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We had a good day of “rest” working on bike maintenance while at our FEMA-like lodging in the middle of a field. The view from above (where the original Sturgis hillclimb competition occurred) looks like this:

Montana is a delight…man-o-man are those spectacular views! We left SD with temps in the upper 40s…a bit chilly but a beautiful morning. The chaos of the starting line never gets old as the goal is to thread your way to a spot where you can ride your own race at your own pace away from the crowds. We settled into a groove and the three Henderson’s were resonating with pulsations in and out of sonic phase.

Today had a couple of surprises….the Garmin odometer suddenly shut off and then restarted. Not trivial, as all the route instructions require accurate knowledge about how many miles have been covered at all points. You snicker…OK, O’Brien, just do the math! Yes, but subtracting 59.3 miles from the route instructions repeatedly makes my brain hurt. The solution? Ride side by side with Vern and when his odometer hit 100 miles exactly, reset the odometer on Blue Bird. At least know the last two digits should match.

Second challenge: another tapered pin came out, this time from the spot where the shift arm locates on the shaft going into the transmission. Result…unable to find any gears or neutral. Another roadside rescue with Allen wrench, safety wire and friction tape.

There were some really nice twisting roads coming down from the hills outside Billings, Montana with blue sky, sunshine, temp in the 70s and a great reception at the Harley Davidson dealer. This is why we ride. Not all participants were so lucky as the Grim Sweeper collected quite a few bikes including the number one position 1911 Excelsior single speed. What is astounding is the some 54 bikes/riders still have perfect scores having completed each Stage within the allotted time.

Cold, rain and steep mountain roads to 7000+ feet will really test endurance over the next two days as we go into Western Montana and Idaho. Thanks for the support.

What a day, 290 miles from Pierre, SD to Sturgis, SD via the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Getting the bikes out and ready before morning light while looking for more coffee…the 7:30 am start time for Class III riders was early.

We were pleased about the weather forecast showing sunshine and in the 70s. What was not obvious – until we were well underway, was the battle against headwinds. These antique bikes already struggle mightily when taking on hills while gaining elevation but to add strong headwinds means a a real struggle getting to the top. My strategy was to gain momentum going downhill, tuck into a racer’s crouch going uphill while trying to maintain speed in the 45-52 mph range. Three small carburetor adjustments where needed by the time we reached an altitude of 5700 feet. What a relief it was to get to the stunningly beautiful Badlands National Park.

Stopping briefly to check oil, I found the clutch pedal resting on the floorboard…no clutch available? No problem. Pushing the hand shift into neutral prevented stalling. The tapered pin which holds the clutch pedal into it’s shaft was obviously missing. What to do on the roadside? Dig into the tool roll and see what might work. Solution = Allen wrench and safety wire:

The ride past Mount Rushmore gave us great curving roads through the timbers and rock formations. We cruised through Deadwood, SD and into Sturgis for a great reception, beer and dinner. Lot’s of interesting people came to look at bikes and chat including one sweetheart who may become tomorrow’s vintage bike rider.

While bearded bikers are common, it is not every day you see this kind of bearded in Sturgis.

Off now to do the day’s bike maintenance, rest and hang with Nancy and fellow riders. Billings, MT is the next goal for Tuesday.

Now is when it starts to get confusing…what day is it? Where are we? What time zone? Fortunately when you are on the bike, pacing yourself for the long day, the route instructions become the structure as miles are clicked off. Stage 8 started early but was a beautiful morning through southern Minnesota. This was a typical view with Vern in front (74 cubic inch engine vs my 58 cubic inch machine):

The expected misery of heat, bad roads and excessive distance failed to materialize…it was a nice ride and I could have kept going even after 314 miles! You know you are getting bored when the anticipation of reaching a stop sign in 10 miles seems pretty good. We maintained a steady 50-53 mph, had a frozen fruit bar for lunch at one of several gas stops and got to the finish line early. There was even a little cooling breeze from the Mighty Missouri River to welcome us to Pierre, SD.

Not all riders faired well…the ever persistent Yoshi and Shinya  suffered a flat with the front clincher tire. Yoshi and bike went down and he required some wound care…but I saw them working on the bike at 10:30 pm last night!

Another night of not enough sleep for me and then a long ride tomorrow. We passed the half way point yesterday and will have a day of rest in Sturgis, South Dakota tomorrow.

