Iron Butt Association

Brief description of what to expect from posts here.

Chasing George Wyman, Part 1

Posted by Richard Worsham | Nov 6, 2023 | Ride Life | 0 |

Chasing George Wyman: Great Lakes to New York

by Richard Worsham | Jul 8, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 0 |

It was at this point that I had a strange realization of the scale of the North American continent. Up until now, I had been putting in 500 to 800 mile days and the vastness of the mountain ranges, deserts, and plains had made a mere hundred miles feel like nothing but a short jaunt. Now, however, riding from Chicago to Goshen (a trip I had made many times), I realized just how far a hundred miles is, even when traveling in a car!

Chasing George Wyman: Crossing Iowa Into Illinois

by Richard Worsham | Apr 26, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 0 |

Around 2:00 pm I fueled up and grabbed a bite to eat in Iowa City, 60 miles short of Davenport and the Illinois state line. Just before Davenport, I-80 heads south through Peru, Illinois and Joliet, then back up through the south side of Chicago. I decided to take a more northerly route on I-88, following the course of the Rock River. Once into Illinois, I again altered course and left the interstate at Sterling to get back on Route 30. The slightly more direct path across Illinois promised lower miles and the reduced speed limit wouldn’t really hamper the Halcyon. It was wonderful to leave the interstate and get back on a two-lane road again across fields that looked more and more familiar to the farmland of northern Indiana. I was tired and sore and relished every break I could afford the time to take out of the saddle.

Chasing George Wyman: A Malfunction Junction

by Richard Worsham | Feb 21, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 2 |

On Tuesday, June 27th, I rolled out of my motel bed, fumbled into my riding gear, and checked out with my helmet on and my pannier bags under my arm. 10 minutes later, I was settling into my second day of the ride with a gorgeous Nevada morning. This second day would take me into Utah, across the Bonneville Salt Flats, over the Wasatch mountain range, and into the rolling hills of Wyoming. I had been concerned that the second day would be worse than the first day, however, after fueling up and the initial discomfort of climbing back into a saddle in which I had just spent 16 hours wore off, the clear early morning air had me exhilarated and ready to settle into the 570 miles I needed to cover to reach our next rendezvous point in Laramie, Wyoming. Little did I know that I would not make it to Laramie that day, nor that I would end the day 200 miles short of the rest of the group as a result of a mechanical issue that was entirely my fault!

Riding The Dark Side: Car Tires On Motorcycles

by Rob Brooks | Jan 24, 2024 | Nuts & Bolts | 27 |

We’ve done a fair amount of tire testing in the last couple of years, with Ted Edwards and Dave Wensveen logging thousands of miles across the western states. One unconventional option that we’ve never tried but still fuels debate in some circles is using automotive tires on motorcycles. While motorcycle tires are specifically designed for the unique demands of two-wheeled vehicles, some riders still think it’s worth exploring the possibility of installing car tires on their bikes. Most of us respond with, “Are you nuts?!” Yet we still occasionally meet riders who swear by them. So, let’s take a deep dive into the pros and cons of using automotive tires on motorcycles, and see where we can park this debate.

Chasing George Wyman: Mountains to Deserts

by Richard Worsham | Jan 12, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 0 |

I left the motel around 6:00am, fueled up the Halcyon 250, set my trip meter, and headed east toward Sacramento. The odometer on the bike read 1,402 miles. I noted this and decided, in the interest of time, to head up over the Sierra Nevadas on Interstate 80 as all other routes would take too long to allow me to realistically reach our rendezvous point in Wells, Nevada with any time to sleep.