1,000+ Mile Ride, Spanning Five States, via IBA SS1000

[Adventurer]

« [Posted to NHF] on: July 06, 2020, 05:56:59 PM »



Shortly after purchasing my naked/OEM, black Honda Nighthawk CB750 Upright Japanese Motorcycle, I learned of a world-wide group, who's slogan is: "The World's Toughest Riders," which instantly had my attention. It's a group of long distance, endurance riders who constantly push themselves to new limits, and any motorcycle (Nighthawk, or otherwise) may be used. What's rad is I then learned one of the co-founders had done some global moto excursions on their own, maroon colored CB750 NH, including, but not limited to Siberia! I tracked them down personally, and friended them on-line, via the Adventure Rider (ADV) Forums, which is cool.

Fast forwarding a bit, I can truthfully say, that nearly everything I've done to my bike to-date, aside from a few minor cosmetic improvements (IMHO), have been in preparation for this journey, which I recently completed, with a couple of other riders, on: June 13th 2020.

For those of you who may not have followed it, here's a few of the highlights of my bikes evolution:

https://nighthawkforums.com/index.php?topic=33.0

While I'm told it'll take 3-6 months, for the IBA's team of volunteers to officially certify completion of our 1,000+ mile group ride, it's cool knowing we've already done it.

For those unfamiliar with the IBA SS1000, it's a somewhat meticulously documented, and route-checked ride which must be completed in twenty four hours or less, and cover 1,000 miles or more, without exceeding posted speed limits or taking any short cuts. It may be done in a straight line (for those with more vacation time or retired, who can spend time soaking up the sights at their end destination), or in our case, in a circle, or any number of ways.

The twenty four hours begins the moment your first fuel receipt is time and date stamped at your starting gas/petrol/service station, after you've had one or two witnesses sign that you were physically there on your (non-trailered) motorcycle (lol), to get it done. (You'll also need one or two witnesses, again at the end).

If doing a circle, as we chose to, you have to have properly time/date stamped fuel receipts at each of "the four corners," whatever you deem those to be, to show that you didn't cut across, for example. You log each stop as you go, be it for fuel, food or otherwise, with the following information: Date, Time (Incl. Time Zone), Location, Odometer Reading.

In recent years, with most folks having access to a smart phone or digital camera, they highly encourage a photograph be taken of your gas receipt, next to your odometer (and GPS, if applicable), each and every time you fill up, as further proof of legitimacy.

I'm on my laptop now (whereas 99% of my NHF posts are via iPhone), so no pics to post at the moment, but will aim to post a couple in a followup post. That said, though I'm known for taking more pics than most, under normal circumstances, I hardly took any this trip, other than my various receipts, to help preserve iPhone battery life.

Some of the final bike preparations I made for the trip, would include but are not necessarily limited to:

•Temporarily installing a borrowed Sierra Cobra IMC CB Communications set on my handlebars and in my helmet (which was a Godsend, as our group coms were perfect, throughout.

•Purchasing and installing a Nelson-Rigg, Route 1 Journey Magnetic Cruiser Tank Bag (which held a hardcopy of the route we'd planned, and two, smoked, 32 oz., wide-mouth Nalgene bottles.

•Fabricated custom a custom highway peg setup (can't imagine not having had this), with my oldest son.

•Camelpak backpack ($5. USD Garage Sale score), which I'd never used before, but tested heavily on daily work commutes, week prior (worked magnificently). Threw frozen ice packs into it, which kept my water cool, throughout...and I was able to safely hydrate while riding, through my full HJC helmet (excellent tip by former NH owner/former NHF Member, Sonnystile, BTW).

•Custom fabricated add-on brackets for my NH's Universal Givi Wing Rack II setup, to help it stay exactly where she should (as she most definitely will, from now on). Will aim to expand on this mod, in a separate NHF post, another time.

•Didn't technically need it for this trip, but got a SCREAMING DEAL on a NEW Givi black E81 luggage rack, for my Givi E460 top case, which is awesome, and as a pleasant surprise, it now lets me leave the lid up, when stopped, which is great for grabbing lunch, gear and what not.

Anyways, I rode with my buddy John, who's got a burgundy, 2008, 1800cc, Honda Gold Wing and his friend Mike, who's got a flame blue pearl, 2010, Harley Davidson FLHTCU, and my CB750 kept up just fine!

Oh, I should also mention, I had the carbs rebuilt a week prior, and I also swapped out the shift levers with wide bodied ones, too. Ironically, the bike suddenly sounded like absolute trash, about 1-2 weeks prior (after serving me well for years), so I got her in as quick as I could, hoping a carb sync would do the trick, but alas they had to dive deep to make her purr again. As an added bonus, they (my new mechanic) also managed to fix that freak'n "hiccuping" sound one of my pipes would sometimes make, dating back the previous owner (which baffled my previous mechanic/s). Also, had them swap out the steering column bearing with All Balls ones and replace an instrument cluster bolt which had snapped off, too.

What's funny, is the IBA strongly discourages any "last minute" changes to your bike, just prior...but hey...when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and press on!  On that note MY CB750 HAS NEVER RUN SO BEAUTIFULLY SINCE I'VE OWNED HER! No joke, I can now take my hands off the bars at any speed, and it's now straight as an arrow (had speed wobbles, for a roughly a year, which I'd hoped to tackle with a Superbrace, but alas, those are unobtainum nowadays and would have only proved to have been a Band-Aid anyways, as bearings were shot from age and high mileage, lol).

