Ride SaddleSore 1K from ATL to TAMPA or ORLANDO and back?

gunsmoker said:
The advice about staying hydrated was good I thought I was getting a little bit thirsty in between each stop but every time I went to the urinal I was absolutely shocked at the honey colored or even maple syrup colored flow I was discharging... it was not a light shade of pale yellow like it should be.
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So, how many hours?
 
LoL.. I stopped counting time,
or saving receipts,
once I made the decision to stay indoors in Orlando and avoid the rain!

But ultimately.... 38.5 hours.
And 1,036 miles (on my odometer, not calculated address to address for every gas station and restaurant.)
 
You did the smart thing. You know more of what you're getting into and what worked and didn't work, if you do it again.

What's more...you're alive.

Chris
 
If you are uncomfortable riding in storms then you absolutely made the right call. Write down what you learned from this attempt and come back with an improved plan for your second try at a saddlesore.
 
2nd try?? My NEXT try will be my 6th.
This one was my 5th failed attempt.

#1-- Overheated 1996 Shadow. Limped home. Changed T-stat, flushed radiator. Thought I had problem fixed.

#2-- Overheated 1996 Shadow after 250 miles. Added coolant, turned around, rode home slowly, later took off radiator and a radiator shop professionally repaired a leak (corrosion). Added a coolant temperature gauge.

#3 -- Overheated 1996 Shadow after 300 miles. Added coolant, turned around, rode slowly ALMOST home, shut off bike at a gas station, and it wouldn't start. Battery / electrical system failure, too. (Still, that day I covered 630 miles. My route back was longer in distance but slower in average speed, to minimize risk of overheating.

#4-- ST-1300. Made too many stops to eat and play tourist and visit friends and take photo tag pics or "A-Z riding challenge pics."
Gave up attempt after 630 miles, got a motel, after 18 hours on the road.

#5 -- A few days ago. Also probably made too many stops, BUT THE MAIN problem was weather-- rain along my route in several spots, including major thunderstorms in Orlando that forced me to stay indoors overnight.
 
I'm thinking about TRAILERING my bike out West, or at least to the midwest, and start a Saddlesore 1000 along a route chosen ONLY for that purpose, not going near ANY major cities (if that's possible?), and only if the weather forecast says no rain, no fog, not for any part of the day or night for at least 3 consecutive days. And I'll use day #2 (the middle of the "good weather" days) for my attempt.
 

Maybe something like this: No trailering required. Just start off from a friend's house about an hour SW of Atlanta, so I don't have to deal with Atlanta-area congestion and road construction. Leave at 4 a.m.

Go down I-85 and I-59 to Mobile,
Take I-10 west, passing the New Orleans area (may be some traffic here if I get there during rush hour, but hopefully I'll be in that area only from 2pm -3 pm Central DST), to LaFayette, LA.

Then up I-49 to Shreveport, LA.

Take I-20 until the outskirts of Dallas, TX.

Do a 20-odd miles on a surface road to get up to I-30.

Run I-30 in the northeast direction until I hit more than 1000 miles, probably 1050, just to be safe.
That should be about 30 miles before I'd get to Texarkana.
Get the last gas, and find a motel.
 
gunsmoker said:
...start a Saddlesore 1000 along a route chosen ONLY for that purpose, not going near ANY major cities (if that's possible?), and only if the weather forecast says no rain, no fog, not for any part of the day or night for at least 3 consecutive days. And I'll use day #2 (the middle of the "good weather" days) for my attempt.
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That was my attitude. My SS1000 ride was to prove a point, not for sightseeing, visiting, or anything else. There was one goal in mind. Ride 500 miles in one direction on the interstate and ride back 500 miles. And do it all within 24 hours. I did it and I have no intention of ever doing it ever again. As the saying goes, "Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt." Except in my case it isn't a t-shirt, but a license plate frame. ;)

In May, I have a trip planned that'll take me to Kamiah, ID. In June, I'll be riding to New Mexico. There's about 5000 miles alone. July, August and September will have their own trips. All told, I will probably put on somewhere around 10,000 miles this summer. None of those days will approximate a SS1000. I'll be riding on side roads and planning about 8-10 hrs a day on the road. I want to see friends and have a good time with them and not be in a rush. I have the license plate frame (t-shirt).

