I thought we were nuts for what we do with motorcycles. But motorcycling 11,000 miles in 11 days is really crazy. I like it. I need to try this at some point in my life. Too bad this isn't televised somehow. I think this year they have the most entrants ever, about 100. The rally started monday. You can check out the daily reports here: http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2007.cfm Or you can track some of the guys via their gps/satellite links here (this is cool): https://star-traxx.com/ Anyone ever do this rally? Or thought about it?
I think Kith did it one year. And i think i saw his bike at Tally this weekend. Highway pegs on a V-Strom :up:
I thought about it......but I'm thinking I'd better do something a little more toward the other end of the spectrum first, like 1000 miles in ONE day.
You don't just 'do' the Iron Butt. You qualify for it by doing smaller events and working up too it. I'm pretty sure they've had more than 100 entries early on. They've capped it at 100 to keep the numbers down. I know a few who have done it. It takes a special kind of crazy to do it well. The Iron Butt Rally isn't just doing 11,000 miles in 11 days, that's a minimum. Your also collecting bonus points along the way. A picture next to a land mark, during the day, when it's only available to the public for 4 hours. A gambling chip from a casino in the U.P. of Michigan. That kind of stuff. All the while keeping track of gas reciepts/mileage, time, and plotting how to get the most points in an efficent way, while still making it to a checkpoint. Infact, starting last event your not a 'finisher' unless you get a minimum point total. This is to weed out the tourists who just checkpointed the rally. It's far too much paperwork for me. Start with a SS1000. 1000 miles in 24 hours. Properly documented. It's not that easy. I've done an unoffical one, alittle over 1020 miles in about 18 1/2-19 hours. It's the last 150-200 miles that are the toughest. Most IBA events arn't really about outright speed and distance. It's more about the strategy.
i just did my first ss1000 a month ago. was pretty cool....much respect for the 11k in 11days, though.
I was reading todays daily report, a guy on a Gold Wing tried for bonus points in some remote place in Alaska, Goose Bay. He crashed 200 miles from there, bike went down in deep gravel, bike was totaled. They said he was nuts for attempting that ride on a Wing. Apparently they were right. My hats off to these guys doing this very cool rally.
There fixed it for you. You needed to go back to day one, Goose Bay was worth something like 75,000 points with the last 650 miles on a gravel road. All I can say is it took some balls to even try it on a wing. I like the one for 52,000 points picture of bike in front of the Arizona memorial in Oahu.
"Not all bonuses are possible." I think they should have made it worth more points. For the guy on the 'wing on gravel, I wonder if he sat up from the ditch and thought "what was I thinking?" I know in '05 there was a tire rule. :wow: I'd like to try it(iron butt) on a big Dakar ready Katoom. Leave all the electronics at home 'cept the radar and the garmin.