I don't know if there will be a sequel, but the first Iron Butt was a great biking experience; everyone completed the ride safely and without mechanical problems.
We had five bikes (two EGs, a Heritage Softail, a Fatboy, and a Road Star (pretending to be a RK) and departed Killer Creek HD in Roswell, Ga on Saturday morning at 8:02 a.m. Arrival back at the dealership was 4:10 a.m. Sunday morning this past week-end (6/24 and 25/06) and about 1058 miles.
We travelled I-75 to Chattanooga; I-24 to Nashville; I-40 to Memphis; I-55 to Jackson, MS; and, I-20 to Atlanta area.
For reasons known only to God and Interstate Interchange designers, the I-75N and I-24W interchange near Chattanooga is a disaster--we essentially walked our bikes with V-twin heat roasting our nuts (as only those of us who have experienced this can relate) about one mile through the interchange.
The guy who planned our route and is handling the certification (he has two prior IBA certified rides) used Google Earth (I believe) to get a route with incremental mileage and gas stops (roughly every 150 miles). He also called the gas stations to be sure they would be open the days and times of our travel. Every ride should have such a logistician.
God must also like bikers because about 50% of our ride was over damp, very damp interstates which showed that substantial rain had fallen in the area shortly before we travelled through. Except for a few sprinkles, we were bone dry.
Having five bikes was a good number. It was relatively easy to travel through traffic (not that there was a huge amount) and gas stops usually meant everyone had their own pump. It would be much more tedious (and perhaps time consuming, especially gas stops) with a large group of bikes.
Our experience was that the number of people saying "I am in and will do the ride" is roughly 5 times greater than the number who actually show up for the ride. So, we had about 25 "committed" riders, and ended up with five.
I had some good advice from a friend to carb up for two or three days before the ride and drink vast quantities of water before and during the ride. I credit following that advice with allowing this 58 year old to make it comfortably through the ride. I also give a lot of credit to a great riding 2004 EG and a backrest.
If you would like to look at pics of the ride, go to this link at yahoo
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kevinb...1450/my_photos
It was a terrific experience with a great group of compatible riders, excellent weather, and fine machines. Oddly, riding at night was relaxing since the visuals of daytime riding are almost overwhelming in their cumulative effect. If you have a chance to do one of these, give it strong consideration.
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