Hey kaz, why did you delete your sarcasm 'Ya Big Chicken'
What kind of IBA rider are you?
- Thread starter CB650F
- Start date
YA I wimped out because I thought it maybe to much of a rabbit hole in this thread to start discussing roo sightings per KM in aust. vs large furry woodland creature sightings per KM in my Kanader area or the yumminess of either before vs after impact
YA I wimped out because I thought it maybe to much of a rabbit hole in this thread to start discussing roo sightings per KM in aust. vs large furry woodland creature sightings per KM in my Kanader area or the yumminess of either before vs after impact
I have never hit a kangaroo on a motorcycle, however I have hit three deer. I don’t think I’ll ever be quite the same. There’s a little fear and trembling but it is almost always overcome by the sheer joy of riding a motorcycle.
I do look forward to the Oxley Highway...
I’ve actually only done one certified ride. It was the SS1000, and one of the hardest rides I’ve done. It was on a BMW F650 GS with three other guys. It was in a terrible rain storm on the East Coast, we were in rain for probably 17 hours out of 21 or 22. One of my greatest accomplishments because I was determined to finish.
Since that time, I’ve had a couple of other motorcycles, I upgraded to an FJR 1300 which was an absolutely amazing bike. I did a border to border, a coast to coast, BB1500, National Parks Tour, multiple SS1000s, and documented all of them, but never submitted them. I realize that the riding is for me and that’s it. So I’ve never sent in any other documented certificate rides. I have a box with all of them, maybe one day I will do it.
I hit a deer in 2017 on the IBR and destroyed my FJR. Got a Honda GL1800 for the 2019 IBR which was amazing. I’d love to do write ups, but again, the riding is really just for me. Maybe the writing should be just for me too. Makes me happy and it’s difficult to write in a 2 Dimensional Way what we experience riding in a three dimensional experience.
Since that time, I’ve had a couple of other motorcycles, I upgraded to an FJR 1300 which was an absolutely amazing bike. I did a border to border, a coast to coast, BB1500, National Parks Tour, multiple SS1000s, and documented all of them, but never submitted them. I realize that the riding is for me and that’s it. So I’ve never sent in any other documented certificate rides. I have a box with all of them, maybe one day I will do it.
I hit a deer in 2017 on the IBR and destroyed my FJR. Got a Honda GL1800 for the 2019 IBR which was amazing. I’d love to do write ups, but again, the riding is really just for me. Maybe the writing should be just for me too. Makes me happy and it’s difficult to write in a 2 Dimensional Way what we experience riding in a three dimensional experience.
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One would believe that many others have joined you as a "stay-at-home" IBA rider - particularly for this month.
Damn - that *would * have been a great idea! Having a photo of your bike's odo yesterday - with date displayed...and again at the end of the month.
Less than one mile, and you receive a No-Ride certification. Now, why less than a mile? Well, may need to periodically move the bike around the garage, and it *might* just be a quick jaunt around the block.
No discernible change on the odometer? The No-Ride Unobtanium certificate!
Brilliant, I tell ya - brilliant!
Damn - that *would * have been a great idea! Having a photo of your bike's odo yesterday - with date displayed...and again at the end of the month.
Less than one mile, and you receive a No-Ride certification. Now, why less than a mile? Well, may need to periodically move the bike around the garage, and it *might* just be a quick jaunt around the block.
No discernible change on the odometer? The No-Ride Unobtanium certificate!
Brilliant, I tell ya - brilliant!
What type of IBA rider am I? Well gee, not the type you understand. Don't get all upset at the responses when you don't understand the background and why you're getting the responses you're getting. No one is trolling. Except possibly you. Some of my certs were specific things I set out to accomplish. More of them were done as part of a rally. I was not riding for the cert, it simply happened during my riding of the endurance rally or event. A few were cert events that gathered like minded people together to share of each other and while there, individually challenge ourselves on a cert ride. We didn't ride in a group, but we enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and talk with friends as well as make some new ones, both before and after the ride.
Within the active members of the IBA there are more involved people. The 'one and done' riders aren't hanging out on forums and talking about their riding. They don't go to LD/IBA events and socialize with other LD riders. This is not to say there are not people here that have only one cert, but have been doing LD riding for years and continue to do so. The subtle difference is involvement in the sport, the community and the in real life interaction they have with other like minded individuals.
