Barrycuda

Thank you red rider!!! I don't wanna jinx the entire ordeal so I will wait a month or 3 until the IBA certifies me before I can claim to be a member. But knowing that I did that fair and square is rewarding in my head...

Some other possible tips.. 1- use gold bond foot powder to absorb moisture. 2- wear LD comfort socks. Work great at wicking moisture and keep feet for the most part ok in Georgia / Florida heat. 3 - gold bond and THEN wear LD comfort socks. The foot pegs and wings of course are a given...

ha ha ha...hey, rules don't exclude GW, until then....

Yeah that...

Boss, You have my unwavering support and prayers. I think it's always going to be unnerving when it comes to change and the unknown. You will adjust and maybe this is whats needed. Good luck and as Yammer Dan would say: "I'm washing my dog and PRAYERS UP !"

Greeting VR members. At 1:30PM EST I finished my Iron butt challenge. There were some obstacles that followed me much of the ride. before I begin with some of the events that occurred, a quick thanks for the tips, love and support. I will say for ME, it should be called the iron trapezius and shoulder. My butt is actually fine. my mental awareness is a strong 8.5 right now. I expected things to maybe to creep in, such as fatigue but that wasn't the case. Main culprit? THE WEATHER. mainly the cold and these incredible cross winds, VERY strong and never let up. I have some wind burn even with my full face helmet down 98% of the time. it was brutally foggy and rainy and was cold. yes, not like up north we get that, but it stayed relatively in the low 30's and 40's much of my ride. I was stopped to get a sweatshirt, wash my hands and face with hot water, and was just chilled the entire time yesterday. today it started warmer( 54*) and I was sweating at completion. These are the numbers that are not yet verified or accepted by the IBA. SS1000 = 1050 miles in 19 hrs and bun burner1500= 1565 in 36 hrs. My initial route has me going west to Scott or near Scott, Louisiana, then making the turn around and stopping at some point after completing the 1000miles/24hr. then resume home for the BB1500. The weather had me abandon that and make alternate plans. I'll explain below ( for those who wondered why I didn't call it off is because as long as it was safe, I was going. Between daylight savings ( tonight BTW), my so few days off, my birthday present to me and college spring break, this was the best time to do it from my standpoint. I was not being sloppy with my decisions) official time stamp 3/6/15 was at 1;50 AM. headed down 75 and I felt it just get colder and colder. I stopped at a rest area to add a layer and switch to winter gloves. Was Ok for a bit. Then I was getting colder. My fingers and feet were frozen and I was already a good 100-150 miles in. At around 200 miles, I realized, DUH.... I have heated grips and seat. I never used them, but they were on MAX from that point until this morning. along the way it was foggy and drizzling. and deer were out because of the weather. Top speed on I 75 at that time was 60. Was cautious. Once daylight broke I was already on I 10 West. The deer were more visible and the fog lifted but the cold was still biting. the temp air display on my GW read 34*!!! About this time I discovered something new on the GW: dealing with strong, vicious and consistent crosswinds. I'm talking WOW!!! But at that time, there were no other vehicle on the road, so I continued, as did the cold and my teeth chattering. I finally stopped at a truck stop in Defuniak Springs, FL to get another sweatshirt, which helped about 10%. The roads were filling up and the winds continued. By the time I hit Alabama, the winds and cold were telling me we are not letting up. It's amazing how LONG and BORING Florida is in terms of miles. Approx. 450 of my 1050 miles were getting out of and back into Florida. In Alabama, things were causing be to doubt my destination. #1- cars and bikes coming from Louisiana were frozen to the bone. They were telling me the winds and cold are very bad. one place told me they woke up to 28* and that was a bout 2 hours before I came through. #2- I was still not warm and toasty. Quite the opposite, but I was still SAFE at that point. #3- Ice and snow debris from the roof of a tractor trailer came off in sheets and were raining down upon me actually hitting me and the bike!! I was very lucky it didn't knock me over. The bridge crossing Mobile bay was so windy the traffic was doing 40 MPH. I did not know how cars weren't slamming into each other. thankfully traffic was still sort of light. #4- The winds and cold were not letting up. I already was fighting at times to keep the GW upright and I would have aborted all together if this was the RSV. It is just too top heavy to fight 1000+ miles of wind and fog. the light traffic and much space was my deciding factor. Once in Mississippi, traffic was getting a bit much and I decided I was already at 500 miles. If I turned back, I can still get the SS1000. So, Mother nature, made me switch plans. I was cursing bc I had to go back over that bridge, and that LOOONG journey across the Florida Panhandle. I did not take any extended breaks, because I was losing so much time with the slower speeds. I finally returned to the place I started at 850PM for my 1000 miles. I ate what I packed while fueling and using the restroom. no coffee until Tallahassee to give me the extra jolt to get home Day 2- after soup, Tea and a shower, I went to bed at 10, but woke up at 4:30 to some upper body soreness from fighting the elements. deciding I wanted to finish this, I left my gas station and time stamped at 510AM and needed to get 500 more miles by 1:50PM ( 36 total hours). Started off well enough. I headed south on I75 to Naples and half way through alligator alley. I stopped at that gas station and had about 3 hours to get what was about 125 miles. No problem. EXCEPT... there were massive delays, stand still in Sarasota and again In Tampa because of who knows what. Tampa had 5 billion people trying to merge onto I4 for Disney, last day of strawberry festival and Bike week. I had not expected this and I was forced to hustle a bit more than I wanted towards the last 20-30 min,due to this. I wanted to get more miles and max the miles against the time in case the IBA were going to subtract odometer reading from Japanese MC. that was not meant to be. I wasted 60-90 minutes in I75 AKA parking lot. Overall, I am quite pleased. I believe the crazy weather took away some extra time and miles on the road. I easily could have made it to Louisiana or even Texas, without fatiguing. My mental makeup was strong during this trip. Bottom line: I am home safe ( main goal) I accomplished both the SS and BB like I wanted. I challenged myself and my mental mettle. The GW ran flawless but the winds drastically reduced my miles between fill ups ( and I was nervous to let it get below 1/8 tank) I am proud of myself for taking and completing the challenge despite the things trying to make me quit. I learned that with better planning I can do better. I'm even showered and taking the wife to dinner for putting up w me. Things that helped: heated grips, full face helmet, GPS ( for speed and time) MP3 player, LD comfort shorts and socks, proper eating and stretching the week leading up to and on day of, being cautious and not getting to ahead of myself, ear plugs, winter gloves, coffee( only in home stretch) I did not do more than 78MPH the entire trip. I think that is all. I cant remember. I hope you enjoyed this LONG tale, but I like to give details so people can visualize. people snicker when they hear its a GW so it is cheating. IDK, you still have to do certain things. I used stock seat, modified by Butler. My new goals, not anytime soon are: same SS1000 this time on my Kawasaki Vulcan, which is different feel from GW, the BBG2000 ( 2000 miles in 24hours) and the Florida lap of Insanity ( look that up). First things first: gather my receipts and submit to IBA and await the decision. Thanks everyone and ride safe !!!

