Looking for feedback on upcoming SS1000 ride

#1
Hello all. My wife and I are going from our home in the Sacramento area to the BMWMOA Colorado Top of the Rockies rally.

We are leaving next Wednesday, 7/17, with a planned departure of 4:30 AM. We will each be riding our own motorcycle. I've done a few Ironbutt rides over the past decade, this will be my wife's first.

The destination for the Ironbutt ride is Grand Junction, Colorado. We have a reservation at the Super 8 there, and plan to enjoy a shower and bed after the long ride, prior to the camping at the rally which starts the next day.

I have a few basic questions for the many experts here, and also would like feedback on the route, particularly are there any potential issues with the planned stops — I want to make sure I've got the corners covered, etc.

This is the planned route:

Ironbutt ride map.png

We will of course try to comply fully with the requirements for certification, including witnesses, receipts, etc. We have been doing a lot of long day rides, and bike preparation, to ensure we're ready. We have Motojugs for hydration, quality gear, etc.

Questions:
  • We have a single SPOT tracker — can we submit the Spot tracking as part of the evidence for each of our ride certifications? Usually I have the SPOT on my bike. We will be riding together for the entire ride.
  • Is a tracking record from an app like REVER acceptable as evidence of the actual route? This would be a backup to the SPOT tracking.
  • The total route distance is about 1,020 miles according to Google Maps, — any risk that won't be enough in case of any questions on route shortcuts?
  • Does the start witness need to be with us at the starting point (probably a gas station, but potentially a bank to get an ATM receipt in case of a receipt printer problem at 4:30 AM at the gas station)? Or can they be at our house as we depart? We are considering having our next door neighbor be the witness.
Thank you in advance for any feedback and suggestions!

- Rich
 

rneal55555

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
I'm just a neophyte but I would use Bubbler GPS (or Apple Equivalent) for the Rider without the Spot. I also think you should each have a receipt for the corners i.e. treat it like you're riding buddies rather than married, Thinking mostly about what appears to be a meal stop get separate checks.
 
Last edited:

Amnon Romano

Premier Member
#3
particularly are there any potential issues with the planned stops — I want to make sure I've got the corners covered, etc.
Just drop the stops into Google Maps and see what mileage it suggests.

  • We have a single SPOT tracker — can we submit the Spot tracking as part of the evidence for each of our ride certifications? Usually I have the SPOT on my bike. We will be riding together for the entire ride.
I believe the guys upstairs would prefer one ride - one file, but as the spot is not mandatory and serves as a supplemental to ease the verification team work, that probably won't be a deal breaker.

  • Is a tracking record from an app like REVER acceptable as evidence of the actual route? This would be a backup to the SPOT tracking.
Those files are not evidence - receipts are, so REVER should be fine. But, as Russ recommended above, Bubbler (and better yet, the PRO version) is tailored to our sport.

  • The total route distance is about 1,020 miles according to Google Maps, — any risk that won't be enough in case of any questions on route shortcuts?
2% is within the recommended comfort value, as long as Google Maps comply with the numbers when you drop-in the waypoints as per the intended documented stops.

  • Does the start witness need to be with us at the starting point (probably a gas station, but potentially a bank to get an ATM receipt in case of a receipt printer problem at 4:30 AM at the gas station)? Or can they be at our house as we depart? We are considering having our next door neighbor be the witness.
Your neighbor can sign at home the evening before - no need to drag them to the station at 4 AM.
 
#4
Thank you Amnon! Looks like Bubbler GPS is only available for Android. I found the SWConnect app, it may work well for us. I suppose we can also upload the Garmin BMW Nav VI tracks to Spotwalla (we both have the Nav VI).

Really good to know that the witness can sign the night before. I though I'd seen that somewhere in the rules before, but it's not in the SS1000 rules.

I've put the route into Google maps, it's showing 2019 miles. Basecamp says it is 1027. I haven't yet taken the time to figure out the discrepancy, there is probably some slight difference with the way Google connected the waypoints.
 

Ira

Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
IBR Staff
#6
Questions:
  • We have a single SPOT tracker — can we submit the Spot tracking as part of the evidence for each of our ride certifications? Usually I have the SPOT on my bike. We will be riding together for the entire ride.
  • Is a tracking record from an app like REVER acceptable as evidence of the actual route? This would be a backup to the SPOT tracking.
  • The total route distance is about 1,020 miles according to Google Maps, — any risk that won't be enough in case of any questions on route shortcuts?
  • Does the start witness need to be with us at the starting point (probably a gas station, but potentially a bank to get an ATM receipt in case of a receipt printer problem at 4:30 AM at the gas station)? Or can they be at our house as we depart? We are considering having our next door neighbor be the witness.
Thank you in advance for any feedback and suggestions!

- Rich
Answers:

SPOT trackers are very good additional documentation, but they don't replace any of the standard, required documentation. A single SPOT tracker can only be additional documentation for a single bike. But you can indicate that you both rode together.

Again, any tracking record (GPS or satellite) is good additional documentation

I recommend adding 2-4% onto the calculated minimum distance. So an additional 20 mile would be the least additional mileage I would consider.

Your starting witness does not have to be at the gas station. In fact, you can have them sign off the evening before an o-dark-thirty start. Remember - it is your first gas receipt that starts the clock.

Similarly, if you finish your ride in the middle of the night (by stopping the clock with your last gas receipt) you can wait until the morning to obtain your ending witness signature.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association
 

keithu

Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#7
If you're worried about the mileage, a simple route mod would be to turn south in Reno on I-580 and ride down to Carson City. Then turn east on US-50. This would add a few miles and you can easily pick up a receipt in Carson City.
 
#8
Thank you Ira, appreciate the response and information. I understand that the SPOT or similar track is additional, supplemental, and doesn't replace the required documentation.

Keith, appreciate that suggestion on the route to turn south on 580 — I think we'll make that change, it adds about 31 miles, which improves the cushion.
 

BMW RT Pilot

Premier Member
#9
Thank you Amnon! Looks like Bubbler GPS is only available for Android. I found the SWConnect app, it may work well for us. I suppose we can also upload the Garmin BMW Nav VI tracks to Spotwalla (we both have the Nav VI).

Really good to know that the witness can sign the night before. I though I'd seen that somewhere in the rules before, but it's not in the SS1000 rules.

I've put the route into Google maps, it's showing 2019 miles. Basecamp says it is 1027. I haven't yet taken the time to figure out the discrepancy, there is probably some slight difference with the way Google connected the waypoints.
Basecamp is worthless when it comes to mileage and times, and personally, I think it's a complete PoS and I wouldn't use it at all but it's the only way (that I know of), to get a route into the NAV VI.

Google Maps will give you a fairly accurate reading on the mileage but after you transfer your trip into the NAV VI, open the trip and review it in the GPS and it will give you a pretty accurate estimate on mileage and time.

There are some tips I know to get the route you've planned in Google Maps/BaseCamp to run exactly how you want it to run in NAV VI and on the road.
 

Jim Craig

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
I use SWConnect on my iPhone. You can use it to send a Custom message at every gas stop with the receipt/odometer photo. It time stamps and includes the GPS coordinates of every stop when you use that method. Makes doing the certification submission super easy after the ride.