I started riding long distances to see more/new places in the time I had on weekends. Eventually that got to the point where one of the local riders, (who happened to be a LD rider), in my community sent me an email one day... "Do you want to go get a hot dog?" I said sure, where? Los Angeles was the response. At the time I was living in Portland, OR. The ride was to the now infamous Pink's RTE. A tad over 1000 miles each way from Portland. So we met up around midnight and took off. Met another rider in Los Banos, CA and continued on to Hollywood. Found a room, slept for a few hours, (Pinks starts around 10pm and peaks at midnight), went to the RTE and went back to the hotel for a few more hours of sleep before riding back home. Had either of us bothered to document it, it would have been an SS2k ride. Not long after that I entered my first endurance rally, (White Stag), and discovered a completely different arena of long distance riding. There are rally riders and cert riders and some cross over. But you meet a lot more people riding in rallies and if you want, you end up becoming part of the LD community. Because you get involved.
No one cares how many certs you get or have. That's just a personal choice to enjoy by yourself. You choose rides that interest you or challenge you. Eventually you learn the skills to do it w/o a lot of drama and the knowledge about yourself to do it safely and to know when to cut a ride short and leave it for another day or when to press on and how to do that safely.
I'm sure some riders fit into your poll questions. Some consider the ride list to be an opportunity to keep challenging themselves and benchmark their successful completion of each goal along the way. Others pick and choose what interests them. Some get a taste for "extreme" rides and focus on those. Some set goals to do multi-ride certs. There is no wrong, only what interests you.
If you want to participate in the community, go to some of the events or do a rally when things get going again. You'll meet like minded riders IRL and can ask questions and get to share your perspective all in real time. You may even have a good time. Odds are high you'll see something on a bike and wonder what it is and why it's there. And be able to track down the owner and find out. You'll probably see something and think "OMG, that's hideous! Why would anyone do that?" You'll probably also see something and think "I'm doing that as soon as I get home!". We get the full spectrum here in the LD community.
I know riders from all over the world because of the IBA and LD riding. I met my future wife at an LD event in Alaska. We got married at an IBA International Meet a couple of years later, (as a surprise part of the event). About 350 people, many of whom participate in this forum now and then, were at my wedding. I'm nobody special, just another rider. But the people in this community are special. And we understand why we choose to do this sport and what we get out of it largely is because of what we put into it.
Take what you want from long distance riding and the IBA. Use it to challenge yourself if you want. You'll learn some things about yourself along the way. "It's not the bike, it's the rider."
No need to ask us what kind of IBA rider we are. Tell us what kind of rider YOU are. What interests you about LD riding and the IBA? What made you decide to do your first cert ride? You said you find the unique rides more appealing. Remember that every ride is unique. You can make it into anything you want it to be. Often and LD rider will need to go somewhere. They know they can ride instead of drive. It occurs to them that they could change their route or add some miles and have a SS1k. So it becomes a unique ride that has meaning to them.
It's a sickness in a way. You notice one day that a town or city name is used more than once in the US... Then you start looking where the other ones are. Next thing you know you're planning a SS1k or BBG between Las Vegas, NV and Las Vegas, NM. Or a SS2k between Quartzsite, AZ and Quartzite Falls, MI. Or thinking that Tonopah(NV) to Tonopah(AZ) to Tonopah(NV) could be a new ride, Tonopah cubed... or Tonopah squared... Or how many Londons or Portlands you can fit into a single ride?
The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself. Go ride.
Don't get all upset at the responses when you don't understand the background and why you're getting the responses you're getting. No one is trolling. Except possibly you. Some of my certs were specific things I set out to accomplish. More of them were done as part of a rally. I was not riding for the cert, it simply happened during my riding of the endurance rally or event. A few were cert events that gathered like minded people together to share of each other and while there, individually challenge ourselves on a cert ride. We didn't ride in a group, but we enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and talk with friends as well as make some new ones, both before and after the ride.Within the active members of the IBA there are more involved people. The 'one and done' riders aren't hanging out on forums and talking about their riding. They don't go to LD/IBA events and socialize with other LD riders. This is not to say there are not people here that have only one cert, but have been doing LD riding for years and continue to do so. The subtle difference is involvement in the sport, the community and the in real life interaction they have with other like minded individuals.
