Ya bud ratchet straps was a terrible idea! ROK Straps will change your life sir! They have all different sizes and they are strong and secure. They have a quick release and they have all different colors. Amazing bike and advice btw. Thanks for the amazing tip on the Motojug 🙏🏼
Thanks, I'm retired military myself. I'll be doing another one of these next month after I get back from the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. Guaranteed there will be some hard lessons learned from that one.
Old military saying which applies to some items; Two is one, and one is none. Your honest self-reflection and equipment choice rundown was highly valuable, and appreciated. I'm glad you made the 11 days safely.
Excellent video! I don't ride a Pan America, but am thinking of dipping my toe into rally riding. I followed the 2021 IBR closely, and came to CP 2 and watched the activities. For phone chargers, maybe take a look at Quadlock. They have a wireless charging head. I use one and haven't had an issue in probably 25,000 miles of riding. It has a vibration dampener and wireless charging and holds up great in the rain.
If you are interested I highly recommend going to the Iron Butt Association's web page: www.ironbutt.org/ and read the Long-Distance Riding Tips: ironbutt.org/25tips.html Also go to the forum: forum.ironbutt.org/index.php If you don't find the answer, ask. IBA riders are extremely helpful when it comes to LDriding & endurance rallies. And the amount of experience among the riders answering questions is staggering, IBR winners, multi-IBR finishers, etc. Infor on shorter rallies as well. If you want to see what's possible, check out Ride Certs: www.ironbutt.org/certified.htm 100k Club riders (logged 100,000 miles a year), million mile riders (including 3 over 2 million documented miles) and one gentleman with over a million on just one motorcycle - his 1991 H-D FXRT.
Thanks for sharing! Love the Pan Am, it’s on the shopping list. It was great to hear you views on soft vs hard carrying equipment. The tank bag was also something that would irritate me. Almost completely removing it to fuel up, undoing straps etc. nah! It sounds like one of the obvious biggest hurdles in the Iron Butt challenge is fatigue. Basically it would equate to about 16 hours a day with our speed limits here in Australia. 👍🤓🇦🇺
Fatigue is a factor, not just the riding, but also in mapping out the best route while taking into account things like time zones, fuel stops, hours of availability of locations, etc. It really comes down to time management. The sheer scale of the IBR magnifies every inefficiency. Using the tank bag as an example - having to pull the CC out, zipping it back up, then unsnapping the bag, filling, snapping it back on without pinching my hydration hose, then putting the card back cost me an extra 2 minutes a stop. Doesn't sound too bad, except I went through over 250 gallons of fuel. At 5 gals per stop, that is over 50 gas stops, or an hour and 40 minutes wasted with the tank bag. Just to put that in perspective I lost 1,580 points at the final checkpoint showing up 1 hour & 15 minutes into the penalty window - 45 minutes later and I would have been time barred (disqualified) on the 11th day of an 11 day rally. It was that close.
Yes I got to agree with you on the hard cases I have an FJR 1300 that's oh 6 months ago I dropped it and I was able to pick it up because of the hard cases it had it far enough off of the ground that I was able to do say a 300 lb deadlift to get that 700 lb bike up if it would have been all the way laid over not only would have had a bunch of body damage but I don't believe I would have been able to pick it up
great video with lots of great info. don't have a PanAm but many of the problems you experienced apply to other bikes. I suggest you look at Aerostitch for outer wear. i have the R3 for long trips and the Darien for day trips. works great. hope to see you again after a successful run.
Really enjoyed your video. I haven't ridden an Iron Butt Rally, but I've done multiple week trips riding everyday. At some point I gave up on rain gear and went with a heated jacket liner and gear. I've found that I can handle being wet as long as I'm warm. The software update helped with the charging of my phone from the USB-C port, but I have a Sena phone/handlebar mount from a previous bike that didn't have USB, and I've always loved it. Easy enough to move it to the PanAm. That's served me well for years and I think it's a great backup in case the USB-C port stops charging again. The mount has a battery built into it. If I charge the phone and the mount everynight, I can get 18+ hours out of that combination of steady use. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm loving mine.
Congrats on being the first to test the new HD RevMax engine in the IBR. Many of us were hoping somebody would to see how the new motor would hold up. Something that you might want to consider before your next IBR attempt, that has nothing to do with the bike…. Traditional rain gear doesn’t cut it in endurance rallies. As you experienced, it takes time to stop and change, plus you usually get soaked while doing so. You likely noticed that many of the other riders use adventure riding suits, like AeroStitch or FirstGear. These outfits allow you to ride in all conditions… rain, hot, cold, without changing. You just open/close certain zippers without stopping. I’ve used a FirstGear two piece suit for almost ten years now for long trips and in several endurance rallies. When I hit a rainstorm, I just keep riding and I’m totally dry. I’ve also ridden from freezing temperatures at Pikes Peak to Death Valley without taking time to change clothes. It saves time, and what I call ‘decision stress’, when you exert a lot of mental energy deciding when/whether to stop and switch in or out of rain gear. Not s big issue for a normal ride, but it becomes so in an endurance ride.
I have three pages of lessons learned & stuff to do before the next one - and less than a third of that has anything to do with the Pan Am. You're right about time & decision stress, what's not a big deal over a day or two becomes overwhelming across 11 high stress days.
Seems like very little of that had to do with the bike. It's all part of learning to prep for something you haven't done before. Great info. Btw, you need a pull strap you can attach on the low side. You can use your legs and pull up on the strap to get the bike upright.
Exactly, looking back at it I'd say none of the issues I had were due to the bike. Inexperience with this sort of thing, and (to a lesser extent) lack of prep time, and deciding to reroute mid-leg three were the issues. After the Hoka Hey I'll start setting up to re-run the IBR next year, and have plans to sort out everything, including attending Lisa Landry's rookie class at "Big as Texas".
