Suggestions for first LD ride, an SS1000

[Bugnatr]

IF I read your plan correct you figure you will be in by 3 pm with one hour to spare. I hope that works for you but remember to be safe first. Traffic, weather and stops that run a little long can have you chasing the clock to finish by 4 pm. Chasing the clock can lead to rush decisions that may not have the best outcome for a successful SS1K.

I did my SS in 17.5 hours with a half hour lunch break but I was in Nevada where the FJR can make better time than 75mph on the freeway.

Best of luck to you both and have fun!!!!

 

[airboss]

And the good news is:

As of January 1, 2014 rural Interstate speed limits in Illinois are 70 MPH.

And the bad news is:

I've done two Moonshine SS1K's to Mississippi and back to Casey. I 55, I 57, & I 70 will have construction, so make room in your plains for that.

The weather: Crapshoot!

 

[NormKern]

And the good news is:
As of January 1, 2014 rural Interstate speed limits in Illinois are 70 MPH.

And the bad news is:

I've done two Moonshine SS1K's to Mississippi and back to Casey. I 55, I 57, & I 70 will have construction, so make room in your plains for that.

The weather: Crapshoot!

Construction and weather are two big reasons to leave earlier/rest less so that the time window at the finish is bigger. There are always things you don't anticipate and things that take longer than expected. Play it safe.

 

[DeweyIsgod]

Plan on progressively shorter distances between your stops. 300 miles may be easy out of the gate, but is pushing it after you've been on the road all day. I did my first SS in October and finished with 5:30 to spare. Knowing I had plenty of time, I started alternating stopping for snack and then stopping for fuel. Both stops give you a chance to stretch.

With your rest stop in Little Rock, I might plan on leaving a little earlier to allow time for the unexpected on Day 2 and not have to push.

 

[escapefjrtist]

<snip> The way I calculate the math, we need to average 65 mph so traveling at 70-75 will give us 5-10 minutes "extra" every hour of travelling, is I use 7 minutes average times 8 hours of travelling on day one = 56 minutes for breaks!

My concern is the posts I've seen from others who have done this ride straight through seem to do it in about 19 hours. What I wonder is how many breaks did they take and for how long? My math indicates we will be on the road a total of 17 hours.

Allen -- Make sure you are reasonable with yourself and SO figuring your moving average. Time easily slips away at stops, 10 minutes becomes 20 and then you're in the hole and pushing at the end.

Regarding breaks / stopping, here's a pic from my November run to Pink's in LA. Didn't dilly-dally much during the day, basically fuel / drinks / eats every 180 - 200 miles and my overall average was only 63.8. Fuel was typically 4.8 - 5.1 gallons every stop.

Sorry for the fuzzy pic!

Keep the hammer down, good luck!

--G

 

[Allen_C]

escapefirst, thanks for the info. Yes, I have to be very careful with our time table...I can keep my schedule intact but hers may be more difficult.

All of the comments have been great and I will take them all into consideration!

 

[gregory]

IF I read your plan correct you figure you will be in by 3 pm with one hour to spare. I hope that works for you but remember to be safe first. Traffic, weather and stops that run a little long can have you chasing the clock to finish by 4 pm. Chasing the clock can lead to rush decisions that may not have the best outcome for a successful SS1K.I did my SS in 17.5 hours with a half hour lunch break but I was in Nevada where the FJR can make better time than 75mph on the freeway.

Best of luck to you both and have fun!!!!

What route did you use Doug?

 

[gixxerjasen]

I'm going to be Debbie Downer on this one.

You are going to work that day and then rush off on an SS1K? An SS1K with a fairly structured schedule like this can lead to stress at each stop and when the unexpected comes along. Also, it's not just you on the SS1K here, it's her too. I'm not saying it's not possible, but with the work and then ride, you are going to be pushing both of you to do this and that can affect the safety of you both.

Personally, I'd say have a relaxed and enjoyable ride to the event and have a good time and do the SS1K another time when you can have the cushion to absorb the unexpected.

As said, only you guys know what you are capable of doing. I did mine with a decent night of sleep before and it still took it's toll. Not sure how well I'd do after working that day.

 

[Allen_C]

I'm going to be Debbie Downer on this one.
You are going to work that day and then rush off on an SS1K? An SS1K with a fairly structured schedule like this can lead to stress at each stop and when the unexpected comes along. Also, it's not just you on the SS1K here, it's her too. I'm not saying it's not possible, but with the work and then ride, you are going to be pushing both of you to do this and that can affect the safety of you both.

