[AFNurse]

I am thinking about the possibility of beginning my Sturgis trip this year with an iron butt ride..... Farthest I have gone to date was 550 miles in one day....I am curious.... who has done Iron butt ride, how do-able is it, and will you ever do it again?!! I have a specific destination in Iowa from San Antonio that I would be shooting for.... but not sure if I can do it in one shot or in 2 days ride..... distance is right at the 1050-1100 mile mark..... mostly stock E=Glide Standard, not in a group or formation, would probably be solo.... and any hints/tricks that would make this work vs. recommend against it.... ride to arrive!!

[chucktx]

i have never done an iron butt. i like to enjoy the ride and scenery. but, if i was in a hurry to get some where, i think you could get close to 1000 miles in a 24 hr period, with a few stops to regroup. the longer in the saddle, the less attentive you are, and i think more prone to mistakes. then once you get where your going you will probably take a day or two to recoup....just my thoughts.

[Sleepy]

Not sure what constitutes an Iron Butt Ride..I've put a few 900 mile days in..maybe a 1000 miler but haven't done one of those for a while. I know SK, Marc and myself have had some fun racking the miles up. I don't like riding at night unless I have to..eyes not so good and too many critters out there. Gotta watch for that. If you're gonna run some big miles get a camelbak or some hydration bottle that you can drink out of..keep some supplement like gatoraid in it and keep drinking. If I wanna make miles..get up early ..ride a tank of gas..or two..then eat breakfast....couple more tanks..meal supplement..couple more tanks....shut it down..get a room..grab a quick meal, a couple of beers..sleep..repeat...don't forget the sunscreen..gatoraid..beer ..You've got pretty much the perfect bike for putting the miles on..wanna get there faster? Get Goose to ride along with you..that kat can skate!!!!!! I think Marc is going to Sturgis.. if things work for me I'll get a coupla days there....Marc can dangle too..it'd be nice to meet up. I'm sure there are lots of ideas on how to rack up the miles. I can't do the big big days as easy any more..too beat up. Enjoy that ride, you've some great riding there..lots to see, the ride there is as good as the destination...first sturgis? I remember mine....you'll love it.

[SK]

I've never done an official Iron Butt Ride, but have done it just riding from California out to Colorado and back. Now that I've got the FJR, it'd be easier as I can go 300 miles on a tank of gas, but haven't had the opportunity lately. Don't go looking for it really..it just kind of happened a couple of times. Worst time was riding from near Aspen, CO and pulling into Fallon, NV (just east of Reno) with the sun falling right on top of the road..could hardly see and was getting pretty tired. Damn hot-tub was better'n sex that night (the lady told me the hot-tub was closed for the night when I was checking in and she changed her mind when I turned around and started to walk across the street to another motel).

[FlynDutchman]

Originally Posted by chucktx

i have never done an iron butt. i like to enjoy the ride and scenery. but, if i was in a hurry to get some where, i think you could get close to 1000 miles in a 24 hr period, with a few stops to regroup. the longer in the saddle, the less attentive you are, and i think more prone to mistakes. then once you get where your going you will probably take a day or two to recoup....just my thoughts.

Im with you man...Id rather enjoy the ride....If Im gettin tired, I stop. No use becoming road pizza just to get to a destination....I'll leave a little early if thats the case.

[2fastnaz]

There used to be an Iron Butt race that went to all four corners of the US. I worked the check point in San Diego (little border town south of there I don't recall the name) once in the 80s. Does any one know if they still run that or has it morphed into any long ass run you turn your gas reciepts and things in for??

[mwelych]

I don't mind riding long distances, b ut I am like most. I wanna enjoy the scenery and maybe do some exploring/hiking while stopped. No need to do the massive mileages anymore...

[FlynDutchman]

Originally Posted by mwelych

I don't mind riding long distances, b ut I am like most. I wanna enjoy the scenery and maybe do some exploring/hiking while stopped. No need to do the massive mileages anymore...

Must mean we're gettin old & mello

[GreyBear]

I am working on one of the other Iron Butt rides they certify. It's the National Parks ride. You do it in a 12 month period but you have to hit a National Park in 25 different states. A buddy of mine did the Extreme Border to Border one a few years ago Mexico to Canada in 36 hrs. The Iron Butt website has all the rides they certify and some really helpful advise from some folks that are serious about that sort of thing.
I do know that my buddy wore some sort of special underwear he found somewhere that was made from the CoolMax stuff they make Tshirts for wearing under body armor. He paid pretty high for them but said the lack of saddle sores was worth it........
Ride Free........