Awesome video! I’ve just dipped my toe into the adventure bike genre with the same machine that you are riding; I’ve got 1,100 on it now, rather than 11k+. I’m also looking forward to getting a set of risers; back ordered until October. I’ve made a note about the seat mod. I find that my body moves forward on the stock seat; a little bucket shape would also help a lot. I’m running a Zumo XT and a quad lock mount for the phone or V1. I’ve just finished installing the H-D auxiliary lights. They have two modes; fog, which has a broad beam that fills in light below the headlamp low beam, and off road, which is intense, and fills in above low beam. I haven’t ridden at night with them yet, but my sense is that they will work well. I’ve ridden the Pan America off pavement for several hours, and I’m looking forward to polishing my technique and gaining my sea legs. Thanks again for your videos.
Seat shape is a compromise, the type of bucket shape that works great for long distance interferes with getting your feet on the ground (presses against your inner rear thighs), especially on a taller bike. The guys who ran BMW GS's leaned more towards Sargent seats. I'm not sure where the Pan Am fits in there, but more IBA riders lean to Russell Daylong. I'll have to send my seat pan in to get either one, so I'll be ordering a second seat when available. The question is if I want to go lower to get a better grip on the ground, or (more likely) higher to straighten my legs a bit more for long rides.
@@floridajim Thanks for the reply. I looked at the Russell seats and I agree that it is too much for a machine like this. I’ve always run stock seats with my Street Glide & Road Glide, and I can do a 1k+ day without any special preparation. I find that the stock seat on the PanAm slopes forward slightly and is flat across, which of course reduces support. I feel that all I need would be a little sculpting to the rear area to create a shallow bucket, which would also eliminate the forward push. Thanks again!
Suggestion- replace tank bag with a locking ring and quarter turn tank bag like a Givi saves lot of time at fuel stops In the tank bag- I ran with rally book, flag, camera and compressed in a ziplock bag 1 of each, underwear, tshirt, crew socks. and my toiletry bag. This way each rest bonus- hotel all I took inside was the tank bag. Quarter turn it was off. As far as rain gear in a pannier, get used to wearing an Aerostitch for 11 days. Roadcrafter looks better but Darien feels better with respect to roomier comfort level. A Quick lock Tank bag, Aerostitch, fuel cell, Clearwater or PIAA 910 (I’m old) driving lights, hard panniers, RDL or BMS and you just greatly reduced your stress and wasted time in your next IBR. Great video enjoyed watching it. Best wishes for you in the future. Looking forward to more of your videos as you change some if the items. IBA# 205
Your list is what I have planned. I cancelled all the rest of the accessories I've had on order from Harley since I got the bike and have started getting aftermarket items. I'm shifting the order of items around - I've moved up from #9 to #4 on the standby list for this year's Hoka Hey. Things I can't use on the Hoka Hey (aux tank, GPS rack) are shifting to the end of the list, while Hard Panniers, radiator guard, better windshield, bar risers, RDL, Clearwaters have moved to the front.
Thanks for the video and sharing your experience. For the cell phone - check out quad lock. You can get it with wireless charging. Works great, never had an issue where I though I would loose my phone.
Thanks for the video. I was wondering how the Pan Am did for you. I recently sold my 2012 Super Tenere - I wasn't riding it much, and it felt like a tractor compared to my Concours14 - but I know the big adventure bikes sometimes have an advantage on these rallies when there are high-point-value locations that are at the end of a dirt road. I think a 3-case setup and an aux tank (either mounted over the passenger seat or on the rear rack under the tail case) will be the biggest tools to a better ride in 2023. Keep us updated!
Defiantly the two side cases and an Aux tank. One guy at the IBR had a flat aux tank in place of the rear seat, with a compartment on top the right size to fit the Rally book, camera, and flag. That looked like a pretty sweet setup.
@@floridajim Does the Pan America have a 2-piece seat? That was a cool thing on the Super Tenere: the rear seat could be removed and replaced with a rack or anything else that you'd want to bolt down. And it didn't affect the rider's seat at all. If you can give up the passenger seat, I've seen bikes set up with a boxy aux tank topped with a lockable Pelican case (Seahorse cases are cheaper). It'll put all that weight closer to the center, instead of dangling out on a rear rack. You won't even notice it.
I also wanted to mention in regard to seat comfort my FJR is incredibly uncomfortable after putting a custom seat on and it not working very well I bought a purple pad seat cushion that's kind of kidney shaped works wonderfully and then on top of that well I throw an Air hawk and my butt does not get sore anymore I've ridden the bike all the way from Seattle to Florida and back and at no point even during one of my thousand Mile days did my butt hurt
Man I admire you for your honesty and integrity in this video! IBR is one of the most difficult accomplishments anyone could endure. I'm not into the iron butt thing but I ride quite a bit and I have a Pan America Special. Do you have the info on that chain oiler and where to get one? I like that it's manually operated! Thanks for all the tips also!
This is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me: bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/ and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
There's a good DVD out about it: Hard Miles 2 www.apgvideo.com/ironbuttrally/ If you want to get a taste of what it's like to ride it, ride an SS1000 first. Then if you're still interested sign up for the Tour of Honor and ride the Tour of Honor Extreme, hitting all 7 sites & racking up 1000 miles in 24 hours. Then ask yourself if you really want to do that 11 days in a row.
Thank you interesting video. Probably will never take mine off road here in the UK other than on a gravel car park.. Could you please tell me the name of your chain oiler as I would like to fit one on my bike too. Congratulations on completing the IBR & to me anyone that even starts it is already winner. Stay safe out there.
This is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me: bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/ and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
@@floridajim Thanjs Sixteen One just used tge link but sadly they are out of stock. But I will keep monitoring it. Missing my GS when it comes to this.
The Rally book is obnoxiously large, like it was made for a Jeep Rally. I keep mentioning that the ergo on the Pan Am aren't for long distance. I do 1000 mile loops twice a month and at 5'8" 30.5" inseam I'm almost cramping up after 3-4 hours and agree that the risers would help arm/shoulder fatigue. yes, Harley needs to get it in gear on the accessories and that middle panel on the Tank, makes a tank bag a Harley only product at this time.
Goldwings, FJRs & Road Glides are the mainstays of that game, but anything can be pressed into service if it can last - and the Pan Am did its part. If you really want to see that taken to an extreme, the guy who won it this year did it on a Hayabusa (I don't know how his body survived 11 days on that).
100% Ruben. The new generation DCT Gold Wing is an amazingly well engineered machine The previous GL 1800 too. The Yamaha FJR or Kawasaki Concourse are also super nimble and comfy. Not sure I’d like the chain driven element, but they have proven to withstand the test of the journey.
