1915 Harley-Davidson 11F

I am riding a 1915 Harley Davidson 11F “Lucille” in the 2020 Cannonball. This will be my fourth Cannonball and my third on Lucille. She successfully completed all the miles in 2016 and 2018. I keep entertaining attempting this on a different motorcycle, but the 1915 Harley is so much fun to ride. This is such a great event. There is no better way to see the country then to do it at 45 mph and on secondary roads. We get to ride with people who end up becoming our close friends. Getting to talk with the people who come out to see this bit of insanity is great – we hear a lot of interesting stories. Late in 2019 I will disassemble the Harley to inspect and refresh anything that needs attention. In the 2018 Cannonball I did have some issues with a worn-out clutch that resulted in a broken rib when the bike threw me while accelerating through an intersection. Cannonball staff and fellow riders were nearby and helped me get back on the road again. My goal this time is no personal injuries… I’ll also miss Zeke Smith who was my support driver in 2018. He is my friends son and is starting engineering school in the summer of 2019. His parents were good enough to let him drive my support vehicle the “White Whale” by himself. I can’t imagine what it was like crossing the country by yourself just three weeks after turning 17! He did a great job and left some big boots to fill.

Special thanks to Jason, LeeAnn, and the entire Cannonball staff for continuing to put together such a great event and taking me places in our great country I have never been to before! I am still looking for the largest ball of twine – hopefully it’s on our route this time.

Regards,

Erik Bahl

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