FJRForum Official 2015 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis thread

[hppants]

DaJuice (or anyone else that can answer):

Why is it necessary or advantageous to have 3 GPS units on the bike for this?

 

[doug5551]

Best wishes to all riders, especially to my Team Lyle Alamo finishers:

Erik L, Dave W., Glen P., Pat n Becky, Marc, Andy M, Chris P., Nancy L and any others I may be missing.

 

[BkerChuck]

Pants, multiple GPS units can be helpful in case one should fail during the rally. Multiple units allow you to run multiple scenarios and adapt on the fly. GPS software differences can result in them giving you different sets of directions to choose from.

 

[RiderX]

I rode 3 gps in 2013. A lot of people like to say plan the ride and ride the plan. But that isn't always optimum when rally planning has to occur "on the clock" (legs 2 and 3). I keep one GPS with active route under the hammer, will run all the way to a checkpoint or a high point time limited bonus so I can keep tabs. Another can be calculating dropping some points or adding as I'm droning on I-40 -- optimizing. Nothing is worse having a long route recalculating when you need guidance. The third I use as a data center and is an older street pilot so I can see all the bonus points around me. I will use for speed and average mph and such, finding easy on/off gas, etc. Also will point to the bonus after the current bonus, in case Garmin doesn't think I attained the previous right away, I always have directions "out" of the bonus area.

This year will probably be two plus IPhone 6+

 

[TriggerT]

I ran 2 GPS units, both Garmin, and while they had the same info in them they would give me different routes at times. I also like to have one zoomed in, and one way out. Also, at times I would have one already set for my next stop so I wouldn't have to wait for it to calculate as I am pulling away from getting a bonus. Also the issue of if one of them takes a shit. I carried 2 spares in my bags as well.

 

[Tyler]

Pants, you should see the cockpits of these rally bikes up close... infrickingcredible! Check out Sam/puppychow's blog post from the 2013 rally for some pics of them!

https://motorcyclewanderings.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-dashboards-of-ibr-2013.html

 

[hppants]

Holy crap! Talk about Farkle-mania! I just agonized about wire routing for a couple of audio cables and a pair of fork mounted lights. You guys take this stuff to incredible levels.

I'd like to attend a check point session one day (not this year, unfortunately). I don't think I'd ever want to try an I/B, but I have to admit, it's growing on me....

 

[Tyler]

I'd like to attend a check point session one day (not this year, unfortunately). I don't think I'd ever want to try an I/B, but I have to admit, it's growing on me....

I was at the checkpoint in Rancho Cordova in 2013 and the finish in SoCal in 2011... it is fascinating on so many different levels from people to machines to scoring... I don't have it in me to do this in this lifetime... someone asked me once if I was an IB rider and I said, no, I'm an IB voyeur! :lol:

 

[Shemp]

Like Swallows to Capistrano
If you're one of the 90 or so riders signed up for wandering the U.S. and Canada for 11 days you're all on a very different page Wednesday before the rally starts. Since the ride starts in New Mexico you have some people from the Northeast that already started heading west, you have some PNW people that probably are heading out, and people in the Southeast that might be heading out tomorrow. You also have some people that are putting last minute brush fires out at work so they can take a minimalist two weeks off and others that are doing a circuitous route catching National Parks along the way because riding 11 days straight isn't enough motorcycle riding. And you even have some folks that have serviced their bikes already, placed in a trailer, and are getting 12 mpg V8 beast that have mini-shops setup in the back.

Some of The People That Make the IBR Happen

Meanwhile, some key staff including Lisa Landry have already flown to ABQ and are already beginning to setup tables, organize boxes of shirts, kibitz with the army of volunteer staff that are a tight a family as they come. These folks create the home base the rally riders migrate to, a place to hang an Aerostich jacket for a few days before they gear up to wander the North American continent in length, width, and time.

Another one of those volunteers includes our Warchild. His plan was to take off at o'dark thirty on the FJR with a pillion and migrate the 1200 miles to be setup Saturday morning for technical inspection. Here the newbies that had custom fuel cells made get to be poked, prodded, measured, weighed, and stressed...and their actual cells might even have the same things done. Anybody that has ever watched a documentary on aircraft carriers would recognize Dale's style in an instant. He really used to be a brown shirt wearing plane boss on a carrier and carries the leadership swagger with him through the IBR. He's also the one that launches the fleet of bikes in less than 5 minutes the at 10 a.m. and zero seconds on Monday.

At the same time he knows every colorful Navy epithet in the book...he cares deeply about each and every single rider...and stays up until the last one is recovered 11 days later.

Another volunteer that has had a few roles over the years is an engineer, Tom Austin. Tom's the guy that actually will figure out the capacity of a fuel cell to within 1/100 of a gallon using a documented process of measuring the specific gravity of fuel, its temperature, filling a fuel cell, and calculating the volume by weighing it. I've been there when the process was hampered by wind coming off the hotel that made the scale jump around so much--we took the fumey mass into the lobby of the hotel to get out of the gusts.