We began in Denver, PA at 4:38 a.m., and proceeded along as such:

Lancaster, PA
York, PA
Gettysburg, PA
Frederick, MD
Winchester, MD
Staunton, VA
Buena Vista, VA
Beckley, W VA
Charleston, W VA
Parkersburg, W VA
Cambridge, OH
Washington, PA
Morgantown, W VA
Cumberland, MD
Hagerstown, MD
Frederick, MD
Gettysburg, PA
York, PA
Lancaster, PA
Denver, PA

What's cool, is, we bumped up the trip by a day (departing Sat., instead of Sun.), last minute, and it worked beautifully! Roads were clear, highways were twisty, air temperatures and speeds were a dream, and NO TRAFFIC, NO CONSTRUCTION, NO ACCIDENTS, etc., throughout!

What else in incredible is, post carb rebuilt, my she averaged about 56 miles per gallon (based upon refueling records), and one tank even took me 197 miles (including partial reserve) which is hands down a new record for her! I told my new Mechanic that our hats are off to him and his team, as they clearly achieved what no one could with her, prior...despite many attempts. My Mechanic shared, they were all laughing at the before/after of her purr and steadiness...for example, after upgrading her steering bearings to All Balls Bearings, they admitted they excited drove her across train tracks, with their arms crossed, at 85 mph, and she didn't even flench! Haha, freak'n love it. It's like I've got a new bike (despite her having over 56K on her OD, last I looked).



Such beautiful scenery on this five state, 1,000+ mile journey. Especially the mountains, rivers, and windy highway roads of West Virginia. Even the clouds looked absolutely breathtaking.

My new buddy rode point, keeping an eye out, which he did a STELLAR job of (for example, quickly communicating a deer had quite literally just been hit, and was laying in the middle of the highway, amongst frantic drivers, moments prior to our pass through), I rode middle...enabling me to radio back to John, on the rear, map scheduled Delta Miles, Culmulative Miles, Time Allowed per stop/leg/strech, estimated arrival times, etc., so he could then confer with his GPS.

We were actually supposed to have a fourth rider, who had to bail, last minute...but the three of us each commented throughout that you'd think the three of us ride together regularly...which we do not. The other three riders did an 11 hr. group test ride together prior, but my bike was still in the shop (delayed by pandemic related delivery delays and whatnot), but later John and I did a much shorter test ride together, primarily focusing on achieving Cobra coms perfection, and last minute tweaks, which we did. One of which was bending my horn down to enable my aftermarket, 7" LED Halo headlight bucket to be lowered, as unbeknownst to me, my mechanic, and even Police Officers I'd asked prior, my headlight was blinding to riders ahead of me. We fixed that, and now its amazing. My horn sounds like a hurt animal however, but we opted to forgo any further fabrications, prior to launch. (I've heard a few of you reference Wolo Horns...I may be due; Haha).

In the meantime, anyone else who would like to learn more about "The Iron Butt Association's) (IBA's) Saddle Sore 1000 (SS1000), you may do so here:

https://www.ironbutt.org/rides/ss1000.htm

I should mention...the IBA SS1000's only the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to the various endurance challenges, they offer! If you've done one, are doing one, or have questions about potentially doing one, let me know and happy riding!  nice1

[Adventurer]

« [NHF] Reply #4on: July 08, 2020, 10:31:45 PM »
Other items I secured for this journey, would include, but may not be limited to:

•upstartech Heated Vest Electric Warm Vests Body Warmer with Temperature Control Heating
     •https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0811L6NPR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
•BESTON 10000mAh Power Bank Portable Charger, Dual USB Max 2.1A Output, Ultra Slim External Battery for
     •https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MX217G9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
•QTshine Battery Case for iPhone 6/6s/7/8, Upgraded [6000mAh] Protective Portable Charging Case Rechargeable Extended Battery Pack for Apple iPhone 6/6s/7/8 (4.7') - Black
     •https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WV3ZRWB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Never knew what I was missing, prior to owning a heated vest. It didn't come with a battery, and the Amazon user recommended one I bought worked nice...but looses its charge quickly, when on high, as it was, since we had a (quite) unexpected cold snap, at the start.

The battery back for the iPhone 7 proved so handy, that I've been using it daily, ever since! A little bulky and a little heavy, but my battery has yet to die since i began using it (charging nightly, of course). I believe I may have shared elsewhere in the NHF that unfortunately, with my previous iPhone, I learned the hard way, that RAM Mount or not, it's NOT a good idea to leave it charging while riding, as the vibrations (at least with my massive speed wobbles, prior to the smooth ride I now have, post All Balls Bearings upgrade), literally destroyed my old iPhone's charging port's charging capabilities. This way, I bypassed all of that, and had a phone for emergency, and also for documentation (photos of receipts next to odometer, at every fill up), which was awesome!

No, I do not currently have any professional affiliations with any of these products or manufacturers, lol. Just amped over'em.  :joker:
« [NHF] Reply #5 on: November 01, 2020, 09:17:06 PM »
It's official, my SS1000 has been certified and corresponding IBA membership has been achieved!



Received e-mail confirmation (excerpt above), followed by envelope (just three days after e-mail) with completion certificate, membership number, stickers, "World's Toughest Rider's" plate back, permanent listing in IBA's record database, etc.

Pretty sweet!
« [NHF] Reply #6 on: November 22, 2020, 07:45:02 AM »


Added my (2) Iron Butt Association[emoji2401](IBA[emoji2401]) member/achievement license plate backers to my black, 1992 Honda CB750 Nighthawk, last night