Iron Butt Rally

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Boxerboy
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Answered my own question.

Post by Boxerboy »

"In 51st place is Al Holtsberry, never a threat to win on his 1977 BMW R100/7. It is an entrant in the aptly named Hopeless class. Al has had his share of big rides --- he once held the record for the earliest completion of the Four Corners tour --- but this year he is paying a courtesy call on history: The bike is the same one he rode to a successful conclusion in the Iron Butt Rally of 1986. Does anyone care whether Al finishes 50th or 500th? Of course not. Do they care that he will finish at all? You know it. Hopeless? There never was and never will be a hopeless dream."

He gets my applause. =D> :smt038 :smt041
Cheers...and stay horizontal!
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Biff's R
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Post by Biff's R »

Boxerboy,
Al is from the Columbus, OH area, and I had breakfast with him about 3 weeks ago at the Buckeye Beemers Sunday breakfast gathering. His bike had 325,000 miles on it before he left for Denver.

He was going to drop out instead of go across Kansas again, but I heard he ended up going to Washington state on the laast leg.

I am hoping to see him at breakfast in a week or two when he returns.
Jeff (lifer #289)
'17 F800GSA
'04 R1150R
There ain't no education in the second kick of a mule!
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Post by Guest »

The final scorecard for the 2005 Iron Butt has been posted:
http://www.ironbutt.com/ibr/2005/3.html

Slightly more than a third of the entries were oilheads, and a third of the DNFs were oilheads as well. I hope to read an analysis of the DNFs to see if there was a common thread in the mechanical failures.

Another poster called the Iron Butt a strenuous test of man and machine. I'm not sure that I agree with the "machine" part. Certainly the Vespa and the Ninja 250 - both finishers as was the Honda Helix of a few years ago - were tested to the limits of their designs, but I would think that any modern motorcycle of 600cc or more should be able to go 13,000 miles on the open road without suffering a mechanical failure. The Iron Butt riders are smooth and choose their routes to avoid traffic and congestion whenever possible. They ride fast when they can, but fast isn't going to be the top speed of the bike. At 90 MPH on the open road a modern, 1000cc bike is loafing, and it should loaf that way for a lot longer than 13,000 miles without something breaking - this isn't 13,000 miles of track days. It was many years ago that I read Ron Ayers' book on the Iron Butt, but I seem to recall that he described a riding style that was very mechanically conservative.

Every single one of those riders is a true "Iron Man" (or "Iron Woman" in a few cases) for just entering such a physically grueling, emotionally draining, and mentally challenging event. The bikes on the other hand are doing exactly what they were designed to do, well within the limits of their capabilities. The riders spent considerable time and expense to compete in the Iron Butt, and I have to think that they would be sure that their bikes were in top mechanical condition. Why did so many break?
peter '73 R75/5, '04 R1150RA
peterbulgar
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Post by peterbulgar »

I was logged in, honest (see above).
peter '73 R75/5, '04 R1150RA
pariah
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Re:

Post by pariah »

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.

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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Arthur
ebincia
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Re: Iron Butt Rally

Post by ebincia »

Don Arthur was a legend over at the BMWLT site for years. I have not heard much about him in the last couple of years. However, I find it hard to believe everything I'm reading in this piece on wikipedia. If it is true then I'm really saddened.
pariah
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Re: Iron Butt Rally

Post by pariah »

ebincia wrote:Don Arthur was a legend over at the BMWLT site for years. I have not heard much about him in the last couple of years. However, I find it hard to believe everything I'm reading in this piece on wikipedia. If it is true then I'm really saddened.
There are over 120 references on the Wikipedia page. Everything stated is documented on the web and in the newspapers and most of it is in Dr. Arthur's own words. The information remains uncontested. Anyone can correct or edit it.
ebincia
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Re: Iron Butt Rally

Post by ebincia »

Like I said I'm truly saddened by this information about someone whom I believed in...especially his long distance accomplishments.
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Boxer
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Re: Iron Butt Rally

Post by Boxer »

Its hard for me to comprehend someone in that high position and so visible, accomplishing all those deceptions over the years without so much as a peep from the news media...that I have seen. Like it was stated above, ANYONE can make changes and additions to Wikipedia.


Wel...maybe there were "peeps" but the talking heads would have crucified him had half of this been true...IMHO.
pariah
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Re: Iron Butt Rally

Post by pariah »

Boxer wrote:Its hard for me to comprehend someone in that high position and so visible, accomplishing all those deceptions over the years without so much as a peep from the news media...that I have seen. Like it was stated above, ANYONE can make changes and additions to Wikipedia.


Wel...maybe there were "peeps" but the talking heads would have crucified him had half of this been true...IMHO.
Yes, I agree. It's amazing that this was allowed to happen. A new television series, Stolen Valor, is actively investigating the story.
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