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Saddlesore to the Guld

rkruz

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Location
Dallas
First Name
Robert
I just finished the Iron Butt Association Saddle sore ride and wanted to share how it went with other Texans. The ride requires 1000 miles in 24 hours. I went solo and ended up with 1010 miles over 19 hrs. I suspect this long distance riding is not for most people in TWT but it was a new challenge for me and an opportunity to see parts of the state I have never been.

I went lite on the Vstrom 1000, no panniers, only a GPS, tank bag and and stuffed dry bag strapped to the back.

Also my AirHawk seat pad. I thought the Vstrom seat was very comfortable when I got it until after 200 miles in the Texas heat had me asking for mercy. The AirHawk provided excellent comfort. The secret is the amount of inflation. For me I found just enough inflation to keep your lowest point from touching the bikes seat.

I left at 2am and generally followed 35E/181 south to Corpus Christi and 281/67 back to Dallas.

Arriving in Corpus Christi about 8am, a major storm just passed through and there was a still some short light squalls on the tail end that I got caught in. Not heavy or long enough to get out the rain gear and I just rode through them.

A stop at the USS Lexington (see pic) and I got my feet wet in the Gulf of Mexico for my first visit to this coast.

From there I took a ferry to Padre Island then rode its length and when back on the mainland went southerly to get the miles I needed to the exact ½ way point of 505 miles. To my surprise and joy exactly at that turnaround was a Dairy Queen. I celebrated my good luck with a root beer float and Texas sized fries (or the adventurer lunch)

Due to time and/or route there was little or no traffic except for San Antonio and as always, friggin Dallas. One stall before Lampassas had me stuck behind a wide load taking both sides of the highway. Lots of feet on pavement time watching the utility company lift power lines out of the way.

Passing westerly of Austin towards late afternoon, I saw tons of bikes and sports cars. I know this hill country has some of the best riding in the state. I wonder how fun it would be on a weekend. Literally cavalcades of sports cars and Harleys. I saw a dozen mustangs in row all painted identically and the Racetrac looked like a Harley dealership

In general the ride was easy with the help of some good ole trucker’s coffee along the way and of course that adventurer lunch.

Next I think is the Bunburner which is a 1500 miler in 36 hours. Maybe start Dallas west to Cadillac ranch, Roswell NM and back, then on to Talimena highway.
 

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Hmm. Just signed up to do a SS1000 in a couple of weeks. Nice to see others taking the challenge.
 
Thanks for the road report. I have an Airhawk on loan right now, and am trying it out on a five hundred miler this weekend. If it's as good over the long haul as I hope and expect, I'll have my order in for one by next Monday.
 
Congrats on the accomplishment! I am also kind of tentatively planning an IBA BunBurner Extreme 1500/24 for sometime in the spring; My planned route for that was 100% interstate, Dallas -> El Paso -> Albuquerque -> Oklahoma City -> Dallas in order to keep speeds up. If you're up for it, a group might be safer than doing that solo...
 
Nicely done!
I'm planning on doing another the 2nd weekend in November, the 8th I think. for the memorial ride.
Depending on who is coming along either a SS1000 with some first time guys or a BBG by myself.
 
Sounds like a great ride......

We've got quite a few members here in the IBA books.
 
Congrats on the accomplishment! I am also kind of tentatively planning an IBA BunBurner Extreme 1500/24 for sometime in the spring; My planned route for that was 100% interstate, Dallas -> El Paso -> Albuquerque -> Oklahoma City -> Dallas in order to keep speeds up. If you're up for it, a group might be safer than doing that solo...

A SS1K is okay with 1 or 2 other rookies but I wouldn't go beyond that.

A BBG is tough to do. Unless your riding partner is 100% compatible with your riding style I would not recommend any company on the ride. Mine was Phoenix to Las Cruces NM, and then north on I-25 to Hardin MT.

I would not want to have gotten to about the 1200 mile mark and then have to drop out because my partner had some kind of a problem.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the road report. I have an Airhawk on loan right now, and am trying it out on a five hundred miler this weekend. If it's as good over the long haul as I hope and expect, I'll have my order in for one by next Monday.
Shop around i.e. Amazon/Ebay etc. before you buy one . I first saw an Air Hawk at Lonestar and they were extremely proud of it at 170 smackers and found a medium size one for my GS on Amazon for I believe about $85. Been using it now for almost two years and it works well. Good luck!
 
I really like my Airhawk, has given me some seat relief on more than one bike.

I know there are times when some pieces of equipment just don't click with your personal use. I think the main problem with the Airhawk is that people think since it is inflatable that you should inflate it.....a lot.

I've had mine several years and still make small adjustments to it, barely running any air in it at all. Too much and when you're going through the corners it feels like you are sitting on small rubber balls that are rolling around under you.
 
Shop around i.e. Amazon/Ebay etc. before you buy one . I first saw an Air Hawk at Lonestar and they were extremely proud of it at 170 smackers and found a medium size one for my GS on Amazon for I believe about $85. Been using it now for almost two years and it works well. Good luck!