It seemed like one long country road. Straight? For 30 miles at a time? No turns? Yes sir. And it was hot with a strong cross wind…especially when the oncoming semi-trailers come by at 60 mph. We had to tuck in tight or the furnace-like buffeting would really hit hard.

The morning started out early but nice with a glow in the air and long shadows across the corn fields. As we got going, I looked down and saw the Spirit of Alan Bedell riding with me:

Group chaos is typical as the bikes eagerly leave the starting line but then they sort themselves out into smaller riding clusters and the riders focus on racking up miles. For many, the scheduled lunch stop can be perfectly timed – as Doug Jones found out today. We were following him into Mason City and noticed a soft-looking rear tire. Flat repair is somewhat easier in a motorcycle dealer service area as compared to the side of a no-shoulder highway.

The heat built into the 90s during the afternoon and most Cannonballer’s were happy to finish at the Indian Motorcycle factory in Spirit Lake, Iowa. We got the tour, got to visit with friends and cool down. Of course, the call of the nightly ritual could not be avoided.

Tomorrow promises to be a tough day….314 miles to travel with the temperature in the mid to upper 90s. The ride into to South Dakota starts early with bike up and ready to go at 6:30 am.

It was a late night fixing broken exhaust, completing nightly chores, eating a quick dinner and then going for some much needed some sleep. For a great description of yesterday’s events, please see the excellent summary and photos at http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/. We are still OK having completed all of Stage 6 miles. Note that 5 of the top 12 bikes are Henderson’s at this point. Most impressive? Single cylinder, belt drive 1911 Excelsior!

The alarm went off this morning at 4:30 am…I type these words while having coffee then out to get bike ready. Our route instructions should be available at 6:45 am. We are off to Spirit Lake, Iowa today with planned stop in the Indian Motorcycle factory. More photos and news when there is adequate time….

What a contrast! Stage 5 brought us into the flatland and the roads were no longer cool, graceful curves but straight segments leading to straight segments. Some of the route instructions would say “go to mile 168.2 and take left at first paved road”. The route master (thanks John) had us taking 90 degree turns back and forth through corn fields which was somewhat disorienting. I think we went over the same railroad tracks 27 times!

As the afternoon heated up, bikes began to feel the pain of hard riding, hot sun and rough road surfaces. A good description of the toll taken can be found on the AMCA website: http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=174&cntnt01origid=221&cntnt01returnid=97. The Grim Sweeper truck and trailer team were very busy.

We were hosted in the midst of this open space by Kersting’s World of Motorcycles….wow. What a great spot to see a large and varied bike collection and to meet a very gracious owner. Thanks also to the volunteers for serving lunch.

The Henderson’s were not without problems today. The Wolf Pack suffered several indignities including broken fender brackets, leaking gas tanks, loose handlebars, etc. All could be attributed to the brutal beating provided by the roads and heat. For Blue Bird, we started the day in top form…here you can see me with three of the Henderson world’s finest: Vern Acres, Evan Kune and Mark Hill (riding the Dale Walksler special).

Even the smooth running Blue Bird had some challenges…about 3 pm, with the temperature in the upper 80s, the bike started to miss, cough, and jerk. What was happening? Pending engine failure? Magneto problems? Fortunately, it appears that it was intermittent fuel starvation due to excessive heat in the fuel lines and carburetor…gas boils and bubbles causing problems. I eventually found that running fuel from the reserve tank which was cooler, venting the tanks and running faster kept it turning smoothly. We crossed the finish line with clean points and headed to the “pits” for the nightly chores.

Off the the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa tomorrow.

Long days + fun + hard work = Cannonball Stage 4. Early morning drizzle in Southwestern NY gave way to scattered clouds and sunshine by the time we got to Bowling Green, Ohio. The ride was (mostly) awesome…sweeping curves, farm and forest, small towns with great turn-of-the-century architecture, etc. The brutal aspect came in the form of potholes, road seams and non-intentional speed bumps. On a rigid frame motorcycle from 1917, these really start to pummel the rider. They also loosen nuts and bolts! Today’s riding partners included Vern Acres and Mark Hill (the man responsible for keeping many of these Henderson’s alive and on the rode). Mark was throwing wrenches out of a hole in his saddle bag while Vern was keeping the speed up whenever possible. I wish you could hear the sound of the three bikes running side-by-side- awesome!

