My IBA SS1000 ride | GTAMotorcycle.com

My IBA SS1000 ride

Morrissey

Well-known member
This past Saturday I crossed a big, long standing item off of my bucket list. I completed an IronButt Association SS1000 ride! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the IBA, they are motorcycle group committed to safe, long distance motorcycle touring. There are no membership dues etc. The only way to join is to complete one of their rides. The easiest of their rides is the Saddle Sore 1000. You have to ride a minimum of 1000 miles (1610km) in 24hrs or less. You can find all of the details at www.ironbutt.com , but basically you have to have a starting witness and a finishing witness and you must keep and log all of your dated business receipts (DBR) and log them and your mileage at each stop. When you are done you submit the paperwork along with a map outlining the basic route you took and the towns you stopped in to the IBA along with a check depending on the package you want to order. Their team of volunteers uses the information you send and their own tools to verify your ride. If it all checks out, they send you your membership number, certificate of completion, an IBA plate to mount behind your licence plate and any other swag you ordered related to your ride.

I got my first DBR (my official start time) at 4:09am at the Petro-Canada on the corner of Monaghan Rd and Lansdowne St in Peterborough. I rode south down Hwy 28 to Port Hope and then across the 401E and stopped at the OnRoute in Morrisburg ON. I then continued along the 401E to where it becomes the 20 in Quebec and took the 30 toll route around Montreal and eventually stopped for fuel in Drummondville QC. I then continued along the Trans-Canada to Saint Philippe-de-Nari QC where I filled up at the Petro-Canada station (pretty much the only business there!) at 2:01pm. I then reversed course with a pit-stop for a Subway sandwich in Montmagny QC and then fuel in Drummondville QC at the same Esso station, even used the same pump! I then stopped at the OnRoute Ingleside stop and then turned north up Hwy 28 in Port Hope and finally back to the Petro-Canada at Monaghan and Lansdowne in Peterborough at 12:04am!

In total, I did 1756km in 19hr and 55min. I planned my ride to leave so early as I am freshest early in the morning and pretty much turn into a pumpkin after midnight. I felt great mentally and physically all the way to Saint Philippe. On the return trip I started to get some monkey but and some neck and shoulder pain in my left shoulder. I still felt pretty good until about 10pm. It was there where it stopped being fun and really became work. I never felt drowsy, but the pain in my left shoulder and neck was pretty gnarly by the time I got home. I also experienced some cramping in my throttle hand on the second half of the journey. I have had this throttle holder that sort of looks like a finger sticking up on my Bandit or years and never had much use for it. It was invaluable on this trip! It was great to be able to use it and give my throttle hand a rest and stretch it out.

Even though it was physically pretty tough, I'm really glad that I did it. I've been wanting to do this for a LONG time. There are other IBA rides that I would like to attempt, such as the SS1000 around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, but I have decided that I will not be attempting any further IBA rides as long as I have my Bandit. For me the riding position was great for the first 800km, but after that it got increasingly uncomfortable, especially in my neck and shoulders. I have had my eye on something a little more comfortable for a while now and this has only reaffirmed that feeling.

I will be mailing out all of the necessary documentation soon and will post again when I hear back from the IBA.

First pic is of my starting DBR in Peterborough. Second pic is my DBR from the halfway point in Saint Philippe. Third pic is my finishing DBR back in Peterborough.

http://imgur.com/x96Fp0M
http://imgur.com/5yhqc7O
http://imgur.com/r2n3toI
 
Last edited:
Well done! Always a great feeling knocking something off the bucket list.

You can use imgur.com to upload your images and link them here.

Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
 
Nice job. I have always had a little regret for not submitting my best ride (2300 km in 24 hours). At the time, I wasn't thinking about IBA, I was just out riding and then trying to get away from a snow storm.

