At the end of Stage 5 yesterday, I was approached by a bike enthusiast and asked about the ‘28 Henderson. They asked how we were doing in the race and if I could win. With the bike running well and the weather holding out, I am a winner. But with my age (under 70), my bike’s age (1928) and grouping as Class VI (big engine), I would never “win” the Cannonball. Obviously that is not why I do this…we are here to ride, see the country, hang with friends and have fun. If I wanted to win, I would be on a really old bike (ie, 1912) with no transmission and get older! To see the overall standings as we complete the Stages, check the Scoring link: https://motorcyclecannonball.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/MC2021-Stage5Scores.pdf#zoom=100
The riding yesterday was up in the top tier of rides…cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon, no rain and lots of twisty roads in hill country. The start was early:
The hills of West Virginia and Virginia are amazing. Tight twisty turns threaded through the lush valleys. Some sections were completely empty of traffic, just me and intense concentration as we really worked the engine, tires and brakes for miles at a time. Occasionally I would come upon another group of riders and hang with them for a bit. The best was riding with Justin and Jared Rinker on their early Indians. These “twins on twins” are not slow pokes. The three of us swept bend after bend in formation, up and down 6-9% grades under the leafy canopy of shade tree. Awesome.
By the time we were in Virginia, the temperature and humidity had climbed in the 90s. I didn’t stop to take photos but Nancy and Vern pulled the van over at Lover’s Leap on Route 58 and captured the spectacular view:
Maintenance last night included adjustment of the exhaust valves – they had tighten from where I had set them (0.008”) to 0.005”. This often occurs as the new valves are bedding into their seats and should be OK. I will check them every night to be sure there is no valve seat recession occurring. Stage 6 takes us on the Eastern most extent of this Cannonball…all the way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
We are really enjoying your Cannonball ride! Beautiful descriptions of the country for me and great technical for Tracy. Keep up the excellent work to be safe and have fun!