Laptop ? I managed for 60 years without a laptop, hopefully I can do another 60. / If I don't know where I'm going before I ride on a trip,,, I shouldn't go... Especially at my age ! / Thanks for the info
I'm a decade older and quite remember planing trips with maps, triptiks, Baedekers etc. Heck, the tank bag with a map was the mark of the traveler. But, now a laptop makes all that easier and even touring by whim is better if you can scan some stuff the night before. After all, do we still wear a Barbour suit?
Won't a bigger tank and extra fuel make the bike harder to pick up? Looks like you may have enough room on you rack system to strap waterproofs between your pelican case and your pannier, rather than in your pannier. Have you thought about rear crash bars made up to stop the pannier bags compressing when the bike is dropped? Good review and some good points to consider. What brand was your chain oiler?
Yes, it will increase the weight, and worse, it will put it high which will make it much harder to pick back up. A necessary evil I'd use only for the IBR, I wouldn't normally run it. I have been looking at the V2H FXRP BAGS, they have a bar that goes around the outside that will take the weight in a fall, and will also allow the bags to be removed with the bike on its side - an issue I ran into in the Mojave. As for chain oilers, this is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me: bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/ and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
Great video and learning experience. You may not have technically finished but you still did the distance and time, Congrats! I've only done an SS1K and BBS. IBA71243
Rally Book fix: Take photos of each page of the Rally Book with your phone or tablet. Make a "Rally Book" album so the photos don't get mixed in with any other photos you take, and you'll have it at the tips of your fingers in your tank bag or your handlebars.
That would have been an elegant solution had I thought of it, and if my phone charger hadn't blown its fuse as we were being waved off at the start. Live and learn.
The manual calls for lube every 600 miles, and I was running as much as twice that a day. The oiler did the same thing, and saved time (time is the most valuable thing in a rally).
Excellent video. I have a Pan America S. Have not put on a 1000 miles yet. Just getting it set up. What phone and gps mounts are you running? Looking for more videos! Good info. Subscribed!
RamMounts on both. One thing about the Pan Am, it has tapered handlebars (like Pro Taper.) They're thicker in the middle than at the ends. You have to make sure things are mounted securely in the middle, or they'll work their way towards the grips and loosen up.
dam your crazy with all these runs.. using the foot peg to hold the jug is genius! why not just get a top case in addition to what u have, u can easily just throw the book and whatever else in there
I got tired of waiting for the HD parts, and since I've moved up to #4 on the standby list for the 2022 Hoka Hey I ordered & received a set of villain2hero cases, after market radiator guard, windscreen & a few other things. I'll be putting them on after I get my bike back from it's 20k service and will put up a few videos when I do. Just as an FYI I've hit IBA Silver Mileater counting just my Pan America rides, the last was a BBG - 1,500 miles in 24 hours without speeding. This bike has legs once you get the hang of it.
I'm planning to install a separate USB adapter wired directly to the battery, and leaving the one on the bike capped off. It runs directly to the ecm (main computer) and could cause problems if water gets in there.
At the rider's meeting they told us excessive speed, reckless driving, etc. would get you DQed, and also warned us that there was a particular long flat stretch of highway (between 2 bonus locations) with a 55mph limit they would be specifically watching, and also told the guy on the Hayabusa they'd be watching him. The scoring software will also flag any combination of bonus location times that could only occur by speeding. They also said that if it came out later that a rider had done anything to bring discredit on the IBA they would be stripped of their finisher status and, if bad enough, be kicked out permanently. As far as monitoring the specific speeds of around 100 riders covering nearly a million miles in 48 states + tribal lands everywhere from Montana Interstates, downtown New York & LA, rural American townships, private cemeteries, government properties and off-road Jeep trails, then trying to figure out who was speeding where - they wouldn't have the time or manpower to do that if they had ten times the crew working around the clock. But the IBR staff are IBR finishers and some of the most experienced riders on the planet that know the interstate and the bonus locations well enough to spot something out of the ordinary that needs a closer look. But honestly, you do not need to speed to finish the IBR, or any of the IBA cert rides. They can all be done legally with proper planning and disciplined riding. Personally, I think riding fast enough to get pulled over is not only an unnecessary risk but counter-productive. Get pulled over once and you've lost more time than you could have possibly saved - even if you only get a warning. As you go faster your gas mileage plummets, meaning more gas stops between points = more lost time. Turn in bonuses or a cert that could have only be done by speeding & it's thrown out (and if it's bad enough you're thrown out). Get thrown in jail/bike impounded you're out for good. Loose your license and you've lost riding forever. Just not worth the risk.
@@floridajim Thanks for the detailed reply. I used to date an IBR Rally competitor and she said people sped "where appropriate" all the time and I'm of the mindset that it should be up to the rider to figure out their own routes and speeds to their own benefit or detriment. I've been off bikes for nearly a decade now but excitedly planning purchase of a new BMW RS later this spring. Planning a Saddlesore 1000 to break it in just as you did. 👍
That would have been a great idea, but unfortunately I went down in the middle of the Mojave Desert and there was nothing to hook it to. I did loop a strap through the front wheel and tried to rotate it 180' so I could lift it on to the hard pack, but it slid down into the hole making it worse - as well as preventing me from removing the left bag that had all the heavy stuff in it.
Simple answer - I didn't on the move. More accurate answer I managed the power and recharged when I could (as if I needed one more last minute thing to worry about). I started with it fully charged, and there were two mandatory stops (checkpoint 1 & 2) where I fully charged it. In addition there was one 6-hour rest bonus on each leg for me to charge it. I shut down all apps, Wifi & bluetooth, and if it got below 20% I turned it off to insure I had enough to call in an emergency. Not what I planned, but it worked.
Chains can and do break. Not uncommon for an ultra distance rider to have a spare chain as as well other carry-able parts. With this being a Harley, he’ll more than likely find a dealership nearby.
I carry a spare chain for the same reason some BMW riders carry a spare drive shaft and HD riders carry a spare belt. Under the stress of the IBR we regularly break things that "never break."
