This is my fourth Cannonball, and my second time riding a Brough Superior. In 2014 I rode a 1933 11.50 model with Susan on the back, and this year our machine is a true masterpiece, the 1926 SS100 model, the apex vintage motorcycle and one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built.

I founded TheVintagent.com in October 2006, and its popularity allowed me to abandon a 25-year career as a decorative painter by 2009, in favor of writing, photography, and film about motorcycles. Besides my website, I’m the Custom&Style editor at Cycle World, write for dozens of magazines, judge events like the Concorso di Villa d’Este, and have written 4 books about motorcycles, and co-written many more. I host shows like the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, and comment on the big Las Vegas auctions for NBCSN-TV.

I’m also co-founder of the Motorcycle Arts Foundation (MAF), which is dedicated to producing exceptional moto-culture events and content, like the Custom Revolution exhibit currently at the Petersen Museum. There are big things coming with the MAF, and I’m super excited about it.

In the past 3 Cannonballs (2012, ’14, and ’16), my partner Susan McLaughlin and I have taken tintype portraits of the riders and landscapes across the USA. These can be seen at MotoTintype.com: we’re working on a book of these photos of the remarkable people and machines braving the longest and toughest vintage motorcycle rally in the world.

I have a book coming on the last day of the Cannonball (Sep 23) called ‘The Current: New Wheels for the Post Petrol Age’ (Gestalten 2018). It’s the first book about electric motorcycles: dig the irony of my Cannonball run on an oil-dripping, gas-swilling beast! I’ve also written ‘Custom Revolution’ (Petersen 2018), ‘Cafe Racers: Speed, Style, and Ton-Up Culture’ (MBI 2014), and ‘The Chopper; the Real Story’ (Gestalten 2014).

Beside the Petersen Museum show Custom Revolution, I’ve co-curated two exhibits at Sturgis with Cannonball photographer Michael Lichter, and exhibited my photos and films online and at exhibits around the world.

I’m honored to ride a 1926 Brough Superior SS100 this year. Many thanks to Sinless Cycles / Bryan Bossier for providing the bike, and Revival Cycles for partnering with me for the second time: check out their 1925 SS80!

I have been a lover of motorbikes since my early teens. My first bike was a Zundapp 250, then came a bunch of little Hondas. But the holy grail in my neighborhood was the Triumph Bonneville which I finally acquired in 1978. I tried to buy one at the factory in England, but that’s a story for another time!

I now own ten classic bikes and have always enjoyed tinkering with them, first as a matter of economy, then puzzle solving and now therapeutic! My career of tugboats, deep sea towing and ship docking, and finally Harbor Pilot in New York City is winding down and the time is right for the ultimate adventure – the Cannonball, a ride across the country, the hard way!

But first I needed a motorcycle. None of my bikes is right for the Cannonball. An Indian motorcycle was my immediate choice for this challenge. They are sporty and they just look right. A search quickly educated me as to how rare and dear they are. The Scout seemed perfect, but alas none were available. My friend and fellow Cannonballer Denis Sharon alerted me to a ‘27 Big Chief in the Netherlands. This bike is perfect, powerful, robust and has a front brake! I quickly learned that prepping this bike to go cross country is very different than working on a classic fast tourer. Working with the experts along the way has been educational and more than entertaining.

Riding across this country is one thing, doing it on an ancient bike on back roads channeling MacGyver at every obstacle with a hundred like-minded individuals is quite another. Thank you, Mr. Sims for providing this opportunity. I am looking forward to the challenge. “Go West Young Man”!

My name is Paul Jacobson, originally from Farmington, NM and now residing in Chandler, AZ.  My first ownership of a motorcycle was a frozen, tie-wrapped, duct taped  ’72 Harley Rapido which I rebuilt more than once and used throughout my college days. Although this machine is retired now, mostly because my wife didn’t like acquiring the 2-stroke perfume as a passenger, it set in motion a continued need to ride motorcycles requiring rider maintenance along the way. When not working on my hobby of Motorcycles, I work as a Development Engineer for Intel Corporation which has given my family and I opportunities to work and live in many locations including NM, AZ, CA, NY, and China. Although we enjoyed travelling and the new experiences over the past 15+ years we are glad to be permanently settled now in AZ to focus on our kids growing up and restoring motorcycles in a more permanent setting.

For the Motorcycle Cannonball 2018 event, I will be riding my 1913 Thor Model U (Twin cylinder, single speed) which started as boxes of parts and required many hours of referencing/part reproduction as well as generous support/conversations with other Thor owners around the world. As is the case with all motorcycles in this great event, the Thor is a rare machine and has only had its limits pushed by a few folks in the last 100 years. Thor Losers in CB16 definitely pushed these limits which I plan to piggyback on and continue to improve/optimize while keeping as original as possible in the spirit of the event.

