IronButt Kansas City to New York

[Trumpeteer]

Game on!! This time next week I will be leaving my office in Kansas City, MO and will be heading to Hudson Valley, New York looking to join the 'I don't have enough sense to take a break' club! From Departure door to arrival door the trip is going to be 1,265 miles. It's looking to be HOT until I get to the Columbus area so far so here is what I have done and planning:

Things Done:
1. Fresh oil & filter change on the beast
2. New tires
3. New brake pads
4. New brake fluid
5. New coolant flush
6. Freecom1 on my helmet to listen to music
7. Duck bill thing-a-mig-jig on my throttle to rest the heel of my hand on to keep speed

Things Planning:
1. Getting the luggage on the bike
2. Pre-packing this weekend
3. Going to use an arctic towel around my neck to see if it can keep my core temp down
4. Carry a camelbak on me & constantly hydrate
5. 150 mile runs & then fill up. Then, use facilities, hydrate, protein bar and walk/stretch out. take 15-20 minutes on each stop to do this.

Any of you fine gentleman have any suggestion then don't be shy on hitting me with them! I'm thinking this shouldn't be a hard run to log and document seeing that it isn't involving a loop. Rather, it is a straight line where I start at point A and don't stop until I get to point B. I have the log ready to go with my route saved and just a matter of doing it and filling it out! This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time now and pretty excited to get this game on! I think I am more excited to get my Rocket to the Hudson Valley though...the riding is going to sublime!

 

[PaddyO]

If you are doing this for Iron Butt Association certification, be sure to check their website for info on how to document your ride. I have used a site called spotwalla.com to track my progress on rides to help with the documentation of the ride. I loaded an app on my phone and it sent the data to the website. I had to make sure the phone was plugged in so the battery did not die and that there was enough data available on my plan to handle the upload. A nice thing about spotwalla.com is that it will give family/friends a way to track your progress. Also, God forbid, if you have an accident, it will make it easier for you to be found.

Also, I would have water and granola type bars in the saddle bags to drink/eat at the stops. It makes more efficient use of my time. I have an insulated cup in a cup holder to drink from while riding. At every other stop, you might take an advil and caffeine tablet to help manage any muscle soreness and to help stay alert.

What will you be using for rain gear? Do you have a windshield? Face shield? Waterproof gloves or over gloves? Rain hurts. And it can cool us off enough, especially at night, that it can be dangerous to concentration.

Make sure you have a lot of light in front of the bike so that you can see any deer or other wild life which might decide to take an evening stroll in front of you. The sooner/further you can see them out in front of you, the better. A backrest can really be helpful on long rides. Foot pegs on the highway bars can be helpful so you can move around and not get locked into one position. The duck bill thing-a-mig-jig will help give your hand a rest from squeezing the throttle. Of the throttle locks, I like the Brake-Away one the best. Nothing is better than a true cruise control for long distance riding. It contributes a lot to making the ride more comfortable. I will be putting a McCruise cruise control on my '14 R3T. My '09 Kawasaki Nomad had a cruise control built in, and I used the Brake-Away on my '07 Suzuki C50 Boulevard.

I lay out my routes in google maps, identifying the gas stations at which I will be stopping. Make sure to check the ones that the ones at which you will be stopping in the middle of the night (any time from 10 pm to 6 am) will be open. Once I have everything worked out, I put them into my GPS as a route. This way I do not have to be thinking about where I will need to stop. It makes the trip more relaxing when I know where I am going.

I have done 4 Saddlesore 1,000's (1,000 miles in 24 hours) and two Bun Burner Golds (1,500 miles in 24 hours). The saddlesores are not that hard, but the Bun Burner Golds are tough. Definitely a hotel room and a massage if one is available at the end. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing them and look to do more in the future. I am going to guess that it will take you about 24 hours to do the ride, assuming 8 stops. I hope you are able to enjoy your ride.

 

[Trumpeteer]

There is some really good advise on this! Thank you for taking the time and sharing this with me:

If you are doing this for Iron Butt Association certification, be sure to check their website for info on how to document your ride. I have used a site called spotwalla.com to track my progress on rides to help with the documentation of the ride. I loaded an app on my phone and it sent the data to the website. I had to make sure the phone was plugged in so the battery did not die and that there was enough data available on my plan to handle the upload. A nice thing about spotwalla.com is that it will give family/friends a way to track your progress. Also, God forbid, if you have an accident, it will make it easier for you to be found.

I did go on to the IBA website and will be using their log sheet that they provide there. I also have mapped out my route on google maps and printed it off. My plan was to scan all of this into one .pdf file once completed and submit that way along with pictures of every fuel receipt alongside my odometer. The actual trip is a little over 1200 miles so I don't think there will be any questioning if I broke the 1,000 mile mark. I was also told that this is an easier item to verify because it is a single line trip versus getting the miles in on a loop. I also have my witnessed ready to go to submit on the log too.

Also, I would have water and granola type bars in the saddle bags to drink/eat at the stops. It makes more efficient use of my time. I have an insulated cup in a cup holder to drink from while riding. At every other stop, you might take an advil and caffeine tablet to help manage any muscle soreness and to help stay alert.