Finding a Harley dealer - easy. Finding a Harley dealer that has a chain in stock, not as easy (been a while since HD has used chains). Finding a Harley dealer with a chain that can be cut down to 530x128, zero for the two weeks I looked before leaving for UT. As of last Friday, there are only three ways my dealer can get a chain for my Pan Am - order it and wait days, call up other makes' dealerships to see if they have one that fits, or pull the chain off the Pan Am in the showroom (if it is still there). Or bring a chain & press to fix it on the side of the road and get back in the Rally before a tow service could even make it to my bike.
You were talking about trying to figure out how to have extra fuel tanks on your bike, I tried to give you an idea earlier but apparently I pressed the wrong spot on my phone, but,,if you can imagine the idea of a pair of saddle bag style twin style extra fuel tanks, I was thinking about the designing idea in the same theory of a cereal box style, but ,you might want to look into a larger size tanks, if you take the idea of looking up the extra fuel tanks on your UA-cam research, you might very well find it, you might also want to use one of your side sitting language boxes, so I don't know of any government law regulations against the extra handiness about the extra fuel tanks, but I still like my idea about the saddle bag system mounted up by the front of the bike, you might want to find a metal fabrication shop to design and shape your extra capacity, you were talking about having at least 11 gallons of gas, this possible amount might run about 500/600 miles, my saddle bag system would probably carry about 3/4 gallons, depending on your preferences, make sure to do your math on tank size, amount of fuel, refueling, gas money isn't nothing to worry about when you find gas station, but of course if you had a saddle bag system like system ,you might need a support carriage system like system, there's cordura materials, they use cordura for making shoes and some clothing, or a nylon strapping webbing, I myself, I would prefer a detachable saddle bag system, I'm sure you can figure out your own gas line system, you just said, they have a limit on the gas limit, try the saddle bag system with 2.5 gallons, if your talking about a club of people, if your talking about individual travel, I would try for a larger saddle bag system, you will probably find something on your UA-cam, best of luck, wayneeden95@gmail.com
Congratulations! Yours was the first comment UA-cam held for review on my channel (for "word combination", whatever that means). Since it seems like a perfectly normal post to me I approved it as soon as I read it. Anyway, the only time I'll be running with extra fuel will be the next time I run in the Iron Butt Rally - and they have very strict rules on auxiliary fuel tanks. Your idea sounds like it would work for general use & have a low center-of-gravity (always a good thing), but it would never pass the pre-rally tech inspection.
Routing in Basecamp. At the beginning of every leg you're given pages of bonus locations at 4am breakfast and you're off. There are multiple locations in every one of the 48 states, each with different point values, times of access, combination bonuses, etc. You have a hard deadline at the next checkpoint (and when I say hard, I mean you're out of the Rally) and have to figure out what checkpoints to hit in what order and make the deadline while still getting enough points. And because of the scale of the IBR you are also dealing with multiple time zones, time lost to refueling, weather, construction zones, etc. It's the only way to analyze things like "can I make it from Huntsville AL to Key West to Glacier NP MT to the 2 multipliers in CA and then to Provo UT before getting time barred & still hit enough bonuses?" (yes with 11.5 gals fuel on board, no without an aux tank). Routing is as important as riding, in my case my routing errors are what gave me a DNF, even though I completed all 11 days and made all the checkpoints.
You hit a very important point here. Serious endurance competition has to be tackled with the mindset that EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT. When I ran out of gas in upstate NY it was my fault for not checking that stations hadn't been abandoned during COVID. When I slept under my bike at a truck stop and got ate up by ants it was my fault for not checking. When I got caught in a downpour and couldn't get my rain gear in time it was my fault for storing it where I did. When my bike rolled off the side stand @4am and pinned me to a gas pump it was my fault for not making sure the side stand was locked. And if my Pan Am had blown up due to some factory defect it would have been my fault for running an untested bike instead of an FJR. I created all of those problems, and I need to solve them before the next Big Dance. I really don't mean to sound like a jerk, but if someone isn't willing to take total responsibility from the time they sign up to the final checkpoint they have no business in the Iron Butt Rally.
I had a lot of plans to improve my setup for the 2023 IBR, unfortunately my Pan Am is pretty near stock while they're chasing electrical gremlins. I don't want to add anything until it gets sorted out.
Ya bud ratchet straps was a terrible idea! ROK Straps will change your life sir! They have all different sizes and they are strong and secure. They have a quick release and they have all different colors.
Amazing bike and advice btw.
Thanks for the amazing tip on the Motojug 🙏🏼
Thanks for the moto jug tip... I'm an IBA member and after military retirement I'm getting back into it... Thanks for the tip and keep them coming..
Thanks, I'm retired military myself. I'll be doing another one of these next month after I get back from the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. Guaranteed there will be some hard lessons learned from that one.
Old military saying which applies to some items; Two is one, and one is none. Your honest self-reflection and equipment choice rundown was highly valuable, and appreciated. I'm glad you made the 11 days safely.
Excellent video! I don't ride a Pan America, but am thinking of dipping my toe into rally riding. I followed the 2021 IBR closely, and came to CP 2 and watched the activities. For phone chargers, maybe take a look at Quadlock. They have a wireless charging head. I use one and haven't had an issue in probably 25,000 miles of riding. It has a vibration dampener and wireless charging and holds up great in the rain.
If you are interested I highly recommend going to the Iron Butt Association's web page:
www.ironbutt.org/
and read the Long-Distance Riding Tips:
ironbutt.org/25tips.html
Also go to the forum:
forum.ironbutt.org/index.php
If you don't find the answer, ask. IBA riders are extremely helpful when it comes to LDriding & endurance rallies. And the amount of experience among the riders answering questions is staggering, IBR winners, multi-IBR finishers, etc. Infor on shorter rallies as well.
If you want to see what's possible, check out Ride Certs:
www.ironbutt.org/certified.htm
100k Club riders (logged 100,000 miles a year), million mile riders (including 3 over 2 million documented miles) and one gentleman with over a million on just one motorcycle - his 1991 H-D FXRT.
Thanks for sharing!
Love the Pan Am, it’s on the shopping list. It was great to hear you views on soft vs hard carrying equipment.
The tank bag was also something that would irritate me. Almost completely removing it to fuel up, undoing straps etc. nah!
