Planning an IBA 50CC

#1
One of the riders recently posted a thread asking for 50cc milestones. He must have deleted the thread before I could reply, so here is how I am planning the ride:

Start at Gate Gas Station...2520 3rd st. South Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
End at a gas station at 4794 Voltaire st. San Diego 92107
Midway is the Best Western Hotel 244 Dos Rios Drive Junction, TX 76849

2361 miles....IF non stop and doing all speed limits.....34 hours....69.4 mph.
Stop midway in Junction, Texas at exit 456 ....1198 miles
OR stop at Van Horn, Texas at exit 140B ....1514 miles for a BBG

If traveling the speed limit at all times and stopping 10 minutes for gas every 2 hours, you can make it to Junction, Texas in 19 hours.

If you stay in Junction for 8 hours and continue at the same rate, you can arrive at the gas station in San Diego in 45 hours with 5 hours to spare.

I have done the above route planning by using the 2011 version of Microsoft Streets and Trips.

You can do the same with Google Maps.

https://goo.gl/maps/dM5XwQPFcEx

Google shows 33 hours, therefore S&T may not reflect the recent increase in West Texas speed limits.



gramps
 

Rony6ble

Premier Member
#2
I10-I8 west bound ramp under constructiin. Easy detour, take I10 west, find next exit, turn around I10 east and take I8 ramp.
In my Todo list for this year.
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#4
I started reading blogs, ride reports, I was up at 5am researching everything, could I do this, what bike should I use, do I change my oil when I get to California, what time do I leave Jacksonville so I don't go through Texas at night, I have a ton of questions lol I got one shot at it this yr, and thought I better do a little more research before I asked the question, but now I'm 100% sure I'm going to do the ride.
 

hsd10

Premier Member
#5
I
I started reading blogs, ride reports, I was up at 5am researching everything, could I do this, what bike should I use, do I change my oil when I get to California, what time do I leave Jacksonville so I don't go through Texas at night, I have a ton of questions lol I got one shot at it this yr, and thought I better do a little more research before I asked the question, but now I'm 100% sure I'm going to do the ride.
It's a great ride and tons of fun, I did it this past June. I left Jacksonville around 3:30AM on a Sunday and didn't hit any real traffic. I did find the Highway in El Paso to be a hassle, due to road construction. The mountains in to CA. also caught me by surprise. After roasting riding thru New Mexico and Arizona. It was very chilly up in the mountains with the temps dropping in to the low 50's. I kept putting off adding my heated liner until it was just easier to tough it out. Next time that will not happen! I did the trip in just a few minutes over 46 hrs with a motel stop in Junction. After your last gas up at the station on Voltaire St, go next door and and have a celebratory Burrito at "Roberto's"
 
#6
I started reading blogs, ride reports, I was up at 5am researching everything, could I do this, what bike should I use, do I change my oil when I get to California, what time do I leave Jacksonville so I don't go through Texas at night, I have a ton of questions lol I got one shot at it this yr, and thought I better do a little more research before I asked the question, but now I'm 100% sure I'm going to do the ride.
Bear in mind that we are in the 3rd recorded Super El Nino and must be aware of weather conditions. Here is a link to Greg Rice's weather guide made especially for the 2015 Iron Butt Rally purposes:

http://www.mctourer.com/TripPlanning/Weather.htm

BTW the MTF (Motorcycle Tourer's Forum) is planning a cc50 ccc100 in late April. Excellent forum and they also collaborate with the IBA on some certificate rides.

gramps
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#7
I


It's a great ride and tons of fun, I did it this past June. I left Jacksonville around 3:30AM on a Sunday and didn't hit any real traffic. I did find the Highway in El Paso to be a hassle, due to road construction. The mountains in to CA. also caught me by surprise. After roasting riding thru New Mexico and Arizona. It was very chilly up in the mountains with the temps dropping in to the low 50's. I kept putting off adding my heated liner until it was just easier to tough it out. Next time that will not happen! I did the trip in just a few minutes over 46 hrs with a motel stop in Junction. After your last gas up at the station on Voltaire St, go next door and and have a celebratory Burrito at "Roberto's"
How long did you stop in Junction?
 

