Doc Edkin
08-19-2007, 21:57
Folks,
I get the IBA Rally reports and thought you might be interested in this pre- rally review of participants and their preparation for this 11 day 11K+/- ride.
The 2007 Iron Butt Rally – Day -2
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Today was the primary day for tech inspection and rider check-in for the 13th
running of the Iron Butt Rally. The parking lot of the Doubletree Hotel in
Chesterfield, Missouri is filled with motorcycles that are anything but a
representative cross section of the motorcycles purchased by the general public.
Cruisers and sport bikes dominate the U.S. motorcycle market. But cruisers are
about style and sport bikes are about speed. The Iron Butt Rally is about
efficiently riding long distances.
There have been some exceptional long distance rides done on cruisers and sport
bikes, but they are just not the optimum type of motorcycle for this event.
With the exception of Brett Donahue’s extensively modified Harley-Davidson
Sportster and Alan Bennett’s 250 cc Kawasaki Ninja, every motorcycle in this
year’s Rally is in the “touring,” “sport-touring,” or “dual sport” category.
Among the touring bikes, the most popular models are Honda Gold Wings and BMW
K1200LTs. In the sport-touring category, the most popular models are the Yamaha
FJR1300, the BMW R1200RT and R1150RT, the BMW K1200GT, and the Honda ST1300 and
ST1100. The most popular Dual-Sport models are the BMW R1200GS and R1150GS, the
Suzuki DL1000 and DL650 (aka the V-Strom and the Wee-Strom).
Of the 97 motorcycles entered, there are 42 BMWs, 27 Hondas, 14 Yamahas, 5
Suzukis, 3 Kawasakis, 3 Harley-Davidsons, 1 Buell, 1 Triumph, and 1 Victory.
The oldest is the 1972 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide ridden by Mark Collins.
The newest are the 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 ridden by Chris Cimino and the 2008
Victory Vision ridden by Andy Mills.
Honda's representation on the IBR starting line is roughly proportional to its
share of the U.S. motorcycle market. In 2004, Honda had 29% of the market and
about 28% of the riders in this year's rally will be on Hondas, but none of them
are Honda’s popular cruiser or sport bike models. They are all Gold Wings and
STs, touring and sport-touring models that have a good reputation for
reliability and have the alternator capacity necessary to run the auxiliary
lights and heated clothing used by most Iron Butt Rally riders.
This year, Yamaha will also come close to matching its percentage of the U.S.
motorcycle market, which is about 15%. When most motorcyclists think of Yamaha,
they think of sport bikes like the awesome 1000 cc “R1” and the 600 cc YZF-R6 or
cruisers marketed under the “Star” brand. There are exactly zero Yamaha sport
bikes or cruisers entered. All 14 Yamahas are the FJR1300 sport-tourer.
Suzuki and Kawasaki are significantly under-represented based on their share of
the U.S. motorcycle market. The old Kawasaki Concours has been a great long
distance bike for the money, but it is rather long in the tooth. The company's
representation in the IBR may increase with the all new Concours. The new
“Concours 14” wasn’t available in time to be fully prepped for the Rally, but
that hasn’t stopped Chris Cimino. Chris will be riding a nearly showroom stock
2008 model Concours. He has done little more than add some auxiliary lights,
bar risers, and a throttle lock.
Suzuki doesn't really build a touring or sport-touring bike. The 650 and 1000
cc V-Stroms are probably the best rally bikes they make.
The two makes that have the most dramatic difference between their U.S. market
share and their percentage of the bikes on the starting grid are BMW and Harley.
Harley had 28% of the U.S. market in 2004. Including the Buell, only 4% of
bikes in this year's rally were produced by Harley-Davidson. The lower
percentage is explained by the fact that Harley's touring bikes don’t enjoy the
same reputation other brands have in the areas of handling, braking,
reliability, and performance.
