Here’s the breakdown of my SS1000 (1,000 miles in 24 hours) attempt on my 2015 Yamaha Vmax. (The absolute wrong bike for the job!)
For the TL/DR crowd, I did it but, may not be able to get certification.
On 7/5/2023 at 6:32pm, I left from Kingsport, TN. and headed North on I-81. However, right at the start I had problems. Documentation is key to getting certified by the Iron Butt Association. You have to take a picture of your time-stamped receipt next to your bike odometer and by your GPS odometer. You also have to document where you are at that point which my GPS does make easy with the “Where am I” feature thankfully.
When I tried to take a picture of my bike’s odo, the refresh rate on the screen was really out of sync with my phone’s camera and all I was getting was a diagonal line slowly sliding up the screen! I finally managed to get a decent pic but, this would prove to be a problem anytime the screen got hot. When it was cool, it worked fine. Hot, not so much!
Somewhere between my start point and my first stop, I realized I hadn’t properly reset my GPS unit. This is the new Garmin ZumoXT and it works a bit differently than my 595. So, at my first stop point I reset it and made note of the extra 92 miles. I had a mostly uneventful ride North. My first stop had a pump that wouldn’t print my receipt so, I had to go inside to get it but, no big hassle.
Somewhere near Christiansburg, VA., I called my Sister to get an update on the weather as I was seeing darkness and rain ahead of me. She told me all the radar was showing storms to the East of me and it looked like clear sailing for my whole trip……LIES!! Within five minutes of hanging-up, I ran through a massive downpour! The mesh jacket didn’t do much for keeping me dry obviously but it did cut down on the pain of 70mph raindrops against flesh! The storm only lasted about 10 minutes or so and then I had no more rain until near the very end of my trip.
The rest of my journey Northward was uneventful although, I did see an incredibly high number of new cars. I couldn’t even begin to count how many temp tags I saw flapping on brand new cars along the way. Apparently, many people are doing much better than I am financially.
My original plan was to turn around at a gas station in Morea, PA. However, I didn’t think about it being a mom and pop station and it was closed when I arrived around 4am. So, I had to head further North to find another station. The next station was over 30 miles away! It was at this point my problems began.
I have severe sleep apnea and so far, nothing has helped. CPAP, mouthpieces, etc. I do not sleep well and it has caused me to have what essentially amounts to Narcolepsy occasionally. I will be perfectly fine and then it’s just like I’ve been hit with a tranquilizer dart! It is violently sudden and irresistible! It hit me at the turnaround and I thought I would nap on the bike. No matter how I tried, I could not get fully asleep and just when I did fall asleep, my Brother called me to check on me and woke me up.
So, I headed back down the road towards my end stop which was to be the same station I started from. I’m not sure how many times I had to pull over and stop to try to sleep but, it was a lot and it really cut into my time!
As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m riding a Vmax. It’s a great, powerful bike but, its range is limited. I think my range from shortest to furthest between fuel stops was 92-118 miles. I’ve never run it empty so, I don’t know how much further I could have gone but, I did not want to run out! I had two fuel bottles with me just in case I got stuck between stops with no fuel options but I never had to use them luckily!
Oh, I should mention it was stupid hot and humid! On the way North, I drank 3 bottles of Gatorade and didn’t have to pee until I reached my turnaround point roughly 10 hours later! I was sweating it all out!
I stopped in Chambersburg, PA. at a McDonald’s to get some breakfast and try to take another nap. It was gloriously air-conditioned and felt great! I got a big breakfast and a large water and after eating, I laid my head down on the table and passed-out. I’m not sure how long I slept but it did refresh me and I hit the road again much more awake than before.
My next stop was Winchester, VA. This would be the last stop I was able to get all my documentation. When I stopped in Staunton, VA., I discovered my phone was dead. At the last stop, I had enough battery to last the rest of trip but, it was completely dead and wouldn’t turn on. I had noticed the screen being on sometimes when I would get it out of my tankbag and I suspect that along with the heat drained it very rapidly.
I’m not a complete fool so, I had two powerpacks with me and I had been using my newest one to charge my phone and my Sena unit on my helmet. It was too low in charge now to charge my phone so I was going to use my other one. Unfortunately, it did not have a USB-C connector. So, I had to buy one to fit at the station. Something was wrong with the connection. It looked like the USB female port on the charger was bent and loose and wasn’t making connection so, my phone was dead for the rest of the trip. I now had no way to verify my mileages in relation to my receipts. My GPS was saying I would arrive at my destination at 5:15 and I still had at least 2 if not 3 more fuel stops to go. Things were very tight!
I drank a quart Gatorade and headed down the road. I only got a few miles when there was a back-up. Dead-stopped in the heat with no cover. Apparently, a car had rear-ended a tractor trailer and locked-up his rear tandem as when I got to the scene of the wreck, the rear bumper of the trailer was jammed into the wheel area and all four rearmost tires were ground flat with holes all the way through! This means, the driver didn’t stop very quickly and drug his rear tires until they blew out and beyond!
No idea how long I was in that jam but it took its toll on my and I had to pull off at an overpass. It had good barriers and a concrete slope I laid down on and fell asleep soundly. Again, I have no idea how long I slept but, I was awakened violently by a voice asking if I was ok! It scared the crap out of me and I ****** up with startled gibberish coming out of my mouth! It was a motorcycle cop! I told him I had gotten stuck in the jam and got overheated and had to stop to rest. I told him what I was doing and he was familiar with the Iron Butt Association. We had a really nice chat for about 20 minutes and he recommended an Exxon in Christiansburg that had a porch with rocking chairs in the shade. Really nice guy!
I was feeling much better after the first really good sleep the whole trip and I hit the road again. However, at this point I realized I was not going to make it to the end in time. Plus, my documentation was nearly non-existent. I felt I had failed at my goal. So, I no longer was concerned with making it in time. I stopped in Christiansburg, VA. to fuel and hit the road again.
I got fuel in Abingdon, VA. and found I had just enough charge on my phone to call my Sister and have her meet me at the house with food as once I got home I was no longer planning on going anywhere else!
We arrived at my house at the same time and she asked me if I had succeeded. I told her no. She asked how many miles I had covered and I looked at my GPS and added the 92 miles I missed at the beginning. It was 1,061 miles. It was around 7pm at this point. She then said “You probably did it!”. I realized she was probably right but I wasn’t going to even think about it until the next day after food and sleep!
I got up and ate breakfast then I started going through my receipts. Remember, I started at 6:32pm. My last fuel stop was at 6:33pm! At that point I had covered approximately 1,024 miles at 24 hours and one minute. So, that meant I had actually met my goal 24 miles ago! So, that part is great. Unfortunately, I fear my documentation is not good enough to get certified by the IBA. They are very particular about documentation and mine is definitely not great. I’m going to submit everything I have anyway and hope for the best. If I don’t get certified, I’ll just try again later in the year when it’s much cooler. It’s one of those bucket-list items I’ve wanted to do for decades now and one way or another, I intend to succeed! Also, as far as I can tell, no one has ever done it on a Vmax before so, I hope to be the first!
![Bovemanx Motorcycle Phone Mount Holder, [150mph Wind Anti-Shake][7.2inch Big Phone Friendly] Bike Phone Holder, Motorcycle Handlebar Cell Phone Clamp, Compatible with iPhone 16 Pro Max Smartphones](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51F+1sontPL._SL500_.jpg)
