45,000 miles in 45 days

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ballisticexchris

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I did my Iron Butt to prove the endurance of my bike more than myself. My Beta was my adventure bike before getting the Super Tenere. Guys in my dual sport club trucked their bikes to the club rides. I rode mine.

It's really a nice feeling knowing I can swing a leg over my plated dirt bike and do multi hundred mile rides without worrying about reliability issues. OTOH, my body is at the point that it's getting harder to stay planted in the saddle of a dirt bike for more than a few hundred miles a day.
 

EricV

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Didn't Ardys Kellerman do one of those...at an 'advanced' age? What a Gal!!
Yes, Ardys is in the 100k club. Note that Dave Zion did it twice in different years on different bikes. There is also a 1 Million Mile club with 16 riders that have documented over 1 million miles. I personally know 8 of the riders below. Some that are no longer with us. Note Joe Mandeville did the 100k in 6 months. The Judge was a hell of a rider and a really nice guy too. We had some great conversations at rallies.

100K Club (100,000 miles or more in a year):
Name State Year Motorcycle Mileage

Dave Zien Wisconsin 2010 H-D Road Glide 141,757
Jack Shoalmire Oklahoma 2009 BMW R1200RT 104,750
* * * 91,234 of the 104,750 where certified IBA rides! * * *

Gary Johnson New York 2008 Honda GL1800 102,101
Robert Higdon FLORIDA 2007 BMW K75 106,458
* * * Robert is 68 years young on this ride! * * *

Ardys Kellerman TEXAS 2007 BMW R1150RT 103,345
Richard Buber FLORIDA 2005 Honda Gold Wing 114,789
Dave Zien WISCONSIN 2004 H-D FXRT 104,678
Jack Dodds FLORIDA 2004 H-D Ultra Classic 108,831
* * * Jack is 73 years young on this ride! * * *

Michael LaDue Seattle, WA 2003 Honda Gold Wign 107,781
Verne Hauck MillersvillePA 2002 H-D FLTRI Road Glide 113,245
Don Arthur McLean, VA 2002 BMW K1200LT 115,046
Phil Mattson Creston, IA 2002 H-D FLHTCI 125,123
Phil Mann Michigan 1994 BMW K1100RS 115,203
* * * 113,205 miles in SIX months * * *

Joe Mandeville California 1993 BMW K1100RS 122,976
* * * 102,976 miles in SIX months * * *

Michael Kneebone Illinois 1984 Yamaha Venture Royale 107,501
 
R

RonH

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I enjoyed long distance riding, but too lazy anymore. I do enjoy of reading of others accomplishments always. A guy mentioned once in a while on the GL1800 forum has done over 100,000 miles a year for 4 consecutive years.
I did 800+ miles a day for 14 straight days doing the USA Four Corners motorcycle tour with a 55mph national speed limit on a 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 and enjoyed every mile. Done 1650 miles in 24hrs on the GL1800, and 3000+ in less than 48hrs on the GL. I enjoy this and always like to read of others that do.
 

Dirt_Dad

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DM and I have done a couple of 700+ mile days in a row, and once, when the weather was absolutely perfect, we considered extending it to a 1K mile day, because we weren't finding an available hotel, and we still felt good. The amount of hassle required to get the "official" paperwork from the IBA makes it extremely unlikely we'll ever get a certificate. I understand why they require it, just not worth it to me.
 
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ballisticexchris

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DM and I have done a couple of 700+ mile days in a row, and once, when the weather was absolutely perfect, we considered extending it to a 1K mile day, because we weren't finding an available hotel, and we still felt good. The amount of hassle required to get the "official" paperwork from the IBA makes it extremely unlikely we'll ever get a certificate. I understand why they require it, just not worth it to me.
I hear you there. And reality is most guys are doing it for bragging rights. At some point it becomes too unsafe and risky. And yes the requirements to get the certificate is a pain. For every one Iron Butt certificate there are many many more riders who peel off the miles and say nothing about it.

I'll be the first to admit I wanted to show off the capability of my bike. I got sick of all the guys in my club and my riding buddies telling me that my plated dirt bike is not made for big mile days. The real hard rides are the ones that are off road. Those kind take way more skill, physical, and mental capacity than just grinding out miles on a smooth ribbon. These days I'm happy to do 50 miles of single track in a day or a 500 mile day ride on the pavement. I'm winding down in miles to just enjoy whatever the ride regardless of distance.

100,000 miles a year is no great feat. It's less than 300 miles a day. I've done that in a truck which is way more intense than two wheels.
 

Blind Squirrel

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There is one of the FJR guys doing "100K in one year" doing various Iron Butt cert rides, a.k.a. to me as "how to wear out a motorcycle in one year". Not my thing. As I tell people "I have a 500 mile seat on my bike and a 500 mile ass, so the combo works just fine for me".
 