BMW had 1.4% of the U.S. motorcycle market in 2004 and accounts for 43% of the
starting grid this year. In other words, BMW is over-represented by a factor of
30 based on its market share. There are two schools of thought on why there are
so many BMWs entered. To those whom Dale Wilson would refer to as “the Blind
Faithful,” it’s obviously due to the fact that BMW builds some truly great
motorcycles for long distance riding that are lighter than the competition, have
much higher alternator capacity, great ride and handling, stunning brakes, and
good fuel economy. To FJR zealots like Mr. Wilson and Hondaholics like
Rallymaster Landry, the disproportionately large number of Beemers is due to
something in the free Kool-Aid served at BMW dealerships, which renders the
Blind Faithful unable to recognize the inherent durability problems and limited
performance of what they think of as “the Ultimate Riding Machine.”
A number of the motorcycles entered in the rally this year can be comfortably
and efficiently ridden long distance right off of the showroom floor. But the
vast majority of the motorcycles that went through tech inspection today are
equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks, upgraded lighting, GPS, and custom seats.
Many have aftermarket windscreens, handlebar risers, throttle locks, aftermarket
luggage, radar detectors, custom hydration systems with drinking tubes, 12-volt
receptacles for heated clothing, tank bags with waterproof holders for maps and
bonus listings, CB radios, and other communications gear. Tire pressure
monitoring systems are installed on a number of motorcycles this year.
An example of the lengths that riders will go to in modifying their motorcycles
is Rob Nye’s BMW R1200RTP:
http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/IBRB/
The amount of electronic gadgetry on Rob’s bike is mind boggling.
The extensive modifications riders make to their motorcycles for long distance
riding comes at a price. Most riders have spent hundreds of hours and thousands
of dollars preparing for this event. Some of the modifications are relatively
simple; some are unbelievably complex.
A decent auxiliary fuel system can be assembled for a few hundred dollars if you
start with an off-the-shelf high-density polyethylene tank and mount it to the
sub-frame under the pillion seat. At the other end of the spectrum, I think I
set the record for auxiliary fuel system extravagance in 1999 with the $4,000 I
invested in a hand-formed aluminum “tail-dragger” cell for my K1200LT. That
record has now been shattered. The custom Kevlar and carbon fiber tank that Bob
and Silvie Torter had built to increase the fuel capacity of their K1200GT to
10.5 gallons looks like it came right out of the BMW factory. It’s mounted on
top of the stock tank, making it look like the bike has an enlarged OEM tank.
The finish is flawless; the color matches the rest of bike perfectly. There are
a number of motorcycles entered in this rally that cost less when they were
brand new than the cost of the Torters’ custom tank.
Although the Torters’ tank sailed through tech inspection, others weren’t so
lucky. Rob Nye announced that he had a 0.1 gallon cushion, telling tech
inspector Joe Denton that his custom auxiliary cell was designed to be exactly
4.4 gallons so that he would be at 11.4 when added to the 7.0 gallon capacity of
the stock tank on his BMW R1200RT. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the
look on Rob’s face when he was informed that the capacity of the stock tank on
an R1200RT is 7.1 gallons, not 7.0. His 0..1 gallon cushion had just been
converted to zero cushion requiring an actual fuel capacity measurement.
For the next two hours, Rob nervously awaited the official fuel capacity
measurement. Joe Denton warmed up the electronic scale, carefully measured the
specific gravity of the gasoline being used for the measurement, checked the
calibration of the scale, and then weighed the fuel container before and after
filling Rob’s cell. Rob struggled to do the math in his head while waiting for
the laptop computer to be booted up that does all of the calculations
automatically. The final result: a system total of 11.45 gallons, under the
limit by 0.05 gallons.
