Iron Butt Rally

Topics related to the ownership, maintenance, equipping, operation, and riding of the R1150R.

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R4R&R
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Iron Butt Rally

Post by R4R&R »

The Iron Butt Rally has started in case anyone wants to follow it.

Iron Butt Rally 2005

It's fun to watch these crazy fools ride about the country - over 11000 miles in 11 days! I knew a guy that rode in it the last time they ran it in 2003 - he came in 12th place on a Ninja 250!
John
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Post by darthrider »

"crazy"?
"fools"?
Dave
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Post by Kevin Markwell »

Don Arthur, as the Surgeon General of the Navy, is my nominal boss. He was my direct boss last year when he was Commanding Officer of my hospital. He is also my hero of sorts because as my C.O. he was able to put 70+ thousand miles on his K1200LT in one year. The year before that he put 117,000 miles on it in 365 days, for the tidy average of 320 miles a day, every day of the year. I am ecstatic any day I can put 320 miles on a bike, and they don't come too often. Somehow he has mastered his priorities and time management to a degree I do not comprehend let alone ever hope to achieve.

It is truly a shame he is missing the Iron Butt Rally. Someone pulled out in front of him in Missouri on his way to Colorado sending him over the bars and car and he is now upstairs nursing multiple fractures but is expected to be okay.

I have to admit that the Iron Butt as a worthwhile thing to do is a concept I don't quite grasp, but I know it takes all kinds.
A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage. --Bertrand Russell

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Post by yjleesvrr »

There are three endurance-type activities I'd like to take part in before I retire.

1) Hike the Appalachian Trail (by most accounts takes about 6 months)

2) Bicycle across the country (by most accounts takes about 2 months)

3) Ride in the Iron Butt Rally

If I do any of these things, my descendents will know about it.
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Post by Biff's R »

A guy from the Columbus, OH area is entered in the Iron butt on his mid 70's airhead with 325,000 miles on it.

It would be one helll of a challlenge to complete the rally.
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Three things

Post by wncbmw »

1) Hike the Appalachian Trail (by most accounts takes about 6 months)
6 months is a good amount of time, allowing a more leisurely pace. Due to time constraints, I did it in 4 1/2 months, which did not allow enough picture taking and soaking in the stream time! :wink:

Edited to add, the Iron Butt is on my radar screen to do but I probably would prefer a few months to do the same ride! (See AT reference above! :P )
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Post by R4R&R »

yjleesvrr wrote:1) Hike the Appalachian Trail (by most accounts takes about 6 months)
My neighbor hiked it. He's a serious camping type. Cool guy.

Back to the Iron Butt Rally - if anyone is thinking of entering it, you need to have a bunch of other Iron Butt achievements before they will even read the application (or so I've heard). I thought about an Iron Butt ride, but it seems so rushed, no time to enjoy your trip. I know with this weekend's Hungry Mother trip, I'll probably have about 1200 miles racked up over three days. To me it's about the ride, not racking up miles in 'efficient' time. I do respect those guys that enter the rally, and even complete it. That's a serious commitment.
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Post by rdsmith3 »

Kevin Markwell wrote:Don Arthur, as the Surgeon General of the Navy, is my nominal boss. He was my direct boss last year when he was Commanding Officer of my hospital. He is also my hero of sorts because as my C.O. he was able to put 70+ thousand miles on his K1200LT in one year. The year before that he put 117,000 miles on it in 365 days, for the tidy average of 320 miles a day, every day of the year. I am ecstatic any day I can put 320 miles on a bike, and they don't come too often. Somehow he has mastered his priorities and time management to a degree I do not comprehend let alone ever hope to achieve.

It is truly a shame he is missing the Iron Butt Rally. Someone pulled out in front of him in Missouri on his way to Colorado sending him over the bars and car and he is now upstairs nursing multiple fractures but is expected to be okay.
Kevin,

How is this guy doing -- any updates? Is he OK?
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I met one contestant Saturday

Post by bakernks »

I met one contestant Saturday at the BMW dealer in Kansas City, fellow by the name of Dave Tyler, from Iowa I believe. He had done the Denver-KeyWest and back leg, then headed for Maine from Denver, Saturday morning at midnight. In Salina, Kansas at 6:30 A.M., Saturday his shifter destructs on his BMW K1200LT. Calls the name in the Anonymous Book for Salina. Dude comes out immediately and they get the thing back on the road by getting it into 4th gear, and Tyler rides to the Kansas City BMW dealer with one gear to choose from. They fixed him up and he was gone, Columbus, Ohio that night and Maine by Monday. Said he was so far behind the "big guys", he might not even be classified as a finisher. 5 days of beard, greasy, stiff, straw for hair, torn jeans, when he wheeled out, he came through the gas station where I was sitting on my R1150R after just fueling up myself, enjoying a gas station hot dog, and he took one glance at the pumps, saw he'd have to wait for someone to pay and return to their vehicle before he'd get in, and just rolled right on through and out, headed for I-70 East.
I had asked him to be fast, safe, and try and be at peace with his place in the standings. He's out there now, I hope he's ok. To me, they're all inspirations, and make my 400 mile round trips to Kansas City look like so much driving down the boulevard.
Last edited by bakernks on Sun Aug 28, 2005 5:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by darthrider »