all of the tips help. The problem Im facing now is Im so amped up, that I need to slOOOO down my brain and sleep. Weather earlier in the week looked like trouble, but now it seems mainly cloudy. temps to drop tomorrow night/ saturday morning. Have my proper gear. I'll keep Y'all posted. !!

Thank you kindly yamagrl. I will bring my Ipad, in case I need to call upon anyone. I appreciate the heads up !!!

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, tips and advice. I am excited. I am sure I will have stories and such to tell... @ brake pad: I am shooting for the SS 1000/BB. 1500 in 36. Going to certainly work on getting my ass home safe big brother @yamagrl: it's basically super-slab. I-75 N to I-10 W to I-12. My planned route has me going as far west as SCOTT, LA which from my home is 750 miles. Will look to get my 1000 miles as quick ( but safe) as possible. I have located fuel stops 175-200 miles per stop. Once I hit 1000 miles, I will most likely stop at a truck stop for a quick nap, then head home... @Yammer Dan : my West Virginian guardian angel...I hear ya loud and clear. I ride my ride, I have no shame in pulling over, getting home safe is the ULTIMATE goal. RR is right, it's not a BB1500 in 24. Let me manage this first all this his is weather permitting.

I listen to all types of music. Last thing anyone will catch me on video doing is singing to either Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass, Tupac, ABBA, Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. I have to re acquaint myself with the Go Pro, it's been that long. i'll see what I can do Puc

"you intentionally choose to do as you please?" wow boss-man lit into someones arse... If it is intentional then that's on the chap. Sometimes people have brain farts and forget. if I have anything for sale, I sure won't place it on here. Sheesh...

sweet idea !! Thanks to all the posts and nice comments. now it's shut up (me) and do it !!!

