Motorcycle Cannonball - Coast to Coast Event For Pre-1916 Classic Motorcycles

On September 10, 2010 a handful of colorful people will be gathering in Kitty Hawk, NC with their ancient motorcycles and chase vehicles to embark on a ride of a lifetime across the United States of America on the Motorcycle Cannonball Run.

If you ride a 1970s classic BMW R75/5 motorcycle, a 1966 Triumph Bonneville, or even a 1941 Indian Chief motorcycle, you are welcome to ride along but "modern" machines like these are not eligible for the actual event which is open only to pre-1916 motorcycles including Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, Henderson and Sears. The brainchild of antique motorcycle enthusiast and restorer, Lonnie Isam, Jr, this limited event sold out quickly once announced to the classic motorcycle community.

The Motorcycle Cannonball, named after the famed Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, who set 143 driving records from 1910 through the 1930's, dares contestants to live up to the records set by men like Baker. Setting his first record on an Indian motorcycle in 1914, Cannonball made the coast-to-coast ride in 11 days.

Cannonball's Course Master, John Classen, has mapped out a route for the hearty men and women motorcyclists that squarely address the particular nuances of this ride. "Our route was chosen in order to avoid having the riders enter a single interstate whenever possible. We'll have 12 hours of daylight each day, and a goal of having every rider check in at the day's ending point 1 hour before sunset. We don't want anyone having to deal with the safety issues of meeting up with the local wildlife after dark, and we are expecting some break downs."

Classen is well aware of the ins and outs of these types of contests. With over 20 years experience directing various motor sport competitions, a long-time member of the Sports Car Club of America, and having personally competed as a navigator in the Great Race for five years, where he won the title of Champion Navigator for the race in 1984, John knows his way around a route. In March, he will personally drive the shore-to-shore course for the Motorcycle Cannonball in the first of two pre-run trips to produce precise driving instructions for entrants and to smooth out any wrinkles along the way.

The year 1915 was chosen as the last to be eligible for this event because that was a pivotal year in the development of motorcycle technology. 1915 was the first year Harley-Davidson offered a 3-speed transmission with a hand shifter. Prior to that all motorcycles were either a direct drive single speed, or featured a crude 2-speed set up built into the rear wheel hub.

The 50 to 60 motorcycles allowed will be classified into three classes:

CLASS I: Motorcycles with one cylinder and single speed transmissions.
CLASS II: Motorcycles with multiple cylinders and single speed transmissions.
CLASS III: Motorcycles with multiple cylinders and multi-speed transmissions.

By far the most popular is Class III with a strong showing of 1915 Harley-Davidson motorcycles with 3-speed transmissions capable of sustaining road speeds above 50 miles per hour. Many of the machines in Class I and Class II are not able to go much more than 20 or 30 miles per hour. This will create very long days on the road to complete the 200 to 250 miles scheduled out for the 16 days planned to cross the country