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IBR 2027 - Do You Have What It Takes?

Shuey

Shuey

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
158
Location
Niceville, FL
Bike
FJR1300 ES, 2018
If "YES" here's what you need to know for now. Enjoy the read!
Shuey
IBA 423


The 2027 Iron Butt Rally is now accepting applications through the end of
May. Applications and additional information can be found at
ldxrally.com/2027ibr. The application drawing is expected to take place
mid-to-late June. Riders should expect a demanding combination of routing
decisions, time management, bonus strategy, and sustained long-distance
riding across a wide variety of terrain and conditions.

The Iron Butt Rally will start at a location east of the Mississippi River
and a finish location west of the Mississippi River. Two checkpoints will
be included along the route. Specific start, checkpoint, and finish
locations will be announced in June or July 2026.

Following the success and popularity of the designated finisher routes
introduced in 2025, riders will again have the option of selecting a
predefined series of bonuses that, if completed within all applicable time
limits and rally requirements, will qualify them for official finisher
status.

While these designated routes reduce some of the complexity associated with
building a fully competitive routing strategy, they should not be mistaken
for an easier rally. Riders choosing this option will still be required to
maintain a demanding pace, manage time and fatigue effectively, and execute
consistently over the full duration of the event.

The designated finisher routes are not expected to place a rider in
contention for an overall podium position. Their purpose is to provide a
structured path to a successful finish while preserving the fundamental
challenge and spirit of the Iron Butt Rally. Earning a finish in the Iron
Butt Rally remains one of motorcycling’s most respected accomplishments,
regardless of routing strategy.

Applications for the 2027 Iron Butt Rally are now open and may be submitted
at ldxrally.com/2027ibr. At the bottom of the page, look for and click the
button “Click Here to Apply.” On the following page, change the quantity to
1 and select “Checkout.” Complete both the application and payment sections
below it.

The application fee is $200 and will be applied toward the total rally fee
of $2650. The application fee is non-refundable unless an application is
not selected in the drawing, at which point it will be refunded in full.
Riders selected during the drawing will be required to submit the first
payment of $1500 within two weeks of notification. The remaining balance
($950 for single rider entries or $1450 for two-up entries) will be due in
early January 2027.

Uniform rally rules can be found at ldxrally.com. Questions may be directed
to ironbutthq@gmail.com.

Thank you,

IBR Staff
 
I've done numerous 600-800 mile days. But there is a HUGE difference in what it takes to get the last 300-400 miles done. I made 1 ride home from Ft. Worth to Orlando that covered about 1100 miles. I was running through Mississippi feeling good. I was going to stop around Mobile but was I feeling good, the bike was humming along good and I kept going. I turned south and was running across I-10 when all the days and miles caught up with me. The ~200 mile ride down I-75 was the physically toughest road I ever rode. Yes, it was. All 3 lanes were about as flat as a board and almost straight as an arrow.

The Iron Butt riders do that, or more, every day for over a week!

I know I don't have what it takes.
 
Registration fees are the least of the pain. And you haven't considered the cost of oil, tires, motels, GAS, Medjet insurance, spot tracking, and whatever it takes to get you ready (cortisone shots in your hips maybe?). Double those numbers.
 
Ron said:
I've done numerous 600-800 mile days. But there is a HUGE difference in what it takes to get the last 300-400 miles done. I made 1 ride home from Ft. Worth to Orlando that covered about 1100 miles. I was running through Mississippi feeling good. I was going to stop around Mobile but was I feeling good, the bike was humming along good and I kept going. I turned south and was running across I-10 when all the days and miles caught up with me. The ~200 mile ride down I-75 was the physically toughest road I ever rode. Yes, it was. All 3 lanes were about as flat as a board and almost straight as an arrow.

The Iron Butt riders do that, or more, every day for over a week!

I know I don't have what it takes.
Click to expand...
Ron,

600-800 mile ride is nothing to sneeze at. Good for you. That you managed the additional 300 miles, good on ya'.

For most riders, the task of riding 1,000 miles within 24 hours to become an Iron Butt Association member seems impossible until you've done it. Then it's like the veil has been lifted.

Riding an Iron Butt Rally, advertised roughly as 1,000/day for 11 days in a row . . . that's a whole 'nother challenge.

Now . . . consider this incomplete list.

if you spent a year plus honing your trusty steed into a very specialized tool, built for the tasks you need to overcome. AND developed yourself physically and mentally as best you can for the challenges along the way, as yet unknown. AND if you've studied and prepared the GPS tools you'll need and how to confidently use them. AND if you've learned how to manage your sleep and how to recognize what your physical limits are. AND if you've learned how what you eat and drink influences you physically and how to maximize benefits and avoid detractors. AND you've learned how to be self-sufficient along the road in dealing with problems, mechanical and mental. AND you can devote the time away from family/work/whatever. AND . . . 20 or more other things you can learn from the experiences of others. AND you are want to spend a great deal of money for the opportunity of earning a 3 digit IBA membership number along with a plaque for the wall. AND YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS, JUST FOR YOURSELF . . . then maybe it's worth considering.

