Back in November, of 2011, a friend and I had planned an Iron Butt ride for late April 2012. I was riding a Shadow Aero then. I picked up my new Interstate the Tuesday before the IB Ride. I rode each day after work to get the break-in miles done properly, had the bike in for its first service on Friday, and completed the IB on the weekend. We had 6 other people join us. That ride made me realize I made the right bike choice for me.
Our route was from Las Vegas, to Flagstaff, on to Albequerque, down to Las Cruces, then over to Tuscon. We completed it in 18 hours, then slept in Tuscon, and 5 of the group pushed on to complete a Saddle Sore in 36 hours. Not me! I and 2 others visited some friends on the way back, and made the 1500 miles in 40 hours. No regrets. I didn't have a cool vest then, and that weekend in April was killer hot!
The only aspect of the bike that didn't work for me was the placement of the floorboards and heel-toe-shifter (ok, and the seat!). I had no where to put my foot, since the rear of the shifter was in the way. I am 5'6" tall, but have very short legs; a 28" inseam. Instead of buying a new regular shifter, I cut off the heel part of the shifter and polished it (friends who have the proper tools did it for me in about 15 minutes). I now can rest my feet comfortably on the floorboards. It looks fine; I may change it out down the road after I get a new windshield and seat). I do wish I could move the floorboards back at least 2 inches, and even though I have short legs, maybe down and inch or two. The handlebars for me are perfect. I do mostly long rides, and my arms do not get fatigued.
The bike did great. We maintained highway speeds on the I-40 and had few delays. There was a lot of construction, but traffic moved well. A heck of a lot of trucks, too! I would choose a different route next time, to avoid the truck traffic, and also to avoid doing the last part of the ride in the dark. I would rather ride in the dark in the morning in more familiar territory and when I'm more fresh.
A group of friends surprised us in Tuscon by joining us for breakfast, and that was really fun. One of the ladies was tracking us and surprised us at our last stop to be our witness (so we didn't have to harass the store clerk!). A great experience overall!
