My first SS1K

#1
So, this is my first attempt at any certificate, so naturally, I am starting with a SS1K. I plan to hit the road tomorrow by 11:30 am and 12:00 pm CDT. Obviously once I get rolling tomorrow, I won't be posting in here until the trip is finished.

In the event anyone wants to follow my progress in real-ish time (if it will show it in the middle of a trip)…
• Spotwalla: https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/2469-396ca96-d0e5/view

General information about the route…
Start: Dothan, AL
US-231 N to AL-97 N to US-80 W to I-20 W
Waypoint: Meridian, MS
I-20 W
Midpoint: Shreveport, LA
I-20 W
Waypoint: Lindale, TX
One of 3 northerly routes avoiding tolls that are all within 4 miles of each other
End: Grove, OK

*Waypoints are not necessarily stops, just points chosen to redirect the route in the desired direction. Route calculated by Google maps, avoiding toll roads. Google estimated miles is ≈ 1,024 (depending on which route I take from Lindale to Grove).

Here's an overview screenshot...
Screenshot_20210524-204840.jpg

And here's the bike all packed and ready...
PXL_20210601_213953399.jpg
 
#3
Good luck! Looks like based on your departure time you'll be well out of Dallas area traffic, good call.
Thanks.

I actually am turning north before Dallas. Lindale is about half way from the LA/TX border to Dallas. From there, the screenshot shows the westward-most route but another route when I have looked up is more due north through Paris and the last route runs up the eastern TX/LA and OK/AR borders. I'll just let Google Maps pick the best one at the time that I hit that area, as I said, all 3 routes there are within 6 miles distance of one another.
 

Marc11

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#4
Thanks.

I actually am turning north before Dallas. Lindale is about half way from the LA/TX border to Dallas. From there, the screenshot shows the westward-most route but another route when I have looked up is more due north through Paris and the last route runs up the eastern TX/LA and OK/AR borders. I'll just let Google Maps pick the best one at the time that I hit that area, as I said, all 3 routes there are within 6 miles distance of one another.
Gotcha. I avoid a 25 mile radius of Dallas any weekday between 7-10 am and 3-7 pm. Looks like you have a solid plan.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#5
Have a great ride! I generally go with just a bit more overhead on the miles. IBA likes to suggest 5% just to be sure for any variations in mapping software. Don't stress about it for this ride, you're ready to go, so go and ride the plan. You've got a really clean route, but FYI, when I just put in the reference points you gave, it pops out on Google Maps with exactly 1000 miles. And if you come up 69 towards Vinita, it's 999. Depending on your corners, you could be cutting it pretty tight. Make sure you document those corners!!
 

JAORE

Premier Member
#6
Best of luck. You passed fairly close to my place just outside of Montgomery. Be sure and wave if you come back this way.
 
#8
Have a great ride! I generally go with just a bit more overhead on the miles. IBA likes to suggest 5% just to be sure for any variations in mapping software. Don't stress about it for this ride, you're ready to go, so go and ride the plan. You've got a really clean route, but FYI, when I just put in the reference points you gave, it pops out on Google Maps with exactly 1000 miles. And if you come up 69 towards Vinita, it's 999. Depending on your corners, you could be cutting it pretty tight. Make sure you document those corners!!
Did you set the option to avoid toll roads? That's what I did. If you check it and allow toll roads, it does come up as shorter.

I haven't calculated anything out yet, I just got finished a few hours ago. I'm going to start plugging in my fuel receipts later and see what it shows just based on shortest distance between DBRs.

I did try to get it further than ≈1023, but there was just no real way to do it in a way that was feasible. Took me 21 hours... I was going to be finished right around 5 am, but didn't finish until 7. I gained two and a half hours near the end due to a multitude of factors I didn't consider or plan for. Like, there was a lot of going 40 mph in a 65 mph zone simply because I couldn't see due to all the fog, and also it was cold as hell and I did not bring anything for cold weather. But up to around mile 800, everything was smooth and on schedule.

But I did finish the trip in time, it's just whether or not it made the miles. I'm going to rest a bit then head to the hotel I'm meeting these guys at and then I will get on WIFI and start uploading my fuel receipts to the Spotwalla thing and start double checking stuff.
 

rneal55555

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#9
If you think it's going to be really close export/download the track from you GPS. That should be accurate down to feet in distance traveled
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
Glad you safely finished the ride. I didn't think the box to avoid toll roads. I hope you have the miles, but even if you think it's tight, submit it anyway with a map of your route. The IBA will make the call and let you know. Won't cost you anything if they deny it, but they want you to succeed too.
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#11
Congratulations on the ride. Even the ride can only be verified at 990 miles, it's still an accomplishment. It also tells you that you can easily add a few more miles and make it in time since you ran into some slow downs and still had 3 hours to go. Heck, you could idle in first gear and make another 20 miles in 3 hours.
 
