1912 Harley Davidson Twin

Hello everyone,

I am Steve DeCosa of Oswego, New York, Rider No. 2 for the 2018 Motorcycle Cannonball.

I guess I’ve forgotten how difficult the Cannonball is, because I am back for a third time to ride an ancient machine Coast to Coast.

We are building a highly original style 1912 Harley-Davidson Twin cylinder, single speed, Model 8-X-E machine.

The 1912 Model 8-X-E was Harley-Davidson’s FIRST CHAIN DRIVE motorcycle!

The emphasis of our build will be to keep the machine as original style as possible including an original frame, stock fuel tanks, clincher rims, Thor rear hub with coaster brakes, and no floorboards.

In 2014 I rode from Daytona, Florida to Tacoma, Washington aboard a 1927 Harley-Davidson. In 2016 I rode from Atlantic City, New Jersey to Carlsbad, California on a 1915 Harley-Davidson.

I expect this 2018 ride to be very challenging, and we hope to go the distance on this 1912 machine.

My Crew Chief and entire crew will consist of my wife of over forty-five years, “Crew Chief Joan”.

I took up motorcycling in 2011 shortly after retiring from thirty-six years as a high school Industrial Arts/Technology teacher. I taught many different “shop” classes over the years, but most of my career was teaching CAD, Computer Assisted Drawing and 3d modeling for architectural and mechanical applications with AutoCad and other industrial software products. As proud as I was of my students and our program, it is a great privilege to be retired and have time for projects such as the Cannonball.

Before taking up motorcycling, I’ve enjoyed nearly fifty years of various Model T, Model A, and Flathead V8 Ford projects, including some vintage racing. On both the car and bike projects we’ve had fun doing all our own mechanical assembly, sheet metal, paint, pin striping, upholstery, wiring, wheel lacing, nickel plating, light machine work, and fabrication in our home garage.

I will always be grateful to Lonnie Isam Jr. for having the vision and passion to create the Motorcycle Cannonball; and to Jason and Lee Ann Sims for taking up the helm. We treasure our friends and experiences made through the Cannonball, and look forward to making new ones!

Godspeed, and Good Luck to all!