It sounds like one of the obvious biggest hurdles in the Iron Butt challenge is fatigue. Basically it would equate to about 16 hours a day with our speed limits here in Australia.
👍🤓🇦🇺
Fatigue is a factor, not just the riding, but also in mapping out the best route while taking into account things like time zones, fuel stops, hours of availability of locations, etc.
It really comes down to time management. The sheer scale of the IBR magnifies every inefficiency. Using the tank bag as an example - having to pull the CC out, zipping it back up, then unsnapping the bag, filling, snapping it back on without pinching my hydration hose, then putting the card back cost me an extra 2 minutes a stop. Doesn't sound too bad, except I went through over 250 gallons of fuel. At 5 gals per stop, that is over 50 gas stops, or an hour and 40 minutes wasted with the tank bag. Just to put that in perspective I lost 1,580 points at the final checkpoint showing up 1 hour & 15 minutes into the penalty window - 45 minutes later and I would have been time barred (disqualified) on the 11th day of an 11 day rally. It was that close.
Thanks for sharing. I just ordered the vivid black version. Greetings from The Netherlands!
I only got to see your country for a couple of hours decades ago, it would be nice to visit one day and actually visit - it looked very interesting.
@@floridajim definitely recommend and always welcome!
Yes I got to agree with you on the hard cases I have an FJR 1300 that's oh 6 months ago I dropped it and I was able to pick it up because of the hard cases it had it far enough off of the ground that I was able to do say a 300 lb deadlift to get that 700 lb bike up if it would have been all the way laid over not only would have had a bunch of body damage but I don't believe I would have been able to pick it up
great video with lots of great info. don't have a PanAm but many of the problems you experienced apply to other bikes. I suggest you look at Aerostitch for outer wear. i have the R3 for long trips and the Darien for day trips. works great. hope to see you again after a successful run.
Really enjoyed your video. I haven't ridden an Iron Butt Rally, but I've done multiple week trips riding everyday. At some point I gave up on rain gear and went with a heated jacket liner and gear. I've found that I can handle being wet as long as I'm warm. The software update helped with the charging of my phone from the USB-C port, but I have a Sena phone/handlebar mount from a previous bike that didn't have USB, and I've always loved it. Easy enough to move it to the PanAm. That's served me well for years and I think it's a great backup in case the USB-C port stops charging again. The mount has a battery built into it. If I charge the phone and the mount everynight, I can get 18+ hours out of that combination of steady use. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm loving mine.
I admire people like you! I just want to enjoy my bike in nice weather with little trips, I'm doing all butter ass rallys I can find! Lol
Congrats on being the first to test the new HD RevMax engine in the IBR. Many of us were hoping somebody would to see how the new motor would hold up. Something that you might want to consider before your next IBR attempt, that has nothing to do with the bike…. Traditional rain gear doesn’t cut it in endurance rallies. As you experienced, it takes time to stop and change, plus you usually get soaked while doing so. You likely noticed that many of the other riders use adventure riding suits, like AeroStitch or FirstGear. These outfits allow you to ride in all conditions… rain, hot, cold, without changing. You just open/close certain zippers without stopping. I’ve used a FirstGear two piece suit for almost ten years now for long trips and in several endurance rallies. When I hit a rainstorm, I just keep riding and I’m totally dry. I’ve also ridden from freezing temperatures at Pikes Peak to Death Valley without taking time to change clothes. It saves time, and what I call ‘decision stress’, when you exert a lot of mental energy deciding when/whether to stop and switch in or out of rain gear. Not s big issue for a normal ride, but it becomes so in an endurance ride.
I have three pages of lessons learned & stuff to do before the next one - and less than a third of that has anything to do with the Pan Am. You're right about time & decision stress, what's not a big deal over a day or two becomes overwhelming across 11 high stress days.
Decision fatigue is serious problem. It’s what Steve Jobs wore the same style clothes everyday. He didn’t have to waste time planning his wardrobe.
Seems like very little of that had to do with the bike. It's all part of learning to prep for something you haven't done before. Great info. Btw, you need a pull strap you can attach on the low side. You can use your legs and pull up on the strap to get the bike upright.
Exactly, looking back at it I'd say none of the issues I had were due to the bike. Inexperience with this sort of thing, and (to a lesser extent) lack of prep time, and deciding to reroute mid-leg three were the issues. After the Hoka Hey I'll start setting up to re-run the IBR next year, and have plans to sort out everything, including attending Lisa Landry's rookie class at "Big as Texas".
Awesome video! I’ve just dipped my toe into the adventure bike genre with the same machine that you are riding; I’ve got 1,100 on it now, rather than 11k+.
I’m also looking forward to getting a set of risers; back ordered until October.
I’ve made a note about the seat mod. I find that my body moves forward on the stock seat; a little bucket shape would also help a lot.
I’m running a Zumo XT and a quad lock mount for the phone or V1. I’ve just finished installing the H-D auxiliary lights. They have two modes; fog, which has a broad beam that fills in light below the headlamp low beam, and off road, which is intense, and fills in above low beam. I haven’t ridden at night with them yet, but my sense is that they will work well.
I’ve ridden the Pan America off pavement for several hours, and I’m looking forward to polishing my technique and gaining my sea legs.
Thanks again for your videos.
Seat shape is a compromise, the type of bucket shape that works great for long distance interferes with getting your feet on the ground (presses against your inner rear thighs), especially on a taller bike. The guys who ran BMW GS's leaned more towards Sargent seats. I'm not sure where the Pan Am fits in there, but more IBA riders lean to Russell Daylong. I'll have to send my seat pan in to get either one, so I'll be ordering a second seat when available. The question is if I want to go lower to get a better grip on the ground, or (more likely) higher to straighten my legs a bit more for long rides.
@@floridajim Thanks for the reply. I looked at the Russell seats and I agree that it is too much for a machine like this.
I’ve always run stock seats with my Street Glide & Road Glide, and I can do a 1k+ day without any special preparation. I find that the stock seat on the PanAm slopes forward slightly and is flat across, which of course reduces support.
I feel that all I need would be a little sculpting to the rear area to create a shallow bucket, which would also eliminate the forward push.
Thanks again!
