1200mi, 23hrs, 6 states. IB SS1k run to MI

1200mi + 23hrs + 7 states = 1 long trip
Needing to be in Michigan on the 15th for training, and being in San Antonio for Promise Keepers on Saturday pretty much forced me into making an Iron Butt of a required trip. I’ve been wanting to do it, so why not make the best of a given situation.

Having known this was going to be the situation for a while, I pondered which bike to take. The ST1300 has larger side bags, wider seat, bigger screen, slightly more upright seating position. While the VFR800 has a top case (much needed when you are gone for a month) and is more fun in the twisties for that tour home.
I want a top case for the ST1300 at some point but finances just wouldn’t allow it now, so I took the VFR.

Having ridden the ST to Atlanta and knowing how I felt after that, I don’t think I would have been much more comfortable on that then I was on the VFR. I actually prefer the leg positioning on the VFR to the ST though the slightly more upright bars of the ST are quite nice, but not enough to make me spend the money for the top case when there’s more pressing needs right now.

Arriving home from San Antonio about 6PM left me with a few hours to get packed before I went to bed. Finally got it all done and hit the sack around 2230. Set the alarm for 0200 and proceeded to stare at the ceiling. :doh:

Woke up at 0200, got the bike loaded and headed for Alvarado. I arrived later then I wanted, but I got there just before 0300 to find the nut cases that were seeing me off sitting in a totally dark station. I just [i]thought[/i] it was a 24hr station. So across the street we went.

I really don’t know what they were doing up at that hour :yawn:


Starting mileage


Got the tank filled, paperwork filled out, receipt from the cashier (pay at the pumps never print when you need them too) and finally hit the road at ~0320

Chuck escorted me to the US67/IH30 merge/split. Don stuck with me till just past IH635. I was beginning to wonder if he was going to run with me all the way to AR as he’d discussed at the gas station...

Made it to Texarkana just a bit after the sun came up, grabbed breakfast (Waffle House) and filled the tank.

After topping off the tank on the bike and topping off my stomach, I continued on my way.

Oddly enough, it was incredibly foggy till I made it almost all the way to Little Rock where I caught the loop around to I40 at 0940. Stopped to top off the tank and get a receipt to mark the corner and met a couple guys on a new Connie and a Zuk Boulevard (sorry didn’t get the size). The Connie14 looks better in person then it does in the promo pics. My one thought was that the bags looked like and after thought though.

Turns out the guys were from E TX (they told me the town, but I forgot) and were headed to TN. I should have said something about TWT, guess I was too busy drooling over their machines.

Continuing on my way I made it to Missouri.


Stayed in MO for less then 100mi and made it to Dyesrsburg TN around 1330 where I stopped for lunch.



In exactly 100mi I stopped in Calvert, KY for gas. I’m so used to riding for 300mi and still being in the heart of Texas, I was almost surprised to see the state line signs so frequently!

Sorry, no pic of the KY state sign as it was in a location I wasn’t about to stop in!

About 2000 I stopped made my first stop Indiana, Terre Haute IN to be specific, at 25,830mi. Grabbed a burger at Wendy’s while I was there, then I made a bee line for Indy.

Arrived in Indy at 2154, where I topped off with gas and made the turn onto I-65N.


Whats with these northern BP gas pumps :scratch:

Just after midnight (0018) I stopped in Lake Station, IN for a bottled Starbucks Frap and topped of the tank for the final leg.

At 0122 with 26,106 on the odometer, I purchased about a gallon of gas (nothing else was open) to make the end of the trip in Bridgeman, MI.


For a grand total of 1,189mi by my odometer. Google maps claims the trip is 1,172mi and I know I made a few small circles, rode around a couple gas stations, had to find a station that wound up being 5mi from from the interstate, etc. So I think I’m safe on the mileage ;)

My final destination was another 15mi down the road, but I figured there wouldn’t be anything open at 0200 in a town with a population of 1,800. I was correct.

Made a call and got my room mate for the month (and the upcoming year as an SM) to let me in and I zonked out almost immediately.

There were several turns that were way out in the sticks with nary an exit for miles, so some of those I don’t have documented. Some I was able to pull off and take a pic of the exit sign, but I’m not certain that will suffice for the IBA-required documentation. Assuming they assume (yikes thats a lot of assumption!) that I took the most direct route and trust me that I followed the printed route that I’m going to mail to them, I should be ok. Now to get the packet compiled and mailed in.

1,200mi, 23hrs, 6 states (I coulda swore I was in IL for a few miles, but I didn’t get a pic, and its not showing up on the Google directions).

[url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Alvarado,+TX+76009&daddr=37.944198,-87.583008+to:Berrien+Springs,+MI&mrcr=0,1&mrsp=1&sz=6&mra=dpe&sll=37.18124,-91.767525&sspn=9.920039,16.918945&ie=UTF8&z=6&om=1]This[/url] is the route I intended on taking. I adhered to it for the most part save one or two, unintended detours. I don’t think they added real miles, just time.

Not a single lick of trouble from the bike. Ran perfectly and returned 42.5mpg avg. I even managed to keep the chicken strips down to my normal 1/4”


My wrists and shoulders were a bit sore, but nothing worth complaining about. My bum did fine. After ~200mi I would have to get off and move it around to get the blood back in it, but thats also the upper tank range on the bike so its not a real problem. Should I run into an extra $400, I’ll most likely get a Sargent seat for it. Oh, a throttle lock would be nice. Too bad the $18 one from Cycle Gear didn’t work when I bought it a couple months ago.

*all times are CST