I did 850 miles sitting on the Airhawk, and I loved it! Most comfortable saddle time I've ever done. The particular pad was an Airhawk Small Cruiser cushion. By the time I was home, I knew I was going to buy one.

That particular one lists for for $180. I found it on Amazon for $136 and it showed up on my front porch yesterday. There is an Airhawk II small cushion that runs $85-90, but it's made of different material and, according to Airhawk's own website, isn't as comfortable on long hauls. Considering the cost of an aftermarket saddle, $136 is a bargain! Looking forward to Talimena next month.
 
Mine is the Airhawk 2. I couldn't really tell a difference in feel between it and the Airhawk 1. But they say the 2 is less robust over the long haul.

... 20,000 + miles on it now.
I run it almost deflated and it is really nice up to day 3 or so of all day riding. Then I add a bit more air for a "change" on the Butt.
 
Cool report. Long distance riding seems like something I can get into.
 
Cool report. Long distance riding seems like something I can get into.

It's an addiction.

Tons of material here to help get you started:
http://www.ironbutt.com/about/default.cfm?CFID=8144746&CFTOKEN=79454247

http://www.ironbutt.org/forum/default.asp

http://www.saddlesore.com/

http://www.gregrice.com/index.html

http://www.ldriders.com/

http://www.mctourer.com/

And keep in mind that no matter how good you are, no matter how many miles you have under your belt, no matter how many records you have set, there is always a cage out there with your name on it... http://www.roadbikemag.com/home/endurance-rider-john-ryan-passes-after-motorcycle-accident/
 
I did 850 miles sitting on the Airhawk, and I loved it! Most comfortable saddle time I've ever done. The particular pad was an Airhawk Small Cruiser cushion. By the time I was home, I knew I was going to buy one.

That particular one lists for for $180. I found it on Amazon for $136 and it showed up on my front porch yesterday. There is an Airhawk II small cushion that runs $85-90, but it's made of different material and, according to Airhawk's own website, isn't as comfortable on long hauls. Considering the cost of an aftermarket saddle, $136 is a bargain! Looking forward to Talimena next month.
Glad it worked out for you and that you got one for at a reasonable price. Here's to more comfortable riding!:rider:
 
I completed a Saddlesore 1000 on my Street Triple R last weekend. Solo ride. Route was Coppell->Ft. Worth->Pecos->Ft. Stockton->San Antonio->Dallas->Coppell. Time 21:12; odometer miles 1100, Google Maps miles 1084.

Start time just before 6 AM. I stopped for gas about every 100 miles on average, and felt good getting back on the bike each time. I have a small aftermarket (Dart) flyscreen and Sargent seat. Wind blast was not a big problem and I felt no aches or pains worth mentioning.

Gear included an Aerostich Roadcrafter suit. On the bike were an RKA tank bag with the stuff I wanted close at hand, and Kriega tail bag for emergency items and extra clothing layers.

The bike ran beautifully. Weather was sunny & clear with a high around 60. Overnight low got down near 40.

The problems I had were traffic related - a fatality on eastbound I-10 west of Sonora that shut down the road for 1 hour+, and on I-35 north of San Antonio all traffic was routed onto the service road for about 1.5 miles.

Aside from these delays the time off the bike at gas stops added up. I stopped 10 times, probably using 2 hours or so.

I had calories in the tank bag and didn't stop for a sit down meal. I purchased water and sports drink as needed.

Next will be a Bun Burner 1500 attempt. I will ride farther between stops, try to be more efficient when stopped, and plan for a nap at a hotel after about 1000 miles (assuming similar start time). I do have an endurance running background which I think helped as I had no fatigue issues.

I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of the ride. Clearly this isn't for everyone but for those who are considering my advice is read ride reports, plan ahead and go for it.
 
Good for you :clap: Nice report. I chose to do mine going somewhere rather than riding out and back. Then take a slower pace on the return trip to see the sights. Either way it's all good.
 
A SS1K is okay with 1 or 2 other rookies but I wouldn't go beyond that.

A BBG is tough to do. Unless your riding partner is 100% compatible with your riding style I would not recommend any company on the ride. Mine was Phoenix to Las Cruces NM, and then north on I-25 to Hardin MT.

I would not want to have gotten to about the 1200 mile mark and then have to drop out because my partner had some kind of a problem.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Ditto!
 
Nice report, thanks. Also, thanks to the other posters for the SS advice. I have wanted to do this for a few years and a couple of bikes now. I wish I had while I still had my ST1300. But I think my DL1000 will do fine if I ditch some of the luggage.

This last fall I had a rather nasty hockey accident. Following shoulder "reconstruction" surgery I have not been able to get on my bike since September 14th. I was advised by the surgeon to not engage in anything too risky (ie: falling down... bike, cycle, hockey, etc.) for at least 12 weeks. I will be able to ride about 12/16 and wanted to do something "spectacular" to celebrate being back on the bike. I had been considering a few destination rides but this thread has me thinking of a SS1K again.
 
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