rodneyw71

KLR'er
Premier Member
#8
Bear in mind that we are in the 3rd recorded Super El Nino and must be aware of weather conditions. Here is a link to Greg Rice's weather guide made especially for the 2015 Iron Butt Rally purposes:

http://www.mctourer.com/TripPlanning/Weather.htm

BTW the MTF (Motorcycle Tourer's Forum) is planning a cc50 ccc100 in late April. Excellent forum and they also collaborate with the IBA on some certificate rides.

gramps
That link has a ton of good info on it, saved it to my ph.
 

Joseph Kappes

Kankujoe
Premier Member
#10
I did my 50CC in 2014 with the MTF. They really help with the logistics & paperwork. It was also reassuring seeing other riders occasionally at fuel stops.

I didn't know what to expect & wasn't sure I'd be successful. Not everything went according to my plan.

I passed through torrential rain & wind from Tallahassee, FL through Mobile, AL. The Louisiana & Texas traffic & the horrendous wind in Texas caused me to get to my planned halfway stop 4 hours late.

My rest stop was the Junction, TX Motel-6 for a shower & about 5 hours sleep.

The hardest part was the continuous & gusty headwinds & crosswinds across Texas. It really wore at me riding hour after hour in the stiff wind & gusts. It also cut my fuel range down to 120-130 miles per tank through Texas. The rest of the ride I managed about 180 miles per tank. I had to make more fuel stops than I planned. I planned on 13-14 fuel stops but I had to make 18. There was also significant wind & an abrupt temperature drop riding through the Sierra Madre mountains into California.

Even though I was 4 hours behind my planned schedule I made it into San Diego with about an hour to spare.

I'm glad I successfully made it. There were several times I had my doubts.

Someday I'll probably do it again. It is one of those threshold rides... once you do it, other LD rides seem much easier.
 
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Steve Bell

Premier Member
#11
I did my 50cc this past July. I started in San Diego and went to Jacksonville. If I had to do all over again, which I will, i would plan on doing it not in the middle of summer. The heat and humidity tested even the best hydration systems on your bike. Also, we hit rain, hail and even a funnel cloud in Lousiana. All in all it was a remarkable ride and I can't wait to do it again. Our rest stop was the east side of Houston, some 1490 miles from San Diego. We rested for 5 hours and then moved on to Jacksonville. One piece of advice is hydration is super important. Drink plenty of liquids or you will find yourself in a heap of trouble, especially if you do this run anytime in the summer. Total time for my 50CC was 45hrs and 9 mins. It has me thinking of doing a 100 CCC since I live in AZ and have to ride back from Jax.
 

Rony6ble

Premier Member
#12
I have never tried a 50CC. I wanted to do one in November last year but didn't happen.
Living in Phoenix, AZ I would need, eventually, come back to Arizona and this leaves me with basically two options:
1. 50CC west-east and get back visiting NP's without interstates. This will require a lot of time.
2. 100CCC. This is faster but not having done a 50CC not sure if a 100CCC is the best option.
 

TheRoss

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#13
Rony6ble,
Option 3... Make it a 50cc inside of a SS4000 or SS5000.

I have done two 50cc rides, both starting in San Diego. I also live mid-country, and the first ride included a SS5000. The second ride was a SS4000 because I was already on the west coast.
First ride (March) was I-10&20 through DFW, Atlanta, ending on Tybee Island, GA. Beautiful place to end up. Spent the night in Abilene, TX. 45 hours.
Second ride (January) was I-10 straight to Jacksonville. Night in Columbus, TX. 42 hours. Visited Barber Museum in Leeds, AL on the way home.
Both of my rides began at midnight. Location for both nights were planned for early morning (4:30-5:00) departures in order to get through DFW/Houston before the morning traffic got bad. No issues at all!
Very doable rides, and a lot of fun! Be sure to collect water/sand samples at each end for your bookshelf.

Because both rides involve a lot of interstate, check out .thenextexit.com if you are a detailed planner.
 