OldRider

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Yes, Ardys is in the 100k club. Note that Dave Zion did it twice in different years on different bikes. There is also a 1 Million Mile club with 16 riders that have documented over 1 million miles. I personally know 8 of the riders below. Some that are no longer with us. Note Joe Mandeville did the 100k in 6 months. The Judge was a hell of a rider and a really nice guy too. We had some great conversations at rallies.
Everyone should google Ardys Kellerman and read about what she accomplished. That woman was unbelievable. Ardys Kellerman and John Ryan were two of my heros in the motorcycle world.
 

dell835

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Everyone should google Ardys Kellerman and read about what she accomplished. That woman was unbelievable. Ardys Kellerman and John Ryan were two of my heros in the motorcycle world.
I loved the custom seat story. She was at a BMW rally in Vermont-A California custom seat manufacturer told her next time she was in California to stop by and get a full custom seat-On the house. 5 days later she is sitting on her bike at his shop when he arrives in the morning. Would have been sooner but she stopped by her home in Texas to take care of some business.
 
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Tombstone

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Ardys rode a million miles and raised a family.
Everyone, EVERYONE that has commented about her in the media that I have read has said how humble, polite and unassuming she was. Someone they were very happy to meet. I dearly wish I could have made her acquaintance.
Not everyone gets those kinds of things said about them.......
 

Checkswrecks

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Note that the pruning shears are out.

As for the 100,000 in 6 months, that's 555 mile/day average. I have too much stuff waiting on me for that.
 
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ballisticexchris

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Note that the pruning shears are out.

As for the 100,000 in 6 months, that's 555 mile/day average. I have too much stuff waiting on me for that.
Hmmm wonder why you got rid of my post? I did not speak ill of the dead. I can appreciate the accomplishments she had. OTOH she is by no stretch a hero. Just a nice lady who liked to ride. Nothing special about her other than getting freebies and accolades from the Motorsports community.

I have a life beyond motorcycles. Loved ones that need my care and support are much more important than peeling off stupid miles and taking unnecessary risks. Just swinging a leg over my bike is risky enough. Let alone less than 6 hours a day sleep just to brag about all the miles I did.
 

Cycledude

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Hmmm wonder why you got rid of my post? I did not speak ill of the dead. I can appreciate the accomplishments she had. OTOH she is by no stretch a hero. Just a nice lady who liked to ride. Nothing special about her other than getting freebies and accolades from the Motorsports community.

I have a life beyond motorcycles. Loved ones that need my care and support are much more important than peeling off stupid miles and taking unnecessary risks. Just swinging a leg over my bike is risky enough. Let alone less than 6 hours a day sleep just to brag about all the miles I did.
You should be thankful your post got deleted for your benefit, but no you choose to continue to talk foolish about A truly great lady.
 
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ballisticexchris

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You should be thankful your post got deleted for your benefit, but no you choose to continue to talk foolish about A truly great lady.
You are misunderstanding me. I have no doubt she was a very nice and special lady. I can tell you with certainty that there are many other women and men that are just as nice and special as she.

A hero? Quite frankly no. To me a hero is something reserved for someone with way more courage than just riding and peeling off miles.

Hero in the motorcycling/OHV world is guys and gals that volunteer for Rescue 3. In a desert race it's the president of my club that gets a DNF and loses major points so he can help search for another competitor. In an Iron Butt rally it's the guy or gal that forgets about the bonus points or miles to help out fellow rider each and every time it's needed.

And 45,000 miles in 45 days is reserved for someone who does not have much in the way of common sense. How he managed accomplish those miles was by pure luck that something catastrophic and terrible did not happen.
 
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Sierra1

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#1 rule: be honest with yourself, and know YOUR limits. Goes for just about everything outside the realm of what's "normal/average",
 
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ballisticexchris

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My small taste of documented 1000+ miles a day riding showed me it's a very selfish and self served type of event. In order for you to complete and document the ride it has to be. It requires a focus way beyond what most people are capable or willing to do. In order to finish you have to disregard anyone else who might be in need of help or assistance. You are not going to have time to wait on an airlift or medical assistance for another rider, help with someones flat fix, or help with another riders repair. You have to just ride and ride and focus on yourself completing the miles.

I'm the type of guy who wants to take my time, enjoy my ride and help others if needed. It's just my nature. It's not important at all for me to receive recognition or certificates for my motorcycling accomplishments. FWIW my Iron Butt plaque is buried in a box in my storage shed. I'll maybe pull it out and put it up in the garage as a reminder of how hard it was to do.

If you read the guys blog you will notice he did not have one flat and ran the tires down to the bone. His lack of sleep and admitted constant fatigue was the most frightening. That is the most dangerous "part of the game" when doing these extreme rides. The most amazing thing was he completed it with no major mechanicals. On a BMW GS no less!!
 
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RonH

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1000 miles in a day is not in any way difficult. I always really wondered why IBA even bothered to give a certificate. Of course depends on the road. Going some back roads with 35mph speed limit, then yes, otherwise it's not difficult. Even riding 1500 miles a day for two days straight, I had a good 4hrs to spare to do it. Doing 45 days straight of 1000 miles though would be exceedingly tough for most any rider.
I still enjoy reading of these things and always have.
 
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