First Timer ---- Need suggestions

[kumite]

Ok I officiall have the bug now to do an iron butt. Up till this point however my longest day ride was about 400 Miles.

What are my chances for success on the first attempt and any suggestions to improve my chances for a successful IB?

I will be leaving from Memphis Tn.

Todd

[dhealy50]

check the weather in the direction you will be riding. I got caught in a snow storm once and it realy slows down the pace. Don

[Sgt Rock]

Ok I officiall have the bug now to do an iron butt. Up till this point however my longest day ride was about 400 Miles.

What are my chances for success on the first attempt and any suggestions to improve my chances for a successful IB?

I will be leaving from Memphis Tn.

Todd

Amen to watching the weather. From Memphis, a good IB run is:
Memphis to Nashville to Louisville to Cincinatti to Indianapolis to Effingham, IL and south back to Memphis, little over 1000 miles and all Interstate.
Make SURE you check IBA homepage so you know the rules, it's www.ironbutt.com (http://www.ironbutt.com), lots of info.
Good luck

[grumpyz]

Check the road construction on the route you will be travelling. Especially in the warm months. The last IB run I made (From Atlanta to Minneapolis) most of the route was through Illinois. Lots of construction and delays. They work from 7pm until 7am. (Nights) I talked to a guy at their DOT and he recommended that I not hit one particular streach until after 7am. It was 200 miles in 20-30 mile streaches of construction. I hit after 7am and flew right through. Funny thing is that in Georgia they work in the day time and not at night for the most part.

[doc_cj]

Ok I officiall have the bug now to do an iron butt. Up till this point however my longest day ride was about 400 Miles.

What are my chances for success on the first attempt and any suggestions to improve my chances for a successful IB?

I will be leaving from Memphis Tn.

Todd

Your chances of success depend on how crazy ... er ... I mean ... dedicated you are. In my case, the first time was necessity not ego, so the chances improved because I just didn't have much choice. Later 1000+ days were because of time and distance. I needed to get a minimum number of miles in a set number of days to see the things I wanted to see (see #3 below).

How to improve your chances ... go downtown in Memphis, find a really nasty looking biker bar (real biker, bad guys, old Harleys, wearing colors preferably, not weekend bikers) and go in their with $1000in hand. Tell them ol' boys that if they can catch you they can have your $1000. Then start on your 1000 mile journey. :P

But seriously, you can greatly improve your chances by doing three things:

1. Build up to it -- I'm not 100% sure how necessary this one is, but I know that I never do 1000+ miles on my first ride of the season. I normally take 2 to 3 long trips each summer, but I start with smaller trips early in the year. This helps me break in the riding muscles (especially the big Gluteus Maximus muscles) and helps me prepare for the conditions of riding long distances.

2. Think about Not Riding 1000 miles -- My worst day of riding was one that I spent all my time concentrating on how far I had to go. I was so miserable because I made myself miserable. I've since learned that it's easier if I find something else to think about while on the road. That might be beautiful scenery, the passenger on the back of the bike in front of you, or just listening to music on an IPOD or other music device. In my case, one of my favortie road games is to buy a lottery ticket (Utah don't sell 'em, so being on the road let's me gamble) and then figuring out what I'm going to spend the money on. I've never won anything, but boy I sure have had fun spending that money while going down the highway. Whatever it takes to get your mind off your numb butt is the key.

3. Plan well -- 1000 miles does not come in 1 shot. Chances are you'll be stopping every 120 to 175 miles for gas, so plan those stops to increase your chances of success. When I know I'm going a long distance I'll plan my stops so that I have something worth stopping for. In some instances I may pick a roadside attraction within my fuel range and then stop for that attraction. That helps break up the trip so that I now am taking a series of smaller trips instead. IN other instances I plan to make stops according to certain meal plans or interest. This also gives me a goal for the trip, and this helps me cover miles that would otherwise just be driving.

Remember, for most of us the thrill is not just covering miles, but doing something while we're covering miles. I guess this is equal to the old saying, "Stop and smell the roses."

[Miles]

Ok I officiall have the bug now to do an iron butt. Up till this point however my longest day ride was about 400 Miles.

What are my chances for success on the first attempt and any suggestions to improve my chances for a successful IB?

I will be leaving from Memphis Tn.

Todd

JUST GO
Don't worry if you make the 1000 miles
Have fun and you will
It is not that hard if you have other thinks on you mind
The worst think you can do is ride for only the 1000 miles
Have places to go and things to look for as you ride
and ALWAYS have fun ;)

My .02 ;)
Miles ;)

[Klattu]

Start early... like about 2am

Bring all weather gear.

Have a few destinations in mind, and stop there to add interest to your trip.
Don't just make it a 1000 mile ride.

Enjoy the little things...
Time to think...
Sunrise.. (not a little thing really)
Talk to everyone that shows interest in your bike
Tell waitress what your doing... helps speed things up
If you see something interesting, stop and check it out
Don't make it a race.

Organize your fuel recepts and paper work where it is always easy to get to

Watch 'Easy Rider' 69 times before heading out.

[Todd2]

Plan out your entire trip. Know where each gas stop, food stop, etc is before you leave. We stopped every ~ 100 miles w/ 15 minutes at each stop - 5 min. to get off and back on the freeway, 5 min. to fill up the bikes and fill in the log, and 5 min. to walk, potty and get something to drink/snack on. Sounds like a lot - it's not. We also had a 1/2 hour meal break half way through. Stick to your schedule - its much less stressfull. It took us exactly 18 hours.

I never got bored, since I knew exactly where I was in the trip at all times (for example: 32 miles till the next gas stop, etc.) and would recalculate my ending time in my head, so I knew I was going to make it - easily. Fill out your log at each stop, so you don't forget. Put all your receipts in a baggie, or somewhere easy to keep together, even if windy. Drink Red Bull (or the like) if you start to get tired - it takes about 20 mins. to kick in - but it does work surprisingly well.

Pay at the pump and call your credit card company before you leave and tell them where you will be going and that you are participating in a "Road Rally" and to expect multiple small charges at gas stations. Mine has this nasty habit of blocking my card about 3/4's of the way through for 'suspicious activity' (and yes, I have an excellent credit rating).

Next IB for me - 1500/24. That'll require an auxillary gas tank. Oh yeah, that's why I logged on to this BB. Later. Let us know how it went................

Todd

[tom cat]

I may be going to the east somewhere to visit my son. He is working at re wireing Walley world's around the east coast, well over 1000mi. I have no plans yet. It will be to cold for me for some time yet. As I am not one of those riders that enjoys freezing his ass. I have rode in the snow the rain, hail, and huricane, but never because I planed it that way. Trying to do better on the planning these days.