Hello from Canada!

[Morrissey]

Hello to all here on the IB forum. I'm new to this forum but I have been lurking, reading and learning for a while now. I am in my mid 30's and live in Ontario, Canada. I will have been riding for 20yrs come this spring. I've had several fantastic tours over the years around Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, PEI, Newfoundland, NY, VT, NH and MN. About three and half years ago my Wife and I welcomed our first monkey and this past spring we had our second monkey. As you can imagine, my riding time has been drastically reduced the past few years. I have made a promise to myself to plan some better full day rides for when I get my chances to ride I don't waste them and also to start working towards a long held dream of completing an SS1000! So that is why I am on this forum. I don't want to go off half cocked and have a terrible time with the attempt. I will continue to read and learn here and ask questions of those who've got the knowledge so that when I'm ready to make the attempt I have the best chance for success. I'm especially interested in riding gear and am already planning to order a pair of LD comfort underwear.

I currently ride a 2001 Suzuki Bandit 600 with a Givi windscreen, E41 side cases and V45 top case and a set of bar risers. The bike has 60,000km on it, so clearly there is a LOT of life left in it! I seem to be able to average over 300km before hitting reserve and have gone 340km several times before filling up and it's never been bone dry. I've never had the nerve to push it further than that.

Thanks,

Morrissey

 

[WoodmanTX]

Hi Morrissey!

I did my 1st IBA ride last spring after returning to riding after the 'monkeys' left the tree. I also had some trepidation. Much info here on the forum. I have now done a SS1000 and a BB1500. Wanted to go for a BBG but may be beyond my limits. Planning a 50CC attempt for 2017 currently.

I personally found the SS1000 to be a very comfortable and safe experience for my limits. Here in the US, the interstate highway system allows the distance to be covered in about 16 hours of riding time at posted speeds. Thus there is much time remaining for rest and re-fueling the body as needed.

Aside from all the other info found here on bike and gear prep and other personal tips and tricks, I would add the following from my 1st experience:
- Make sure you are comfortable on the bike. Whatever minor irritant you experience on short rides will be logarithmicly compounded on a longer ride. Do not have the mind set of 'I'll just tough it out" -- fix it before the big ride. Take an intermediate ride (5-6 hours) and make note of the issues you experience. Wind protection, warmth, personal hydration and fatigue, back rest needed? Highway pegs needed? cruise control needed? vibration through the seat or bars?etc. Anything uncomfortable or distracting you experience needs to be noted and addressed if possible so you can keep your concentration / focus level high during the big ride.
- Pick a route that allows for a lot of 70+mph highway speed to be able to roll off the miles quickly. I would not recommend a sightseeing trip or a bunch of twisties on your 1st attempt.
- Getting back safely supercedes any self satisfaction or certificate on the wall. Only you can gauge your fatigue level as the ride progresses. However, the tendency is to push beyond your limits in speed and duration. Be aware and be safe. As I mentioned, the 1000 is a comfortable ride for me with plenty of time space to complete. However when I tried the BBG which is a 23 hour ride with very little slack time for rest, I hit the proverbial wall at about 20 hours and stopped (easily got the BB1500 the next day after resting though).

Good luck. Keep us posted on your planning and progress

 

[Morrissey]

Quite a few of your suggestions are things I've read on here and have incorporated into my planning so far. Once spring is here and I get my "motorcycle muscles" back in shape with a few shorter rides, I will be doing a few half distance rides to help me train for the big one. I am working on a list of things I need to do to get my motorcycle ready such as improved light bulbs (stock ones are not bright enough) and possibly a new windscreen that is less noisy. Obviously the LD comfort undies and maybe some riding pants. New gloves are on my list too as my current ones are a little tight and cause cramping in my right thumb after 4 hrs. As for the route for my first SS, safety and probability of completion are my only concerns. I may try a more scenic route after I've got one under my belt.

Because time is at a premium with 2 little ones around, I'm planning a "there and back again" route from my house. I am only about 35 min north of the 401 so my plan is to start at the gas station nearest to my house and head south to the 401 and then head east to a point in Quebec where I can turn around at a gas station so I can have an electronic receipt from the turn around point. I will be planning the turn around point to be a little more than 800km/500mi so as to have a little padding in case google maps doesn't calculate the mileage correctly.

