MTF 50/100CC Iron Butt Association Ride
Michael Glass & Viktoria Juodenaite
100CCC Ride Report March 2003
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MTF 50/100CC Iron Butt Association Ride
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February 6th…
Steve Hebert posts on www.BMWRT.com
in "Riding Together." Steve announces he will be "taking part in
the world record attempt to finish in the largest group for the coast to coast
to coast 100." In Iron Butt terms this is the CCC Gold, also known as the
100CCC Insanity or simply the 100ccc. This ride is considered one of IBA’s
extreme ride certifications. Riders have 50 hours to get from Jacksonville
Florida to San Diego, California. Then they have 50 hours to get back.
While the ride sounded intriguing, I had just recently returned from my 8,000
mile cross country trip. To fit another long distance ride into my life so soon
was not very practical. But I contacted Steve anyway.
Besides being an RT ownwer, Steve is an Army helicopter pilot and instructor. He
would be doing the 100ccc with two of his Army buddies, Uli Hemmeler and Gary
Schaefer. I was later to learn that would also being using the ride to raise
money for charity.
Steve and I talked briefly about the ride and he then turned me on to Alan Leduc
of the Motorcycle Tourer’s
Forum (MTF.) Alan was the forum’s founder and event organizer.
Two groups would make the attempt -- one leaving the East Coast and one leaving
from the West. The riders from the different coasts could not be counted
together for the world record – so only one of the groups could make that
claim should they succeed. At that point 40 riders had already signed up from
both coasts. About half were attempting the 100ccc and half the 50cc.
In order to be recognized by the Iron Butt Association (IBA) as a group, riders
must start their ride at approximately the same time from the same location, and
must end their ride at the same location within the allocated time. They do not
have to ride together in one large group and in fact are discouraged to do so
for logistical as well as safety reasons. Smaller groups like Steve’s,
however, were common; and in fact Alan Leduc, the organizer, rode with two
others. About half the riders ended up riding with one or more partners and
about half rode alone.
From the LD Website:
A quote from an LDRider will be used as the philosophy for the Motorcycle
Tourer's Forum 50CC/100CCC Iron Butt Association Ride: "Everyone gets tired
at different times, or gets hungry or even has to pee at different times. It's
YOUR ride and it really isn't much fun when you are sitting on the side of the
road waiting for your riding partner who is taking a quick nap."
February 7th…
By the next day I had already made up my mind I was going to do
the 100ccc. I also decided I’d like to do it two-up with my new friend
Viktoria.
I had met Vik at a local biker hangout this past November. The weather was cold
that night and we were the only ones who showed up on two wheels. I was then
riding my 1100RT and Vik her gold Honda Reflex Scooter.
Later, Vik and I started riding a lot together on my then new Hayabusa. One trip
that stood out was our NYC to Boston run to go Go-cart racing with our own Jim
Nichols (JungleJim.) The weather turned cold -- we got got lost and separated
from Jim on the way back -- spent an hour pulled over in the rain trying to get
Jim on the cell phone – and Vik never complained, handling the entire situation with a great sense of humor.
By February, Vik and I were riding on the Busa several times a week. So it just
seemed natural to ask Vik if she wanted to do the 100ccc with me. Not
surprisingly Vik said "yes" without hesitation.
A lot of people have asked why I decided to do the 100ccc with a passenger. Of
course, the challenge was a big part of it – but more important, I did it was
a passenger because I knew I had a passenger who was up to the task.
Challenge and adventure is in Vik’s blood. Not only does she fly ultralights,
gliders and climb mountains -- more impressive than all that—she rides a gold
Honda Relflex Scooter on the mean streets of Manhattan.
When I later told Alan I would be doing the ride two-up, he said this would be a first. He also said according to IBA rules, that Viktoria would be counted the same as any other rider in the final standings.
February 8th—March 6th (The Preparation)
The preparations for my last trip – the 8,000 mile "Escape" -- involved about two hours of thought, three hours of packing and an oil change. I knew that to make a successful run at a two-up 100ccc attempt on would be a lot different.
We had just over a month to get ready. What I was about to find out is that a month was not enough time to prepare properly, but just enough time to drive yourself crazy trying.
