Where does one start?
When I decided to do an Iron Butt ride, I set a few basic gaols.
One was to succesfully complete the ride in the time allocated, and if I had to use all the time to do it I safely then that was what I would do.
And if I didn’t feel that I could safely finish it then I would stop and that would be that, have another go another day.
My other goals were to enjoy the ride, test out a few ideas I had, and cover as much ground during the daylights hours as I could,
as I have traveled a fair bit out west and knew what it can be like at night. The weekend before, I installed a pair of Hella FF50
driving lights onto the FJR just to add extra light at night. I was hoping to have a good week at work and be able to get
some good rest, but alas things were nto to be, and as part of my job at work, I also do CAD work, so I was coming home
and doing CAD work at night. I got a good 4 1/2 hrs sleep Friday night after not gettign much during the week
and woke up at 1:45AM, had a quick cup of coffee while getting my gear on. I already had the bike sitting ready to go since monday night,
it just needed me and some keys. I rolled out of my front gate at 2AM sharp all bleary eyed and excited!
I rolled into Rockhampton and stopped at the 24Hr BP there had a chat to the fella behind the counter, it turned out he knew some Hotrodder
mates of mine and he had no problem in signing my witness start of ride form . After fueling up, and gettign my recipt for a start time of
2:50AM and then headed out of rocky at a steady pace and just after Westood I came across my first of many roadkills. This one was rather fresh
and so added to the bug splatter that was was fast accumilating.
After going thru Gogango, and not seeing much in the way of roo's, I decided to pick up the pace and and I made good time to Emerald.
fueled up there and got my recipt and a time of 4:58AM and a ODO reading of 270 Km. It was still very much dark as I head out of
Emerald and tucked in behind a 4WD hilux and about 30 Km outside of Emerald a small roo came darking out
and hit the side of the hilux, and I watched him spin right along the side of the 4WD, throwing up small chunks of fur and gore.
he was still moving as I went past, and naturally recived my share of fur and pieces.
I crested the top of the Drummond Range at 6:05 AM and it was now daylight and there isn't much to tell from there
until I stopped at Barcaldine at 7:46 Am and an ODO leg reading of 316 Km. From there to Longreach the number of dead
and rather interesting smelling roo's increased dramtically. As I rode into Longreach i went past the Welcome to Longreach sign
and decided to chuck a u-turn and pull up for a photo as well as send a msg to Graham Strang in Winton that I was not far away.
After Longreach it felt like playing dodge 'em cars!! the good thing I thought was they were all rather on the bloated side,
There were a few Goanna's having early morning lunch and thats about all apart from that there isnt a great deal of scenery that
springs to mind. It was this leg that I started to meet up with road trains, these fellas are big rigs, with the biggest that I passed
having 4 trailers and the prime mover was a Mack Titan, in pretty good nick too. With these guy's, if they see you come up behind
them and your looking to get past, but can't quite see, most of them will give a quick flick of the indicator to let you know when its
all clear to go past.
It was attempting to past one of these brutes when i had my only real touchy moment. It happened about 50 Km before Winton,
and I was feeling really good, as I knew that I was about to hit my halfway point and THAT meant from then on, I would be heading back
in the direction of home. It was a bit of a roughish section of road with a ridge in the middle of the road and I pulled out to overtake him
and as I pulled up beside the rear trailer, it started to weave big time, and I glance ahead and could see he was trying to keep the
damn thing going straight, I glanced back beside me to see what the trailer was doing and it was moving around way to much for comfort.
I was already right out on the opposite edge of the road, and in a split second I decided to jump on the breaks get back in behind and
wait for things to settle down a bit and have another go.
So I stomped hard on the brakes and hit the rear brake hard enough for the ABS to kick in, that gave me a bit of a fright, forgot all about the ABS
on the FJR!! Got back in behind him again, and quickly composed myself, regathered my thoughts whilst saying a few words to myself
for letting things get a bit out of hand. I then saw the flick of the indicator motioning to go past, so I hit the throttle and whipped up beside
the cab, touching the brakes as I reached it, turned in the seat gave him a wave and saw him wave back, and then without dwelling on
what happpend for long kept heading down the road.
after that little incident, things were business as usual and I rolled into Winton and got a fuel recipt time of 10:18 AM.
Jumped back on the bike and and as I pulled out I remembered I didnt ask the chicky bab behind the counter for directions to the
Northern Gregory Hotel where Graham is Manager. For a second, I didn't know what I was going to do, get back off and go back in and ask..
or stumble around and hope to chance across it..... I then saw a sign that said town center that way, and it was like a light bulb lit up and
I knew where the pub would be. Low and behold there it was and sitting out front was a blue FZ1, Graham's bike.
One of the first things I noticed when I pulled up beside teh FZ1, was a pretty decnt size Ulysses Logo, can't miss it!!!.
I met Graham and crew, had a coffee and was shown around the place and it is a very nice set up, well worth the ride just go stop at the place.
Graham and his family are definatly bike mad and great people to boot!! Anyone going out that way, you have to stop there, and Graham
is doing what he can to promote motorcycling out in the west and has some pretty good ambitions, and I wish him all the best in what he wants to do,
I have a pretty good feelign that I will be making more trips out that way, and I plan on keeping in close touch with him, and helping where I can.
Many thanks to them for takign time out and meeting me!!
I left the pub at a time of 11:30 Am as indicated on my mobile ph. and headed back towards Longreach feeling pretty damn tired but also feelign really good,
I was heading for home, and the short break with Graham really boosted morale so to speak and I was dead keen to get some miles done before
the sun started to go down. I wanted to push hard back to Emerald, and get as close to it before the sun did go down and have a break at emerald,
even a short nap, so I would be mentally and physically more alert for that final leg back to Rocky.