I think I am going to use my Camelbak for this. I have a full face helmet that I use and it's just easier using the tube while I am riding. Plus it is showing to be 96 degrees next Friday in Kansas City but dropping to 87 degrees when I get to Columbus, OH. So I also plan on using one of those arctic towels to wrap the back side of my neck with and then wet it at each gas fill up. I do plan on doing granola or protein bars...or something along those lines. I will NOT be chomping out on roadside food!

What will you be using for rain gear? Do you have a windshield? Face shield? Waterproof gloves or over gloves? Rain hurts. And it can cool us off enough, especially at night, that it can be dangerous to concentration.

I do have a windshield that I just put back on the bike and run a full face helmet with a reflective shield and a yellow shield. I have summer gloves along with gauntlet style gloves and I have the Triumph two piece rain suit that I have had for years. I have had great use with this and use it at night sometimes when the temperature drops as it cuts the wind down.

Make sure you have a lot of light in front of the bike so that you can see any deer or other wild life which might decide to take an evening stroll in front of you. The sooner/further you can see them out in front of you, the better. A backrest can really be helpful on long rides. Foot pegs on the highway bars can be helpful so you can move around and not get locked into one position. The duck bill thing-a-mig-jig will help give your hand a rest from squeezing the throttle. Of the throttle locks, I like the Brake-Away one the best. Nothing is better than a true cruise control for long distance riding. It contributes a lot to making the ride more comfortable. I will be putting a McCruise cruise control on my '14 R3T. My '09 Kawasaki Nomad had a cruise control built in, and I used the Brake-Away on my '07 Suzuki C50 Boulevard.

I just switched out to the PIAA bulbs that has made a big difference. I won't have a back rest as I am 6'4" and like to cheat sometimes and actually scoot up on the passenger seat when I am riding distances. I did however get one of the sheepskin covers for my seat as I read some really good things about them on this forum. My roadster came with a engine bar and highway pegs when I bought it so I am lucky with in that regards but I also find that I get my leg stretch out on a ride by pulling my feet back to the passenger pegs. It also came with a really good throttle lock but honestly...I don't like them and took it off. The throttle lock is just that and I found myself always having to adjust the throttle for hills, terrain, traffic etc. At least with the duckbill thing I can still stretch out my hand but maintain what I want.

 

[PaddyO]

Sounds like you have your bases covered.

I enjoy being on the bike & seeing new places. Last summer went from where I live in Florida to where my daughter & her husband live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Got my BBG along the way. Did a 200+ mile ride around SLC through Utah, Wyoming, & Colorado. Then went to see a friend on San Antonio, TX. Got a SS1000 along the way. We then rode the Three Sisters with 2 other guys until a deer took out one of them 2/3rds of the way through the ride. We got him to a hospital and later went back for the bike. He would be banged up but OK. His gear did its job. Bike was totaled. Then went home from there. Gained a new perspective as to how big this country is and how varied the scenery is.

 

[Boog]

Sounds great brother, one other suggestion in food is to take a few apples along with you. They have a slow realise style of energy that keeps you alert. The protein bars of course are good as they are slightly slower to digest and thus keep your metabolism up, which in turns helps you to stay alert.
The camelbak is important as I see many folks get dehydrated on all day rides without knowing it. I have used the 100oz variety myself.
The sheepskin should help out a lot, I ride on a BeadRider for the same reason.
Make sure you carry an air pump of some type and a tire repair kit just in case.
Good luck and keep the rubber side down...

 

[ScottishR3T]

Sounds as if you're pretty well organised for it, the camelbak is great for things like this. Staying hydrated is no1 priority, lot of folk don't realise how much water your body loses sitting there in moving air.

Enjoy it

 

[Jallen3.14]

3. Going to use an arctic towel around my neck to see if it can keep my core temp down

I have an evaporative cooling vest that works great: Bilt Cooling Waterproof Vest - Cycle Gear. Fill it up with water at pit stops.

Cycle Gear in Lenexa usually has them stock. Amazon also has one that looks like it might be the same make for less: https://goo.gl/8x7X4a

 

[Trumpeteer]

Thanks for the advise guys. I will grab an apple at a couple of the stops. Great idea on going to the Cyclegear in Lanexa as I planned on going there to get a spare set of rear brake pads to throw in the bag for the trip.

 

[Trumpeteer]

I have an evaporative cooling vest that works great: Bilt Cooling Waterproof Vest - Cycle Gear. Fill it up with water at pit stops.

Cycle Gear in Lenexa usually has them stock.

Good call and thank you for that suggestion! I went down there today and picked up some rear brake pads so I have full replacement sets for both fronts and rear (a lesson learned the hard way a long time ago). They also had a sale on some really nice Bullit gloves for $20 so I bought two. And they had the vest you suggested on sale and to my astonishment...in my size!

So I am going to give the vest a swirl along with the arctic towel and I think I will survive. My biggest objective is to ward off dehydration to keep my wits about me especially for the duration of this challenge. I realize this isn't an air conditioning system but hopefully it works out...at the very least it is worth a try. Thanks again for everyone that has thrown in on this and helped me out. I will add pictures and information later on as the journey takes place. I might even throw some NY photos up here too! Has anyone been to the Hudson Valley? I grew up there as a boy and it truly is God's country! Amazingly beautiful and it gets better if you have a motorcycle!

 

[Jallen3.14]

Copy that on the hydration. If you aren't peeing every time you stop for gas, you need to be pounding more H20.

Have a safe ride!