weeks for my birthday. I also think one of these days I will just set off and ride for 24 hours straight just to see how far I can go with nothing but quick fuel stops.

It is certainly a different kind of riding but one I sort of enjoy. I have constant demands on my time at work. I have people walking in my office every few minutes with questions, concerns, and problems. I love my work but it takes a fair bit of mental energy to get through the day since I feel like I seldom have time to have a thought to myself. Riding long distances in the saddle by myself is actually very mentally refreshing. A major stress relief if you will. I have a blue tooth setup and a mp3 player but I only used it for about 2 hours total on my ride Saturday. Most of the time I was very happy to have nothing but quiet in my helmet to contemplate and think about all sorts of things besides work. I just can not get that done when I am corner carving on a fun road. I prefer to concentrate on the bike and the corners for those short technical rides.

[2thdr]

I appreciate your accomplishment, but just not for me. I really avoid the long, straight, interstate as much as possible. Unfortunately I just moved back to Oklahoma from living in Washington the last 12 years and way too much straight road for me...ugh! Looking forward to an Arkansas trip with some fellow VFRer's at the end of the month. You should come!