Closer still to the limit was Dennis Powell. He declared the capacity of his
auxiliary tank at 4.7 gallons. When added to the 6.6 gallon stock tank on his
GL1800, the total should be 11.3, comfortably under the 11.5 gallon limit. But
Dennis’s tank was a one-off product built by someone the tech inspection crew
had never heard of. Since it wasn’t an especially complex shape, Joe Denton
calculated the volume from the external dimensions. Accounting for the wall
thickness, the calculated volume was 5.1 gallons, putting him over the limit by
0.2 gallons. His use of the “I’m just a poor pig farmer” plea was useless. The
tank would have to have the official test during which it is filled with
gasoline. By removing a fuel filter from the system, Dennis was able to get his
official reading down to 11.51 gallons, which rounds the 11.5 standard.
There were no close calls with the noise testing. Everyone passed with flying
colors except for Dick Fish. Dick failed with flying colors, setting a new
record for the noisiest motorcycle ever tested during Iron Butt Rally tech
inspection. The aftermarket exhaust system on his Buell Ulysses was enough to
wake the dead blasting out 113 decibels on the official test. The standard is
105. Because the decibel scale is non-linear, 113 is not just 8% louder than
the standard. It was more than double the perceived loudness of any other
motorcycle in the Rally.
Although he grumbled about the results, failing the noise test was obviously not
a surprise to Mr. Fish. Why else would he have brought his stock exhaust system
with him? It was sweaty work for Dick in the parking lot, but the bike will be
making much less of a racket when it leaves the starting line on Monday morning.
Most other problems identified during tech inspection were related to paper
work. A surprising number of riders showed up with registration and insurance
documents without matching vehicle identification numbers. That wasn’t a
problem for veteran Karol Patzer; because she totally forgot her registration
papers for her 1988 BMW K75. Hopefully she will find some way come up with the
necessary documentation. She has been looking forward to being part of the
first mother-son team to finish the Iron Butt Rally. Her son Tony DeLorenzo
will be riding with her on his 2007 R1200GS Adventure.
Several riders had problems today that were unrelated to tech inspection and
check-in. Richard Buber’s 2002 R1150RT apparently has experienced some
transmission-related problem. Several people have been trying valiantly to
arrange for an emergency transplant. The latest word is that a replacement
transmission is arriving tomorrow from Bob Wooldridge at Atlanta BMW. But
Richard has apparently decided to risk continuing with his old transmission,
thinking that the problem may not be terminal. We all hope he’s right.
The Brunsvold father-son team of “Big Arlen” (Arlen Sr.) and “Li’l Arlen” no
doubt expected that the Rally would bring them closer together. Turns out a bit
too close. After getting though tech inspection just fine, Li’l Arlen clipped
Big Arlen out on a short ride to check out a rough running problem with the
Arlen Sr.’s R1200RT. Neither Big Arlen nor his BMW R1200RT sustained damage
that can’t be quickly repaired. Li’l Arlen is also okay but his Harley-Davidson
Road King is apparently out. Team Brunsvold has less than 24 hours to come up
with a replacement for the Road King.
In addition to the problems the Brunsvolds and Richard Buber have to deal with,
there are three riders yet to complete tech inspection. Paul Allison, a rider
from Great Britain, didn’t finish the installation of an auxiliary fuel tank on
his rented Gold Wing early enough to get it inspected today. He has plenty of
time tomorrow. Eric Jewell arrived too late to start the process today. Rick
Miller isn’t due in until tomorrow.
Following the completion of tech inspections and rider check-in, the riders
meeting is at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. The pre-rally banquet begins at 5:00.
The first leg bonus listing will probably handed out by about 6:30 p.m.
Although the official start isn’t until 10 a.m. on Monday, the Rally will really
begin when the riders see the bonus listing. Many may be thinking they will
have plenty of time to figure out an optimum route and then get a solid 8 hours
sleep. They are wrong.
Tom Austin
August 18, 2007
If you do not wish to receive periodic email updates regarding Ironbutt
announcements, please login to your IBA eStore account to change your email
preferences.
