Getting ready to do a Saddle Sore 1000 in a couple of weeks and wanted to know if anyone out there has done one.

I've looked at the Iron Butt Assoc website, on their recommendations/advice, but would like some input from this site.

I have an 07 K12 with approx. 11K on the clock. I'm going to do the 12K service before going on the trip, but is there anything I need to pay particular attention to? Any advice?

Yes, I know I'm crazy.

I would guess that Meese has done a few dozen, maybe even a hundred of them )

I will let him chime in but lots of people have done them and Meese does them weekly I think.

Yup....carry an extra final drive, cam tensoiner, cam chain, sprocket, a few valves / seats / guides and shims, asst gaskets and seal....clutch pack / basket, towing rig with trailer and a full tool compliment. ...2 towing / emergency roadside assistance programs....extra water....and a few days extra vacation time.....etc etc....

You'll do just fine.

AWESOME! I thought I might need to trailer an extra bike or something. I can fit all that stuff in my cases.

Nah....no need to tow another....you could go the chase vehicle route instead......pretty soon it'll be as common as it is with the rental HD crowd. I can see it now. Throngs of Euro visitors headed to the great American west to rent the BMW of their dreams. Death Valley.....Yosemite.....Grand Canyon.....Zion.....Glacier.....Yellowstone..... endless roads......followed by the entourage of chase vehicles......no wait.....that's what I used to see with other brands!

Sorry.....ummm .....just depends on how adventurous you want to get !

Yeah, I've done a few of them . . .

Basically, be prepared, have a good route chosen, watch for boredom and fatigue, and remember to have fun.

1,000 miles can be done in around 15 hours if you're very efficient and ride good, open roads. Add a few hours for slower roads, traffic, and more stops to stretch and relax. Holding a 60 mph average speed will get the job done in a little over 17 hours with fuel stops, and maybe 18 hours if you dawdle some or add extra stops. Easily doable by most folks if they set their minds to it.

Read through this thread for much more detailed advice. Then let us know if you have any more questions.

Thanx to everyone for your advice and a big shout out to Meese and XMR for the thread advice and willingness to help.

Here is the route I have planned. If you would look over it and make any suggestions I would appreciate it. Most of the route is planned for the interstates. I'm planning on the ride with a friend, he's on a HD Road Glide Ultra.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,10.821533&z=7

Looks like a decent route. Just make sure you get receipts at every "corner" point, to prove that you didn't take a diagonal shortcut road, or that you took a longer loop road around a city instead of going straight through. That would probably be Sandston (by the airport), Dortches, Greensboro, Clyde, Dandridge/White Pine, and Strasburg. Those don't have to be fuel (food or an ATM counts), but they do help prove that you rode the entire route as submitted.

Also, while it may be convenient to start from home, that isn't strictly necessary. Nor is it necessary to start and end in the same place. You could ride straight to the interstate, get a good receipt there, and use that as your official starting time. Then make your loop and stop again wherever it's convenient to get an ending receipt. That might save you from getting start/ending receipts in King George, then also getting corner receipts in Falmouth and Ruther Glen to prove that little detour.

As for your riding buddy, sometimes it does help to share this type of ride with a friend. But make sure that you're in synch here. Verify what is a comfortable fuel range, and what is expected at stops. It can be rather frustrating if you're fueled up and ready to go, and he's lighting his third cigarette . . .

Also, have a plan in case someone breaks down or just gets tired and wants to drop out. Do you stick with your buddy and scrap the ride, or do you agree to split up and head out separately (assuming that everyone is safe and not stranded, that is). Either way works, just make sure you discuss it beforehand so there's no confusion.

Other than that, have fun!

Thanks again for the advice. We are starting in King George, because that is about equal distance between his house and mine.

When we did our SS1000, I rode about 1080 miles to make sure I had plenty of miles. We made sure we stopped for about 10 minutes every 150 miles or so. We had a group of 4 bikes total. It was manageable, but we did end up splitting at the final stop as one person needed a little longer break and stopped for a full meal.

If I was going to do it again, I'd make a second plan to ride the extra 500 (0r 420 in my case) miles after sleeping to get the 1500 too.

I think the weather is most important. Check the forecast, and if it doesn't look good, I'd re-think the run. While 1000 miles isn't bad, 1000 miles in rain/wind sucks.