Newburgh to Milwaukee-Well Cannonball fans, it’s been quite an adventure for the 71 riders who started out on this transcontinental excursion. We’ve had wind and rain, a lot of tuff miles, breakdowns and excitement. As warned, our first three days have been long and difficult. Let’s try to get caught up:

The Grand Start was a great time at the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh with an elaborate breakfast set up among the extensive museum display of all things motorcycle. A full crush of vintage fans came out to see the riders, wish them well on their journey, and enjoy the early morning energy and picture perfect weather. We dashed out of the parking lot and into the call of the open road. We were off!

Our day one was 210 warm and humid miles through the countryside of New York and on back roads into Pennsylvania. It was made up of great scenery along some seriously  fun motorcycle roads. Sweep staff and riders got an instant opportunity to get to know each other as the breakdowns were immediate and passing riders took note of each other’s weaknesses. Some didn’t make it more than a few blocks from the museum before they were off the road and wrenching. The air of competition was thick as the men struggled to make the miles and by the time the pack rolled into Wellsborough, PA for the evening check in, they were ready for a little respite. All made it in safe. The evening mechanical camps of adjustments were mostly wrapped up before midnight.

Stage 2 was met with an eye on the sky since the weather was predicted to be particularly wretched. Wind, rain, lightening and hail were all forecast as riders in full rain gear struck out under a dark and threatening sky. No one escaped the wet riding unless they were trailered, and many were. Fortunately, however, the front moved quickly and the afternoon was dry, but the wind still caused some riders grief. As did the many magneto problems due to the wet weather. An issue that would continue to plague riders for days afterwards. Spirits were high and even though the sweep vehicles came in late and loaded to capacity, all were in safe by dark.

This was a bad day for Victor Boocock when his back tire blew and wadded up his fender. Rather than continue on, Victor decided to return home to California since “Seeing American from the back of a truck is not my idea of fun.” We’re sorry to see him go.

Other stories from our second day out included Eric Dunk being assisted after his primary chain snapped. A local couple stopped and helped Dunk by bringing him a chain, already sized and ready to slap into the primary. “We like to help,” the Good Samaritan shared. “Next time, we’ll be on the Cannonball ourselves!”

Ian Patton, #22 from England found himself being assisted by thoughtful locals who brought him out a chair so he could sit and wait for the sweep truck. Then they fed him refreshments; pizza is fine dining when hanging out in the back roads waiting for a lift.

We found a huge crowd of fans waiting at the hotel as we rolled into Sandusky. Riders were thrilled with the greeting and offered locals an opportunity to admire their machines, even allowing people to sit on their bikes and appreciate the history behind the dinosaurs. A booth where bagged meals were distributed to the weary warriors was in the parking lot and inside the hotel a mystery woman described to us as “Jessica in the purple pants,” bought 50 pizzas for the famished crews. The whole scene of people caring for the time travelers was heart warming.

We started Stage 3 knowing it would be an exceptionally challenging day due to the time constraints. There were 300-miles to cover and a date with the ferry that would not wait. We needed to get across Lake Michigan to arrive at the Harley-Davidson reception dinner and many of us were anxious to check out the displays since we’d never been to the famous museum. Therefore, there would be no time for tinkering with cantankerous machinery along the roadside. Broken bikes would have to be trailered and delivered with no delay. It made for a difficult ride for everyone. Less than half way through the route an oblivious driver made the notorious left turn in front of rider #40, Bill Buckingham which cast a pall over the entire group.

Being able to walk away from a crash is always a miracle, and Bill was one of those cases. He was transported to the local hospital to be checked but by evening he was holding court in the pit, with friends helping him put his broken bike back together. He rode the entire route on Monday. He was limping around offering to show us his massive bruises when we caught up with him. Considering they were all below the belt, we passed but having seen his crumpled bike as it was retrieved from the crash site, we were curious as to how he got it back together so quickly.

“Well, I had a friend who had picked up a basket case so he donated the front end, and we got a wheel. The handlebars are still crooked, though.” And the tank? We couldn’t imagine that it wasn’t leaking since it had a considerable crunch.