#12
If you think it's going to be really close export/download the track from you GPS. That should be accurate down to feet in distance traveled
Yeah, I need to get on the computer for that, I think. Even then, not sure exactly how to do that with Google Maps, but I did turn on location remembrance or whatever they call it.

I can also see the timeline, but it split it into two separate trips because I accidentally closed Maps at one of my stops, but the two added together only comes to 998. :confused:

Which is weird because I followed the route it said was 1023 + a few wrong turns and being lost for a minute (which wouldn't count anyway, as well as no proof). Even if Google is rounding things weird, that's still WAY off from the distance it said the trip was going to be.

All that work and struggle, to be 2 miles off. :mad:

Screenshot_20210603-145810.jpg Screenshot_20210603-145831.jpg
 
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#13
Though, my first and last DBR odo pics shows 1018 (and the total distance from home to my first DBR and from my last DBR to my actual destination is less than 2 miles), but my odo could be wrong... obviously (hence the need for DBRs).
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#14
Your odo is definitely wrong! Don't trust it. Try plotting the addresses on your DBRs in Google Maps and see what it says. That should give you an idea of what the verification team will be looking at.
 
#15
Well boys, don't count me out yet, I just overlaid the two days and the Google timeline did miss a good chunk...

But yes, I will input all my DBRs eventually, probably when I get home Sunday.

Anyway, I was thinking about the Google Maps timeline and was thinking maybe it cut out a chunk. So what happened is, I tried to not close maps to see if it would keep the entire trip together and at one of my fuel stops, I took my phone off the bars and accidentally backed out of maps, so I guess what it did was end the previous trip at my last location and started the trip at the next location. I'm sure this is at least 2 miles from the two halves of the timelines that add up to 998...

Screenshot_20210604-005349.jpg
 
#16
Your odo is definitely wrong! Don't trust it. Try plotting the addresses on your DBRs in Google Maps and see what it says. That should give you an idea of what the verification team will be looking at.
Oh I know the odo will be wrong. I just don't know how wrong, and it will be wrong in different ways depending on the speed range where I spent the most time.

I actually got a new transmission and because of that, got a speedo recalibration box for it. I calibrated the speedo at 60 mph, however under 40 mph and it reads fast compared to GPS speed (example, when my speedo says 30 mph, GPS indicates 28), and over 70 mph and it reads slow (again for example, when the speedo says 75 mph, the GPS says 77 mph). Though it's odd, when the speedo says 80 mph, the GPS also says 80. It's also oddly more accurate in some ranges than others, more like it fluctuates up and down in accuracy, though I guess that's to be expected when the speedo reads using a magnetic sensor and a worm gear in the transmission to create impulses (which is how mine works).
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#18
As I said before, send it in no matter what and let the IBA decide, but do write a short note to include where you think the route shown doesn't agree with what you rode. What I typically do is make the route up on my computer in Google Maps, drag the route where ever needed to show the actual route I rode, then when you click on 'Details' there is an option to share the link at the top, to the right of the time and miles for the route as a 3 dots connected by two lines icon. Click on that and it will generate a link to that route that you can copy and past into your email submission to the IBA. That link should represent the actual route you rode, and your receipts should back that up, but it will help fill in the gaps, and hopefully show that you did indeed ride over 1000 miles.

The lesson here just shows why they want a larger buffer! You did the ride, we're all rooting for you to get the cert too!
 
#19
Well, I have a lot of information to submit as well, I wanted to be sure I got as much as I could to help the certification process. I'm even filling out the trip log PDF on my phone so no crappy handwriting.

Anyway, as a small update, I added the images of my fuel receipts to the Spotwalla trip map.

Side-question... should I also create a track for it? I'm not sure I fully understand the point of putting a track on a trip.
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#20
Don't worry about submitting too much info. Nobody has ever been denied a cert because they submitted too much info. I also fill out the trip log electronically before submitting it. My handwriting is less than ideal. Everyone can read a typed version of it so that's what I do. During the trip, I make notes on my phone or just write it down on a notepad when I need to.

I've never created a track, so I can't help you there. I've never had any issues with a cert, but I don't see how it could hurt.