Hey everyone!
Well I (we) did it...all season I've been thinking of doing an IB1000 ride and one day a buddy posted that he wanted to go in November and one thing lead to another and we had a group of 4 bikes that set out in the morning on Nov 11 at 4am from Mississauga. The bikes involved were: Busa, ZX14R, CBR1100XX, and of course my lil CBR!
The ride started in a slight drizzle with a straight ride down to the Lewiston bridge to cross into the US. Afterwards we followed the interstates along a preplanned route towards Rochester and then south towards NYC. The CBR250 was the smallest in the group, yet it held up very well considering the big boy bikes in the group. Everyone was very cool and at least one rider hung back at all times as the others went to have some fun through the twisties.
I definitely overpacked for the trip, but frankly I didn't know what to expect! Turns out that the weather was absolutely perfect and kept getting warmer well into the evening! We did stop every 220-250km as at a running speed average of 70mph the bike was burning fuel like a champ! LoL I haven't tallied my receipts but I'm pretty sure I came in under $60USD for the entire trip.
The one 'sore' point of the ride was the seat, I tried the sheepskin...tried stuffing it with clothes, tried shifting...anything...and it all hurt like hell regardless!
We got to Bear Mountain which was a beautiful spot right at the top, where you could overlook the entire landscape in the area. Place was jammed with bikes! On the way back we took a bit of a scenic route and I got to see how the guys were able to carve through the corners. I rode my own ride and they waited for me a few miles up. The biggest concern was the sheer number of deer that were piling up on the side of the road. 2 or 3 times we came upon a car hitting a deer about a minute or so before we got there...scary for sure!
The ride home was painful to say the least. We just took the interstate in order to make it home fast as time was ticking and we were getting cold and tired! The heated gear provided to me by one of the riders was a life saver, and the installed heated grips were phenomenally hot (Oxford overgrips).
I made it home with 3 hours to spare, and dead tired! The tips of my fingers, toes, balls of my feet, ass, legs, neck, back all hurt like an SOB...but I did it! We made it home safe...and with smiles on our faces!
Next year...1500miles in 36hrs!
Flickr: mimico_polak's Photostream
Iron Butt 2012 - Toronto to Bear Mountain, NY
