Harleys and the Iron Butt?
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
From: Newport News, VA
I did my iron butt on a 2008 street glide with the stock seat. We stopped a lot because there was a Fat Boy that could only go @ 120 miles and the driver would freak out when his gas dummy light came on. (He had 12" pipes by LAF. That effected the MPG big time). otherwise, we could have finished much faster than 20 hours.
But I would absolutely recommend ear plugs.
But I would absolutely recommend ear plugs.
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,178
Likes: 5
From: Central Calif
I did 1000 mile iron butt and 1500 in 36 (made a slight miscalculation or I would have had 2000 in 48) on a 2000 Electra Glide
1) no ear buds/plugs
2) no back rest
3) we did back roads for the first 1000 and slab for the second 1000 just so we could get home earlier
4) there are many tips -- but personally I can run long miles with out any of those things. Just gas and go with maybe some water and potty stop -- ate a good breakfast so I don't spend time stopping to eat
My buddy has an ultra and has done 1500 in 24, 48 states in 10 days and the 50 CC.
Who ever says that a Harley isn't made for long distance -- I have to disagree -- I have also pulled 1000's on 750 Hondas and 1500 Intruders -- its what you and your body believe you can do
1) no ear buds/plugs
2) no back rest
3) we did back roads for the first 1000 and slab for the second 1000 just so we could get home earlier
4) there are many tips -- but personally I can run long miles with out any of those things. Just gas and go with maybe some water and potty stop -- ate a good breakfast so I don't spend time stopping to eat
My buddy has an ultra and has done 1500 in 24, 48 states in 10 days and the 50 CC.
Who ever says that a Harley isn't made for long distance -- I have to disagree -- I have also pulled 1000's on 750 Hondas and 1500 Intruders -- its what you and your body believe you can do
100CCC finishers sorted by brand
You can find the list of all certified finishers of any IBA ride here: http://www.ironbutt.com/rides/rideslogin.cfm
Not to take anything away from your rider because it is one helluva ride - especially with the limited fuel range of a Sportster - but well over 200 have completed the 100CCC in a couple of different flavors (JAX>SDO>JAX, NY>SFO>NY) and a fair percentage of them have been on Harleys. A quick scan of the list doesn't show any Sporties, but a quick post on one of the IBA discussion forums would get an official answer in short order.
Not to take anything away from your rider because it is one helluva ride - especially with the limited fuel range of a Sportster - but well over 200 have completed the 100CCC in a couple of different flavors (JAX>SDO>JAX, NY>SFO>NY) and a fair percentage of them have been on Harleys. A quick scan of the list doesn't show any Sporties, but a quick post on one of the IBA discussion forums would get an official answer in short order.
So Chris's finish with his Sportster IS the first time the 100CCC has been completed on a Sportster.
I know there are those who will argue that a Buell is a Sportster but, having owned and ridden both some fairly long distances I would post the argument that they may have the same engine, but aside from that the 1200 Custom is another species from the Buell Ulysses. I mean, the engine is the ONLY thing those two motorcycles have in common. The 1200 Custom would require a lot of mods to be as rideable over long distances as the (stock) Ulysses.
And yes there was that third-place finish by the Sportster in the 2007 "Big" Iron Butt. ANYBODY who rides more than 10,000 miles in 10 days (or is it 11?) is superhuman in my book. It's really cool that somebody did it on a Sportster. I wish that the mainstream motorcycle media paid more attention to these events as the riders' accounts are often very moving and inspiring...and hard to find! (I first heard about the IBA through some great articles that Bob Higdon wrote for Motorcycle Consumer News many years ago.)
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