I’m In! The Minuteman 1000 – 24 Hour Rally
[EDIT] Because I cannot be in 3 places at once, I had to withdraw from the Minuteman. Maybe next year…
Since participating in The Void 7 in October 2012, I’m no longer a rally virgin. I guess that’s why I was feeling a bit cavalier (read: stupid) when I signed myself up to do the Minuteman 1000 this June. How bad could it be, right?
Right.
The format of the Minuteman is similar to what I did before:
…the MM1K is a 26 hr rally in the “traditional” format, i.e. you will be given a list of bonus locations along with point values for each location. The rider who obtains the most points will be the winner.
Get a flag, plan a route, ride around taking pictures all night, take a nap, take some more pictures then head back to the barn. Oh, and don’t fuck up. Yep. That sounds about right.
Did I Learn Anything From the Last Rally?
Well, yes, actually. Or maybe.
Light
I now know I might want to get myself some kind of light that I can use to illuminate things that my headlights won’t reach. That was a lesson I learned during the night when I had to flag down a cop and asked him to use his spotlight to shine on a fish sign that was on a dark roof.
The light needs easily fit in a sidebag or top box with a bunch of other junk.
A big flashlight would also be handy for keeping Bigfoot away.
Suggestions welcome.
Spare Keys
Keeping your spare keys – including the spare for the topbox IN the topbox… not too bright. Keep keys on my person!
Tankbag
My tankbag is on the petite side. I wasn’t able to keep my paperwork in it without folding and crumpling it to hell. That meant during the Void, I had to go in my topbox for every stop. I may need to get myself a different tank bag. Maybe.
Relax, Trust My Gut and Enjoy the Ride
I need to not be such a neurotic freak. Keep calm and ride on.
Actually, I don’t feel nearly as wound up as I did when I entered the Void. I still have no assumptions about being remotely competitive. I’ll just be riding my ride and hopefully seeing some cool stuff along the way.
—–
So that’s my story – for now.
I found an LED flashlight from Inova at Target a few years ago and absolutely love it! My go to flashlight for severe weather or “advanced darkness”. 😉 You cannot go wrong with the X2, but if you’re after more light just bump up to the X03 for a slightly larger product with much better beam distance (X2 uses 2xAA, X03 uses 2×123).
Enjoy!
http://www.inovalight.com/x/features_x2.php
http://www.inovalight.com/x/features_x03.php
I’m still only a LD wannabe so I’m no help, but based on a test I saw in the IBA mag, I keep a Fenix LD20 LED flashlight in my tankbag — it’s way more powerful than my 3 D-cell Maglite, but much smaller and has a hat clip and a flasher mode (raincoat not included). AAs don’t last very long, tho, so spares are a good idea. Some comparo pics are in here: http://www.ascycles.com/pdf/IronButt101.pdf
+ one on the LED flashlights. Good ones are super compact and very powerful. Olight is an excellent brand and available from vendors like http://www.batteryjunction.com/olt20t15t10.html or http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/index.php?cPath=956&osCsid=560rsgqo46lk8r94i78th218r0
If you want to see them in person, Steve at Ultimate Garage is a good guy and somewhat in your neck of the woods..
Fuzzy – I used a Nightblaster Rechargeable handheld spotlight for that fish pic in the Void. Fished stopped in it’s tracks like Bambi in headlights 😀
It’s rated at 2,000,000 candlepower for whatever that’s worth. It works on a rechargeable battery (12VDC car adapter included).
I also have a Brinkman QBeam 12VDC combo Spot/Flood light. It does not have a battery but is mounted to a tilting/swiveling magnetic base. The beemer of course has nothing magnetic on it so I’ve had to rig a plate to go over my tail rack. I have a power outlet right on the tail courtesy of BMW so it’s an easy stop, plug in and aim the light if I need it.
Neither is good for a tankbag but both would fit fine in a tail/top case.
Awesome! Thank you for the tips, Jim! 😀