Great review, thanks Jim. Hey, what about Lone Rider panniers…can they fit your bike?
Suggestion- replace tank bag with a locking ring and quarter turn tank bag like a Givi saves lot of time at fuel stops In the tank bag-
I ran with rally book, flag, camera and compressed in a ziplock bag 1 of each, underwear, tshirt, crew socks. and my toiletry bag. This way each rest bonus- hotel all I took inside was the tank bag. Quarter turn it was off. As far as rain gear in a pannier, get used to wearing an Aerostitch for 11 days. Roadcrafter looks better but Darien feels better with respect to roomier comfort level.
A Quick lock Tank bag, Aerostitch, fuel cell, Clearwater or PIAA 910 (I’m old) driving lights, hard panniers, RDL or BMS and you just greatly reduced your stress and wasted time in your next IBR. Great video enjoyed watching it. Best wishes for you in the future. Looking forward to more of your videos as you change some if the items. IBA# 205
Your list is what I have planned. I cancelled all the rest of the accessories I've had on order from Harley since I got the bike and have started getting aftermarket items. I'm shifting the order of items around - I've moved up from #9 to #4 on the standby list for this year's Hoka Hey. Things I can't use on the Hoka Hey (aux tank, GPS rack) are shifting to the end of the list, while Hard Panniers, radiator guard, better windshield, bar risers, RDL, Clearwaters have moved to the front.
Thanks for the video and sharing your experience. For the cell phone - check out quad lock. You can get it with wireless charging. Works great, never had an issue where I though I would loose my phone.
100%. Well organized. Fuel capacity is important. Well done with the compromises. In the end, you made it work. Ride safe and ride often.
Thanks for the video. I was wondering how the Pan Am did for you. I recently sold my 2012 Super Tenere - I wasn't riding it much, and it felt like a tractor compared to my Concours14 - but I know the big adventure bikes sometimes have an advantage on these rallies when there are high-point-value locations that are at the end of a dirt road. I think a 3-case setup and an aux tank (either mounted over the passenger seat or on the rear rack under the tail case) will be the biggest tools to a better ride in 2023. Keep us updated!
Defiantly the two side cases and an Aux tank. One guy at the IBR had a flat aux tank in place of the rear seat, with a compartment on top the right size to fit the Rally book, camera, and flag. That looked like a pretty sweet setup.
@@floridajim Does the Pan America have a 2-piece seat? That was a cool thing on the Super Tenere: the rear seat could be removed and replaced with a rack or anything else that you'd want to bolt down. And it didn't affect the rider's seat at all. If you can give up the passenger seat, I've seen bikes set up with a boxy aux tank topped with a lockable Pelican case (Seahorse cases are cheaper). It'll put all that weight closer to the center, instead of dangling out on a rear rack. You won't even notice it.
@@Bravo12Power The Seat is a two piece seat.
Want to know about a bike? Whether or not you plan long distance! Ask an Iron butt rider!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for this video. Very very informative…
Thanks for sharing all the things learned.
Thanks, that's the idea - share what I learn.
I also wanted to mention in regard to seat comfort my FJR is incredibly uncomfortable after putting a custom seat on and it not working very well I bought a purple pad seat cushion that's kind of kidney shaped works wonderfully and then on top of that well I throw an Air hawk and my butt does not get sore anymore I've ridden the bike all the way from Seattle to Florida and back and at no point even during one of my thousand Mile days did my butt hurt
Those FJRs are legendary in the Iron Butt Rally - they are the only bikes that have finished more IBRs than they started.
Man I admire you for your honesty and integrity in this video! IBR is one of the most difficult accomplishments anyone could endure.
I'm not into the iron butt thing but I ride quite a bit and I have a Pan America Special.
Do you have the info on that chain oiler and where to get one? I like that it's manually operated!
Thanks for all the tips also!
This is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me:
bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/
and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
thank you for putting this up, I'm all of the sudden interested in Iron Butt Rally thanks to this video.
There's a good DVD out about it: Hard Miles 2
www.apgvideo.com/ironbuttrally/
If you want to get a taste of what it's like to ride it, ride an SS1000 first. Then if you're still interested sign up for the Tour of Honor and ride the Tour of Honor Extreme, hitting all 7 sites & racking up 1000 miles in 24 hours. Then ask yourself if you really want to do that 11 days in a row.
Very hard to bit BMW 1200GS! This is the icon in this segment! Harley good for cruisers...
100%. An R1250 GSA for me. But agree with what you’re saying.
You mentioned not using the tank bag much, would rain gear fit In there? Would be extremely quick to grab it from there.
Yes, and that would have been a much better spot than where I had it.
I have to take that back, I checked & it's a bit too small. Good idea though.
Don't waste your money on OEM bar risers. Check out the ROX bar risers. 2" rise & adjustable for and aft.
Awesome video. Do you run the stock windshield or are you looking to swithch it out?
I swapped it out to a Madstad for the Hoka Hey, mainly because of the metal mounting system that replaces the plastic Harley one.
Very informative. Ride safe Jim.
Thanks, my first long ride with the PanAm platform, the bike ran flawlessly.
Thank you interesting video. Probably will never take mine off road here in the UK other than on a gravel car park.. Could you please tell me the name of your chain oiler as I would like to fit one on my bike too.
Congratulations on completing the IBR & to me anyone that even starts it is already winner. Stay safe out there.
This is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me:
bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/
and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
@@floridajim Thanjs Sixteen One just used tge link but sadly they are out of stock. But I will keep monitoring it. Missing my GS when it comes to this.
Nice video. Congratulations for just finishing!
Thank you
Indeed. Subscribed.
The Rally book is obnoxiously large, like it was made for a Jeep Rally.
I keep mentioning that the ergo on the Pan Am aren't for long distance. I do 1000 mile loops twice a month and at 5'8" 30.5" inseam I'm almost cramping up after 3-4 hours and agree that the risers would help arm/shoulder fatigue.
yes, Harley needs to get it in gear on the accessories and that middle panel on the Tank, makes a tank bag a Harley only product at this time.
Thank you for pointing out the bike was not designed for drone miles and miles on highways we got Goldwings for that.