This e-mail is intended for: docedkin@aol.com
I get the IBA Rally reports and thought you might be interested in this pre- rally review of participants and their preparation for this 11 day 11K+/- ride.
The 2007 Iron Butt Rally – Day -2
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Today was the primary day for tech inspection and rider check-in for the 13th
running of the Iron Butt Rally. The parking lot of the Doubletree Hotel in
Chesterfield, Missouri is filled with motorcycles that are anything but a
representative cross section of the motorcycles purchased by the general public.
Cruisers and sport bikes dominate the U.S. motorcycle market. But cruisers are
about style and sport bikes are about speed. The Iron Butt Rally is about
efficiently riding long distances.
There have been some exceptional long distance rides done on cruisers and sport
bikes, but they are just not the optimum type of motorcycle for this event.
With the exception of Brett Donahue’s extensively modified Harley-Davidson
Sportster and Alan Bennett’s 250 cc Kawasaki Ninja, every motorcycle in this
year’s Rally is in the “touring,” “sport-touring,” or “dual sport” category.
Among the touring bikes, the most popular models are Honda Gold Wings and BMW
K1200LTs. In the sport-touring category, the most popular models are the Yamaha
FJR1300, the BMW R1200RT and R1150RT, the BMW K1200GT, and the Honda ST1300 and
ST1100. The most popular Dual-Sport models are the BMW R1200GS and R1150GS, the
Suzuki DL1000 and DL650 (aka the V-Strom and the Wee-Strom).
Of the 97 motorcycles entered, there are 42 BMWs, 27 Hondas, 14 Yamahas, 5
Suzukis, 3 Kawasakis, 3 Harley-Davidsons, 1 Buell, 1 Triumph, and 1 Victory.
The oldest is the 1972 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide ridden by Mark Collins.
The newest are the 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 ridden by Chris Cimino and the 2008
Victory Vision ridden by Andy Mills.
Honda's representation on the IBR starting line is roughly proportional to its
share of the U.S. motorcycle market. In 2004, Honda had 29% of the market and
about 28% of the riders in this year's rally will be on Hondas, but none of them
are Honda’s popular cruiser or sport bike models. They are all Gold Wings and
STs, touring and sport-touring models that have a good reputation for
reliability and have the alternator capacity necessary to run the auxiliary
lights and heated clothing used by most Iron Butt Rally riders.
This year, Yamaha will also come close to matching its percentage of the U.S.
motorcycle market, which is about 15%. When most motorcyclists think of Yamaha,
they think of sport bikes like the awesome 1000 cc “R1” and the 600 cc YZF-R6 or
cruisers marketed under the “Star” brand. There are exactly zero Yamaha sport
bikes or cruisers entered. All 14 Yamahas are the FJR1300 sport-tourer.
Suzuki and Kawasaki are significantly under-represented based on their share of
the U.S. motorcycle market. The old Kawasaki Concours has been a great long
distance bike for the money, but it is rather long in the tooth. The company's
representation in the IBR may increase with the all new Concours. The new
“Concours 14” wasn’t available in time to be fully prepped for the Rally, but
that hasn’t stopped Chris Cimino. Chris will be riding a nearly showroom stock
2008 model Concours. He has done little more than add some auxiliary lights,
bar risers, and a throttle lock.
Suzuki doesn't really build a touring or sport-touring bike. The 650 and 1000
cc V-Stroms are probably the best rally bikes they make.
The two makes that have the most dramatic difference between their U.S. market
share and their percentage of the bikes on the starting grid are BMW and Harley.
Harley had 28% of the U.S. market in 2004. Including the Buell, only 4% of
bikes in this year's rally were produced by Harley-Davidson. The lower
percentage is explained by the fact that Harley's touring bikes don’t enjoy the
same reputation other brands have in the areas of handling, braking,
reliability, and performance.