You got it Steve.
The amazing things is your story is not even unusual.
These are incredible riders, I am in awe of even the guy in last place.
Dave
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Post by Kevin Markwell »

Here is an accurate update on Don Arthur.

http://ironbutt05.blogspot.com/2005/08/ ... te_24.html

He looks pretty good all considered.

He barely remembers having time to hit the brakes but believes the telelever saved him because it didn't dive, allowing him to go up and over, rather than into the car. He was wearing an Aerostich suit and BMW carbon fiber system helmet. The truck driver next to him estimated he hit the car at 67 mph. He has a half inch of road rash on one hand and was unconscious for 20 or 30 minutes, but he says his brain is "back to baseline".
A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage. --Bertrand Russell

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IBR update

Post by BMWR1150R »

50Rers, looks like the beloved 50R is competing with the big bikes and doing quite well! I don't know Keith Keating but he's accomplished quite a bit for the 50R community. As a former 50R driver (Black'02) I thought I'd share this bit of info for the board.

http://www.ironbuttrally.com/ibr/2005/R ... ecards.cfm

If you have any interest in the IBR take a look at this page . . . it gives some snippets of what has occured since the start. http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2005.cfm

Best of luck to all these Hard Core LD Riders !!!
http://rally.star-traxx.com/rallyview.asp?Rally=30

dc in KC
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Re: IBR update

Post by Guest »

50R in 17th going into the home stretch!

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Post by DJ Downunder »

I say...Go Tom and Rosie...don't they look a happy couple...both on a R1150GS.

DJ

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Keating

Post by bakernks »

I understand the R1150R is still in the Iron Butt rally, today, the final day.
I don't care how many bonus points the man has, to take the Beak this far when others are using full dressed, faired bikes almost exclusively, Keating is the Iron Man to me.
The fellow I met a week ago in Kansas City, Tyler, has reportedly gone home, dropping out of the Iron Butt. Understandable, he was running nearly dead last, had trouble with his K1200LT, and had asked himself if he was still having fun and was brave enough to answer "no". This, after crossing America from Denver to North Carolina, back to Denver, to Maine, then back to the midwest. The man had done more riding than I'll do in 12 months. Well done, even with a DNF.
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Re: Keating

Post by rdsmith3 »

bakernks wrote:I understand the R1150R is still in the Iron Butt rally, today, the final day.
I don't care how many bonus points the man has, to take the Beak this far when others are using full dressed, faired bikes almost exclusively, Keating is the Iron Man to me.
The fellow I met a week ago in Kansas City, Tyler, has reportedly gone home, dropping out of the Iron Butt. Understandable, he was running nearly dead last, had trouble with his K1200LT, and had asked himself if he was still having fun and was brave enough to answer "no". This, after crossing America from Denver to North Carolina, back to Denver, to Maine, then back to the midwest. The man had done more riding than I'll do in 12 months. Well done, even with a DNF.
I agree, but there is also an R1100R and a Harley Sportster, both still in it.
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jim

not the sportster

Post by jim »

the sportster blew up as i read. the only harley in the event did not finish. but a fair number of bmw's and others had mechanical failures as well, i imagine that the task of this rally takes its toll on the bike as well as the rider. seems like the leader going into the last day had mechanical failure and may not finish either. on his r1150rt.
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Post by peterbulgar »

Shane Smith, riding a Honda ST1100, has won the 2005 Iron Butt Rally. Jim Owen, who led most of the rally, had the transmission on his R1150RT fail on the last day. Third was Jeff Earls on an R1150GS, followed by Mark Kiecker on a Honda VFR800. Fifth was Jack Savage on another R1150GS:
http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2005.cfm?DocID=23
Peter '73 R75/5, '04 R1150RA
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Post by R4R&R »

FWIW, there were two Harleys entered and the last scorecard only showed one being out. A few other oddities, a BossHoss was entered (and now at the end of the list- DNF), along with a Vespa! Click on the rider and it will tell you why they are out. The Harley and BossHoss missed the checkpoint (for whatever reason). The BMW LT "motor blew up" and GS "Engine failure".

I can't wait to see the final scorecards.
John
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Post by Boxerboy »

Does anyone know how the guy on the R100/7 went. I believe he finished and uses a stock seat :shock:
I guess his ar$e is made out of something from Nasa!

A /7 on a ride like that and finishing is a huge achievement. The bike has probably done 300K miles.
Cheers...and stay horizontal!
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