I started riding long distances to see more/new places in the time I had on weekends. Eventually that got to the point where one of the local riders, (who happened to be a LD rider), in my community sent me an email one day... "Do you want to go get a hot dog?" I said sure, where? Los Angeles was the response. At the time I was living in Portland, OR. The ride was to the now infamous Pink's RTE. A tad over 1000 miles each way from Portland. So we met up around midnight and took off. Met another rider in Los Banos, CA and continued on to Hollywood. Found a room, slept for a few hours, (Pinks starts around 10pm and peaks at midnight), went to the RTE and went back to the hotel for a few more hours of sleep before riding back home. Had either of us bothered to document it, it would have been an SS2k ride. Not long after that I entered my first endurance rally, (White Stag), and discovered a completely different arena of long distance riding. There are rally riders and cert riders and some cross over. But you meet a lot more people riding in rallies and if you want, you end up becoming part of the LD community. Because you get involved.
No one cares how many certs you get or have. That's just a personal choice to enjoy by yourself. You choose rides that interest you or challenge you. Eventually you learn the skills to do it w/o a lot of drama and the knowledge about yourself to do it safely and to know when to cut a ride short and leave it for another day or when to press on and how to do that safely.
I'm sure some riders fit into your poll questions. Some consider the ride list to be an opportunity to keep challenging themselves and benchmark their successful completion of each goal along the way. Others pick and choose what interests them. Some get a taste for "extreme" rides and focus on those. Some set goals to do multi-ride certs. There is no wrong, only what interests you.
If you want to participate in the community, go to some of the events or do a rally when things get going again. You'll meet like minded riders IRL and can ask questions and get to share your perspective all in real time. You may even have a good time. Odds are high you'll see something on a bike and wonder what it is and why it's there. And be able to track down the owner and find out. You'll probably see something and think "OMG, that's hideous! Why would anyone do that?" You'll probably also see something and think "I'm doing that as soon as I get home!". We get the full spectrum here in the LD community.
I know riders from all over the world because of the IBA and LD riding. I met my future wife at an LD event in Alaska. We got married at an IBA International Meet a couple of years later, (as a surprise part of the event). About 350 people, many of whom participate in this forum now and then, were at my wedding. I'm nobody special, just another rider. But the people in this community are special. And we understand why we choose to do this sport and what we get out of it largely is because of what we put into it.
Take what you want from long distance riding and the IBA. Use it to challenge yourself if you want. You'll learn some things about yourself along the way. "It's not the bike, it's the rider."
No need to ask us what kind of IBA rider we are. Tell us what kind of rider YOU are. What interests you about LD riding and the IBA? What made you decide to do your first cert ride? You said you find the unique rides more appealing. Remember that every ride is unique. You can make it into anything you want it to be. Often and LD rider will need to go somewhere. They know they can ride instead of drive. It occurs to them that they could change their route or add some miles and have a SS1k. So it becomes a unique ride that has meaning to them.
It's a sickness in a way. You notice one day that a town or city name is used more than once in the US... Then you start looking where the other ones are. Next thing you know you're planning a SS1k or BBG between Las Vegas, NV and Las Vegas, NM. Or a SS2k between Quartzsite, AZ and Quartzite Falls, MI. Or thinking that Tonopah(NV) to Tonopah(AZ) to Tonopah(NV) could be a new ride, Tonopah cubed... or Tonopah squared... Or how many Londons or Portlands you can fit into a single ride?
The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself. Go ride.
Last edited:
One would believe that many others have joined you as a "stay-at-home" IBA rider - particularly for this month.
Damn - that *would * have been a great idea! Having a photo of your bike's odo yesterday - with date displayed...and again at the end of the month.
Less than one mile, and you receive a No-Ride certification. Now, why less than a mile? Well, may need to periodically move the bike around the garage, and it *might* just be a quick jaunt around the block.
No discernible change on the odometer? The No-Ride Unobtanium certificate!
Brilliant, I tell ya - brilliant!
Damn - that *would * have been a great idea! Having a photo of your bike's odo yesterday - with date displayed...and again at the end of the month.
Less than one mile, and you receive a No-Ride certification. Now, why less than a mile? Well, may need to periodically move the bike around the garage, and it *might* just be a quick jaunt around the block.