The support crew will include my father Dwight who will be piloting the support vehicle and wrenching across the country and folks joining various sections throughout including my former coworker/bike builder friend Clint out of PA, as well as a few of my late uncle Tony Bushard’s close motorcycle restoration friends (Tony and Doug out of NM). On top of being extremely excited for the opportunity to be part of this event for the first time, I will be raising money in my uncle’s name for the American Cancer Society through sales of some Thor specific shirts/posters. I am planning to donate 100% of the proceeds to this fund to help continue the research and progress needed toward finding cures.

I am looking forward to meeting new folks, enjoying the ride and challenges as we make our way across the Northern part of this awesome country.

Best Regards and see you in 2018,

Paul

In 1968 Peter Arundel purchased his first motorcycle. In 1975 started working in the building industry as a carpenter, in the same year purchased his first Indian motorcycle a 1924 chief, which started a lifelong passion for the brand. By 1981 he had started his own building company Arundel Constructions which focused on property development around Melbourne Australia.

Over the next forty years he amassed one of the best Indian motorcycle collections in the world notably, 12 race bikes, one of every 4 cylinder, and numerous chiefs and scouts, during this period Peter started Wigwam Engineering. Responsible for the first overhead valve conversion kit for an Indian chief (marketed as the Tomahawk)
In 1993 he cofounded with David Reidie, the Great Race an annual challenge between antique Harleys and Indians. This year marked the 25th Great Race. WWW.great-race.com.au

In 1998 Peter built a 1924 Indian 8 valve which broke numerous lap records at Australian road racing circuits, in 2002 Peter took the Indian 8 Valve to the salt on Lake Gardiner in South Australia where it achieved a record speed of 158.73 MPH.

Over the last decade he has found an interest in cross country trips riding his trusted 1936 chief unsupported across remote dirt roads in the Australian outback, covering north to south a 10000km round trip and east to west 6000km which sparked his interest in competing in the 2018 Motorcycle Cannonball where Peter will be celebrating 50 years of riding motorcycles.

David Reidie started riding motorcycles in 1965. In 1978 he got his first Harley-Davidson a XLH Sportster. In 1981 he opened his own Harley Dealership Harley-City in Brunswick a suburb of Melbourne in Australia. He started collecting antique motorcycles mostly Harleys from this time. In 1993 he co-founded with Peter Arundel the Great-Race an annual challenge between antique Harley and Indian owners. This year was the 25TH Great-Race www.great-race.com.au

In February this year after 37 years Harley City was sold to Northside Harley which still houses his antique collection. www.harleycitycollection.com.au

My name is Aaron Loveless and I am 22 years old. I currently live in the small town of Prunedale located in Monterey County California. I have always been obsessed with anything on wheels, and my love of vintage motorcycles started early on in life. By the time I graduated from North Monterey County High School, I had ridden my 1950’s motorized bicycle to school every day for three years. During school I spent my time building and racing Vintage-Flat-Track motorcycles, burning up all the money I earned while working at a small engine shop. I drooled over the bare-bones appearance of the early racers, and with the help of my auto body teacher, I built my own Briggs and Stratton 3-speed replica of a Harley Davidson board track racer.

At age 16, I purchased my first real Harley project. It was a single cylinder Model C that was made into a generator long ago. I had the engine running a few days later, and started thinking about where, or even how, I could race it. That’s when I stumbled on the Motorcycle Cannonball.

I took a break from the hobby while going to school for engineering at Monterey Peninsula College, starting my contract goldsmithing business, and developing a Tourmaline mine in the Sierras. Then came the day I recieved a picture of a basket case 1918 Harley twin from my Godfather. The perfect Cannonball bike. I had $400 in my bank account at the time, and with a $1000 loan as a down payment, proceeded to list everything I owned on craigslist until it was mine. I spent the next few months tinkering with it, and with a load of help from Doug at Santa Cruz Vintage Cycles, had it chugging down the road once again.

Today, I work as a Specialist for Communication Power Industries of Palo Alto California, building Electron devices for military, research, aerospace and medical applications. My commute is 140 miles a day on a dirt bike (1977 yamaha TT500). I also have a wonderful lady of 6 years who is very supportive, despite my many long nights in the workshop. I plan on staying in the engineering field, and experiencing every type of motorcycle racing I can. I look forward to the challenge of riding with the Cannonball Family in 2018.

My name is Bartek Mizerski. I am from Poland, living in the U.S. I am returning for my second Motorcycle Cannonball, having participated in the 2014 event when I rode my 1936 Polish motorcycle Sokol 1000, completing every mile. For personal reasons I had to miss the 2016 ride, but I had my 1916 Indian Powerplus all set to go.

This year I will be riding a 1928 Indian Scout 101. I found this motorcycle in the Czech Republic last year. It was originally sold new in 1928 by the Europe’s largest Indian dealer in Prague. The motorcycle was originally equipped with a Bosch lamp (herring can style), a Bosch Magdyno and a Corbin speedometer calibrated in kilometers.

My crew includes Leszek Domagala and Jack Horbal. I cannot wait to see friends from the 2014 race and am looking forward to meeting new ones.