This story is long, probably boring to most, and doesn’t have a lot of pictures. But this is my story of my SS1000 that I completed yesterday.
I completed my first SS100 yesterday on May 17th 2014. My wife thought I was insane, and those others that I did tell what I was thinking about doing thought the same thing. I just bought my wife a 2014 Honda CTX700N for mother’s day and she has completed the rider’s course, but is still really new to riding motorcycles and doesn’t get it yet. Most people could not understand why I wanted to do this, and when asked, I would just say ‘because I can’. This would usually just result in a head shake and the end of the conversation. But I wanted to know if I could ride over a thousand miles in a day on my FJR. This intrigued me from when I first heard about it. Back in the early 2000’s I had a FZR, and my brother and I rode from Utah down to Ft Hunter Ligget in California for some training. That was only about 900 miles, and we took three days to do it, and it damn near killed me. They are not kidding when they say sport bikes are not meant for long distances. But I digress… My plan was to leave Farmington Utah and go across Nevada to Reno/Sparks. I know its slab, boring riding, but I figured a nice Interstate with high speed limits would be beneficial and kinder on a newbie to longer distant riding.
I got my FJR ready the day before, packing the cooler and tank bag, and then repacking it, to see what was going to work for me. I had purchased 100% orange juice, apple juice, oranges, apricots, blueberries, energy bars, granola bars, and some dark chocolate for the trip. I had done a search on foods that help keep you alert, and citrus fruits, some kinds of nuts, blueberries and dark chocolate (which I hate) were on the different lists of helping you stay alert. I figured I needed all the help I could get as this was my first attempt at a SS100 and grave yard shift are brutal on me anymore. I read to not eat sugars or caffeine as these have a crash effect after they wear off. (No coffee was just mean and I think unnecessary!) I also did not want to have waste the time going into and standing in a line in a convenience store to get something to eat. And this would give me the freedom to stop where I wanted, if needed. I froze several water bottles in the freezer, figuring I could drink those last when they melted and would keep things cool as well. I placed a small lunch cooler in the tank bag that held the granola and energy bars nicely. Got my MP3 player, camera, wallet and log all set, threw in a long sleeved shirt, rain gear and a couple of extra water bottles in the side bags. I was stoked.
My bike was recently serviced, and I checked the fluids, tires etc. My FJR is the AE model and still has the stock seat, stock windshield, but I have added auxiliary lights, highway pegs and an Airhawk. I have a modular helmet with a sun visor on the inside of the face shield, Tour Master Intake Air Series 3 jacket in high viz yellow, and Venture Air pants. Both have quilted liners and rain liners- I had only put in the quilted liners. Standard light weight gloves, a neck liner if needed, and Bates military safety toe boots.
My plan was to awaken about 0330, pack stuff from the fridge and freezer into the cooler, and head out to the gas station and have the duty ‘graveyard’ car come over and ‘witness’ me off. Well I was way excited and just woke up at 0230 on my own. I had gone to bed way early- about 8pm. I got up, put on my gear, with a liberal sprinkling of Monkey Butt powder and foot powder for good measure. Threw in the items that would fit the best in the coolers, kissed the wife adieu, and I was off, it was 0250. Called the grave yard car, he was on a prowler call in the neighboring city, damn, first delay. I filled out the logs and forms, getting everything ready for him to sign, fired up the GPS tracker, speedometer app on the i-phone and then waited. He showed up a short time later (it was a brother of a neighbor- thank god it was not a burglar- he would have never shown up!) I got him to sign the witness form, we talked for a minute, he called me nuts, and I pumped some fuel. Official start time on receipt- 0317, miles on odometer 5818. I was off!!!
Shit. In my excitement I forgot to take a picture. I also forgot to put in earplugs. Weather was good though- a nice cool 53 degrees, not bad with the quilted liners in, no rain was expected across my route. First stop was Wendover, Nevada, 137 miles. It was dark, (duh) but with almost a full moon still helping out. Can I say I LOVE my auxiliary lights enough? These things are AWESOME! Only problem was having to dim them for other traffic, when I would dim them it seemed to me like I was driving with no lights on at all, they spoiled me. This is where I discovered that I need either a Laminar Lip or a touring windshield on my bike. The wind was blowing pretty good and was loud- (no ear plugs remember?) I put my hand up for some reason and discovered that with my hand in the center of the windshield and about 4” above it, the wind buffeting and noise was drastically reduced. (Did I say I have only owned my FJR for a few months and am new to this touring motorcycle thing?)
Hit a couple of cold spots, around the lake, but otherwise uneventful, temps dropped down into the mid 40’s in spots. I fueled up in Wendover and planned my next stop. I was planning on hitting the Pilot/flying J’s across Nevada as they were spread pretty evenly across the state. So next on the list was Carlin Nevada, (about 130 miles away) there were some cities in between fuel stops that I planned to stop at for a short bathroom break/stretch if needed. I wanted to keep my fuel stops to a short 20 minutes each for fuel, log, bathroom, stretch, snack and drink. I had it all planned out….