GEAR
My last cross country trip on the Hayabusa taught me that you
can’t be too prepared for Mother Nature. The Hayabusa just doesn’t have the
weather protection a big bore tourer does. To succeed at the 100ccc we knew we
had to be prepared for a wide range of temperatures. To compound the problem,
the Hayabusa’s alternator had a limited capacity. After installing an in-line
voltmeter we found out that we could run two Gerbing tops at one time, but only
with low beams.
This is not Minime, but actually me in one of the more extreme weather
combinations we experimented with.
This is actually Vik wearing the Hannibal Leichter ski mask. It not only keeps cold air off her face but also keeps even the most aggressive truckers at bay.
Vik’s mountain climbing background proved helpful and we ended
up using a combination of motorcycle and mountain gear. On the top, the final
combination was a synthetic wicking base layer, over that a Gerbing top, then a
wool/synthetic hooded wind block jacket from Marmot, an optional fleece of wool
insulating layer, then a Cycloak motorcycle jacket. We also purchased heavy-duty
Helly-Hanson rain suits that also could serve double-duty as a final outer layer
should we hit extreme cold.
On the bottom, Vik wore thermal pants under the Cycloak bibbed motorcycle pants.
I didn’t like the way the Cycloak pants fit so wore my Joe Rocket Ballistic
pants for the colder days and jeans when it got warmer. In addition we packed
backalavas as well as the helmet hoodlums plus Neos rain overboots for Vik.
FUEL CELL
The Hayabusa only had a safe range of 150 miles and that would mean close to forty gas stops both ways. David Mandel (Voodoo of www.BMWRT.com ) recommended we talk to Bill McAvan of BLM accessories. Bill was very helpful but in the end we just didn’t have enough time to do the job right. The easy place to put the cell was where Viktoria was sitting Beyond that things got tricky, time-consuming and expensive. We ended up going with the stock 5.5 gallon tank.
LUGGAGE SYSTEM
The Hayabusa doesn’t’ have one. To accommodate gear for two
people we used the Ventura Rack System supplemented with a magnetic Tank Bag,
Tourmaster Saddlebags and Aerostich panniers up front.
I was recently asked in a post why storage space was so important. Here’s a
short list of what we carried in addition to riding gear and clothing for two:
Tools, duct tape, wire, connectors, spare bulbs, fuses, chain lubricant, WD-40,
one gallon emergency gas can, jumper cables, road flares, first aid kit,
flashlights, tire repair kit, air compressor, rain covers for luggage, spare
duffel, straps, bungies, screaming meanine, portable CB radio, Valentine 1, cell
phone charger, extra batteries, CD’s and player, two cameras, Road Wiz
calculator, directions and gas stop print-outs, Trip log notebook, food, water.
Just where are we going to put all this stuff? Here’s Vik in Florida trying to
organize the gear
ELECTRONICS
Our wish list was Autocom, Valentine 1, CB radio and GPS. Due to
time constraints and budget, we only ended up riding with the Autocom system.
I wear earplugs but initially Vik didn’t. To compensate for the difference in
sound,
I used ArizonaAl’s excellent custom earplug/music system connected to the
Autocomm with Dave’s Y-Connector. This balanced out the sound nicely so Vik
and I could hear each other at the same levels.
Who needs a GPS when you have a sophisticated navigation system like this? Here
Vik plots our course
THE PRACTICE RUNS
Vik and I had scheduled a number of practice runs, including a 1000 mile dress rehearsal. Unfortunately, the winter in New York did not cooperate and we settled for only a six-hour round trip to Albany. Oh, well…plenty of time to practice on the 100ccc!
GETTING DOWN TO FLORIDA
We planned on riding down to Florida on Thursday, March 6th but
we ended up trailering the bike down due to snow in the New York area. There
appeared to be a good weather window that Friday but after so much preparation
it seemed risky to chance not making it down in time. To the rescue was
"Trailer in the Bag"
Leaving NYC with Busa in tow. Tie-downs compliments of David Mandel (Voodoo) and
help actually tying down compliments of Jim Nichols (JungleJim).
