My Iron Butt

By James Wilde
As appeared on the site, Ducati News, North America
January 6, 2006

August 27th, 2005 - The location was Letko Competition Cycle in Kansas City, Kansas. It was a warm afternoon with the sun shining bright. I had been planning this trip for months. I installed my trunk and side bags on my Ducati ST4. All my gear was packed. My friends where wishing me well and I was about to embark on the Iron Butt. A Bun Burner Gold. My friends were there not only for support, but as witnesses to my start time. Mario, a very Good Ducati Mechanic, Jim Koenig, owner of Letko, and Dave Wuthnow, President of Mid America Ducati Owners Club (DOC) - MADOG. Time was 4:30pm as I rolled out of the Letko parking lot. My route would take me on I70 through Kansas and on into Colorado. At Denver I would take I25 north to Cheyenne then I80 west to Utah where I would catch I84 north. This would take me through Boise Idaho and up into Oregon. Then I'd take I82 right on into my destination of Ellensburg, Washington. Sounds easy right? No problem. I had rehearsed the ride many times in my mind. My tank bag held my credit card at easy access, wallet and other important stuff was right at my finger tips if I needed it. My directions where under the plastic map shield on my tank bag. My wife bought me a book light which I attached to my tank bag for navigation at night. There would be no one else making this trip but me. No chase truck. I was alone.

For the most part, I kept up a good pace through Kansas with my first gas stop not until Salina. Refueling took all of seven minutes, I knew I had to get gas where I could roll right off the Interstate swipe my credit card at the pump, fill up, grab my receipt, and be back on the road. The Iron Butt Association uses gas receipts to track and verify your route. It was critical that I save every receipt in a secure spot. I stowed them all safely in my tank bag. I continued on to Grinnel, Kansas where I took on fuel and stuffed half a banana in my mouth. I washed it all down with Gatorade, like a true athlete. In a matter of minutes I was back on the road. It got real dark and I turned on my special driving lights installed just for this trip. They worked well, I could see along these dark and lonely roads. Soon, I was in Colorado once again stopped for gas, the Ducati ST4s with a standard fuel tank has a range of about 200 miles. Then it began to rain, I tried hard to maintain a good pace through the rain and I thought I was doing pretty well until my gas light came on again. You always think the worst, had I blown a fuel line? I shouldn't be out of fuel yet. Then I checked and found out I had been running in 5th gear for the past 60 miles. Not good. I always run high gearing on the bike for touring, it helps with fuel economy. I use a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket with a 42 tooth rear sprocket. Luckily, I found a gas station in Erie, Colorado. I filled up, grabbed my receipt, more banana and Gatorade, and off I went.

It was still raining lightly and I saw what I think was a small puddle in the road, it turned out to be deep enough that my shoes got soaked from the wash of the front tire. There's no time for changing clothes. I quickly get back up to speed. I entered Wyoming and stopped at Laramie for fuel. Minutes later I was on the road again. The rain finally stopped and the sky was clear so I quicken my pace. I love Wyoming for making up time, flat, wide open space and no traffic. I continued on to Table Rock, Wyoming and it was now 2:00 am mountain time. I had been riding non-stop for 12 hours. I decided to take a break, get some coffee and a roll. I hurried through it all and within 20 minutes I was on the road again. I stopped again for fuel in Evanston, Wyoming, grabbed my receipt, stuffed it in my tank bag and I was off again. The darkest part of this ride came in the last hour before the sun rose.

Fourteen hours of hard riding at a fast pace was taking it's toll on me. I had to fight off that spooky feeling of doom. I sang hymns in my helmet. Soon, I saw the sun rising, I took a minute to watch the beautiful sunrise. The time was 7:05 Mountain time and I was in Snowville, Utah fueling up. What wonderfully beautiful country it is through Utah and Idaho. The sun was shinning and my body was warming up. I picked up the pace again. Bliss, Idaho would be my next pit stop. Sounded like a nice place. I treated myself to a long rest break, this was just the second time I had gotten off my trusty Ducati in over 19 hours. So, how was my ST4 holding up? Better then I was, much better. I had been running 7,000 to 7,500 rpm all night. The bike used NO oil. My faithful Ducati was loving every minute of this trip. As for myself, I'm began having second thoughts.

Ok, I was back on the road and once again the scenery was spectacular. I got my second wind and I began to smell victory. The next fuel stop was Hunington, Oregon. Fuel, receipt, and off I went. I was really getting into a routine. But now fatigue started to set in, I got tired, I tried to drink lots of Gatorade and snack on some fruit. It's important to stay healthy on a trip like this. You might ask about coffee, but the answer is no I did not drink a lot of coffee. If there is anyone out there who is considering a long distance ride please attend one of Gary Eagan's seminars. Long distance riding is a whole different world. For your safety you need to be aware of the demands that will be put on both you and your machine and coffee can put you in a zombie-like state.

The time was now 2:10 Mountain time. I saw the sign for Ellensburg - 9 miles. You would think that I would be very excited but I wasn't. I just wanted it to end. I was way past tired. I wanted only to get off the bike and eat. I rolled into Ellensburg, got my gas receipt and asked for directions to the Ellensburg fire department. There I presented my witness form to a couple of firemen who were eager to hear my story. I have ridden 1,851 miles in 23 hours and 33 minutes. Once my ride was verified by Iron Butt Association I became one of only seven people in the world who have successfully completed this ride on a Ducati.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my comrade, mechanic, and friend, Mario. You see, my ST4 had over 78,000 miles on it when I started this trip. Because of his expert service, my Ducati never missed a beat. My friend Jim Koenig was always there to cheer me on. Dave Wuthnow, my DOC President, he always knew I would make it. My wife Laureen, who stayed up all night praying for me. Thank you all.

I hope this will stand as a tribute to our grand Ducati. There is no other machine that will do what I ask of my ST4. I put the bags on it and tour for incredibly long distances. I return home and off come the bags and I go riding with John who rides a 999 Superbike; he can't lose me. My ST4 runs mid 10 second quarter miles at the drag strip and then is happy to cruise at 75 for a 700 mile trip. There is no other machine that is built this well.

The ride was validated by the Iron Butt Association just before Thanksgiving. Making it official 1,851 miles in 23 hours and 33 minutes on a Ducati ST4.

Reprinted by permission of Ducati News, North America