In order to keep all the mileage points, riders have to be prepared for “secret” checkpoints. We decided to skip lunch and drove by the lunch stop…about 2 miles later “we” decided to turn around and go back to the shopping plaza and see if there was a secret checkpoint there…nope. It was a good call none-the-less because we would have been penalized for not checking in. This did add 4 miles to the odometer so I had to constantly do the arithmetic at each of the 30+ instructions as we continued to the final check in.

Results indicate some remarkable achievements for Class I, II and III bikes with perfect scores so far:

Late night maintenance complete, time for 6 hours of sleep. Stage 5 will be another good slog of 275 miles. Let’s hope all the parts keep working in harmony.

The hardworking Staff of the Cannonball deserve our thanks…the “pre-ride” team sets out to review the route early in the morning and for Monday, they found washed out roads, gravel and the promise of flooding. It was raining hard and forecast to continue all morning. The back-country would become impassable in parts so the difficult decision was made at 8 am to cancel the Stage. We were, of course, all suited up and ready to ride but safety is most important. So…load the van up and head to Jamestown. We received a nice welcome at Jamestown Harley Davidson and local enthusiasts turned out to see the bikes and talk about the Cannonball. Some of the bikes are hard core with patina on patina but others are pristine. On example of pristine is the Indian and Princess sidecar outfit ridden with style by the Harper’s from Colorado:

The team work and friendship is what makes this event so incredible. Even the simple tasks become difficult when you are tired and every thing is wet. Here is my supportive and loving bride helping under the awning of the Sprinter. Thanks Nancy!

Tuesday is scheduled as a 271 mile ride which should really test bikes and riders- hope to see you in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The first “longer mileage day” was not easy on some of the bikes. While the morning started well, with cool temperatures in the 40s and overcast skies, the sweep trucks were busy. An excellent description is provided the AMCA:  http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=171&cntnt01origid=221&cntnt01returnid=97.

For Blue Bird, the day started with a nice departure and full layers of riding gear.

Some serious touring through American history, farms and small towns and let us ride some great roads and chat with many local people at fuel stops. It is a pleasure to tell the story of Alan Bedell, Cannonball Baker and the Henderson Motorcycle Company and to describe this rolling circus. Most folks think we’re crazy.

We were hosted for hot coffee and doughnuts by Hemmings in Vermont who have a lovely museum with antique cars and trucks. (I tried to talk them out of the Hudson Panel Wagon but they weren’t listening. You can visit them: https://www.hemmings.com/about-us/sibley).

My riding partner today was good friend Vern Acres, a skilled and fast Canadian rider. Vern was on Evan Kune’s Henderson hot rod I called The Flamethrower.  After a long uphill pull at full power, Vern would close the throttle and a torch of flame 6-10″ long would fire out the open exhaust!

We made good time and arrived early at the finish line followed closely by Brian Pease on his single speed 1916 Henderson. Here are the first finishers across the line today:

For the fellow riders and support crews who had to repair their elderly beasts, the parking lot became the Cannonball Machine Works.

Tomorrow? 100% chance of heavy rain forecast for 226 mile route to Jamestown, NY. Wish us safety and luck!

Getting out of town was the first task. Portland, Maine on a nice Saturday morning has traffic, complicated roads and we were following route instructions that seemed to call for a change every tenth of a mile. Lesson number one: trust your own navigation skills and don’t follow the other guys!

Once into the green hills and valleys of southern New Hampshire, the riding became very enjoyable. The crazy mass of bikes gradually filtered into smaller groups and I was riding with a couple of Aussies (1928 Indian Chief and 1928 Harley Davidson JL) and a fellow I had known only from the vintage website forum on a 1928 BMW R52. We seemed to have a repeated pattern of 5 miles of curvy roads at 30-50 mph followed by a small town with slow speeds and quaint (with a capitol Q) scenery. Imagine repeating this for a couple of hours; good riding and very little traffic. The only real eye opener came after a sign that said “Loose Gravel, Motorcycles Use Caution”.  Loose Gravel? Must be some term used with New England restraint…that was one of the Craters of the Moon! It spanned the entire lane, was a foot deep and filled with crushed rock. Fortunately we were able to go around the crater as there was no oncoming traffic.

Crossing the finish line felt really good, especially to see family and friends who came to hang out and show support. Thanks to everyone!

Sunday looks like a cool, gray day with about 260 miles to cover. See you in Binghamton, NY.