Chris
 
gunsmoker said:
2nd try?? My NEXT try will be my 6th.
This one was my 5th failed attempt.

#1-- Overheated 1996 Shadow. Limped home. Changed T-stat, flushed radiator. Thought I had problem fixed.

#2-- Overheated 1996 Shadow after 250 miles. Added coolant, turned around, rode home slowly, later took off radiator and a radiator shop professionally repaired a leak (corrosion). Added a coolant temperature gauge.

#3 -- Overheated 1996 Shadow after 300 miles. Added coolant, turned around, rode slowly ALMOST home, shut off bike at a gas station, and it wouldn't start. Battery / electrical system failure, too. (Still, that day I covered 630 miles. My route back was longer in distance but slower in average speed, to minimize risk of overheating.

#4-- ST-1300. Made too many stops to eat and play tourist and visit friends and take photo tag pics or "A-Z riding challenge pics."
Gave up attempt after 630 miles, got a motel, after 18 hours on the road.

#5 -- A few days ago. Also probably made too many stops, BUT THE MAIN problem was weather-- rain along my route in several spots, including major thunderstorms in Orlando that forced me to stay indoors overnight.
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OK, here's your plan:
1. Sell the shadow, or at least reserve it for rides to the bar.
2. Quit stopping so much. I'll admit to making a LOT of stops on some saddlesore rides to grab ToH, Team Strange, or some other Grand Tour bonus locations. Once I stopped 33 times for bonuses plus three times for gas. But each stop was 5 min or less.

24 hours is plenty of time for 1000 miles. You can do it in 16 hours, so if you ran out of time you were dickin' around 8 hours.
 
Trailering??? Use a ride plan similar to the one I PM'd you a month ago. Plan the ride and ride the plan. Not many bikes easily make 200-250 miles between stops doing 75+ mph but you own one. Buy or make some hydration system up that allows you to drink H20 between the planned stops. Doesn't have to be fancy for a SS1000. Even sipping on 2 small bottles of water between stops forestalls dehydration and done a little at a time at regular times shouldn't create a full bladder problem that requires a pee stop between the planned stops to gas up and restroom break.
 
jodog said:
24 hours is plenty of time for 1000 miles. You can do it in 16 hours, so if you ran out of time you were dickin' around 8 hours.
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Part of the key here is to stick to places with an interstate so you can take advantage of the higher speed limits. Getting a ticket is one of those time-consuming stops you don't want, but you can get plenty of miles just staying "safe" within 5-10 mph of the speed limit. And there is a penalty to consider for your gas mileage plummeting. I learned a lesson back in college when our family took a vacation to Connecticut from Tacoma, WA. We were driving at about 75-80 mph on the freeways and for some reason, we passed this couple in a Jeep about 4 times that day. My Dad's Buick was getting about 11-12 mpg at those speeds and so we were stopping for gas quite often. The Jeep was just putting along at a reasonable speed and not making those stops. In the end, they covered more miles than we did.

FWIW, I think I did my SS1000 in about 19 or 21 hrs. I think the Washington State speed limits were still about 60 mph at the time. I took longer than some would at my rest stops. At the end of it all, I realized I didn't plan well. I came back over Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State at night, through miles of construction with lanes shifted constantly, no extra lighting except the headlights in my eyes and my meager headlights, and in the rain. I was exhausted through that portion and wanted to pull over to close my eyes for just a second - but I knew that if I did, I wouldn't wake up in time. I'm lucky I didn't kill myself.