BMW had 1.4% of the U.S. motorcycle market in 2004 and accounts for 43% of the
starting grid this year. In other words, BMW is over-represented by a factor of
30 based on its market share. There are two schools of thought on why there are
so many BMWs entered. To those whom Dale Wilson would refer to as “the Blind
Faithful,” it’s obviously due to the fact that BMW builds some truly great
motorcycles for long distance riding that are lighter than the competition, have
much higher alternator capacity, great ride and handling, stunning brakes, and
good fuel economy. To FJR zealots like Mr. Wilson and Hondaholics like
Rallymaster Landry, the disproportionately large number of Beemers is due to
something in the free Kool-Aid served at BMW dealerships, which renders the
Blind Faithful unable to recognize the inherent durability problems and limited
performance of what they think of as “the Ultimate Riding Machine.”
A number of the motorcycles entered in the rally this year can be comfortably
and efficiently ridden long distance right off of the showroom floor. But the
vast majority of the motorcycles that went through tech inspection today are
equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks, upgraded lighting, GPS, and custom seats.
Many have aftermarket windscreens, handlebar risers, throttle locks, aftermarket
luggage, radar detectors, custom hydration systems with drinking tubes, 12-volt
receptacles for heated clothing, tank bags with waterproof holders for maps and
bonus listings, CB radios, and other communications gear. Tire pressure
monitoring systems are installed on a number of motorcycles this year.
An example of the lengths that riders will go to in modifying their motorcycles
is Rob Nye’s BMW R1200RTP:
http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/IBRB/
The amount of electronic gadgetry on Rob’s bike is mind boggling.
The extensive modifications riders make to their motorcycles for long distance
riding comes at a price. Most riders have spent hundreds of hours and thousands
of dollars preparing for this event. Some of the modifications are relatively
simple; some are unbelievably complex.
A decent auxiliary fuel system can be assembled for a few hundred dollars if you
start with an off-the-shelf high-density polyethylene tank and mount it to the
sub-frame under the pillion seat. At the other end of the spectrum, I think I
set the record for auxiliary fuel system extravagance in 1999 with the $4,000 I
invested in a hand-formed aluminum “tail-dragger” cell for my K1200LT. That
record has now been shattered. The custom Kevlar and carbon fiber tank that Bob
and Silvie Torter had built to increase the fuel capacity of their K1200GT to
10.5 gallons looks like it came right out of the BMW factory. It’s mounted on
top of the stock tank, making it look like the bike has an enlarged OEM tank.
The finish is flawless; the color matches the rest of bike perfectly. There are
a number of motorcycles entered in this rally that cost less when they were
brand new than the cost of the Torters’ custom tank.
Although the Torters’ tank sailed through tech inspection, others weren’t so
lucky. Rob Nye announced that he had a 0.1 gallon cushion, telling tech
inspector Joe Denton that his custom auxiliary cell was designed to be exactly
4.4 gallons so that he would be at 11.4 when added to the 7.0 gallon capacity of
the stock tank on his BMW R1200RT. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the
look on Rob’s face when he was informed that the capacity of the stock tank on
an R1200RT is 7.1 gallons, not 7.0. His 0..1 gallon cushion had just been
converted to zero cushion requiring an actual fuel capacity measurement.
For the next two hours, Rob nervously awaited the official fuel capacity
measurement. Joe Denton warmed up the electronic scale, carefully measured the
specific gravity of the gasoline being used for the measurement, checked the
calibration of the scale, and then weighed the fuel container before and after
filling Rob’s cell. Rob struggled to do the math in his head while waiting for
the laptop computer to be booted up that does all of the calculations
automatically. The final result: a system total of 11.45 gallons, under the
limit by 0.05 gallons.