No discernible change on the odometer? The No-Ride Unobtanium certificate!
Brilliant, I tell ya - brilliant!
And it's been a bonus in at least one multi-day rally in the guise of a "efficiency bonus".
After three successful SS1Ks (2017 - 2019), it is clear. As said above, we're all different.
I can and will only seek out (personal) IBA rides that offer river canyons or curvy roads to the greatest degree possible. More power to those who can click off a SS1K in 16 hours or less and toasted it with a smile on their face. I've drawn the most joy from my two slowest rides of 19 - 21.5 hours.
There must be curvy 25 MPH corners in my route. My last (2019) had primarily 35 MPH corners and just a few miles of 25 MPH corners. It was my quickest ride to date. For me, the experience was alright, but not up to the expectations of my previous two slower rides. It sounds odd, but I'd rather not complete the ride and experience the joy of riding a million curves that slowed my average speed, than complete a quick route that left me basically unfulfilled.
I can and will only seek out (personal) IBA rides that offer river canyons or curvy roads to the greatest degree possible. More power to those who can click off a SS1K in 16 hours or less and toasted it with a smile on their face. I've drawn the most joy from my two slowest rides of 19 - 21.5 hours.
There must be curvy 25 MPH corners in my route. My last (2019) had primarily 35 MPH corners and just a few miles of 25 MPH corners. It was my quickest ride to date. For me, the experience was alright, but not up to the expectations of my previous two slower rides. It sounds odd, but I'd rather not complete the ride and experience the joy of riding a million curves that slowed my average speed, than complete a quick route that left me basically unfulfilled.
We've got riders all over the board here--and I suspect each will have just a little different motivation.
I completed my first certified ride as a SS1000 for my 50th birthday. One reason was to expand on my riding capabilities as just riding locally was beginning to get dull. Knowing that I am able to complete over 1000 miles in a day really opened up the possibility of continent-long rides. Later that year, I took my first week-long trip. It was through the Rockies.
I felt that I hadn't performed my SS1000 to my best abilities, so I planned another trip that would start out with a certified ride. My total distance from home to the Tail of the Dragon was a BB1500. I split it up into a SS1000 the first day, with time to complete the BB1500 the second day. Experience counts, and I did both in a manner that satisfied me. After two nights at the Dragon and taking two days to ride the Bluegrass Parkway, I returned home on two 800 mile days (but not timely enough for another BB1500). Easy-peasy by comparison.
I feel that these experiences have not only greatly improved my riding skills, but they have certainly expanded my joy in riding.
I hope to get hooning across the continent again once a few bumps that have happened in real life are resolved (we moved to another state when we retired, which took a lot of my time, and now my doggo is elderly and needs me to care for him more than my wife is able). I upgraded bikes (new bike has ABS), and although the IBA plate backer is my achievement, it feels a little like false advertising until I complete a certified ride on the new bike. Hmm … in-state SS1000 once the pandemic restrictions are lifted?
I completed my first certified ride as a SS1000 for my 50th birthday. One reason was to expand on my riding capabilities as just riding locally was beginning to get dull. Knowing that I am able to complete over 1000 miles in a day really opened up the possibility of continent-long rides. Later that year, I took my first week-long trip. It was through the Rockies.
I felt that I hadn't performed my SS1000 to my best abilities, so I planned another trip that would start out with a certified ride. My total distance from home to the Tail of the Dragon was a BB1500. I split it up into a SS1000 the first day, with time to complete the BB1500 the second day. Experience counts, and I did both in a manner that satisfied me. After two nights at the Dragon and taking two days to ride the Bluegrass Parkway, I returned home on two 800 mile days (but not timely enough for another BB1500). Easy-peasy by comparison.
I feel that these experiences have not only greatly improved my riding skills, but they have certainly expanded my joy in riding.
I hope to get hooning across the continent again once a few bumps that have happened in real life are resolved (we moved to another state when we retired, which took a lot of my time, and now my doggo is elderly and needs me to care for him more than my wife is able). I upgraded bikes (new bike has ABS), and although the IBA plate backer is my achievement, it feels a little like false advertising until I complete a certified ride on the new bike. Hmm … in-state SS1000 once the pandemic restrictions are lifted?
Ooh...another one coming up in just a few years - time to plan my opportunity for one:
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024