EDIT:
It looks like you need to go to Germany to get some of these. Quattro is 2414 km/day for 4 days in a row (~9,700 km in 96 hours). It's an interesting challenge balancing moving speed vs fuel consumption, but you need at least a little time for bathroom and sleep. I think you'd need the biggest fuel system you could fit and keep the moving speed at 150+ to pull it off. I think Montana brought back speed limits so I don't know where you could ride in NA with 150+ average moving speed for days.
 
Last edited:
x96Fp0M_d.jpg


5yhqc7O_d.jpg


r2n3toI_d.jpg


Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
 
It can be anyone. And the same person. I nudged my wife in bed at 4AM to sign before I left home and nudged her again when I got back the next night.

If I woke my wife up at 4am I'd be heading off for more than 1000 miles to get out of range of the anger.
 
Congrats. I did a 23 hr ride back from the Dragon before on my sport bike. Let's just say that it's a good thing the highway is completely empty at 4 or 5am. So tired. I will not be attempting that again....unless maybe if I plan for it on purpose. But won't be doing it on my sport bike.
 
Did you stop for gas 10 times (circled number on receipt)?

I didn't stop for gas 10 times. It was 9 times. ;) I did make a total of 10 documented stops. The IBA has a rule that if there is a way that you could have taken a short cut, it's up to you to prove that you didn't by getting a DBR. Because I could have taken a more diagonal route from PTBO down to the 401, I stopped in Port Hope both ways to get a DBR to prove I didn't take a short cut. It was only 40km from the starting/ending point, but I didn't want to take any chances. That is also why I went 140km past the minimum distance. My route took me on the toll route south around Montreal which is actually 9km longer (but much quicker and almost zero traffic) than staying on the Trans-Canada and going through Montreal. Since I didn't make a stop on the toll route to get a DBR, I made sure I did extra km's in case they don't credit me those 18 extra km's. I also made a non-fuel stop in Montmagny for a meal which I logged into my record. That is one of the tips from the guys on the IBA forum, to split fuel and rest/meal stops. You don't want to be stopped for too long at any one time, and by splitting the stops you get more rest periods in the same amount of time. So 9 fuel stops even though it could have been 8 or even 7 if I had scoped out different fuel stations to stop at and 1 meal stop.

As for the witnesses, anyone can be a witness. I chose my Wife and was assured by several members on the IBA forum that this was fine. They don't even have to get up at 4am with you to see you leave. They can verify your mileage the night before and then verify the mileage/times by your pictures (highly recommended that you take pics of your DBR's next to your odometres) when you return. Many folks who are on multi-day rides and doing an IBR ride in the middle or multi-day IBR rides will get gas station attendants or hotel desk staff to witness for them. I was leery of doing this as the gas station I started/finished at seems to have a revolving door for night shift employees. I didn't want to get a witness that might not be reliable in a month's time.
 
Congrats! Something I've always wanted to do as well. I'm assuming taking the 100kph speed limit highways are a must to achieve the distance/time. How many times did you stop for breaks?
 
Congrats! Something I've always wanted to do as well. I'm assuming taking the 100kph speed limit highways are a must to achieve the distance/time. How many times did you stop for breaks?

Pretty much have to slab most of it for most IBA badges. You need to average ~67km/h over 24 hours. Morrissey stopped 10 times, at 12 minutes/stop that would be 2 hours lost and his moving average needs to be ~73 km/h. A few slow downs or traffic lights and you're are hooped, you can't get that time back. He did an average speed of 88 km/h including stops so secondary roads would be impossible (moving average close to 100). IIRC there is a 1000 mile offroad in 24 hours, that would be a bugger to do (and even harder to prove).

Planning these can be a fun project, you have to remember that any time not at highway speed is costing you. Gas stations need to be close to the highway preferably mostly right turns and no traffic lights (especially if you need to make a left). They also need to be pay at the pump, going inside to pay kills your average speed. With a 200km range Morrissey did awesome, I would be aiming for a 400km range bike to cut your number stops in half (the time the pump is running is a very small portion of the time lost during a stop). A camelbak is your friend to keep you hydrated for the day without needing to refill it and some snacks/sandwiches to eat on the go so you don't need to stop for meals (again kills your average speed). Obviously if you are starting off with 1610 km in 24 hours, you can take a more leisurely approach.
 
