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Mike Tomsu, 2009 Iron Butt RallyPre-Rally Report
History I guess I've always been enamored with motorcycles. I bought my first bike at age 17, a Honda CB450 twin – one of the first that Honda produced. Unfortunately, my parents found out about it a few weeks later and I had to sell it. Funny story - I sold it to a man who had lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident and had to have a bike with the brake on the right side. Go figure. My second bike came about 1979 when I was living in St. Louis, MO. I found a used Honda CB750F sport bike and rode it for a year. I put a few miles on this yellow machine then sold it easily. Shortly thereafter, I purchased another motorcycle – a Honda CB900C – a great machine! The CB900 was unique in that it had a split rear axle, allowing 10 speeds (although in reality, you really only used the upper range of the rear axle) I owned that bike for over 12 years and rode it from St. Louis to Colorado, Columbia, SC, up to Door County in Wisconsin and around Illinois and Missouri. Fast forward to 2003-4. I'd gotten married, divorced and raised a child as a single parent. I was finally on my own! Hmm... maybe it's time to start looking at motorcycles again... I started reading about bikes, riding, riding techniques, ride reports – everything I could find. The more I read, the more I knew I wanted to travel the country by motorcycle, not just putter around the local area. Somewhere around this time, I discovered the Iron Butt Association (IBA) – an organization dedicated to safe, long distance motorcycle riding and I was hooked – I knew I was going to be a long distance (LD) rider. I started looking at bikes – used, new, Harleys, Hondas, BMWs, Yamahas, etc. I got very interested in the Honda ST1100, a solid machine that had been around since 1991 with very little modification from the original design and a reputation as a very reliable machine. Then someone mentioned that Honda was coming out with a new design, the Honda ST1300 and that I should wait a year. The ST1300 came out in 2003. In May, 2004 I purchased a brand new, never-been ridden-before Honda ST1300. I became a riding fool. I would start riding 200, then 400, then 600 miles a day, evaluating what I had learned: what was and wasn't comfortable on the bike and what could I do to make it more comfortable. I “practiced” riding in all types of weather – rain, snow, cold, hot, foggy – whatever – still looking at the experiences to see what worked and what didn't – not only from the motorcycle perspective, but also from the riding gear point of view: did my jacket or pants leak? Were the gloves comfortable?, was my helmet comfortable and could I wear it for 12-14-16 hours a day? Did the lens fog up? How about ear plugs? Were they comfortable? (I must have tried 25 different kinds of ear plugs before I found some that weren't expensive, fit my ear canal, I could wear for hours/days at a time, etc.) Then the bike customization began, a process called “farkling” I bought some things called “Heli-risers” that brought the handlebars up 1” and back 2' for more comfort. I added another pair of lights to the front forks so other people could see me better (“conspicuity”). I bought a custom saddle from Russell Cycle Products – a Russell “Day Long” I added another pair of lights – this time so I could see better – a pair of PIAA 910 driving lights. I installed a GPS unit to know where I was and where I was going. In my opinion, though, the very best purchase I've made has been my Aerostich Darien riding suit. It is a High-Visibility yellow jacket with black pants. It is waterproof, windproof and has protective padding at the knees, elbows, shoulders and back. It has huge pockets that you can get into with gloves on and a ventilation system second to none. I've worn it in temperatures ranging from 20* to +110 and been able to tolerate those extremes as well as anyone. Long Distance RidingOnce the bike and the gear were sorted out, it was time to start LD Riding. I'd been working up to longer and longer riding distances and the time had come to do my first “Iron Butt” ride – a Saddle Sore 1000 (SS1K) – 1000 miles in 24 hours. I decided that a good ride would be around the perimeter of Wisconsin. I completed the ride in some 22 hours and was elated – I was now officially an Iron Butt Association member and rider!!! See Ride Report “Circling Wisconsin” The next step was a Bun Burner – 1500 miles in 36 hours. Can I do that? Will it be safe? See “Lake Superior Bun Burner 1500” By this time, I've gotten pretty comfortable with riding further and further. So, what's next? I needed another fix. Hmmm, Great Lakes GOLD – circle all five Great Lakes in under 50 hours – 2400 miles – sounds doable – let's git 'r done! After the Great Lakes trip, I was beginning to feel like I had become a seasoned LD rider – and I guess I had. Now it was time for some BIG rides. I decided to ride the “Four Corners Tour” and incorporate the IBA National Parks Tour at the same time. I rode to all four corners of the United States and in part visited some 50+ National Parks in 26 states. I will do this tour again, visiting National Parks that I hadn't visited the first time. See “Four Corners Tour” Ride Report Finally came the mother of all rides, the 48+: touch a 48 lower states AND Alaska in 10 days or less. After months of reading other ride reports, planning, routing and rerouting, I did it, finishing at Hyder, AK on May 25, 2007. Motorcycle RallyingMotorcycle rallying generally involves a set time frame (12-, 24-, 36-hours, multi-day), a start/ end location and a list of bonus locations. Each bonus has a point value - the one with the most points at the end of the rally wins (Note: this is not a race where the first to finish is the winner.) Simple concept, but like golf, easy to learn, tough to master.. Generally, the higher the point value for a particular bonus, the further away it is from the main route to the next checkpoint and the harder it is to attain. Some bonuses are available 24 hours, others are daylight only, still others have a certain specific time window – eg be at xxx place between 2pm -5pm on yyy date and get a receipt.