Personally, I'd say have a relaxed and enjoyable ride to the event and have a good time and do the SS1K another time when you can have the cushion to absorb the unexpected.

As said, only you guys know what you are capable of doing. I did mine with a decent night of sleep before and it still took it's toll. Not sure how well I'd do after working that day.

I don't view your post as being a Debbie Downer, it is your opinion and I welcome all opinions. Since we have 2 1/2 months before this event, I posted now to get all the ideas to figure what is best for us. Maybe I can take the day before off work and we will do as many have done, plan to ride all the way through the day before or at least leave earlier that day.

I am very open to what others have done, not what they have heard. Keep the comments coming. I appreciate all the ideas so we will have the greatest chance of accomplishing this!

 

[gixxerjasen]

That would certainly take the pressure off if you could and leave you spending your energy on the ride. By the way, I did mine by leaving at 4am, took a very leisurely lunch (It was the destination after all) and rode back home rolling in sometime after 9pm. Rolled through Little Rock both ways on a Friday. Evening traffic was pretty bad. I'd meant to run south around it but missed my exit and went right through at the worst of it.

I just try to look at it realistically and you look to be cramming a lot of stuff into a short amount of time...stuff that most would break into individual days. Plus, I think you'll enjoy it more if the concentration is on the ride and you can leave work out of it. Plus, if your luck is anything like mine, something will blow up at work requiring you to stay late.

Some years ago we'd planned on me leaving work and getting in the car and driving straight through to my parents in Florida by taking shifts. I screwed up a customer's server at 4pm and ended up staying late and dumping it on one of my marvelous coworkers. That sucked!

 

[101stpathfinder]

Well I guess I fall under the rider category of "One who should plan better"…

… and keeping that in mind:

I do not like to PLAN rest. I never know how I will feel in a ride at any place in the ride, so I always swing a leg and ride and plan as I go. If I start feeling tired, I look up the nearest rest stop

on my GPS and keep track of them from that point on. I have found that a short nap (ANY time of day) can be the difference between enjoying a ride and enduring a ride. Perhaps the difference

between life and death also. IF you feel tired - adapt your planning and pull over to rest. A top of a picnic table at a rest stop, a motel, whatever it takes for you to get rest.

Plan your ride, but leave the resting times open to when you NEED them. Just my 2 cents…

 

[gixxerjasen]

Plan your ride, but leave the resting times open to when you NEED them. Just my 2 cents…

THIS! And don't keep riding when you need a rest, recognize that you need the rest now.

 

[Allen_C]

Well I guess I fall under the rider category of "One who should plan better"…… and keeping that in mind:

I do not like to PLAN rest. I never know how I will feel in a ride at any place in the ride, so I always swing a leg and ride and plan as I go. If I start feeling tired, I look up the nearest rest stop

on my GPS and keep track of them from that point on. I have found that a short nap (ANY time of day) can be the difference between enjoying a ride and enduring a ride. Perhaps the difference

between life and death also. IF you feel tired - adapt your planning and pull over to rest. A top of a picnic table at a rest stop, a motel, whatever it takes for you to get rest.

Plan your ride, but leave the resting times open to when you NEED them. Just my 2 cents…

Interesting thought...I think I understand what you mean. I know how well we travel together and what we can do in one stretch at a time - we have always stopped when we felt the need or desire to along the way and I do not plan to change that on this ride. It sound like the idea of riding more the first day, resting and taking short breaks when we need to along the way, is the best plan so we finish when we finish! Honestly, If we do not make this within the 24 hour time limit, I will not think of the ride as a failure. If we are not enjoying the ride or scenery then it is not worth doing.

 

[Bugnatr]

IF I read your plan correct you figure you will be in by 3 pm with one hour to spare. I hope that works for you but remember to be safe first. Traffic, weather and stops that run a little long can have you chasing the clock to finish by 4 pm. Chasing the clock can lead to rush decisions that may not have the best outcome for a successful SS1K.I did my SS in 17.5 hours with a half hour lunch break but I was in Nevada where the FJR can make better time than 75mph on the freeway.

Best of luck to you both and have fun!!!!

What route did you use Doug?

Greg, here's my lap of Nevada...https://goo.gl/maps/2bNik

 

[bgross]

Another annoying bit to consider:

In my experience (on a clear-sky January SS1k), I confronted a form of fatigue slightly different from that of the sleepy type.

Others have written elsewhere of the signs of needing sleep, and each of us differ slightly in our experience.