[AFNurse]

IF I do it, will be the unofficial type..... I measure my own miles, clock my own time.....1K in 24 hours.....you want to discuss it.... over a beer maybe.... not for some patch.....I can ALWAYS say that I have done it (and when I say I have done it, will not be a lie.... if I have not, will say that I have not!). I am still not sure as I have not done that kind of riding, so not sure if my A$$ is up to it!!! I am just looking for input on this..... still in planning process right now.... and still planning route!

[GreyBear]

To each his own AFN. Personally, if I had documentation for all the things I have done I would have to have a bigger place to hang them, as I am sure is the case with a lot more folks here as well. Since I am a bit older I am going to give you a different slant on it. My son was going through some old photo alnums with me a couple of years ago. He asked about a lot of things and some of them, hell I had even forgotten about. He said he wanted to have some of the things that were milestones in my life for himself and my grandkids....and I got to thinking in terms NOT of "Hey look what I did" but in terms of family history. A lot of things I can't redo. I lost my Bob Blackwell spurs and bull rope and some old trphys from riding bulls and drag racing years ago...but the things I can I am trying to preserve so my grandkids grandkids can have a glimpse of what I was like and the times I lived in. And to me that's important. I have some things from my dad pictures of him in the service and after the war when him and my mom had a old 45 ci harley with a sidecar as thier means of transport, His Corps of Engineers ring and 30 year service pin, some letters he saved that mom wrote him when he was overseas, the flag that was on his casket...but I sure wish I had more.
Yeah pins and patches and stuff are just stuff...but how much will they mean to your descendants down the road?

Ride Free.........

[ironhorse]

I usually will ride till I need a brake then go at it again when I feel up to it, I ussually have a destination in mind as I travel for work It is nothing to jump on and travel at tank full length fill up and go again knock down 14-1500 miles in a 20 or so hr period and when I am in my dodge I carry an extra 120 gallons of fuel so that I only stop for a drain and fill ,some times it's harder than others. and trying to stay alert and attentive can be trying at times, It's what ever frame you put your mind in that constitutes an ironbutt ride/run. sometimes it's ants in the tool chest that dicktates it though

[Pixs]

I keep finding that I've gone more and more distance than I thought. I'm not checking any more. Somewhere over 1,100/day but not every day.

I usually go 150 miles from fuel to fuel, every time I stop, I walk around a bit to make sure that I can put my feet down at the nest stop. I'm a diabetic, so I eat light at most stops, usually a non fat yogurt or fruit.

Don't think I'll go on a run like that, pressure is not good when pushing it. I make my own run pins if I waht one.

[SkyKing]

Most I've done is about 400. On a softail. Maybe if I had an eglide I could do more. I'm pretty wrung-out after anything over 250. Ready for a whiskey.

[Pixs]

Originally Posted by SkyKing

Most I've done is about 400. On a softail. Maybe if I had an eglide I could do more. I'm pretty wrung-out after anything over 250. Ready for a whiskey.

400 miles on a tank, damn that must be some tune!

[Seahag]

I've gone as far as 650 miles in a day to get out to Deadwood, in the Black Hills. Definately eat light at each stop. Pack rain gear...a day in the rain can seem like an eternity if you're wet and uncomfortable. I expect to be putting some long days in to get down to south carolina this June for the Harley shop talk rally. I'm going to give this new energy drink a try. I've seen it hyped a bunch as giving quite the boost without the crash when you come down.

http://www.5hourenergy.com/

[ironhorse]

another long shot 820 mi in 12 hrs excect this was an iron butt/will as the first 400 was below 40 deg 50+ mph gusts on and off rain sleet hail the last400 mi was just wind and sprinklesI failed to out guess mother nature this time do it again on the 7 or 8th winnemucca nv back to chy wy hope fully the weather will cope a little better hard to predict this time of year.

[AFNurse]

Ironhorse...that ride just plain old sounds PAINFULL!!! Wind is not fun to ride in....but add that to below 40 and throw in some rain/sleet.....think I would have found someplace to shack up and wait for some heat!!! how many days did it take you to warm back up??!!

[ironhorse]

It was one of my less enjoyable rides, although I wised up this last round and took the dodge to winn.nv and was pretty proud of the fact I out guessed the weather guesser on tv. but then 1/2 way through the week I had to run down to Phx. AZ to bury a cuz. and that would have been a nice ride about the only bad weather I ran into in the 1800 miles was the snow up on loveland vail passes on the way home. ohwell it is gonna warm up here by the end of the week I'm sure. so I've been slappin the chrome to the sled so incase it breaks down I will sure look cool

[bk166]

I have made one registered Iron Butt ride and yea, I would do it again. Its nothing more than bragging rights but its fun and doable. Ive made a couple of un-registered Iron Butt rides only because I couldnt find a place to stay along the trip. I think my personal record is around 1200 miles in a day.