| Posted: 23 June 2009 at 3:56am | IP Logged
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I've been enjoying the various reports people have been posting so I thought you might be interested in reading one SWMBO (Lynda) did for our club magazine about our recent SS2000 ride. Report follows:
Welcome to Insanity!
“How do you fancy doing a SaddleSore 2000 with me?” asked Kevin…Hmm,
that was a difficult one! Many of you
may remember that in December 2007 he did a SaddleSore (SS) 1000 which I’d had
the sense not to join him on but this was the summer, so why not!
For those of you who haven’t a clue what I’m talking
about, check out the Iron Butt UK website: http://www.ironbuttuk.org . In a
nutshell it’s all about long-distance, timed, riding where you need to have
witnesses and receipts to prove you did the ride. The rides mentioned here are:
SS1000 - 1000 miles in < 24 hours, SS2000 - 2000 miles in < 48 hours,
End2End Gold – Lands End to John o’Groats in <24 hours (the long way so 1000
miles are covered). The IBA is very hot on safety, and there is a lot of
encouragement to stop at any point if you don’t feel OK.
Planning our route we decided that we should be able to
incorporate an End2End Gold in our SS2000. Back in the 80s we’d done a Lands
End to John o’Groats, starting out from our home in Medway on the Friday
evening and returning on Sunday, so I figured we’d already done a similar ride
but of course we were 20 odd years younger then.
Our plan was to take in major motorways and A roads wherever
possible and have minimal stops until we got to John o’Groats. There we would
have a few hours sleep until we had to turn round for the return leg. Depending
on how we felt at Lands End we would either have a couple of hours rest or
continue on to complete our 2000 miles.
The ride up was pretty uneventful with heavy traffic being
our biggest headache. At one point we had to stop filtering as a plonker in a
blue van simply ‘had’ to be in the other lane…even though there wasn’t enough
room to complete the manoeuvre. Eventually he was able to move and as we
reached the front of the queue we came across an overturned trailer with its
cargo spilled on the carriageway.
Garmin track after the ride
My system for collecting the receipts and keeping the log
was going fine until we got to the Spott services just outside Dunbar. I pressed
the ‘receipt required’ button on the
automated pump and after a short buzz and click a sliver of paper emerged only
to be whisked away by the wind. I managed to trap it under my foot but to my
horror it was literally only 2mm long and only showed the VAT number, no
date/time etc. How to prove this vital stop? I took some pictures then noticed
a vicar filling up his rather nice Jaguar. Would he help? He was quizzical as
to why I would need his receipt but was quite happy to oblige. Sorted!
Navigation with the Sat Nav was usually OK, but we did have
a few odd turns – one round Dunbar looking for petrol as one of our planned
petrol stops had disappeared and one where it wanted to take us into central Edinburgh,
in the rush hour! We knew which direction we were heading and just ignored it
for a short while.
(KW Note: We must invest in a mount so we can both be in the photo.)
2000 miles in 48 hours sounds like it should be hard work on
the old bum (mine, not Kevin) and we had invested in a couple of sheepskin pads
as recommended by other long-distance riders. I was also using my treasured
Airhawk which had been very comfortable on our GS1150 during a round-Europe
trek last year. Unfortunately we hadn’t tried these aids before on the GTR and the
sheepskin pad was making me slip on the seat every time Kevin braked. Even the
Airhawk was uncomfortable as the GTR seat has a slope at the back and it was
pitching me forwards. Eventually both these items were stored and I was much
happier on the naked seat. Well done Kawasaki for making the most comfortable
seat I have ever been on.
While we had a nice, dry, ride up the heavens opened and the
wind howled for our journey down; full
waterproofs and heated jackets were the order of the day. Kevin persevered with his sheepskin until
torrential rain made it so sodden that the water started seeping through his
trousers. He’d tried to find out from other users what happened when the
sheepskins get wet, now he knows!
The GTR has one of those pesky key-less ignition systems and
on a couple of occasions we thought we were done for as it didn’t want to
start. Of course, all this was going on in monsoon-style rain! After some
jiggling of the key and dancing round in case there was a phone mast
interfering it did start but will need to be investigated.
The traffic was unbelievable on the way down. In addition to
the countless, crawling, overtaking lorries which cost us a lot of time and
caused huge traffic jams (why do they always decide that their ½ mile advantage
needs to be taken at the bottom of a hill?) we managed to hit rush hour in
Edinburgh and on the M25. I suppose rush hour is difficult to avoid when you
are on a time-critical, long, ride.
Anyway, it soon became dark (unlike the Scottish leg where
it didn’t get dark at all) and we were heading for Penzance and our last petrol
stop in our E2E endeavour. Tesco at Penzance was OK for petrol but useless for
anything else. By now our bike looked like it had been pebble-dashed with flies.
Kevin couldn’t see anything through the screen and the lights were like dim
candles. I was told that they didn’t have any buckets as they kept being stolen
(you’d think Tesco would be able to source some cheap buckets and some chain).
Never mind, we’ll just use the water. Oh no we couldn’t – it wasn’t working. The guys there just didn’t give a
s*** and were very unhelpful. Good job we had some wet-wipes!
Eventually we hit Lands End and had a quick drink and chat
before heading back. We had planned on stopping at Newbury but, hey, it was
only another 130 miles to home so decided to carry on! We finally got home 45
hours after we left having achieved, subject to IBA verification, our goals of
End2End Gold and SaddleSore 2000 – 2-up.
PS. I found a great use for my sheepskin. It now sits on my
chair in the kitchen where it made a welcome softener for my sore bum.
PPS. Kevin’s now poring over the maps for the 4Corners ride!
__________________
I'm old enough to know better but don't
Kevin Weller, IBA# 40018
BB1500, SS1000x2, SS2000, UK 4Corners, UK E2EG
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Iron Butt.org General Discussion : IBA UK
Topic: SS2000 Trip Report
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