I took the following photo a few Km out of Winton and directly opposite the rifle range. its looking back towards Winton,
and as you can see it just appears out of nowhere really.
In the following photo, take at a rest stop a bit furhter down the road, shows some of the bug splatter that was steadily building up,
by the time I arrived home, there was twice the amount of gunk, it got that way it was getting really hard to see thru it, and I ended up
lowering the screen for the last hour of the trip.
I made a quick detour and stopped at the Qantas museum and took the above photo, that big bird made me feel real small, real real small!!!
When I took the photos there I actually jogged the best I could from the bike to where i took the photo and back, I don't know if anyone was watching
this, but I bet it would haev been funny to watchign this guy get off a bike and virtually run without even take the helmet or gloves off, take some photos,
get back on and keep riding. I had that thought even as I was taking the photo and had to smile as I scooted back to the bike.
I made a few stops for pics between Winton and Barcaldine, some, i didnt even get off the bike, just opened up the tank bag took teh camera out
snapped of a shot or two and kept moving. never even taking teh gloves off. Stopped for fuel at Barcaldine and have a recipt time of 2:15 PM.
Just after leaving Barcaldine, I decided to stop for some Roast lunch. I stopped beside this fella purely becasue he was the only one that didn't stink
to much, and I could bear stopping long enough to snap a shot. I was goign to stop right beside him in the middle of the road,
but I could see a truck coming in the distance so decided not, discretion was the order of the day.
From lunch until I hit the drummon range, where I stopped for a photo and splash soem water on my face to try and freshin myself up a bit,
as I was starting to fade a bit. From there until I hit Emerald, i was standing on teh pegs a fair bit, my rear end was starting to feel it by then on the stock seat.
Up until that point, I had just kept moving around in the seat quite regualry and that had been working very well.
From the drummon range until i hit Emerald there isnt much to tell, just getting tired and i finally rolled into Emerald and out the other
side to stop at teh 24HR servo and i fueld up there as well as broguth a 1.5 Lt bottle of cold water to refil my CamelBak up. it had gotten hot from
been in the sun the whole trip back. My fuel recipt said 5:20pm and just gettign off the bike for a few mins ,
splashed some water one my face right there and then did me the world of good and I decided to keep pushing on.
a quick text msg to Graham to let him know I was at emerald and that I was going to keep going without stopping for a nap,
and I was then off and running again. As I left Emerald, I knew I fianlly admitted to myself that i had the ride in the bag so to speak and could relax.
i felt a sense of achievement and danced a little jig on the bike before settling back down and gettgni back to reality!!!
I hit Blackwater shortly after and as I went past some touristy things beside the road I noticed an old dragline bucket form one of the mine sitting there,
so a quick u turn and I pulled up in front of that and took a few pics. I had too fool my camera into thinking there was more light then there was,
as it as fast gettign dark to get the following shots to turn out right. this Bucket isnt a real big one, therre are other draglines at the
mines that have buckets far bigger then that .
again these shots were taking wihtout even take my helmet off or my gloves, and then it was back on the road again, by the tiem i hit Comet,
it was very much dark and i was folowing at falcon sedan who was sitting at a pace that i liked, so i decided to let him keep and roo's away
form me if there were any. He stopped at Duringa and i picked up 2 4wd's heading to Rocky, so i followed them. I had to shake my head at these two,
one guy was virtually tailgating the otehr and just after going thru Westood, about 50km west of rocky, the 2nd guy decided to overtake the guy in
front, who at that time i don't think was very happy at all at been tailgated at ngith decided to sock it to teh other guy and sat on hsi rear end until rocky.
me on ther other hand, i just sat back a bit from them and let them light my way to rocky. as we entered rocky itself and it split into double lanes,
they sat side by side for a bit hurling absue at each other. they were still at it when i pulled into the first servo on the way into rocky and stopped the clock
at 8:10 PM, after a few minutes expalign what i was doing to teh guy behind the counter, i got my witness form signed and i then sent a msg to
Graham to say that i had made it all ok!!.
At that moment i didnt feel like celebrating too much as i was feelign a bit hungary, i hadnt eaten at all on teh trip and had only 2 cups of coffee,
so it was back on the bike and doodle on aroudn to KFC for dinner, whilst sitting abck and thining yep, i have what it takes, and after i had eaten,
i felt i could have riddent the few hundred KM extra to get a SS200 KM in under 24 hrs, however, i thought what the hell, ive achieved what i set out to do,
and then some, so the SS200 could wait for another day, and i then turned for the last 30 Km to home. I was going to stop in at the video shop
on the way home form KFC and pick up some movies, but clean forgot all aout it. I turned the pooter on and got on teh interent
and put a post up on the GTR-AUS board to say that i had gotten home ok , had a quick chat to Davo before shutting the pooter down
and heading out side to feed the dog, and ended up playing a game with her for a while, before having a shower and hitting the sack just before midnight.
I got out of bed just before 8:30 sunday mornign, feeling liek nothing had happend the day before, jumped back on the bike and rode back into rocky
and into a car wash so i could clean all the bug splatter and crap of the bike before it started eateing my nice new paintwork.. It cost me $8 to pressure clean
it all off. Iv'e washed small cars for less then that!!!.
Rode back home again and then started to organise my thoughts for this report.
So how does one do a ride like this?
well break it all down into smaller goals and achieve each one bit by bit and before you know it you have acheieved the bigger picture!
Find your strong points and weak points and work on ways on how to tuen them all into somesort of advantage.
Splash and dash: : says it all really, splash some fuel in the tank and keep on dashing. even when i'm just gettign fuel going back to work
and wot not, its basically how i fuel up, I have a tendency for not dilly dallying and it really hepls if you can getinto this mode when doing an
Iron Butt. Keeping your fuel stops to under 10mins really helps.