DualSportJourney
11-06-2022, 02:19 PM
The weather here in the Northeast gave me a window of opportunity to try the IBA "Saddlesore" 1000 mile (in 24 hours) certified ride.
I wanted to do it on the little KPM200, just to show that you can have big adventures on a small bike!
Some general rules set be IBA for certification of the ride...
1. Route must be ridden on a motorcycle.
2. Must be completed in a 24 hour period.
2. Must check in with date/time stamped receipts to prove you were where you reported along the route. This is done by taking a photo with printed gas receipts (with address, date and time) next to your odometer reading.
3. No "stimulants" during any part of the ride. This includes coffee!!!
I had 4 days to prepare for this. The KPM had only 497 miles on it at the official check in at the beginning of the ride. It is completely stock (including tires), with no modifications except for the aftermarket mirrors for better rear facing visibility, addition of a seat cushion, small tail bag strapped to the back part of the seat, cheap little magnetic tank bag, and phone mount attached to the handle bars.
Start time was 0011 on Nov 5th, 2022. The plan was to traverse an 1100 mile loop around NYS with the top portion cutting back south to ride through the heart of the Adirondacks and back up to the Canadian border before continuing the loop.
A friend of mine decided to do the trip with me on his Triumph Speed Triple.
Here's how it went down...
The ride started off great, but I under estimated the effectiveness of my riding pants and "3 seasons" lined jacket as far as keeping me warm. I rode the first 8 or so hours chilled to the bone which caused considerable fatigue early on.
Felt relieved after several hours as I turned and headed east as the sun was rising and felt the sun on my face. The route I chose to head back east tuned out to be a big mistake! Although it was the beautiful Finger Lakes region landscape, it ran through a few cities which caused hours of delay. This would ultimately be my downfall.
Buy the time I reached the halfway point, I was way behind schedule and it was at that time I realized that I really messed up and most likely would run over 24 hours to finish the route. Even though I had faith in the KPM to run the 1000 miles, I knew its highway limitations and once you loose time along the route, there is no making it back up with higher speed on the interstate highways.
Undeterred, I pressed on. By the time I was headed though the high peaks wilderness region it was getting dark (so much for enjoying the view...). During the day this is a wonderful ride. At night its dangerous and just plan exhausting!
It was at this point (at around 8:00pm or so) I decided to abort the mission for safety reasons. We had been riding for approximately 20 hours strait with very few rest stops. We u-turned and retraced our route south to safer roads, continued back home, and arrived safe and sound back to our homes.
I ended the ride with just under 900 miles on the KPM in a 24 hour period. I didn't successfully complete the challenge, but learned a great amount from the experience. This ride was a mission, NOT an adventure. I saw awesome stuff along the way, but could not stop and check it out as we could not deviate from the mission. The bike ran great and it was comfortable, although I did add the "universal" seat cushion. I did take some ibuprofen along the route, just to help with the normal aches and pains from a couple protracted injures acquired in my younger years.
On the highway or interstate the little bike can be challenging because of the tiny engine size. It can be done, but precautions should be taken, and expectations managed. This bike is not for those suffering from insecurities that manifest itself into a need to over compensate with big expensive material things... but if you want to have an adventure on a small, inexpensive motorcycle, you can have that on the little KPM.
I do have some video and will add more to my YT channel (Dual Sport Journey), but I don't want to post a link for fear of seeming "spamish".
I wanted to do it on the little KPM200, just to show that you can have big adventures on a small bike!
Some general rules set be IBA for certification of the ride...
1. Route must be ridden on a motorcycle.
2. Must be completed in a 24 hour period.
2. Must check in with date/time stamped receipts to prove you were where you reported along the route. This is done by taking a photo with printed gas receipts (with address, date and time) next to your odometer reading.
3. No "stimulants" during any part of the ride. This includes coffee!!!
I had 4 days to prepare for this. The KPM had only 497 miles on it at the official check in at the beginning of the ride. It is completely stock (including tires), with no modifications except for the aftermarket mirrors for better rear facing visibility, addition of a seat cushion, small tail bag strapped to the back part of the seat, cheap little magnetic tank bag, and phone mount attached to the handle bars.
Start time was 0011 on Nov 5th, 2022. The plan was to traverse an 1100 mile loop around NYS with the top portion cutting back south to ride through the heart of the Adirondacks and back up to the Canadian border before continuing the loop.
A friend of mine decided to do the trip with me on his Triumph Speed Triple.
Here's how it went down...
The ride started off great, but I under estimated the effectiveness of my riding pants and "3 seasons" lined jacket as far as keeping me warm. I rode the first 8 or so hours chilled to the bone which caused considerable fatigue early on.
Felt relieved after several hours as I turned and headed east as the sun was rising and felt the sun on my face. The route I chose to head back east tuned out to be a big mistake! Although it was the beautiful Finger Lakes region landscape, it ran through a few cities which caused hours of delay. This would ultimately be my downfall.
Buy the time I reached the halfway point, I was way behind schedule and it was at that time I realized that I really messed up and most likely would run over 24 hours to finish the route. Even though I had faith in the KPM to run the 1000 miles, I knew its highway limitations and once you loose time along the route, there is no making it back up with higher speed on the interstate highways.
Undeterred, I pressed on. By the time I was headed though the high peaks wilderness region it was getting dark (so much for enjoying the view...). During the day this is a wonderful ride. At night its dangerous and just plan exhausting!
It was at this point (at around 8:00pm or so) I decided to abort the mission for safety reasons. We had been riding for approximately 20 hours strait with very few rest stops. We u-turned and retraced our route south to safer roads, continued back home, and arrived safe and sound back to our homes.
I ended the ride with just under 900 miles on the KPM in a 24 hour period. I didn't successfully complete the challenge, but learned a great amount from the experience. This ride was a mission, NOT an adventure. I saw awesome stuff along the way, but could not stop and check it out as we could not deviate from the mission. The bike ran great and it was comfortable, although I did add the "universal" seat cushion. I did take some ibuprofen along the route, just to help with the normal aches and pains from a couple protracted injures acquired in my younger years.
On the highway or interstate the little bike can be challenging because of the tiny engine size. It can be done, but precautions should be taken, and expectations managed. This bike is not for those suffering from insecurities that manifest itself into a need to over compensate with big expensive material things... but if you want to have an adventure on a small, inexpensive motorcycle, you can have that on the little KPM.
I do have some video and will add more to my YT channel (Dual Sport Journey), but I don't want to post a link for fear of seeming "spamish".