Even before I rode my Saddle Sore 1000 (SS1K), I knew I wanted to ride the BunBurner Gold (BBG). In fact, I was ready to complete the task in conjunction with my SS1K, but as I, and some others, discovered the Iron Butt Assn. (IBA) does not allow the attempt until you have completed a sanctioned one thousand miler.
With the Colorado Classic taking place this weekend, I thought what better time for me to realize my goal? I had several other willing lunatics, but that pesky rule got in the way, so I headed out solo. If you are considering an endurance ride the Iron Butt Association
http://www.ironbutt.com/about/default.cfm has some great tips to make it easier and safer. I pulled out of BMW Denver at 2:30pm.
I spent much more time planning this ride then previously. This being my first BBG and going it solo, I selected a familiar route. The GPS was invaluable, providing necessary data for tracking and long term execution (See my notes below). I had my route and gas stops loaded on the GPS. A few items I overlooked (well at least I didn’t assign sufficient risk) in my route planning were traffic and construction.
Before leaving town I was caught up in a traffic jam that cost me 40 minutes, not good when the GPS is telling you at the start, you have selected a route that will require 1 day 15 minutes to complete. If you went to Gillette you may know about the construction on I-25, well it was just as bad if not worse on I-80, with its added truck traffic. Happily the entire ride went without incident, not even a traffic accident. In Nevada I almost sent a Jack Rabbit into the great unknown, but that was pretty much the extent of my excitement.
I chose the route and departure time to put me on the Salt Flats at night, because you’re not likely to see Bambi foraging on the playa. The scenery all along the way was great. I actually planned on taking a relaxed ride in Iron Butt terms, but after the delay in Denver I found an added sense of urgency. I completed the first 1000 in just under fourteen hours. Coming back over the Utah Mountains, I demonstrated my stupidity by telling myself that was the last cold spot and not stopping to _layer_ up. I didn’t notice my senses tingling until my stop in Rock Springs at 1193 miles, but I felt fresh on the bike. Could this be due to the Airhawk? The Medicine Bow National Forest looked like something worth investigating. Well I gave myself that buffer, but traffic flowed smoothly all the way into BMW of Denver where Matt and Bob witnessed the conclusion of my BunBurner Gold.
Would I recommend this to others, let me first say it is doable. Any endurance ride presents its own risks and you must consider the capability of the motorcycle, skill of the rider, and dealing with the unforeseen challenges of the road before embarking on 1500 miles in the saddle. Never ride over your head, and if the goal seems unachievable the IBA offers the BunBurner which is 1500 miles in 36 hours, a worthy accomplishment for any rider.
I had fun
Things that worked well:
AIRHAWK Motorcycle Seat Cushion
http://www.therohostore.com/Departments/Comfort-Products/AIRHAWK-Motorcycle-Seat-Cushions.aspxWell I won’t tell you it is like sitting in an easy chair, but I will say that after 1500 miles I didn’t have the squirmies! During my previous Saddle Sore using all the IBA tricks (Monkey Butt Powder, Padded Bicycle Shorts, Sergeant Seat) I made it about 750 miles before my rear started bothering me, and I was moving around the saddle looking for that elusive “comfortable position”. Using the AIRHAWK, and all the above, after 1500 miles my rear felt fine. Yes I did notice I was on a motorcycle, but by simply lifting up and sitting back down, it felt like I was getting an entirely new seat. I never felt like I had to get off to rest my behind. The longest distance between fill-ups was two sections of about 230 miles at 500-750 and 750-1000 miles. BTW Proper adjustment is essential, I followed the manufacturers recommendations and it worked fine the first time. When I picked the "Airhawk" up in Gillette the dealer (at my suggestion) gave me a quick adjustment which I elected to use on the way back and it was terrible!
Garmin 276c GPS
It was great having the ETA display, and the GPS internally calculates gas and rest stops into the ETA time. With all the construction I ran into, I enjoyed knowing when I was losing or making up time against my ETA. I also knew (believed) I needed a buffer to navigate the Denver traffic and this gave me that information at a glance. I snapped a picture of the trip computer at each stop and now have a history of my first and perhaps last BunBurner Gold! BTW I noticed the GPS reported 1 hour 26 minutes less time then the trip actually required. Well the lost time was due to the GPS turning off 30 seconds after the ignition. My actual times were 21:48 total 19:33 moving and 2:15 stopped.
R1150 GSA
The bike ran like a top, and I swear it ran better at the end of the trip then it did at the beginning. I thought it was going to rip the throttle out of my hand when grabbing second on the on-ramps.
Things that didn’t work so well:
Hydration
Using the BMW Rally II Jacket, I decided to try the frozen hydration bag in the jacket (The Rally II has a holder). Well I can’t say I noticed the coolness, but after a thousand miles I sure noticed the weight pulling against my throat.
Tank Bag Organization
I started putting only the essentials in the tank bag, but as I walked through the house I started adding the niceties, bottom line when I need the essentials I couldn't find them because they were hidden in the niceties! Need to clean that up next time.
