Saddlesore 1000

[henryjames]

I had the opportunity yesterday to complete a Saddlesore 1000. I would encourage anyone who has thought of doing one to make a few preparations and do it. I did an out and back and that worked for me. I figured when I got 500 miles out I would have a strong urge to come home and I guess it worked. I probably went a little fast but I wanted to be home before dark, for I felt that riding after dark after being up at 2:30 and leaving at 3:15 would probably be a bad idea. It took me 15 hours and 20 minutes. All interstate. Followed the advice of the Iron Butt site and it worked.
John

[BradfordBenn]

Yup, been planning for a while and it is time to do it. I am doing a circle route with the later in the ride it gets the more options I have for cutting out sections and getting home safely even if I don't finish the Saddlesore.

[MarkF]

I've been planning for a few years. I want to do the NE1000 but first I'm gonna try a there and back from Central CT to Akron, OH. The straight thru of western PA should be easier to manage the time on than the New England trip would be.

[Rich]

I did mine yesterday, 06/26/04. Like John, I opted for the out and back trip, especially with where I am located. I wanted to use interstate also, mostly for safety reasons. My route was from Killdeer, ND to Belgrade, MT, and back. Covered 1037 miles, which on the GPS was 1011 miles and it took 17 hours, 6 minutes. I actually thought it was pretty easy, but it sure isn't something I would want to do very often. I left at 3:50 AM and was home before dark, and I am glad I did it that way. There are too many things that can go wrong at night, especially with the over-abundance of wildlife in our area. In that 17 hours, I had time to stop and eat, twice, so to me the key is to just put your mind to it, and keep on trekking.

Good luck, Brad. And like John said, anyone thinking of doing this, try it, if nothing else you will have newfound respect for the guys that do the 11 day Iron Butt. Those guys GOTTA be nuts. :) I know I could never do it.

[BradfordBenn]

Did mine yesterday (June 26, 2004) as well. Thanks for the wishes. GPS showed 1,005 miles, but it also turned off every so often. Odometer showed 1,090 and Streets and Trips showed 1,042 when I mapped it out. Mine was a loop from South Bend, IN to Chicago, IL to St Louis, MO to Indianapolis,IN to Dayton, OH to Toledo, OH to South Bend.

Mine took about the 18 hours of time. Left at 5:45AM returned about 23:45. I also had to stop more often then I planned. My drinking system decided to detach from the motorcycle, so I stopped more ofter for hydration. Full report in a little while...

Once again I recommend it to anyone who is interested in long distance rides. I learned enough yesterday to make my rides of 500 mile days easier.

And to think when I got my first bike it took me a month to go 1,000 miles. :eek

[gambrinus]

Brad and Rich, Congratulations!! Now start planning for one of the harder rides... heeee heee hee. I'm trying to talk some relatives that live quite close to Erie, PA to do the Great Lakes ride with me.. not luck yet, but I'm hoping that some H/D vs BMW guilt will eventually work.

RW

[BradfordBenn]

Yup, just finished it...

http://www.bradfordbenn.com/beemer/trips/ss1k.htm

At some point I will transfer it over here as well....

[dzimbric]

1005. Isn't that cutting it a little tight? Why am I amazed at the inaccuracy of the BMW speedos.

Are these things adjustable?