MN1K - Minnesota 1000

[RedRider]

This weekend will be my first entry into an organized Long Distance Rally. The Minnesota 1000 is run by Team Strange out of Leo's South in Lakeville, MN. The rally begins at 8:00 am Saturday and is completed at 8:00 am on Sunday. Of course, the Liar's Banquet is held Friday night and the awards ceremony is held after the completion, but it is a 24 hour ride.

 

Website: http://www.teamstrange.com/

 

The basics of the rally are:

 

1) A list of bonus locations are provided at the Friday night Liar's Banquet.

2) Each bonus location has a point value assigned.

3) Each bonus will be located within about a 500 mile radius of Lakeville, give or take a hundred miles.

4) You determine your own route based on the bonus locations you think you can get and still return by 8:00 am Sunday.

5) Proof of reaching a bonus can vary - a picture (with a time stamp), purchase an article, copy down an inscription, etc.

6) He (or she) with the most 'captured' bonus points - assuming the ride was completed on time - wins.

 

I believe there are also points for keeping a fuel log, a rest bonus (stay in one location for a minimum of 3 hours), and other various hijinks.

 

The rolling couch (2000 Red RSV) has been ColorTuned, CarbTuned, all fluids changed, new plugs, new air cleaners, Dynabeads in the NEW Dunlop E3 rear (no tire issues this trip, please), splines lubed, pins lubed, new to me Corbin seat, washed, waxed, and new tunes installed on the Zumo. Will be adding a bicycle water bottle cage onto the handle bars later this afternoon.

 

I take off tomorrow with the intention of getting to the hotel by early afternoon. This will give me time to set up the trip planning computer, lay out the maps, and take a nap before the banquet. Once the banquet has been completed, I will need to get my route laid out, plugged into the Zumo, and get some sleep.

 

Just hoping to finish on time with a respectable point total. This should be a lot of fun. I will let y'all know how it goes.

 

RR

Edited June 26, 2009 by RedRider
Correction of facts

[Iowawegian]

Sounds like a blast!! Have fun, ride safe and u know the rules....post pix when you get back. Good Luck, we'll keep our fingers crossed!

[FJR Rider]

Make sure you say hello to Pete Behm (Behmer)...He's a Team Strange guy...I know for sure he'll be on the ride, but not sure if he'll be on his RSV (Red) or his FJR (Blue). Usually wears a blue Roadcrafter one piece riding suit and a white full face helmet. If on the FJR he'll be my himself as the backseat is taken up by an aux fuel tank. If he's on the RSV, his wife Paula will be with him, and the trunk crammed full of aux fuel cell !

 

I'm not doing the Team Strange ride, but will be going through MN early AM on the front leg of SS 1000. Not Ed and myself are leaving the east side of Eau Claire (I get a bonus 350 miles for the ride over and back from Suamico tomorrow and Sunday) between 4 and 4:30 AM ... I-94 through the Cities to Fargo, I-29 south to Sioux Falls SD, I-90 east to Tomah, and then I-94 to Menominee (GPS miles is 1,014).

 

I was going to say I'd ride at least as far as Eau Claire with you tomorrow, but I have to work a full day before I can depart. Enjoy your ride over and on good luck in the MN 1000!

 

Curt

Edited June 18, 2009 by FJR Rider

[Igofar]

Jeff,

Just wanted to congratulate you on your podium finish . I figured you were on a pretty good ride when we passed you in Marquette. Sounds like you did a good job planning and not taking more than you can chew. Great job! Hopefully we'll see you at a few more rallies around here. Our next one will probably be the Harvest rally in Oct. Here's the link for that group if you don't have it already. http://www.glmc.org/

One clarification on your original post is that the winner of expert class doesn't go to the IBR. That was only done in a few previous Butt Lite rallies.

 

Good luck on the SS1000 Curt. Is this going to be your first certified one?

 

Behmer

[FJR Rider]

Pete,

 

Yes, first "certified" one. We ended up having a great ride, 16.5 hours, total of which 14.5 was rolling. 1,014 GPS miles, 1,038 odometer miles. Easy route for a certification ride.

 

I need to untwist one of the loops on the throttle return spring on the FJR...thank God for my Throttle Meister or my wrist would have been toast keeping that stiff throttle open. Other than sore knees in the middle of the ride, the FJR was nice and comfy!

 

Curt

[RedRider]

Pete,

 

Thanks for the clarification on the IBR entry. I must have read that when reviewing all the TS information and superimposed my memory on the MN1K. It was great meeting you and your wife.

 

I had a really great time. Team Strange is a great group of folks that run a very tight ship. This rally was extremely well organized and definately geared towards everyone having fun. Everyone was very helpful to the rookies.

 

The Harvest Run sounds like fun also. I will need to check with the boss, and the guy who signs my paycheck, to see how that weekend looks. This LD riding may end up being addictive.

 

RR

[RedRider]

The Minnesota 1000 was an epic event and one of the highlights of my relatively short riding career. A total of 88 bikes took off at 8:00 Saturday morning from Leo's South (just south of Minneapolis) for parts unknown. Everyone had to choose their own route among the 60 or so bonus locations - each with a varied point value. By 8:00 Sunday morning, all needed to be back to Leo's for check in and scoring.

 

As a rookie at this organized type of rally, I choose a more conservative route that I was fairly certain could be completed with some wiggle room on the time. If you are late by 1 second, you are time barred and considered a DNF. Total ride was 1055 miles with 13 bonus locations worth 9400 or so points (final scoring hasn't been posted yet and I don't remember the actual points).

 

And ... I took home hardware!!! 3rd place in the Cruiser Class. I was both pleased and surprised.

 

For anyone interested in long distance riding, this is an event to try. Great folks, great organization, and great fun. I will be back next year to try to win my class. The year after ... who knows!!

 

RR

[Iowawegian]

Congrat's to u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where are the pix???

[RedRider]

Pics will be posted soon.

 

RR

[FJR Rider]

Jeff,

 

Congratulations!

 

I'm glad you got a chance to meet Pete and Paula as well! Also, I was talking to Yooper (Fred Saari) who lives in Ispheming MI and he said he passed both you and Pete and Paula on the road up his way.

 

Curt

[RedRider]

Here is a link to my ride report for the Minnesota 1000. Pics will be posted this weekend.

 

http://www.network54.com/Forum/154362/thread/1245959830/last-1246021701/Stupid+Long+Ride+Report+from+a+Noob

 

RR

[Iowawegian]

A big congat's to u!!!!! Loved reading about it. Hubby and I took that same route a couple years ago(only we took 5 days!)....when we met you in Fon du Lac!!! Gladstone has the best city campground that I've ever been to. $12.00 and your tent is right on Lake Michigan!!

Can't wait to see the pix.

Nice job, Jeff, you should be proud!