I am planning on having my Wife be my starting witness (I'm pretty sure I read on here that spouses are acceptable as witnesses). Does she have to be at the actual gas station where I first fill up (its only about 1.5km from our house) or can she verify my mileage before I leave the house? Also, upon returning can I have my Wife be my end witness or does it have to be a different person? My plan is to leave at 4am. I am an early bird by nature and have to get up for work between 3 and 4am two weeks out of the month so I know it will be easier for me to start at that time rather than wait until later and have to drive well past midnight. The other two weeks of the month I am getting home from work between 12am and 1am so again, these are times when I am normally on the road. My goal is to finish around the 20-21hr mark. I know that on my longest ride to date I was able to do 1200km (indicated by bike odometre not verified by GPS or google maps) in 14hrs. We were heading back from NS and wanted to shave a day off our return trip. It worked. Also, in regards to my planned route, do I have to get a gas receipt where I meet up with the 401 and turn east for the rest of my ride? There aren't many options to cheat the route and it would only be 30-35min after my start (same on return trip when I turn north to home I'd have to stop and then ride a half hour to finish the ride) or would it be best to make this stop to make sure I had proof of my route?

 

[Steve Bracken]

I am planning on having my Wife be my starting witness (I'm pretty sure I read on here that spouses are acceptable as witnesses). Does she have to be at the actual gas station where I first fill up (its only about 1.5km from our house) or can she verify my mileage before I leave the house? Also, upon returning can I have my Wife be my end witness or does it have to be a different person?

Your wife can verify the mileage, and sign the form when she and the bike are in the same place, and that can be your home.

As the gas station will be your official start point, she might want to come and see you off ... mine did.

 

[Ira]

Your wife can verify the mileage, and sign the form when she and the bike are in the same place, and that can be your home.

As the gas station will be your official start point, she might want to come and see you off ... mine did.

Moreover, if your planned start is at 0400, you can have your wife sign the evening before. So no need to wake her in the middle of the night. Similarly, if you finish the ride in the middle of the night, you can wait until later in the morning to have her sign off.

As was noted above, your first gas receipt is your official start time and location and your last receipt is your official end time and location.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association

 

[cacomly]

Moreover, if your planned start is at 0400, you can have your wife sign the evening before. So no need to wake her in the middle of the night. Similarly, if you finish the ride in the middle of the night, you can wait until later in the morning to have her sign off.

As was noted above, your first gas receipt is your official start time and location and your last receipt is your official end time and location.

Ira Agins
Iron Butt Association

Please don't tell my wife that ...

 

[Wide open 13]

Morrissey.

I was just looking at your post and you are talking about the 401 doing a turn around in Quebec. Were exactly is your start point since Toronto to Quebec city is 800km meaning you will need to go threw Montreal twice, so your bound to hit some major traffic. Even the 401 is a busy road to be navigating after a full day on the road.

Have you looked at any other route around Ontario that would keep you away from major centers. I have done several Iron Butt rides on Interstates and secondary roads with time to spare on both option.

Try not to over plan and over think this trip. My old 1991 ultra classic with poor lighting and 320km gas range has proven over and over that it can be done in the required 24 hrs with ample time to spare.

You need to keep the wheels turning, keep your pit stop time to a minimum, pack some water and a few snacks to keep you from wasting time going into the gas station. Make sure you have a system for keeping your receipt dry and secure, carry a few extra pens. Be prepared for rain even if the forecast is for clear skies.

Apart from that just have fun doing it. Good luck it will be a great accomplishment once you complete the ride, send in the paper work and receive your first certificate.

Mike

 

[Morrissey]

Hi Mike. I am 1.5hrs north east of Toronto. I have chosen this route mostly because of it's simplicity. 100km/hr speed limits, not having to worry about getting receipts in the "corners" of my loop etc. Sometime between my last trip through Montreal (2011) and now they have built a by-pass that goes south of Montreal and lets you avoid going through Montreal. I have a few friends who've traveled this by-pass and say it makes a BIG difference. There is a rally here in Ontario called Canon Ball and it is a 1 day 500 mile or 2 day 1000 mile ride. I could use their map to plan an "All Ontario" SS1000 but I'm a little concerned about doing a big loop with corner stops to worry about on my first attempt.

As for the bike, I've got locking, hard Givi luggage so a dry space to keep my log/receipts is not a problem. I'm not planning on doing much to modify the bike, I don't want to spend a lot on a bike I'm hoping to replace in a year or two, but light bulbs aren't expensive compared to most mods and they make a big safety difference. I would be planning the light bulbs even if I wasn't hoping to tackle the SS. I often commute to work (85km one way) and either leave in the dark or return in the dark depending on the shift.

Thanks for the encouragement!