Closer still to the limit was Dennis Powell. He declared the capacity of his
auxiliary tank at 4.7 gallons. When added to the 6.6 gallon stock tank on his
GL1800, the total should be 11.3, comfortably under the 11.5 gallon limit. But
Dennis’s tank was a one-off product built by someone the tech inspection crew
had never heard of. Since it wasn’t an especially complex shape, Joe Denton
calculated the volume from the external dimensions. Accounting for the wall
thickness, the calculated volume was 5.1 gallons, putting him over the limit by
0.2 gallons. His use of the “I’m just a poor pig farmer” plea was useless. The
tank would have to have the official test during which it is filled with
gasoline. By removing a fuel filter from the system, Dennis was able to get his
official reading down to 11.51 gallons, which rounds the 11.5 standard.
There were no close calls with the noise testing. Everyone passed with flying
colors except for Dick Fish. Dick failed with flying colors, setting a new
record for the noisiest motorcycle ever tested during Iron Butt Rally tech
inspection. The aftermarket exhaust system on his Buell Ulysses was enough to
wake the dead blasting out 113 decibels on the official test. The standard is
105. Because the decibel scale is non-linear, 113 is not just 8% louder than
the standard. It was more than double the perceived loudness of any other
motorcycle in the Rally.
Although he grumbled about the results, failing the noise test was obviously not
a surprise to Mr. Fish. Why else would he have brought his stock exhaust system
with him? It was sweaty work for Dick in the parking lot, but the bike will be
making much less of a racket when it leaves the starting line on Monday morning.
Most other problems identified during tech inspection were related to paper
work. A surprising number of riders showed up with registration and insurance
documents without matching vehicle identification numbers. That wasn’t a
problem for veteran Karol Patzer; because she totally forgot her registration
papers for her 1988 BMW K75. Hopefully she will find some way come up with the
necessary documentation. She has been looking forward to being part of the
first mother-son team to finish the Iron Butt Rally. Her son Tony DeLorenzo
will be riding with her on his 2007 R1200GS Adventure.
Several riders had problems today that were unrelated to tech inspection and
check-in. Richard Buber’s 2002 R1150RT apparently has experienced some
transmission-related problem. Several people have been trying valiantly to
arrange for an emergency transplant. The latest word is that a replacement
transmission is arriving tomorrow from Bob Wooldridge at Atlanta BMW. But
Richard has apparently decided to risk continuing with his old transmission,
thinking that the problem may not be terminal. We all hope he’s right.
The Brunsvold father-son team of “Big Arlen” (Arlen Sr.) and “Li’l Arlen” no
doubt expected that the Rally would bring them closer together. Turns out a bit
too close. After getting though tech inspection just fine, Li’l Arlen clipped
Big Arlen out on a short ride to check out a rough running problem with the
Arlen Sr.’s R1200RT. Neither Big Arlen nor his BMW R1200RT sustained damage
that can’t be quickly repaired. Li’l Arlen is also okay but his Harley-Davidson
Road King is apparently out. Team Brunsvold has less than 24 hours to come up
with a replacement for the Road King.
In addition to the problems the Brunsvolds and Richard Buber have to deal with,
there are three riders yet to complete tech inspection. Paul Allison, a rider
from Great Britain, didn’t finish the installation of an auxiliary fuel tank on
his rented Gold Wing early enough to get it inspected today. He has plenty of
time tomorrow. Eric Jewell arrived too late to start the process today. Rick
Miller isn’t due in until tomorrow.
Following the completion of tech inspections and rider check-in, the riders
meeting is at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. The pre-rally banquet begins at 5:00.
The first leg bonus listing will probably handed out by about 6:30 p.m.
Although the official start isn’t until 10 a.m. on Monday, the Rally will really
begin when the riders see the bonus listing. Many may be thinking they will
have plenty of time to figure out an optimum route and then get a solid 8 hours
sleep. They are wrong.
Tom Austin
August 18, 2007
If you do not wish to receive periodic email updates regarding Ironbutt
announcements, please login to your IBA eStore account to change your email
preferences.
This e-mail is intended for: docedkin@aol.com