It’s almost time now – just a few short exciting days to go until the man points his finger at me in front of a couple hundred people, I release my clutch and… stall out because my kickstand is still down… NO er, that’s not right and won’t happen again!

The 2023 edition of the Iron Butt Rally is starting next Monday morning, June 19 at 10:00 EDT, and I will lucky(?) enough once again to be in that horde of wonderful supercharged misfit riders for my third go round the dance floor, riding my mind and heart out for 11 days straight. My application and Paypal payment were fired off without hesitation the day registration opened back in February 2022. Sweetening the pot for this year was the news that this year’s rally would be starting and ending “in the Northeast”.

If you are familiar with the Big Dance (as it’s called in the community) or have read my past reports from this event, you’ll already have some idea of what this decision entails. If you’re new to this weird little rodeo, I encourage you stop reading now, browse over to the IBR Historical Reports page and first read up on some of the classic official reports from years past, by writers more skilled and entertaining than I. Then come back (or not) and read on, with a bit more context.

In late March 2022 my application was confirmed accepted and I was in for my third time! Despite having been around this proverbial block a couple of times now, I was still super-excited to find out I was accepted again. My nerves generally felt calmer about it than previous years, trending from feelings of ‘disbelief, doubt, and depression’ down to just a ‘mildly controllable panic’. I know I can finish an Iron Butt Rally by now, but will I finish this one? That’s the motivating question that would dog me (and probably many other chosen riders) every week for the next fifteen months, spurring us to get ourselves and our equipment into the condition needed to confidently pull off such an unlikely feat. As the weeks and months passed and I gleaned some of the names of riders included this extremely strong field – many Big Dogs of all nationalities and ages – I wondered if there could possibly be any way I’d manage a higher finish than my 8th place run in 2021?

The “northeast” start location ended up being Coraopolis PA (just outside Pittsburgh). A questionable categorization of of that city geographically speaking, to be sure, but it was only about a nine hour ride from home… so pretty much in my backyard by any long-distance rider’s calculation. There will be two mandatory checkpoints again during this years rally: the first one at 2.5 days in Tulsa OK, and the second is another 2.5 days later just outside Denver CO. That means quite a lengthy third leg of 5+ days to bring it home to Pittsburgh for the finish on Friday morning, June 30.

My bike preparation was minimal in these last weeks leading up to departure. Standard maintenance and wear items of course. The fluids and big clutch replacement job were recently done, and newly replaced tires would carry me easily through this rally and well into next year as well. The ST has been well set-up for me for a while now, so there just isn’t much to change, though it’s always good to ask the question and look at things with fresh eyes as well, especially with fewer rallies to ride these days. There is no substitute for actual riding under pressure to realize just what might be missing from your setup to make life easier! For example, given more time and thought, I might have opted to get a small Android tablet to replace my phone on the dashboard, for larger fonts and ease of reading.

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Thu Jun 8, 2023 (Day -11)

The day after returning from my Pittsburgh work trip, I removed my front wheel during short breaks from work and called up the local Honda dealer to make sure they had availability to change the tire for me if I brought it down after work. They couldn’t promise it would get done, but I decided to take a chance anyway and just go back the next day if necessary to pick it up. They’ve usually been able to get me fixed up within an hour during the weekdays.

One of the techs had open time and volunteered to get it changed right away. Unfortunately, that may have been the last visit I pay to this dealership for a tire change. They told me that they’d recently implemented a policy to only install tires that are ordered through their parts department. They have been receiving complaints from customers after installation of customer-provided tires, about problems the shop believes are due to recent issues with tire manufacturing quality. They get blamed, so they decided only to install tires they had a chance to inspect from stock before installation.

Well, I was not pleased about this as I’ve been getting at least my front tires installed here (for convenience) for several years. The cost of a tire through them is about double what I’d pay online, so no thanks! I believe in supporting local shops, but have to watch my own budget as well. One more reason to consider buying a tire machine someday soon to be able to do this work myself. At least they agreed to install this one since I was already there.

Today I also washed my helmet pads and Klim riding gear. I noticed a 2″ tear by a seam on the backside of my one-year-old Carlsbad pants that looked like it had pulled out – clearly a manufacturing defect. Great! The last thing I need is a leaky butt during this big ride. I took photos and immediately started a replacement claim online with Klim.

 

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Fri Jun 9, 2023 (Day -10)

Continuing with the bike maintenance today, I reinstalled the front wheel and changed the oil, filter, and final drive fluid.

I knew it would be a few weeks before I would receive replacement Klim pants, and that’s IF they agreed to replace them. I probably could have just taped over the tear for the time being and ridden with it, but I didn’t want to further damage it and possibly get my claim denied. This late in the game, it’s easy to get remarkably spendy on whatever you feel is needed to make your IBR ride comfortable and successful. So I hopped on Revzilla, saw they miraculously had my size in stock, and ordered up a new pair of Carlsbad pants, same model, color and size as the previous. They’ll arrive early next week before I leave on Thursday. I will be like a bright and shiny penny from the waist down at least. I am not ashamed. 😳

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Sat June 10, 2023 (Day -9)

Finally, the weekend! Time to really buckle down and get all those checklist items checked off! First, to finish up the motorcycle prep, I replaced the rear brake pads, gave the bike a final wash, and mounted my hydration thermos. I went through my toolkit, first aid, and spare parts bag to verify everything was there. I decided my helmet faceshield was just a bit too scratched up and that I migh want to start the trip with a clearer view. So I ordered a new shield and Pinlock insert from Amazon.

