My name is Gary Montgomery and I will turn 77 years old during the 2020 Motorcycle Cannonball. My fascination with motorcycles started when I and some elementary school classmates would sneak off campus to go sit on some older students’ Harley Hummers that were parked in the back yard of a private residence. Next was an “old Indian” an uncle brought home one winter in the early fifties. We pushed that old bike up and down the gravel road in front of the house all winter long but it never fired once. Then in 9th grade a friend let me ride his Mustang. It had no brakes and only second gear but it moved under its own power providing the most thrilling experience of my life up to that point. In 1969 I bought my first Harley, a 63 FL panhead. In about 1973 I acquired my first Indian. I still have that bike, a 1940 Chief with an 86″ motor. Today, besides the 40 Chief, I have and ride a 29 101 Scout, a 40 Sport Scout, a 27 Big Chief and a 20 Power Plus.
Click Here to Watch Gary’s Rider Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2WSzlYmYgE&feature=youtu.be
Hello New Friends and Cannonball Enthusiasts!
My name is Matt Lyman. For the past decade I’ve read stories about this great adventure called the Motorcycle Cannonball! In 2021 I’ll become a first-time Cannonball rider myself! Riding the back roads of our beautiful country, from top to bottom, on a century old machine, will be an actual dream come true for me!
I’ve had the privilege of living my entire life in rural Wisconsin, where I grew up on a dairy farm during the 1960s and 70s. This was a time when a family could make a good living working 80 acres of land and milking 30 Holstein cows twice a day. Farm life, and my parents, taught me to work hard and be persistence. Farming also taught us to care for the land, our animals, and machinery.
My twin brother and I received a well-worn Honda 50 step-through for our 13th birthdays. Within a few days of riding the fields and woodlands of the farm I was hooked! While in high school I made the progression to a 160 Scrambler, and then an old Dream 305.
In the late 70’s I found an old Harley flathead sitting on rotting tires in an elderly farmer’s dirt floored machine shed. When I asked about the bike, he told me that his son had bought it shortly before leaving for Vietnam a decade earlier. Sadly, his son never made it home. The old farmer wanted it gone. On the spot, he wrapped a logging chain around the Harley’s triangular frame, and used the hydraulic hoist on his John Deere tractor to lift the bike into the back of my pickup. I eventually learned it was a 1942 Model U. After replacing the bike’s tires, battery, and secondary chain, and with much learning and tinkering, the old beast ran. Regrettably, I sold this un-chopped survivor to pay for my last year of college. That old Harley was the beginning of my fascination with older machines.
During the past 50 years I have rarely been without a motorcycle. How wonderfully amazing these early machines are! How enjoyable it is to putt along a back road, smelling fresh cut alfalfa drying in the fields, and watching red-winged blackbirds dive from overhead phone lines as they defend their territories.
As a youngster, my grandparents lived far away, in Illinois. We were rarely able to visit, as we needed to be home every 12 hours to milk the cows. My dad had told me that my grandfather rode motorcycles in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Grandpa had lost his sight in an automobile accident in 1935. He was hit by a drunk driver. I knew relatively little of Grandpa’s early motorcycling days till after I got that first little Honda. On a rare visit to my grandparents sometime around my 14th year, Grandpa told me much about motorcycling in his youth. He said he’d owned Indians, Harleys, and Excelsiors. I asked him which he liked best? He told me that they were all great machines, but that for some intangible reason Indians were his favorite. Our shared love of riding became a special bond between us.
One of the last times that I saw Grandpa, before he passed away in 1974, he asked me to go to his dresser and pull out an old cigar box. I brought the box to him. He felt through its contents and pulled out a bronze badge. Although he had not ‘seen’ this badge in over 40 years, he clearly described every detail of it to me. On the badge were the initials S C M C and the number 92. He told me the initials stood for South Chicago Motorcycle Club, and that 92 was his membership number.
He described rides the club would take from Chicago to the Indiana Dunes area, and to early board track races. He told me about a time when a horse had eaten a flower off of my grandmother’s Sunday hat as she sat in the sidecar attached to his Indian Powerplus.
At the end of our visit Grandpa said that he wanted me to keep the bronze badge. He told me that if I ever owned an Indian motorcycle to mount the badge on its front fender tip. I told him I would. For several years that badge had resided on the front fender of my 2014, Polaris made, Indian Chief Classic.
This Spring the badge moved to the front fender tip of a 1917 Indian Powerplus which I purchased a few years ago, in original, unrestored condition. This Powerplus had not been run in perhaps 50 years, but other than its tires and seat being rotted away, was fairly complete; including its original Dixie magneto and Schebler carburetor. After 3 years of learning, and much help from my good friend and mentor, Kenny Schneider, of Kiel, WI, I’ll be riding the old Indian Powerplus in the 2021 Motorcycle Cannonball in honor of my grandfather and other mentors.
I’m looking forward to continuing the great Cannonball adventure and to making lots of new friends!
I enjoying the challenge of riding in the 2018 CB for the first time on # 117 1916 Harley JD. This original paint JD which has been raced in the family since the 40’s is modified with era correct 74 cubic inch Recardo Cylinders. Being born into a family of motorcycle racing and collector enthusiasts, I am driven and honored to keep the family history alive by competing in the Cannonball.
A little about me I am a retired Mechanical Engineer/fabricator/ tinkerer from Cal Poly, I worked for NASA a few years. I build with my own hands and race almost anything that has wheels all out of my home race shop. Bicycles, motorcycles Motocross bikes, 125cc shifter karts, road race cars, off road cars, antique trucks, antique motorcycles, 24 hours of lemons cars, dabbled in NASCAR a few years, own and race hot rodded electric cars and solar cars.
Its always exciting racing my 2017 Yamaha R1 then flashing back 100 years to the no power and no brakes of the 1916 Harley JD.
My Grandfather, JD John Cameron, was a rugged hero known for his lifelong passion for back in the day Classic American Motorcycling. He purchased, restored and raced his reputable collection. Grandpa finished the challenge of the 1984 Great American Race on a 1926 Harley two-cam JDH and Flexi side car noted in many publications at that time. It is an honor to actually ride and show these historic Americana classic motorcycles across the US
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!