After fueling in Wendover, I put in my ear plugs and was off. Holy crap, someone knocked the bottom off of the thermometer! It got cold! I made a command decision to stop and throw on my long sleeved shirt. The thermometer on my bike hit a low of 32 degrees, and the lights for ice were flashing by some bridges, what the hell did I get myself into?!? I entered a mountain pass and there were numerous signs, some with flashing lights about deer crossings. I am no stranger to these as we have these all over in Utah as well. After the big sign with flashing lights, I passed a semi, so I threw the switch for my high beams and auxiliary lights and oh shit, animals! Not deer. ELK. Big ones, standing right off the road. Okay, reduce speed a little bit, move to the center of the roadway, and watch….
Oh, the speeds-just a note if you have never been out here, coming across I-80 to Wendover the speed limit is 80. So you can usually do about 7-9 Mph over without issues. Speed limits in Nevada on I-80 are mostly 75MPH.
I had to a dodge a couple of fresh deer carcasses in that stretch of road and almost got me a vole or some other type of small critter. With it being so cold, I swapped out some of my frozen waters in the cooler with others in my side bags on the next stop, I was afraid they would not defrost and I would not have any water to drink on my stops. That was a mistake that I found out later.
Wells, Nevada. Check, no need to stop, feeling good. Elko, Nevada. Check, no need to stop, still feeling ok. Somewhere along here the sun came up. Hit Carlin, my third stop for fuel and I found out my order of operation was WRONG. I should pull in to the station, get off and go use the restroom FIRST. Then fuel, get receipt and while snacking/drinking fill out the log.
While there a guy pulled up to the pump next to me and asked how I was doing and where I was going. He said he was from the Bay area and he had a sport bike in the back of the truck and a trailer full of house hold goods. I told him I was heading to Reno and back from SLC and had left this morning. “On a day trip?” he asked, and then said I was nuts, and couldn’t believe I was doing that. He said he was driving back from Massachusetts to the Bay area after it did not work out between him and his girlfriend, I told him that trip was nuts. He was a Raiders fan so I guess he is okay. I think I took my first picture here. Lame. On the road….
Next fuel stop was Winnemucca. Zoomed here with no problems. While fueling up, a couple of ‘Real Bikers’ pulled up- on their Harleys, wearing their three piece back patches on leather vests, you know who I am referring to. I waved, but got no return and a scowl for my troubles. Noted… douchebags. I could go on a soap box rant here, but this is about my ride, so I won’t. I think this is the first stop that I tried some of the dark chocolate I brought along. OMFG… this tasted like dirt out of a rhino’s ass! Not sure what people like about dark chocolate, this was 90% cocoa or cacao, or whatever the hell it was. All I know is that it is nasty. But between the water, 100% orange juice, blueberries, granola bars and this crap- I never did get really mentally fatigued…so maybe there is something to it.
I made a second unscheduled stop at a rest area to use the restroom. (The first was to put on a long sleeved shirt under my jacket after Wendover.) Wow. I guess if the toilet doesn’t flush, you just keep piling it on, and on, and on- it’s someone else’s problem. Nasty. Thankfully it was ‘one’ stop and not a ‘two’… was almost to the ½ way point now.
Outside of Sparks Nevada I was passed by a Harley trike, ridden by a woman, cool. She actually waved, and could handle the trike well. I never got those things for highway use, I rode three wheelers when I was a teenager, and crashed on them my fair share as well. I was hoping that she would get off the same exit as me, and I would ask her to be a witness for me. Not only was I doing an Iron Butt SS1000, I figured on also submitting the same paperwork to Long Distance Riders and getting the Easy Riders (500 miles- 12 hours) and their Full Throttle (1000 miles- 24 hours) certificates with the same ride. Blasphemy, cheating, you say? Don’t care, this is for me. Anyway, I needed a witness for the end of the 500 mile ride, and I made up my own form for a mid-point SS1000 witness, as my ride was an out and back venture. It wasn’t necessary or required in the rules, but I figured this couldn’t hurt. As luck would have it, she got off the exit, and pulled into the gas station I was aiming for! What luck. There were also about 20 other bikes in the lot, I was greeted with smiles and someone asked if I was going to join them. It seems as though there is a group of riders that ride from Sparks to Elko, every year on this weekend to eat at a particular restaurant together. Cool. I told them what I was doing and was told that I was welcome to join them on the ride back to Elko. The nice lady on the trike signed my paperwork for the midpoint and the 500 mile ride. I took a picture at the gas station as proof I had made it, fueled up, choked down a granola bar with juice and water. Receipt, check. Log, check. Hydrated, check. Send position and check i-phone…. shit. I had a tracker on my phone going for my wife, and would send an updated position at each stop to my email. (My wife said after the ride that the live GPS tracker gave her piece of mind. I guess she was way worried about me not making it.) Anyway, it had heated up enough that my phone inside my black tank bag, under clear plastic and being plugged in and the GPS working, had overheated the phone. I was now worried that my wife would see my track stop and she would call out the search and rescue, and the cops would then start looking for me. I unplugged it, opened up the pouch it was in and got on the freeway, hoping the air flow would cool it down. The group of motorcycle riders were still sitting around shooting the breeze in the parking lot; so I just waved and wished them luck.
