Sunday, September 25, 2016

The Motorcycle Cannonball made it to the finish line in Carlsbad right on time, and there was a big crowd of family and supporters to meet, greet, and welcome them




















proof that 100 year old motorcycles burn up quite a bit of oil internally and externally








1914 Warrick Motor Carrier





































You've got 2 years to make ready a motorcycle over a 100 years old for the next Cannonball.... and it's seriously one of the coolest things you'll ever do. Bucket list or not.

During the trip, they passed through the Mojave Desert where it was 96 degrees, and entered the Joshua Tree National Park where it was 100 degrees.

update, Nov 2018
 https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitaraficionado/pat-simmons-goes-rockin-down-the-highway-on-a-vintage-harley

Doobie Brothers guitarist Pat Simmons and his wife, Cris set out to cross the U.S. on antique Harley-Davidsons,

His wife competed in the Cannonball alongside him, is a celebrated rider, journalist, and historian. Her many accomplishments include founding and editing the magazine Harley Women, authoring the 2009 tome The American Motorcycle Girls 1900–1950, and being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. At this year’s Cannonball, Cris, who rode a 1915 Harley-Davidson Model 11-J she nicknamed Effie, was the only female to complete the entire course. Pat did not fare as well riding a 1914 Harley two-speed nicknamed “Vinnie” (“after a buddy of mine who’s a unique individual,” he says with a laugh), started giving him a problem on the road and then it just came apart in Missouri

“We were on our way to Cape Girardeau in Missouri,” he recalls. “Basically the engine stopped. Parts had come off and lodged in the gear chain, broke a number of my gears, and basically froze the engine. It wouldn’t even turn over at that point. It was nothing I could have predicted. When you’re on a 102-year-old bike, you just never know what can happen.”

2 comments:

  1. The commemorative seat and footboard are cool. The best is the oil bottles rubber banded to the tool box. Nice batch of pics. I am envious.

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    1. thanks! I am just fortunate that the route ended here, about an hour from where I live in San Diego. If it had ended anywhere farther I probably wouldn't have traveled to be there. It's certainly worth the effort, but the cost of driving farther, and the time it would take... plus I just dislike the sweating all day now that I'm older and fatter... and prefer to stay in front of my laptop with air conditioning on hot days! But this is a monumental event, and I'll go and try to do it myself some day.

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