[r0ckrat]

I just registered for the BMW MOA Annual Rally in Springfield, MO, June 16-18. This thread is going to cover my planning for the ride and ride report/rally report when it happens.

Quick details:

• The BMW Rally Website, early registration closes today, January 31.
• My distance from the location is 1,631 miles.
• I'm planning on making this an Iron Butt Association "Bun Burner 1500 Silver" attempt, getting to the rally in about 30 hours.
• I'll be taking more time, and a more interesting route, to get home from the rally than getting to the rally.
• I'll be celebrating my 52nd birthday at the rally.

More to follow.
I'd like to keep this topic fairly clean, but if you are planning to go to the rally please post up, so that we can coordinate and get together for a drink at the rally. Or, if you are on my route home, for a coffee and cruise along my route.
I'd also welcome suggestions on my kit once I post that part, and on home-ward routes, with Denver being one of my planned cities to pass through - hoping to catch up with a friend there.

 

[r0ckrat]

Route planning
For the ride to the rally, I'll be following Interstate 40 almost the entire way. One of the reasons to make to this a IBA ride is that for me to get there, I either have to take a long time and a larger loop north to stay out of the desert and make it interesting, taking 4-5 days. Or, I can blast through the Cali desert in the morning, get into the mountains around flagstaff for the mid-day heat, stop in Gallup to sleep for a few hours, then blast across Texas at night while it's cool. Finally, I'd arrive at the rally late in the morning. Get my campsite set up, and crash early-ish the first day.

 

[Lee F]

I'd post up your exact route when you have it, to get input. Riding at night on deer infested roads is just not worth it IMO, but up to you, of course. I live in the desert, but not all TX is desert. I drive from El Paso to Austin often, and it's super dangerous once you hit the Hill Country, which is pretty vast.

I'll delete my post after you read it, to keep your thread 'clean' . But just want you to be safe. And if not, at least taking the risk knowing what you're potentially getting into. Ha ha. I remember a guy who wrote safety articles for several magazines (forgot his name), supposedly a safety expert who never took unnecessary risks. Ironically, he was killed by a deer in the TX Hill Country, at night. All it takes is one, so keep that in mind. Take care.

I-40 goes through the Panhandle missing The Hill Country.

 

[Lee F]

Debbie and I will arrive Wednesday, late afternoon. Staying at the Coach House Best Western about 2 miles east of the rally site.

Springfield, MO Hotel – Best Western Plus Coach House

Stay close to attractions, dining and shopping and enjoy complimentary breakfast, free high-speed Internet and outdoor pools at our Springfield, MO hotel.

www.bestwestern.com

We'll probably volunteer for Registration Thursday morning or afternoon.
This thread is a good reminder to sign up to volunteer.

 

[r0ckrat]

The planned route - following I-40 across the panhandle. From the last gas stop in New Mexico to the first stop in Oklahoma, it's 238 miles. If my R won't do that on a full tank I'll have a fuel bottle that will get me through.

https://goo.gl/maps/pVGQkoduRjejpJdk9

 

[MGL]

The planned route - following I-40 across the panhandle. From the last gas stop in New Mexico to the first stop in Oklahoma, it's 238 miles. If my R won't do that on a full tank I'll have a fuel bottle that will get me through.

https://goo.gl/maps/pVGQkoduRjejpJdk9

Plenty of deer between Albuquerque and Tucumcari NM. be careful. See you at the rally.

 

[r0ckrat]

Plenty of deer between Albuquerque and Tucumcari NM. be careful. See you at the rally.

Thanks - I was planning on sleeping a few hours somewhere east of Albequerque, and then continuing around midnight.

 

[FidalgoRob]

That outbound ride sounds pretty damned miserable — and dangerous, too.

 

[r0ckrat]

That outbound ride sounds pretty damned miserable — and dangerous, too.

Dangerous? How so?

Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk

 

[FidalgoRob]

Dangerous? How so?

Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk

Disorienting fatigue from too many hours in the saddle, and four-legged critters crossing the road during the night. That’s a dangerous combination from my perspective.

 

[r0ckrat]

Well, I've done 12 bours in the saddle on much more fatiguing routes, so I guess my perspective is different.

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[43220]

Deleted.

 

[r0ckrat]

Getting out of bed bed in the morning is dangerous too. Your fear is not my concern. The dark, animals, whatever. I ain't no spring chicken. I am aware there are risks. I have my own mitigation strategies. And I know my own limits as fas as fatigue and such, and don't plan on exceeding them.

I'll say this once more: if you don't have something constructive to say, please stay off this thread.

Edit: A nd just to be clear, comments about danger from someone who brags about needing more than 50 degrees of lean angle for public road use?

Stuff it.