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Jon Kerr

More lost than found
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#14
Plan it and do it! Doing the 50CC was one of the funnest rides I have ever done. I did it with a buddy from NY. I rode from Utah to Jacksonville, he came down from NY. We SCUBA dived in Florida for a day then busted out to San Diego (the next day). I'd have to review my notes to give particulars, but what stands out in my mind is how fun/amazing it was to be going through the deserts of Texas and looking over seeing my good buddy cruising along, for thousands of miles. I also recall that when we arrived at the gas station, I couldn't find my EZPass and spent 25 minutes going through my crap until I found it. That sucked. We also did the BBG - which was the hardest certificate ride I've done to date - it really pushed me to my limits. After the ride, we again went diving in San Diego then took a few days to meander and ride through a number of national parks slowly making our way back to Utah. Seeing America via the 50CC is an incredible way to appreciate the vastness of this country. This was one of my favorite rides ever.
 

Garry in AZ

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#15
I did my 50CC in March of 2012, on the way to the Pizza Party. I started in SD, and ended in Jax. Planning it was a lot of fun, I had every fuel stop planned, and on the inside of the windshield I had each exit number recorded. I did the ride on a 2007 Harley Ultra with a stock 5 gallon gas tank. Before the ride, I called every planned stop to make sure they were open, the pumps accepted credit cards and gave good receipts. If memory serves I think I stopped about 18 times for fuel, with my longest stop in the dead of night in east Texas where I had to replace the Harleys headlight. That stop was about 30 minutes.
My advice for anyone doing a 50CC would be to prepare for a wide variety of weather conditions. Pretty much any time between March and November you can experience serious heat, as well as temperatures near freezing. You can plan on getting wet at some point, so take your rain gear and water resistant gloves. You can also experience very windy conditions which are common in southeastern AZ and through most of New Mexico. I mention this because riding into a 40 mph headwind can seriously reduce your fuel range. Be aware, and have a plan for this sort of thing. I also like to carry several different pairs of riding glasses, dark ones for bright sun, yellow lenses for overcast conditions, and clear ones for the rest of the time and at night. Call your credit card company and explain that you will be making frequent small purchases and the states you will be in. This can potentially prevent the cards fraud department from turning off the card and leaving you in the middle of nowhere at a gas pump at 0-dark 30. There is plenty of time to make this non-extreme ride in the 50 hours allotted. You can sleep for 7-8 hours and still make the deadline. Don't ride sleepy!

Be attentive to wildlife on the freeway, particularly in west Texas. Just plan your ride, and then ride your plan.

Garry
514
 

Jon Kerr

More lost than found
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#16
We just finished building a house this last year, so in the last two years, we moved from New York to house #1 in Utah, moved to a different house (#2) in Utah, then moved to our new house (#3) after building it. You don't care about this but it is germaine to the discussion. In the midst of all these moves, I lost all of my documentation for a number of certificate rides I've done in the last two years: CC50, B2B, BBG, SS2000, SS1000x2, NPT, a couple of others. Well, I just unearthed a box and found all the manila envelopes and documentation. Needless to say, I'm super stoked. So now I am pulling out these previously-believed lost documents. I'll include a few here now which focus on the 50CC. I may even be able to find a few of he photos from the trip.
 

Jon Kerr

More lost than found
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#17
Here are the maps for the beginning and ending of the course. I'll find the GPS route in the next couple of days and include that as well. he JAX start was very nice because it was so close to the beach and was also close to the on-ramp for the freeway as shown. We rode up to the police station for a second witness at the beginning of the ride (before we got our gas receipts).

At the end in SD, we happened to find a policeman just off the beach taking care of some drunk guys, and he was happy to witness our end (i conjunction with the gas receipts).
 

Attachments

Rony6ble

Premier Member
#18
Jon, I try to take pictures of the receipts and upload them to my drive. Even if I loose my receipts or even my phone, I still have the pictures tu submit.
 