“Yeah that, well, a bunch of JB Weld and it’s good to go. It isn’t pretty but I’m running!! I’m gonna make it the whole way. You know, this is the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life. I am having a blast!”

And that, folks, is what this run is all about. Everyone coming together to help each other across these great States in the true-grit spirit of Cannonball Baker during the 1900s. We’re on our way…California or bust!

The coast-to-coast endurance ride for motorcycles made before 1930 is under way.

The adventure has begun!

The 2012 Cannonball Motorcycle Endurance Run rolled out of Newburgh, New York, this morning, with some 66 motorcycles made before 1930 all starting on the first leg of a 16-stage, 3,900-mile journey across the Northern U.S. to an ending in San Francisco on September 23.

The starting line was the new Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, which itself preserves hundreds of historic machines from motorcycling’s Golden Era. But the bikes gathered for the start of the Cannonball included some of the most famous brands from all those decades ago—Harley-Davidson, Indian, Henderson, BMW, BSA, Sunbeam, Rudge, Excelsior, Husqvarna, J.A.P. and Triumph.

On Thursday, Motorcycpedia hosted the grand opening of the newest exhibit put together by the Antique Motorcycle Foundation. The exhibit is called “Kaizen,” and it tracks the development of the Japanese concept of the same name, which translates as “beneficial change.” Kaizen was the guiding principle behind the rapid growth of the Japanese motorcycle industry in the ’50s and ’60s, and the exhibit is filled with significant examples of landmark machines that came to America during the era.

The Cannonball riders themselves were some of the first people to see the Kaizen exhibit, and AMF Chairman Dennis Craig said that although these riders arrived on classic motorcycles of their own, he was pleasantly surprised by their reaction to these comparatively modern classics.

“I watched some of these old bikers walk up to these Japanese machines, stop, say, ‘I always wanted one of these when I was young,’ ” he said. “It was just as great experience.”

This morning, the museum hosted a kickoff breakfast for the riders. Or at least, it offered a breakfast. But museum Founder Ted Doering was concerned that it might go to waste.
“We were afraid no one was going to eat anything,” he laughed. “Everybody was so fired up to get started.”

Finally, the moment came for the riders to begin their journey. Police blocked off the street and local residents lined the pavement as, one after another, machines more than 80 years old set off on the first leg of this coast-to-coast adventure.

One of the most-anticipated moments came when a group of Henderson four-cylinder motorcycles rolled out together for the 210-mile ride to tonight’s stop in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Henderson brand, founded in Detroit by legendary motorcycle designer William Henderson in 1912. And Mark Hill has been working for months to bring together a whole fleet of these rare and luxurious machines for the Cannonball. Hill’s team accounted for eight of the Henderson entries in the Cannonball, while another nine were entered by others, bringing the total to 17.

“Yesterday, when we got together before the start, we had more Hendersons in one place than I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “And then, this morning, we set off with eight of us in a pack. I think that’s the most Hendersons that have traveled together on the road since the ’30s.”

The day went well for the Henderson pack, consisting of Hill, Frank Westfall, Mike Fockler, Dale Stoner, Jeff Tiernan, Bryne Bramwell, Clyde Crouch and Steve MacDonald. All of the bikes rolled into Wellsboro within their 45-minute time window, so they were all credited with a perfect 210 points, one for every mile traveled.

But Hill notes that’s just the start.

“We’ve been working for months to build these bikes,” said Hill, “and this morning was our first chance to play around with them on the road. We’ve prepared some of them a little differently, and I think we discovered that Mike (Fockler’s) bike is going to be the hot machine.”

One of those most interested in seeing the Hendersons perform well is 19-year-old Tanner Whitton, who is a student in Hill’s motorcycle mechanics course at the State University of New York Canton.

Tanner has signed on as a support-team member for the Henderson pack, and he’s been involved in building some of the machines in the group.

“Working on these engines has really impressed me,” he said. “I had no idea that people were building something this advanced all the way back then.”