Finish or not, the experience is life changing. You join a very small group of others with the same gene-defect who'll understand what you went through. Your other acquaintances will enjoy your stories, but will only have the vaguest glimmer of what you experienced and achieved.

For what it's worth,
Shuey
 
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Shuey said:
...
For most riders, the task of riding 1,000 miles within 24 hours to become an Iron Butt Association member seems impossible until you've done it. Then it's like the veil has been lifted.
Click to expand...

Oh no, not for me it wasn't, it just told me NEVER AGAIN! :redface-2x:

In 2017, I rode from Crescent City (northern CA Coast) to Murrieta CA, VIA Sacramento. 872 miles, in 21.5 hours. I was totally done, by the time I got home.
 
Jerseyst said:
I stand by what I said....... Ridiculous
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What you're really saying is... it's ridiculous for YOU.
I have followed the Big Dance for several iterations, can't recall when I started, but Mike Kneebone and Bob Three-Veiner Higdon were still doing the arrangements and organizing AND the daily updates.
If you've not read Higdon's daily commentaries... well, you've missed some unique reading, is all I can say.
Having a half-dozen or so wallpaper completion certs, longest being a BBG, I have enough experience to recognize 11 straight days of such riding is beyond what I am willing to put myself through.
The associated costs are too rich for my blood, too.
If you haven't read the exploits as documented on the IBA website, and participated in the ldriders email list for a period of time, you can't understand.
With having done all of the above -- sans competing in an IBR-- and personally knowing a few of these madmen and -women, I'll admit even I can't fully imagine the unique qualities these individuals possess.
Add to that the complete unpredictability of the fates, luck, and chance, and there are an endless compendium of issues that can instantly derail even the most fittest, the most prepared, and the most resilient and ingenious riders.
There's more than one way to achieve a DNF.
All respect to the entrants, the finishers, and the Big Dogs.
 
Scavenger hunts have never appealed to me. The cost and personal risk they go through, for a goal, is a testament to dedication.....or the need for better mental health care in our country.....lol
 
Shuey said:
. . . or maybe, for some, scavenger hunts ARE a prescription for better mental health. :cool:

Shuey
Click to expand...
I do have what it takes and have made near 1k in a day. Several times. But i dont need a trophy or pay to prove it. I do admire everyones enthusiasm.
 
If the 1000 miles day sounds doable, try doing it 11 days straight. Also remember while they are doing those miles, it is not kicked back and cruising down the Interstate. You can't be a contender if you aren't picking up bonus points along the way. Bonus points are not a quick pull off the Interstate. There are also check points along the way and there is a window of time to check in there.

A while back, Uncle Phil put on a 3 day rally called the Triple T (Thousand miles of Tennessee Twisties). After the first day there were some pretty whipped puppies (less than 350 miles). And we were less than 50 miles down the Interstate from where we started.
 
Certifying a ride with the IBA legitimizes that you've done it, taken the time to document your ride and done it according to the rules. That counts for a lot. Otherwise your ride is no different than the kid who tells me he did 155 mph from point a to b on his 600 Supersport or the guys that say they've ridden 2.5 million miles and you know there's an extra section or 2 of zeros in there. I have a file folder of IBA certificates that prove to me and anyone else that doesn't care that I've done the rides and done it right. Last summer I commuted between Cape Cod and WI. Heading west I always did it in a straight shot 1140 ish miles in about 18-20 hours. I did this 5 or 6 times. I never documented or certified those rides because I had proven myself previously and didn't feel the need to do it again. IBA certification does count. If you don't want to do it that's fine. If you do and want to say you've done it then do it right at least once.

As far as the rally after a 50cc ride (coast to coast in under 50 hrs - 44h1m for me) I realized a rally was not for me. I'm a point to point time/distanceguy, that's what I think is fun. Scavenger hunts are not my thing. Also I honestly admit after doing 2 back to back 1200 mile days I don't think I have the stamina to withstand 11 days of sleep deprivation. I would become a danger to myself. Remember the 1000 miles a day for 11 days is the MINIMUM you will ride to complete the rally, most will ride a couple thousand more.

If you think the entry fee is expensive you need to ask Shuey or Jodog, the guys who have done it, what it costs to do the rally. It aint cheap and it is a HUGE COMMITMENT. A few years ago I contemplated entering the rally and I estimated it would cost me $10-12,000 and a year of my life to compete. People who've done it told me that was a realistic estimate. "The Big Dance" is not a cheap date! It is however a very elite club of those that have completed it and one I respect if only from the fringes.
 
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