The third and last unscheduled stop, was just outside of Sparks, at a ‘view’ area. As it was warming up quite a bit, I took out the quilted liners, and called the wife to let her know I was okay and still alive. I took another sorry ass picture. This was a marathon trip, not a sightseeing trip, so I didn’t really photograph anything, sorry. I was making good time, and wanted to keep it up.
Rode back to Winnemucca, this is where the trip started to get a little monotonous. Already been through this area once before, and was anxious to get home. But I was still having fun, and was not as fatigued as I thought I might be. As I was feeling good so far, I was only stopping at the fuel stops that I had planned out. I had thought in my planning stages that a stock seat with an air hawk on it would be harsh, and by this time I would have to stop every hour or so and massage my butt. Maybe all those years sitting on my ass, was training that I didn’t know I was doing, and was working for me!
I tried to use my MP3 player, I have old ‘ear clip’ headphones in my helmet liner, but with the wind noise, and ear plugs, it was not worth the hassle. I also almost lost the damn thing when it came off the clip and was flying in the wind just by the cord, I reeled it back in and just put it away. My mind was busy enough watching for hazards and dipshit drivers; I was only passed a few times this whole trip, and then followed them from a distance- letting them be my RADAR detector and decoy. Worked well, never did get pulled over. Not that I would ever exceed the speed limit of course.
After Winnemucca and before Carlin is where my trip and my motorcycle history hit a new low. I got pissed on. And not a little light spray from a starling or something. A cow. I got pissed on by a COW! And from the looks and feel from it, a very large cow at that. I do not like riding next to or around semi-trucks. I have seen tires separate and spray fragments two lanes over, and dodged the ‘gators’ they leave behind in the travel lanes. Let alone being pushed over a lane by a swaying third trailer from an un-attentive driver. So I usually hang back until I have a clear shot around them, and then waste no time going by them- staying to the outside of the lane when doing so. In this instance, there were two of those cattle hauler semi-trucks in a row, you know the type, double decker’s, stink to high hell, shit leaking out of the side vent holes. Anyway, a Penske rental truck was passing them, I let the Penske truck get passed them, and then I started to go. Well the Penske truck driver decided she needed to just stay in the fast lane and slow down to mirror the semi-trucks speed. Shit. So now I am stuck next to a cattle trailer…. the Penske truck sees me and speeds up and starts to get over. Cool. I start to speed up, and then it happens. A cow decides to piss out the side of the trailer that I am on. And not just a little bit, projectile gallons quantities. 55 gallon drum quantity. And really?!? A cow that can aim out one of those side vent holes accurately? I move over past the fog line and feel it hit my right leg. Remember I have on those Air Pants- nice. Ever hear the line “It was raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock?”- I have new perspective and appreciation for that one. I think those cows were planning that, and laughed all the way to the slaughter house.
Hit Carlin, and found that my fly zipper on my new Tour Master Pants had failed. I am not impressed with their quality. The rest of the trip went without any further notable experiences; towards the end my left knee was giving me fits after an hour or so in the saddle. I love my highway pegs, don’t think I could have done this ride without them. My LED flashing brake lights keep people off my ass, my auxiliary lights work really well at night, and seem to have the added benefit of moving people out of the fast lane when I come up behind them. I reached my destination and got a fuel receipt, official end time of 1914 or 7:14 PM, odometer read 6899. 1081 miles in 15 hrs 57 minutes! I averaged about 67 mph if my calculations are right. I only stopped three times outside of fuel stops, and kept my stops as short as possible. While I don’t think I could do this multiple days in a row yet, I certainly could do it again, and maybe even a little further.
Lessons learned from my first attempt. Juice, blueberries, nasty ass chocolate pieces and nutty granola bars work or at least help. (In my mind at least) I need/want a bigger windshield, better speakers in my helmet, and I think a trip to see Laam or Russell day long for a new seat might be in order. A sixth gear would be nice for lower RPM’s better fuel consumption on longer trips, but I have what I have. Heated grips are the bomb! And I had plenty of time, probably could have stopped more and taken some pictures. I am very pleased with my personal performance, I did not have any close calls, and most importantly did not wreck, I only killed a bunch of bugs and no big four legged creatures. I had my doubts about me being able to complete this run, and now that I have done it, I have some new found confidence in my long distance riding abilities. I also think I could have done a Bun Burner and been okay. A good experience overall. And if you made it through this, thanks for reading.
Cheers, B
Next weekend I am going on a four day trip with a group to southern Utah- and I promise to do a ride report for that trip and actually take some photos.