 

[43220]

I like having the lean angle in case I need it; that doesn't mean I use it. I only push hard on familiar and empty roads, right conditions, and once I rode them the other way for safety. And yes, as I mentioned, we all are taking risks by riding. But taking unnecessary ones is just not smart; that was all. With your 'bragging' attack, I see you have some ego issues, and obviously hard feelings towards me, so decided it's best for the forum to just ignore you, since we're just not going to get along. Have a nice life man. Ignored.

 

[r0ckrat]

I only push hard on familiar and empty roads, right conditions, and once I rode them the other way for safety.

Uh huh, and a car will never be coming up behind you on the scouting run, the wind never changes, etc. Mind you, I don't ride slow under good conditions, so I'm not saying you are wrong on this point, but the braggadocio you use about your skills, setup, and preferences gets - uhm - abrasive after a while.

But taking unnecessary ones is just not smart; that was all.

Hmmm... Sounds just like a lot of people I meet who think even owning a motorcycle is just that - unnecessarily dangerous. Would you tell someone that was planning on doing a skydive with the right preparation that it's "unnecessary risk"? Then why would you tell a fellow motorcyclist that? Riding at night? It can be a beautiful, enjoyable experience. Don't be afraid of the dark. Animals? They are there in the daytime - I have a friend still recovering after almost 2 years from a collision that occurred in Texas in the middle of the day with a javelina. I hope to see him in Denver on my way home from the rally. Get out of your comfort zone a little more and LIVE. Just because YOU aren't comfortable going long distances, riding in the dark, or keeping your speed in check when traveling through deer land doesn't mean somebody else thinks it's "too dangerous" to even attempt.

 

[r0ckrat]

More on the planned route(s):
The sprint to the rally - which may or may not be done inside 30 hours. Despite what others may think, I'm not young nor stupid, and don't feel like dying. Riding at night doesn't scare me, though, and is a good way to cross desert in the summer. I'll be starting my night riding well after twilight when deer are most active. I also know my body and know how fatigue affects me. When I was younger and stupid, I fell asleep behind the wheel for about 2 seconds between corners on a mountain road - something you never forget, and if you learn, you learn how to tell when you are tired and to pull over before you get too tired.

2-3 nights of camping (depending on arrival of Thurs or Fri), and departing Sunday. Packing up will take some time, so planning a short ride day with a hotel at the end of it that has laundry in Topeka, KS. Might check out the Evil Knievel museum while there if I'm not too late to do so that day. (225 miles)
The next day ride to Denver, CO. Hotel or camp, haven't decided yet. (540 miles)
Denver to Salina, UT, hotel or camp again. (450 miles)
Salina to Las Vegas NV through Bryce Canyon, definitely a night in a hotel, preferably off the strip. (378 miles, but 6 or more hrs)
Finally, on the 23rd, Vegas to Long Beach.
~ 3500 miles round trip.

 

[r0ckrat]

What I'm taking with me:
The list so far.

• Tool Kit
  • Tools enough to remove either wheel or any obvious bolt on the bike (Torx set, 13mm open-end, rachet, necessary allen keys)
  • Tire plug & inflate kit
  • Battery Booster
  • OBD Code reader & cable
• First Aid Kit
• Fuel bottle
• Extra Riding Gear (beyond my everyday gear)
  • Heated vest & gloves
  • Thermal jacket liner
  • Rain Gear
  • Cooling vest
  • Hydration Pack
  • Extra riding pants
  • Extra gloves
• Camping Gear
  • Tent/groundcloth
  • Thermarest
  • Sleeping bag
  • Pack Stove/pans/dishes/fuel
  • flashlight & tent lantern
• Clothing
  • casual shoes & shorts
  • 2 easy-care shirts (quick-dry)
  • plenty of skivvies and enough socks to reach Topeka
• Electronics
  • Spare cell-phone
  • Chromebook
  • Portable drive and SD reader
  • Chargers
  • Powerbank
• Basic toiletries
• High-energy snacks, plenty of water and Gatorade.
• AAA and credit cards

The reason for the chromebook, drive, and reader is to be able to offload video files from the bike's camera system. And surf when in a hotel. Possible update this thread if not otherwise engaged.
If you see a huge hole in my list, feel free to bring it up.

 

[Lee F]

Extra riding pants will be bulky to pack and not needed.
We have ridden in 49 states and never needed to carry extra fuel.
Do you want the extra fuel to minimize fuel stops during the ironbutt section?
One little space saver is convertible pants. Pants with zip off legs.

 

[Lee F]

The next day ride to Denver, CO. Hotel or camp, haven't decided yet. (540 miles)

30 miles west of Denver is a nice motel we've stayed at several times.
Columbine Inn, Idaho Springs.

Columbine

Great Motel in Idaho Springs, CO

www.columbineinn.net

 

[MGL]

Before your trip you may want to check, how many miles you can ride your bike pass zero. I have ridden mine twenty eight miles once. I'm not promoting to do this on a regular
basis, but I think it's good to know.