I've entered several rallies – the Bonzai Road rally(twice), the Butt Lite IIII and the SPANK Rally. The Butt Lite was my first multi-day rally and I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself in for. The next year, since I was an “experienced” rally rider, the SPANK rally was a lot of fun, very challenging and I did well - 10th place. Approximately 80% of the SPANK rally riders are entered in the '09 Iron Butt Rally.
There are rallies occurring all across the country and one could spent an entire year just entering and riding rallies. Some of the most notable (and challenging) are Cape Fear 1000, Minnesota 1000, Utah 1088, Minuteman Rally, MD2020, Not Superman Rally. Each rally is different and the “motif” of the individual rally reflects the attitude and personality of the RallyMaster, the organizer of the event.
The Iron Butt RallyThe Iron Butt Rally (IBR) is called the “World's Toughest Motorcycle Competition” and for good reason. It is 11 days long and many riders will ride over 11,000 miles – eleven 1,000 mile days, back to back. Some will cross the country at least once, others more than that.
For some background on the IBR, see the Web page at: http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/default.cfm Click on any of the Year tabs at the top of the page to read about that particular rally. Bob Higdon was the unofficial scribe from 1995 until 2005 (he actually entered the rally in 2001) and his reports are especially informative and entertaining.The rally concept remains the same – leave from a starting point, capture bonuses (“bonii” to some) to maximize your points and arrive at a checkpoint on or before a certain time. Repeat 2-4 times for 11 days. 2009 Iron Butt RallyThe 2009 edition of the IBR will start from Spartanburg, SC on 24 August. There is a check point at St. Charles, IL, another in Santa Ana, CA with the finish at Spokane, WA. The last 5 IBRs have started and ended in the same location. Starting on one coast and finishing on another coast is indeed a departure from tradition, but the IBA has to evolve as technology progresses. This will be the very first IBR where bonus locations will be given out electronically; this will be the first IBR where digital photographs are allowed (previously, photos were Polaroid ONLY); this will be the first IBR where outside routing assistance will be specifically prohibited. PreparationI've had a little over a year to prepare for the 2009 IBR. My bike is pretty much in rally condition already, but now, it's the Big Dance and some additional prep is required. I've added an auxiliary fuel tank to bring total on-board capacity to 11.5 gallons - maximum allowed. I installed a Pelican “topbox” to hold my computer and allow for easier access. I've added a 2nd GPS unit so I can navigate with one and track statistics with the other (avg overall speed, total time, time to next waypoint, etc.,) I had my 3-year old Russell Day Long Saddle rebuilt this past winter, so it's good for another 100,000 miles. I tore the entire bike down to the bare essentials and checked every bolt, nut, lockwasher, screw, valve, relay, connection, bearing, filter and fitting. My previous Caberg helmet was getting pretty worn out, so I purchased a new HJC Sy-Max II. I purchased LDComfort shorts and shirts. I washed and re-waterproofed my Darien riding suit. I've read and reread every IBR ride report from 1995 on to try to gain insight as to what works and what doesn't. Further preparation includes routing practice, stamina training, sleep deprivation training and distance riding practice. Ride/Rallies Completed
DonationsEntrance fees, bike preparation, motels, fuel, accessories, supplies, maintenance items – all take their financial toll in getting ready for the IBR. Quite a bit of the pre-rally work has been done and paid for, but if you would like to make a contribution to my cause, please feel free to do so. IBA rules specifically prohibit commercial advertising on my bike or person during the rally, so I will acknowledge everyone who has helped me prepare for and ride in the rally here on this site. Thanks to everyone who has donated as well as to those who thought about it – I appreciate it!
UPDATE 7/6/2009: Sorry but I've been forced to withdraw. Thanks for everyone that offered to help but the finances were going to be too much.
Action Power Sports in Waukesha, WI has been very good to me and I feel they deserve a mention. Stop on in and ask for Laura.
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