Goldwings, FJRs & Road Glides are the mainstays of that game, but anything can be pressed into service if it can last - and the Pan Am did its part. If you really want to see that taken to an extreme, the guy who won it this year did it on a Hayabusa (I don't know how his body survived 11 days on that).
100% Ruben. The new generation DCT Gold Wing is an amazingly well engineered machine The previous GL 1800 too. The Yamaha FJR or Kawasaki Concourse are also super nimble and comfy. Not sure I’d like the chain driven element, but they have proven to withstand the test of the journey.
Laptop ? I managed for 60 years without a laptop, hopefully I can do another 60. / If I don't know where I'm going before I ride on a trip,,, I shouldn't go... Especially at my age ! / Thanks for the info
The laptop is very much Rally specific competition gear, definitely not needed for normal rides.
@@floridajim how about a tablet like an iPad or a Windows tablet?
I'm a decade older and quite remember planing trips with maps, triptiks, Baedekers etc. Heck, the tank bag with a map was the mark of the traveler. But, now a laptop makes all that easier and even touring by whim is better if you can scan some stuff the night before. After all, do we still wear a Barbour suit?
Won't a bigger tank and extra fuel make the bike harder to pick up?
Looks like you may have enough room on you rack system to strap waterproofs between your pelican case and your pannier, rather than in your pannier. Have you thought about rear crash bars made up to stop the pannier bags compressing when the bike is dropped? Good review and some good points to consider. What brand was your chain oiler?
Yes, it will increase the weight, and worse, it will put it high which will make it much harder to pick back up. A necessary evil I'd use only for the IBR, I wouldn't normally run it.
I have been looking at the V2H FXRP BAGS, they have a bar that goes around the outside that will take the weight in a fall, and will also allow the bags to be removed with the bike on its side - an issue I ran into in the Mojave.
As for chain oilers, this is what I wanted, and what was recommended to me:
bestrestproducts.com/shop/chain-tools-nemo/nemo-chain-oiler-copy/
and like everything else - it was out of stock (not just a Harley problem). So I went with this:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KK6DP5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
a Chinese copy. As soon as it dies I'll replace it with a Nemo.
Great video and learning experience. You may not have technically finished but you still did the distance and time, Congrats! I've only done an SS1K and BBS. IBA71243
Thanks 👍
Rally Book fix: Take photos of each page of the Rally Book with your phone or tablet. Make a "Rally Book" album so the photos don't get mixed in with any other photos you take, and you'll have it at the tips of your fingers in your tank bag or your handlebars.
That would have been an elegant solution had I thought of it, and if my phone charger hadn't blown its fuse as we were being waved off at the start. Live and learn.
Why the chain oiler? Is that necessary since the chain is sealed with lube. I use a spray lube every 600-1000 miles.
The manual calls for lube every 600 miles, and I was running as much as twice that a day. The oiler did the same thing, and saved time (time is the most valuable thing in a rally).
@@floridajim I see thank you!
Excellent video. I have a Pan America S. Have not put on a 1000 miles yet. Just getting it set up. What phone and gps mounts are you running? Looking for more videos! Good info. Subscribed!
RamMounts on both. One thing about the Pan Am, it has tapered handlebars (like Pro Taper.) They're thicker in the middle than at the ends. You have to make sure things are mounted securely in the middle, or they'll work their way towards the grips and loosen up.
dam your crazy with all these runs.. using the foot peg to hold the jug is genius! why not just get a top case in addition to what u have, u can easily just throw the book and whatever else in there
I got tired of waiting for the HD parts, and since I've moved up to #4 on the standby list for the 2022 Hoka Hey I ordered & received a set of villain2hero cases, after market radiator guard, windscreen & a few other things. I'll be putting them on after I get my bike back from it's 20k service and will put up a few videos when I do.
Just as an FYI I've hit IBA Silver Mileater counting just my Pan America rides, the last was a BBG - 1,500 miles in 24 hours without speeding. This bike has legs once you get the hang of it.
@@floridajim awesome can't wait!
Thanks for sharing this! What did you have connected to the usb c for then if it wasn’t for the phone charger?
My Spot tracker
I'm planning to install a separate USB adapter wired directly to the battery, and leaving the one on the bike capped off. It runs directly to the ecm (main computer) and could cause problems if water gets in there.
Does IBR penalize riders determined to be speeding via Spot tracking?
At the rider's meeting they told us excessive speed, reckless driving, etc. would get you DQed, and also warned us that there was a particular long flat stretch of highway (between 2 bonus locations) with a 55mph limit they would be specifically watching, and also told the guy on the Hayabusa they'd be watching him. The scoring software will also flag any combination of bonus location times that could only occur by speeding. They also said that if it came out later that a rider had done anything to bring discredit on the IBA they would be stripped of their finisher status and, if bad enough, be kicked out permanently.
As far as monitoring the specific speeds of around 100 riders covering nearly a million miles in 48 states + tribal lands everywhere from Montana Interstates, downtown New York & LA, rural American townships, private cemeteries, government properties and off-road Jeep trails, then trying to figure out who was speeding where - they wouldn't have the time or manpower to do that if they had ten times the crew working around the clock. But the IBR staff are IBR finishers and some of the most experienced riders on the planet that know the interstate and the bonus locations well enough to spot something out of the ordinary that needs a closer look.
But honestly, you do not need to speed to finish the IBR, or any of the IBA cert rides. They can all be done legally with proper planning and disciplined riding. Personally, I think riding fast enough to get pulled over is not only an unnecessary risk but counter-productive. Get pulled over once and you've lost more time than you could have possibly saved - even if you only get a warning. As you go faster your gas mileage plummets, meaning more gas stops between points = more lost time. Turn in bonuses or a cert that could have only be done by speeding & it's thrown out (and if it's bad enough you're thrown out). Get thrown in jail/bike impounded you're out for good. Loose your license and you've lost riding forever.
Just not worth the risk.
@@floridajim Thanks for the detailed reply. I used to date an IBR Rally competitor and she said people sped "where appropriate" all the time and I'm of the mindset that it should be up to the rider to figure out their own routes and speeds to their own benefit or detriment.
I've been off bikes for nearly a decade now but excitedly planning purchase of a new BMW RS later this spring. Planning a Saddlesore 1000 to break it in just as you did. 👍
When your bike was on its side, did you try the ratchet straps to pull it up?