It will be Whitton’s job to help ensure that those sophisticated engines keep on working perfectly all the way across the country. And if the original Cannonball, run back in 2010, is any indication, that’s a job likely to extend well into the night most days.

It’s not surprising, then, that one of Whitton’s highlights of his first day riding in the support-team truck had nothing to do with William Henderson’s famed inventions.
“I was able to take a nap,” he reported. “It was great.”

Although the Henderson pack is off to a great start, the first day of the Cannonball included a scare for the rider on one of the other true classics in the event.

Buzz Kanter, publisher of American Iron, Roadbike and Classic American Iron, is aboard the only example of one of Harley-Davidson’s rarest models entered in the Cannonball. The 1929 JDH, a 74-cubic-inch (about 1,200cc) V-twin came with a twin-camshaft layout proven to increase performance on the company’s racing machines, and that technology was said to give this street motorcycle the capability to hit 100 mph.

Kanter’s JDH started great at Motorcyclepedia and, he reported, was rolling along just fine until the 58-mile point, when the rare (and expensive) engine “just locked up solid.”

Paul Ousey, who was riding alongside Kanter on a single-cam Harley JE model, stopped to help. And together, the two injected oil into the engine from the machine’s manual oil pump. They waited more than 15 minutes for the engine to cool, then discovered that it would turn over slowly using the kickstarter.

Eventually, then engine “unstuck” itself, and Kanter was able to fire it up again. It then proceeded to complete the final 150 miles of the day without any additional problems, although Kanter took the precaution of increasing the amount of oil he pumped into the engine at each gasoline fillup.

“We’re not tearing it down tonight,” Kanter said. “It ran great, and I think it’ll be fine.

“These bikes were rare even back then,” he added, “and I’m not sure if anyone has ever ridden one all the way across the country. So I guess we’ll learn as we go.”

In all, 54 of the 66 machines that started the day finished with a perfect 210-point score. But that’s just the first day, and tomorrow, the rider will be challenged by the longest leg of the trip—320 miles from Wellsboro to Sandusky, Ohio.

Oh, and the weather forecast is calling for rain.

It should be, uh, interesting.

This will be a pleasant journey of communing with nature as entrants spend most of the day riding through the beautiful Yellowstone National Park, which will include a lunch break at the Old Faithful geyser.

Of the over 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful is the most predictable. Named in 1870 for to its reliable eruptions, the geyser blows about every 91 minutes. Though there are recorded intervals from 45 minutes to 125 minutes (averaging about every 66 minutes back in the 1930s), it has become more reliable and currently averages a 1.5 to 5 minute blast every 90 minutes. Old Faithful spews boiling water as high as 185-feet into the air 65 minutes after an eruption lasting less that 2.5 minutes or 91 minutes after a blast lasting more that 2.5 minutes.

The concentration of wildlife in Yellowstone is unlike anywhere else in America. Riders can expect to see any number of animals including bear, elk, antelope, red fox, coyote, bald eagles, bison, wolves, big horn sheep, badgers, ground squirrels and chipmunks. There are also moose in the southern edges of the park, in the Grand Tetons. We will travel through the Grand Teton National Park on our way to our overnight city of Jackson, Wyoming, bringing us to day’s total of 160-miles.

Today’s ride will include the steepest ascent, highest summit, and steepest descent of the entire trip as we cross the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, which are part of a northwest spur of the Rocky Mountains. The Sioux, Crow, and Cheyenne consider these mountains sacred.

Our lunch break for the day will be at the world famous Irma Hotel, hosted by the City of Cody, Wyoming. The city of Cody was named after William “Buffalo Bill” Cody who helped found the town in 1895.  The Irma Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was named after Buffalo Bill’s daughter of the same name. Cody built the now-famous Irma Hotel in 1905 and called it “the sweetest hotel that ever was.” The public is invited to come see the men and their machines at the illustrious Irma Hotel.

Cody, Wyoming is considered the gateway to Yellowstone and riders will enter the Yellowstone National Park on this afternoon, to finish the day’s 229-mile ride at the Yellowstone Lodge.