Jon Kerr

More lost than found
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#19
This is an email excerpt from a discussion with my buddy in preparation for the 50CC ride:

50 CC JAX to SD Notes

Basic Route:

(These are not necessarily stops, rather they are just point markers showing the route)

This route has us going a total of 2379 miles, literally beach to beach. Mapquest says we will do it in 36 hours and 29 minutes total on-bike time. When I have a chance at home I'll do some computations on this route to have a more accurate picture of total times broken down with stops, breaks, refueling, etc.

I have attached two maps - one is the beginning of the course with a police station and fire station and the beach marked. The Fire station will only serve as witnesses after 8 AM, so it likely won't work for us. The ending map shows a potential gas station and the beaches we can go to.

Finally, the Mapquest map link is below. (EDIT: not sure the link is up to date)

I think this is as straight and as fast a route as one can come up with for these two city linkages.

http://www.mapquest.com/#d2edb227802ef716242f4458


1. Jacksonville Beach, Florida Start: Gate Station, 2520 3rd Street S, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

A. Police Station right around the corner: 101 South Penman Road, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 32250

B. Dispatcher on duty 24 hours a day who is willing to serve as a witness (unlike the dispatcher from our last Iron Butt - what a dope!)

C. Telephone: 904-247-6342

2. Mossy Head, Florida (lots of deer in Florida!)

3. Baton Rouge, LA – expect minor congestion

4. Lake Charles, LA – I have us taking the I-210 at Exit 34 around Lake Charles to avoid the congestion, then back on I-10

5. Houston, TX – I have us taking I-610 around Houston – this is recommended if the traffic is pretty congested on I-10. The Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) can suck with congestion and local construction so it may not be a good idea, though some have had a good experience with it.

6. San Antonio, TX – I have us taking the Anderson Loop (FM 1604) at exit 587 around San Antonio to avoid the congestion, however If really late at night/early morning I-10 through San Antonio is just as good as the more commonly chosen FM 1604 Anderson Loop. The Anderson Loop often has closures late at night for construction.

7. Kerrville, TX

8. Fort Stockton, TX

9. El Paso, TX – expect minor congestion usually only on weekdays - Transmountain Loop 375 is an alternative but ONLY if there is a real issue - like a closure, it is long with lots of stops/lights

10. Las Cruces, NM

11. Tucson, AZ – expect minor congestion

12. San Diego, CA End: Shell Gas Station, 4794 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107

A. 619-224-1900

B. Exit I-8 and head to the Ocean Beach Public Access to gather sand and water – just down the street from the station



Also in SD there is a California Highway Patrol office at‎ 4902 Pacific Highway San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 220-5492


To skip Houston:

Take TX-99 (a.k.a. Grand Parkyway) --(REQUIRES TXTAG) and skip the whole mess.

$20.00 and the tag is reportedly free – all $20 goes on the tag

For toll roads through Texas

http://www.txtag.org


Notes from iron butt ride: these are just random notes to self helping me remember little tidbits that ended up bothering me in some way. They were in the letter so I include them here.


Clip fingernails and toe nails holy cow clip them

Bring extra socks and extra gloves

Put on the rain suit before you need it

Make a hole in rain suit for the jacket power cord

Bring sun screen and use it

Hand lotion

Lip balm

Baby powder for feet

Drinks in bladders with tubes for continuous drinking

Two helmets

Different stocking hats

Sunglasses and contacts

Water proof boots

Tire repair kit

Lotion

Eye drops and eye lubricant

Go pro helmet camera

Extra key

Radar/laser detector


*On our first saddle sore 1000, we finished near a police station and attempted to have an officer (dispatch) sign our documents. He refused saying only the detectives could sign things. I work with police officers closely with my work, and through the entirety of my career, have seen nothing but impeccable service from these officers. I love working with them and respect them, so this brash attitude was a surprise to me.
 

Jon Kerr

More lost than found
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#20
Rony:
Taking photos of receipts is a good idea, I tried it once DURING a rally and found it cumbersome. I'm sure a better way exists (than what I was doing). Additionally, when I get home, I have started to copy everything to hard drives--but that assumes I haven't lost something first. I should probably look at trying it again.

Cheers.