That would have been a great idea, but unfortunately I went down in the middle of the Mojave Desert and there was nothing to hook it to. I did loop a strap through the front wheel and tried to rotate it 180' so I could lift it on to the hard pack, but it slid down into the hole making it worse - as well as preventing me from removing the left bag that had all the heavy stuff in it.
what did you use to charge your phone?
Simple answer - I didn't on the move. More accurate answer I managed the power and recharged when I could (as if I needed one more last minute thing to worry about). I started with it fully charged, and there were two mandatory stops (checkpoint 1 & 2) where I fully charged it. In addition there was one 6-hour rest bonus on each leg for me to charge it. I shut down all apps, Wifi & bluetooth, and if it got below 20% I turned it off to insure I had enough to call in an emergency.
Not what I planned, but it worked.
Thanks young man!
Appreciate it, though "young man" - afraid I'm on the wrong side of 50 for that
@@floridajim young in spirit then!
That sounds better than the "when are you going to grow up" comment I usually get!
USB issue is fixed by a new flash on the ecm at the dealership. Simple fix
Why do you need a spare chain for a brand new bike with less than 10,000 miles on the clock. The Iron Butt Rally is only about 11,000 miles long.
Chains can and do break. Not uncommon for an ultra distance rider to have a spare chain as as well other carry-able parts. With this being a Harley, he’ll more than likely find a dealership nearby.
I carry a spare chain for the same reason some BMW riders carry a spare drive shaft and HD riders carry a spare belt. Under the stress of the IBR we regularly break things that "never break."
Finding a Harley dealer - easy. Finding a Harley dealer that has a chain in stock, not as easy (been a while since HD has used chains). Finding a Harley dealer with a chain that can be cut down to 530x128, zero for the two weeks I looked before leaving for UT.
As of last Friday, there are only three ways my dealer can get a chain for my Pan Am - order it and wait days, call up other makes' dealerships to see if they have one that fits, or pull the chain off the Pan Am in the showroom (if it is still there).
Or bring a chain & press to fix it on the side of the road and get back in the Rally before a tow service could even make it to my bike.
You were talking about trying to figure out how to have extra fuel tanks on your bike, I tried to give you an idea earlier but apparently I pressed the wrong spot on my phone, but,,if you can imagine the idea of a pair of saddle bag style twin style extra fuel tanks, I was thinking about the designing idea in the same theory of a cereal box style, but ,you might want to look into a larger size tanks, if you take the idea of looking up the extra fuel tanks on your UA-cam research, you might very well find it, you might also want to use one of your side sitting language boxes, so I don't know of any government law regulations against the extra handiness about the extra fuel tanks, but I still like my idea about the saddle bag system mounted up by the front of the bike, you might want to find a metal fabrication shop to design and shape your extra capacity, you were talking about having at least 11 gallons of gas, this possible amount might run about 500/600 miles, my saddle bag system would probably carry about 3/4 gallons, depending on your preferences, make sure to do your math on tank size, amount of fuel, refueling, gas money isn't nothing to worry about when you find gas station, but of course if you had a saddle bag system like system ,you might need a support carriage system like system, there's cordura materials, they use cordura for making shoes and some clothing, or a nylon strapping webbing, I myself, I would prefer a detachable saddle bag system, I'm sure you can figure out your own gas line system, you just said, they have a limit on the gas limit, try the saddle bag system with 2.5 gallons, if your talking about a club of people, if your talking about individual travel, I would try for a larger saddle bag system, you will probably find something on your UA-cam, best of luck, wayneeden95@gmail.com
Congratulations! Yours was the first comment UA-cam held for review on my channel (for "word combination", whatever that means). Since it seems like a perfectly normal post to me I approved it as soon as I read it.
Anyway, the only time I'll be running with extra fuel will be the next time I run in the Iron Butt Rally - and they have very strict rules on auxiliary fuel tanks. Your idea sounds like it would work for general use & have a low center-of-gravity (always a good thing), but it would never pass the pre-rally tech inspection.
Why exactly do you need a laptop?
Routing in Basecamp.
At the beginning of every leg you're given pages of bonus locations at 4am breakfast and you're off. There are multiple locations in every one of the 48 states, each with different point values, times of access, combination bonuses, etc. You have a hard deadline at the next checkpoint (and when I say hard, I mean you're out of the Rally) and have to figure out what checkpoints to hit in what order and make the deadline while still getting enough points. And because of the scale of the IBR you are also dealing with multiple time zones, time lost to refueling, weather, construction zones, etc.
It's the only way to analyze things like "can I make it from Huntsville AL to Key West to Glacier NP MT to the 2 multipliers in CA and then to Provo UT before getting time barred & still hit enough bonuses?" (yes with 11.5 gals fuel on board, no without an aux tank).
Routing is as important as riding, in my case my routing errors are what gave me a DNF, even though I completed all 11 days and made all the checkpoints.
Ps…love how this biker took responsibility for everything that happened on this run.
You hit a very important point here. Serious endurance competition has to be tackled with the mindset that EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT. When I ran out of gas in upstate NY it was my fault for not checking that stations hadn't been abandoned during COVID. When I slept under my bike at a truck stop and got ate up by ants it was my fault for not checking. When I got caught in a downpour and couldn't get my rain gear in time it was my fault for storing it where I did. When my bike rolled off the side stand @4am and pinned me to a gas pump it was my fault for not making sure the side stand was locked. And if my Pan Am had blown up due to some factory defect it would have been my fault for running an untested bike instead of an FJR.
I created all of those problems, and I need to solve them before the next Big Dance. I really don't mean to sound like a jerk, but if someone isn't willing to take total responsibility from the time they sign up to the final checkpoint they have no business in the Iron Butt Rally.
Buddy those hard cases break more ankles, feet and legs.
If I was doing off road stuff I'd switch back over to the Giant Loop bags, for just that reason.
You need an iPad mini with an otterbox. right in the tank bag with a charging cable.
I had a lot of plans to improve my setup for the 2023 IBR, unfortunately my Pan Am is pretty near stock while they're chasing electrical gremlins. I don't want to add anything until it gets sorted out.