10 minutes later he calculated with confidence the rider has 11.48 gallons....so was 0.02 gallons under the limit. Said another way, the rider was legal by 5 tablespoons.

Tom is also the "Route Master". This means he's the guy who is in charge of the puzzle riders get to solve. He's the one that knows (and maybe created) the theme, how many points each thing is worth, gamed likely scenarios of where riders will go or leaders depart from the popular route, and every gory detail of what riders will encounter for 11 days.

These are just a few of the army of staff and volunteers. More to come.

Iggy,

above and beyond! Thanks for the insight! This is by far an awful special rally! The folks that make this happen deserve a huge thanks! We all sit on this end and are amazed with the riders (which are well deserved. 11k+ miles in 11 days and stopping for pictures,tours,bonuses,etc...) but, the folks that make it all come to be should take a BOW! WE THANK THEM ALL and Thank you!

 

[Ignacio]

Iggy, above and beyond! Thanks for the insight! T

You're very welcome.

I'm thinking about a post tomorrow morning and will highlight a few years of the IBR I'm most familiar with (and will include some more pictures) that hopefully gives some more insight into the event.

Meanwhile, I think we've got various FJR riders in at least half a dozen states heading for ABQ at this very moment. The Sheraton parking lot will start ot see a lot more motorcycles starting tomorrow.

 

[RFlagg42]

If it was a re-peat for an FJR Darksider that would be the icing on the cake.

I know six FJRs who are darksiding for sure, so I am predicting 3 out of every 4 FJRs in this IBR will be Darksiders.

I think the IBR would make a fantastic subject for a documentary film. I think I understand why too much publicity might not be the best thing for the rally but it seems like it could be very compelling in the hands of the right creative minds.

Kind of already done. "Hard Miles" followed the 2007 IBR and "Hard Miles 2" followed the 2009 IBR. Of the two, I would recommend the second installment--more footage of Ignacio

 

[BIODSL]

Kind of already done. "Hard Miles" followed the 2007 IBR and "Hard Miles 2" followed the 2009 IBR. Of the two, I would recommend the second installment--more footage of Ignacio

Hard Miles 2 is a must as it documents (IMHO) one of the most hard fought battles in IBR history. Owens vs. Earls. Epic. Even Higdon wanted to pull a Solomon and cut the first place trophy in two.

 

[bigjohnsd]

So if one wanted to go and observe a checkpoint for this year's IBR, how would one find out where they are and when the riders might start arriving?

Once my Black Hills FJR Roundup is over on Sunday I'd be interested in heading towards a checkpoint, especially one to the east of me.

John

 

[Ignacio]

So if one wanted to go and observe a checkpoint for this year's IBR, how would one find out where they are and when the riders might start arriving?

Most of it's all in the very first post. For example:

Checkpoint One:

Is back at the SHERATON ALBUQUERQUE UPTOWN HOTEL, July 1, 8pm - 10pm

Penalty points accrue at 8:00:01pm

Scoring opens at 5pm

Dinner - 6pm - 10pm

Leg 2 Bonuses distributed at 6am, July 2

That means they need to be back by 8 p.m. before penalty points start to accrue. Some riders will be there right before 8 p.m.....some riders well before 8...and a few late will be there after 8, but hopefully no later than 10.

The Kingsport bonus is "Meadowview Conference Resort & Convention Center".

 

[karstenp]

So if one wanted to go and observe a checkpoint for this year's IBR, how would one find out where they are and when the riders might start arriving?

Most of it's all in the very first post. For example:
Checkpoint One:

Is back at the SHERATON ALBUQUERQUE UPTOWN HOTEL, July 1, 8pm - 10pm

Penalty points accrue at 8:00:01pm

Scoring opens at 5pm

Dinner - 6pm - 10pm

Leg 2 Bonuses distributed at 6am, July 2

That means they need to be back by 8 p.m. before penalty points start to accrue. Some riders will be there right before 8 p.m.....some riders well before 8...and a few late will be there after 8, but hopefully no later than 10.

The Kingsport bonus is "Meadowview Conference Resort & Convention Center".

Matt,

A few months ago the original scheduled as posted was changed. The date for Checkpoint 1 was changed from July 1 to July 2 giving us an additional 24 hours on Leg 1. All the posted times remained the same. The date/time for Checkpoint 2 was left as is.

 

[Warchild]

Annie and I did 780 miles yesterday, stopped in Price, Utah for the night.

About to bust outta here before 6am, we have another 500 miles today, but all 2-land backroads from here to Albuquerque.

Some great posts, Iggy!

 

[SFCJCA]

Following. Good luck to all the riders. Be safe.

 

[Bungie]

Awesome.

Safe rides to all.

Go Perry! Go Tony!

I'll be on the road through the Eastern States during the first week of the rally. Nothing better to wave to you guys in the middle of nowhere.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Thanks for the info Iggy, I knew I read that but forgot where.

 

[karstenp]

Awesome.
Safe rides to all.

Go Perry! Go Tony!

I'll be on the road through the Eastern States during the first week of the rally. Nothing better to wave to you guys in the middle of nowhere.

I will be looking for you!