I wouldn't "trailer" your ST out of the congested areas, but plan a trip to be fun. Head west to somewhere you want to go to. Get out of town. Then stop early and spend the night in a cheap motel. Get a good night's rest. Make one leg of that trip your SS1000 ride. My point is to use your imagination and pick a place you want to see...and include one day of 1000 miles with an easy day before and after it.

And the last thought that pops into my mind is that no one will think any less of you if you never complete a SS1000. Do it if you want to, not if we want you to. ;)

Chris
 
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Reading the above posts brings back fond memories of my rides. Great go you had there, commendable that you keep trying.

The riders posting here are quite seasoned and I enjoy reading their perspectives. Mine comes from a different angle, I got into timed events because a great friend of mine ribbed me often about being the worlds toughest rider.

We had done out first 1k with two other riders and was planed perfectly, save the other riders. We, or I should say me, did everything wrong. I missed gas stops, needed a nap after a big breakfast about halfway. Stopped to help one of our riders that had broken down. We all made it and they submitted there paperwork.

More than a decade later and plenty of ribbing from my buddy, I found myself on long rides to find good kit from my ST. Going 600 miles out for a seat seemed normal. I track most of my rides with spotwalla. I would get home and see all theses missed opportunities to stop my buddy’s taunts. One day I had enough. A 1500G should quiet him down.

Since then I have a 1500g, 2000g, and a 3000g (many 1000s that I don’t track). The one thing that I’ve learned is that it is more mental than physical. Your body can handle days of fatigue, your brain not so much. Where you set the goal is where your brain is focused, tell it 1000 miles and being the efficient machine that it is, will only expel as much energy as needed to get that accomplished. If you tell your brain 2000, it will do the same, making 1000 a moment in time instead of the goal.

You have the right bike, get your head around it and you’ll accomplish your goal easily.

Where you are (ATL), I would leave at 3 am or so and take 20W ride 600 miles (start with a full tank and it’s 3 gas stops), turn around, and head home. The 1000 will just be a moment in time. You got this.
 
There is not going to be a crowd cheering for you at the finish line. You stated that after 90min you were looking for an excuse to get off the bike. Plan a long trip take pictures, see what you haven't seen before and I think that will be more satisfying and you'll always have fond memories and pictures to look back on. :thumb:
 
I did my Bun Burner Gold in 23 hours with a 2 hour stop because interstate was flooded so bad I couldn't see the center or side lines on highway and too many cars and semi-trucks stopped to be safe. Make a plan! Ride the plan! NO time to socialize! Now see what nature and the fates will throw at you. You got to want it! PS see post 32
 
We rode back from Sturgis (actually Spearfish, SD) in the rain in just over 26 hours with minimal stops. Around 1200 miles from there to western PA. It was miserable which is why we pressed on. We were in a group of five and just wanted the ride to be over. Chicagoland is a BLAST in the rain at rush hour on two wheels. That feat will not be repeated by any of us, Sturgis is one of those places I will visit once. It's scratched off of the list. Only positive, the Harley Davidson air seat on the old FLHPi law enforcement bikes was a fine place to park your butt when glued to your saddle for long hours on end...
 
Good luck on your next try. It will happen when it's meant to happen and then you can tell us all about it!

Give me a wave if you go by here at 75 mph!
 
If you're up in NY, take a look at the Ride Around New York. Modify it by taking I86 all the way to Erie PA and route 90. Then take this east to 81, then to 11 to 87 south. I think I had only 7 or 8 intersections. It was a wonderful ride except for cold at night coming up Rte 17.
Do it Clockwise. It's over 1000 miles and rather pleasant.

Rob
 
I'm not "in" New York but if I ever ride my motorcycle up there it would be about 900 miles on the shortest possible route from Atlanta to my childhood hometown of Buffalo, NY.

Therefore I could probably go through Buffalo and stop a little bit past Rochester at a motel along the New York Thruway,
I-90.
 
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