Last edited:
I haven't read the rules but what if your average speed was higher than posted speed limits. Does that disqualify you? Obviously getting pulled over would take a big chunk out of your time.
 
You would have to read the full IBA rules as I can't remember them all. Some speeding is allowed but if they determine that your speed was too much over the speed limit, say 40km/hr on average between one stop and the next you can be disqualified. The IBA is all about promoting SAFE long distance touring. Traveling 120km/h on the highway is basically keeping up with traffic but doing 140km/h would probably be considered excessive. Also, often times excessive speeding is counter productive for efficiency. If you are traveling at higher RPM for extended periods of time you get lower fuel mileage and then you need to stop more often. You are far better off to be able to travel longer distances between stops than to travel faster but need to stop more often.

My bike is able to go 300km+ between fill ups on the highway. If I'm on secondary roads I can go 340km+ in top gear. I planned all of my stops to be under 300km because you never know what effect a strong headwind will have or other factors and I'd rather stop early than try and push it and run out of gas 10km away from the next station. Also, I prefer to stop at least every 3hrs for a stretch and a pee. The IBA does allow for accessory fuel tanks (must be inspected and approved by the IBA) which most of the hardcore IBA members use. There is a maximum # of litres allowed (bike's fuel tank + accessory tank) and there is also a maximum # of miles allowed between stops, I believe it is somewhere around 400mi. This is for two reasons. One, it prevents riders from riding unsafe distances without a break and two, any further than that and it becomes very difficult to accurately document your ride.

It is very possible to complete an SS1000 on secondary roads or a mix of secondary roads and highway. I had planned out an all Ontario ride going across the 401 to Brockville and then up and over Algonquin park to North Bay. South to Orillia and then follow the coast down to Sarnia and then back across the 401. It was very doable but I would have had to be efficient when stopped. Ultimately I decided not to try that ride for my first one as planning out the fuel stops was proving difficult as you have to plan your fuel stops in the "corners" of your ride to prove you didn't take any short cuts.

There are lots of IBA members around the world who have done SS1000 rides on small bikes and without highways. There is a guy from Australia who has done the SS1000 on a Honda 110 Posti-bike. It was modified with an accessory fuel tank and he had a camel back and bag mounted between his legs for food etc, but the top speed on those bikes is only around 85-90km/h. Another guy did one in Australia on a 2 stroke 125 super sport! Again, modified with accessory fuel tank and aux lighting, but still!
 
I haven't read the rules but what if your average speed was higher than posted speed limits.

It's actually more mentally taxing to go much faster than the flow of traffic. 24 hours is plenty of time to do 1610 kms. I kept up with the flow of traffic, took half an hour off for lunch, got stuck in a traffic jam, took my time at gas stations and still completed it in less than 18 hours. And didn't risk getting a speeding ticket.
 
It's actually more mentally taxing to go much faster than the flow of traffic. 24 hours is plenty of time to do 1610 kms. I kept up with the flow of traffic, took half an hour off for lunch, got stuck in a traffic jam, took my time at gas stations and still completed it in less than 18 hours. And didn't risk getting a speeding ticket.

The 1610 can be a relaxing ride, the 2425 km in 24 hours becomes critical to keep yourself moving at highways speeds as much as possible. At the same pace as your 1610 ride (which admittedly allowed time for relaxation), you would come up ~300 km short.
 
The IBA is all about promoting SAFE long distance touring.!

That's what I though too, but the quattro really starts to push the bounds of what could be accomplished safely. In North America, it would be a 96 hour ride with no rest. If you were in Germany and you could pick up the speed (say to 180 km/h while moving, which would allow ~8 hours sleep), it would be still be tiring and I'm not sure about high speeds while exhausted.
 

Back
Top Bottom