Dion: the decision was sort of last minute. Like you I only have X amount of time off divided by what the heck do I need to do/ want to do/ have to do... Puc...always coming with the sage advice and behind the scenes tips of the day. Big hugs to the misses. thanks to everyone who adds a bit of themselves to the thread..

thanks RR! As tempting as it may sound. My life currently does not afford me some extra time to tackle LD runs. My time is spent in college, wife and kids, guns, martial arts, riding, motorcycles, cartoon. Not in that order Thanks for the advice too. perhaps when the dust settles, I can participate in LD events more frequently. Somehow I am half expecting that crazy, lovable Cowpuc to dig his way out and meet me at some gas stop... what a fun loving nutty guy

Hello again everyone!. I have been crazy with jobs, college classes, tests etc. I haven't been on here much. In any event, weather permitting ( and health as my wife and kids are sick) I am going to attempt my first iron butt run. My plan is to leave March 7 and head to Scott, Louisiana, then return home. My plan A is to get the bun burner 1500 in 36 hours. Plan B if that falls through is to get my saddle sore 1000 in 24hrs. plan C is to abort and make it home in one piece. I believe mentally I am able and boy am I ready. That starts the week of spring break for my college and I can use the relaxing ride. As with all posts, I will try to be as descriptive as I can when I return. As of now, I think I have accumulated a fair portion of long distance rider tips, as well as some pointers from the IBA website. For those who wish to add your tips, tricks and experiences please feel free to share. From no caffeine, to 10 min stops, to lemon-heads to packing water, camelbaks, food, route fuel stations close to super-slab to clothing nice and loose but compact to ear plugs. I am more than happy to hear from you. I will have my zip lock bags for paperwork, receipts etc. The super-slab is simply because I do not have the luxury of time off. I would like to tackle this on my birthday weekend. my present to me. The wife is supportive as always but is a bit sad that I'll be away for my birthday. So.... please chime in! I am always willing to learn what to bring/ not bring. do/ do not do...

I would stay away from frost wire because it has attachments that stay on your computer in the background. People have been sending you PM. If you have what you need, sweet. If not, hit me up. As a former musician and listening to those songs from my mom as a kid, I have a rather extensive collection of music, over 5 TB full. From Tibetan wind chimes to death metal. I'm sure there are some 50's rock I can find for ya. Keep me posted. B---

Glad all went well! Try to follow docs orders. As Aussie Annie said, don't want any issues...

What sucks is the fact these people have no issues blatantly lying and saying how you backed into her. In this case no harm, no foul. But what if there was real damage or bodily harm? Now we nice do good people have to defend ourselves in court over lies? That stinks. Happened to us/ my wife last year. We had an old lady run a stop sign, then say it was my wife. No issues, small dent in rear of he car. All of a sudden... She has all these problems and symptoms. Which was not present when the officer was taking down the info.... That crap burns my ass. I'm glad you are the new buggy made it home

9/11 attacks: working downtown,very close to the scene driving a bus OJ : home watching Knicks playoff game when car chase scene cut in space shuttle challenger event: 18 yr old screw up working someplace similar to a rural king first gulf war: basement apartment downing booze, trying to become an alcoholic ( I failed) st.louis rams only Super Bowl championship: apartment in NYC was the happiest guy in NYC proposed to wife: St. Augustine . She had no idea and we rode the Vulcan for a weekend stay.

It's a motorcycle that comes with a free pick up truck and trailer...:rotf:

I know I am late to the party on this one, but my 2 cents is as follows: Don, you have done nearly the impossible, by putting together a forum and site that is international. We have the luxury and good fortune of doing many family and non family events all over the country. We forged relationships with people that we normally would not be fortunate to do if not for this site. We learn about people's families, jobs, struggles, geographic terrain, events and parties, BBQs, modifications, and do so with very little disdain among the members. We know and still appreciate PEOPLE here, not what they ride. I have been honored to be around such great, Wonderful people. You helped me months before I joined or even bought my RSV. Sad that you have to second guess yourself when someone says what they feel. That's on them. With a site this large and dynamics this forum has, occasionally some people get the nose out of joint. So be it. Truth be told, it's not our fault YAMAHA has not done crap about the venture, or it's loyal members. I do not care to know who sent the email, and that's another great thing. You have such integrity that you would never tell us anyway. I would chalk it up to this...you can't, and won't please everybody. But in the end, you have not once gone out of your way to hurt anyone or make it seem you hate RSV, it's the venture riders forum for crying out loud!!!! And you are very considerate of others. While at times we may not always agree on a subject or point, the bottom line is the integrity and spirit of the site. You do a fantastic job. I would forgive yourself if you feel guilty, it's not you.

Ouch!!!

The heavy times are late April/ May and Aug/sept. If you carry a spray bottle with hydrogen peroxide, spray your bike and hose off, the love bugs will not stick /stay on your bike, car, Vespa etc.... Trick I learned from an old timer

Maybe, we can put out a yearly pamphlet or a PDF of members state, city, address and number, that we can take with us when traveling. Sort of a very scaled down version of the GWRRA book. Then it can show symbols for towing, repairs, lodging etc. it can be simple and in alphabetical order from the states an then for our Canadian members...

When exactly is this and is it official??