Riding in the cold with lots of layers in lieu of electric gear, my core temp was slowly sinking. The effect was less drowsiness than mental loss of focus. I'd moved beyond 'feeling cold' (the Whining Stage) to 'being cold' (the Dull Stage). Alone on I-10 with no other vehicles to 'interact with', I recognized that I was becoming less a participant a more a spectator.

As I realized this, I began verbally calling out status reports to myself: "cruise set at 72; right mirror clear; visibility 500 meters plus; unlimited ceiling; left mirror clear..." Forcing myself to focus.

After a couple minutes I seemed to be slightly more focused.

I decided to recite so long-ago memorized poems and passages. WHAT?!? I was shocked to discover that the memory circuits needed thawing! That effort (and probably a bit of panic when I realized how far I'd slipped toward auto-pilot) actually helped to bring back focus and get me safely to the fuel stop in Lordsburg, NM.

There I walked around, drinking hot coffee (more for the heat and an excuse to be indoors) and shook off the Dullness, moving back to the Whining stage before getting back on the bike and heading to Tucson, and then, finally, Phoenix.

You mentioned that you have electric gear, and will be getting some for your bride. With any luck, the gear and weather will conspire to make your ride comfortable.

But if you find yourself awake and Whining... And then not Whining, be aware.

 

[Allen_C]

bg, thanks for sharing your experience. I understand the difference between being warm and not feeling too cold and in fact, we are getting my wife some heated gear today before "The Big Game!"

As a side note, WTF, why did the NFL make using the term Super Bowl by any commercial organization an infringement on their copyright?

Anyway, I agree that it can be easy to slip into that auto pilot mode. I hope one benefit of having her on the back and us having BT communications will be to keep the level of alertness above the "how did we get here and where did the past half hour go!?" stage. Oh, and yes, I do enjoy talking to her - she is not the nagging type and our long discussions on the rode have always been one of our favorite activities when travelling long distance.

 

[Chiefblueman]

A big thanks to Allen C and contributors to this thread. Very timely for me, I will be attempting my first SS 1000 in June. https://bmwmcc.org/colorado_classic_1000.php My reward at completion will be a 3 day stay at Grand Lake Lodge where our wives will join us for some exploring in and around Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lots of good tips that have really got me thinking. I think having gear for all the weather possibilities could be challenging.

Allen, bon adventure. I admire your wife for wanting to take part in this ride. Stay safe, my friend!

 

[Hello Kitty]

As others have said, we are all different in terms of what we can and will tolerate. Personally, I would never plan to include 6 hours of rest on Saddle Sore, it's way too much and if you're properly rested when you start the ride, should not be needed.

If you set out to do a Saddle Sore, and don't make it, you WILL be disappointed. Exactly HOW disappointed is up to you and I suppose, by how much you fell short.

I seem to recall that you could get a 'special' cert - or at least an immediate one? - if you do a SS1K to Moonshine per their rules, so it is an attractive carrot, no doubt, especially for a first timer. But your safety and the happiness of your marriage should be considered as well. If you plan to do this ride in April, I consider heated gear for both of you non-negotiable. And figure out how you're going to power it. I rode my husband to Romney, WV from Baltimore on March 9th a few years ago and it was a bit chilly. We found that we could not run both sets of heated gear at the same time due to the limitations of the FJR's alternator output so we had to take turns. I think it was about a 3 hour ride - you're talking much much longer. No way we could have done a Saddle sore that day and remain married and/or both of us among the living. I've done quite a few long days in the saddle, I can man up when I need to, but riding long periods in the cold will have a negative impact as an experienced voice described previously in this thread.

Just another option to consider, and I believe it is sold out this year, but the IBA has a dinner in Jacksonville in March and a SS1K is offered there as well with a special cert and immediate receipt of it. I've not done the ride offered in Jax, but the folks who do it sure seem to be very happy with the ride. Jacksonville/Florida in March sounds much more attractive to me than the ride you described, but that's just my opinion! Also a great crowd of IBA members to mingle with in Jax!

As others have said, only you know the bounds of the limits you two can ride together. Actually, you don't know that, that's why you're attempting this! But seriously, these are very personal decisions. You are going about it the right way though, asking questions and for information. Just remember there's some experience talking in this thread and just about everything I saw looked like great advice for a first timer.

Bottom line, I wish you all the best on your ride and I hope you are successful! Even if you decide to make the attempt another day.

 

[gixxerjasen]

I rode my husband to Romney, WV from Baltimore on March 9th a few years ago and it was a bit chilly.

Sounds pretty hot to me.

 

[101stpathfinder]

Oh Jasen, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!!!