Then, time to pack, which mostly consists of fresh socks (one for each day of the rally) and food. I don’t like wasting time finding food on the clock or at the checkpoints so most of what I eat for 11 days will come out of this considerable heap of high protein, easy on the stomach victuals. My staples still include: protein shakes, Fig Newtons, Five Hour Energy, jerkey, and Clif Bars. After successful experimentation last year at LDX, I decided to work in baby food pouches to my meal plan as well. The good brands are a bit pricey but easy to eat and a good way to get some vegetable fiber on the go.

 

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Sun June 11, 2023 (Day -8)

Sunday was another day of gathering my wits and supplies, going through various checklists, assembling my rally paperwork, etc. I made a small last-minute purchase from Amazon for miscellaneous supplies. It was also time to address a few small gear annoyances that I’d been noting down after recent rides.

My six year old Klim Latitude Misano jacket is getting a bit long in the tooth, but is still keeping me comfortable and dry out on the road. I feel like I should continue to treat it well as long as it does the same. I’ve already replaced a few of the broken zipper pulls with zip ties wrapped in electrical tape. Now, some of the velcro strips that hold various flaps in place had broken stitches and were pulling away from the jacket. So I sat for a while on the couch with needle and thread to reattach things more securely.

As I had for the previous two IBRs, I planned to ship myself a care package of food to the second checkpoint hotel, to replenish my supplies. After counting out the requisite units I might need by that point, I managed to find a reasonable sized box to squeeze it all into and prepped that for Char to send off on the designated day so it would be waiting for me at the Denver checkpoint.

Ever since I’ve been taking notes for this blog as I travel, I’ve been looking for a good note-taking app for my Android phones that would allow me to dictate easily by voice via my Sena Bluetooth headset as I rode. I wanted something that could start and stop a note on the same page, rather than creating new memos each time, which would be a mess to sort through later. I’d tried a few different keyboard apps, but none of them seemed to work, possible due to the specific type of Bluetooth profile used by the Sena units.

I decided to sit down to focus on the problem and spend more time on one particular app called Speechnotes, that should do everything I wanted according to the website and the emails I’d exchanged with the developer. So I sat for a while like a fool with my helmet and Sena headset on in the house and played with the app and various network and Google settings on my phone until finally…it works! With the click of a button, I can start recording and stop/start it again as needed. Hoping this will help me remember even more details about what I’m doing and seeing as I ride, while focusing on the road.

 

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Tues June 13, 2023 (Day -6)

Tuesday was about wrapping up my last full day of work before vacation. After work, I mowed the lawn one last time. Then we went out to enjoy some Mexican food and margaritas at our local spot, as a ‘bon voyage’ dinner.

 

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Wed June 14, 2023 (Day -5)

On Wednesday, I spent some time removing the top box plates from my second ST to loan the box to my friend and fellow ST rider Jim Abbott, who was also Dancing this year and had just lost the top box off his bike during a ride. I got to meet Jim’s lovely wife Amanda and pooch Dolly, who drove down from New Hampshire to pick up the parts since Jim was working a full day today. After making that hand-off, I finished up my work later in the evening and finally signed off for the next two and a half weeks. Officially on vacation!

Everything was packed up now and stashed on the bike in preparation for an early a.m. departure tomorrow. The bike felt ready to rock, with the major clutch job, fluid changes, and all other maintenance completed. The only lingering issue is the damn broken fuel gauge, for which there is no quick or cheap fix. I was going to have to remain super vigilant of my per-tank mileage during this rally, especially if I wanted to break my habit of running out of gas during rallies! 😳

On the other hand, the rider was no where near the goal state of physical readiness he had set for himself! I’m a firm believer that a rider’s physical conditioning makes a big difference in rally riding – these are endurance events after all, first and foremost. Physical stamina aids mental toughness and alertness, and could make that difference between needing to get that extra nap or continuing to power through when needed. I had been on a fairly regular exercise and stretching regimen for the last several months, but hadn’t taken my diet as seriously as I should have. My weight was down but not to the fighting weight I achieved in 2019. I had also slacked off in 2021 and had really noticed the difference to my decision-making and exhaustion level on those last couple days of the rally. I just hoped this year’s prep would be good enough to make a difference.

Generally speaking, life is feeling much more stable and settled than before my departure in 2021, when chaos and uncertainty reigned and things were ready to derail any instant. Having more calmness of mind than I had before my previous IBR trips felt very strange, almost like I should be feeling something more intense, like something was missing. I tried to just appreciate how smooth the preparation had gane, and as always, how supportive Char is and always has been when I leave home for 2-3 weeks of crazy riding around the country. I am thrilled to be headed to hang out with my long distance family again, and to see what sort of puzzle Jeff Earls has cooked up for us this go-round.