Cannonball Run is coming in September

[Norwood]

http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/

Stage 4 , 5 and 6 will bring the run to North Alabama .....

[Vance]

What you gonna ride Don???
That is one cool deal. That is a long way in the truck, longer on the bike and a real task onthese bikes!

[Norwood]

What you gonna ride Don???
That is one cool deal. That is a long way in the truck, longer on the bike and a real task onthese bikes!

Hope to catch them near Chattanooga, prehaps along he Ocoee River Road, if that still the route...or when they stop over in Chattanooga for the night.

Love to get some pictures.

[Norwood]

Hope to catch them near Chattanooga, prehaps along he Ocoee River Road, if that still the route...or when they stop over in Chattanooga for the night.

Love to get some pictures.

Looking at the web site, the better place for pictures would be the Cherohala Skyway... also learned something too...one of riders is owner of the Cooper Tire in Chattanooga and host for the diner....They have antique car and motorcycle museum in Chattanooga... I have to check this out...

[Norwood]

Today, I headed up to Tellico Plains and the Cherohala Skyway to catch the Cannon Ball Run from Atlanta to Pacific Ocean on bikes BEFORE 1916...

Couple of observations I noticed
First riders are given the exact route the night before each day's run...therefore the reason the Web page route is not exact...each bike has a scroll with the route for that day... with each bike time to reach the designation for the day without getting a DNF for the day...

I talked to a guy at the pumps...I ask him how long he had owned the bike...he said oh...it belongs to my friend...he is 81 and he wanted a younger rider... I am 73....

I noticed many support bikes, sidecar rigs to haul bikes, RVs with trailers, service trucks and vans... Several of us talked about the cost just for support for a race of this type....

All these riders are hardy folks for sure and they where all busy at the pumps, oiling, fueling and repairing the bikes... I gave one guy some duct tape to secure his fuel cap...

Amazing machines to see them actually run and being ridden.

There where many bikes that where already DNF for the day...support trailers where loaded...one support side car rig missed a curve as well...

I will be surprised if five (5) bikes make it....

I moved to another point at Reliance, Tn to watch riders, we took pictures and then I headed down 30 to 64 to catch the riders as they entered Cleveland, TN..

All the Cannon Ball I want in my lifetime: near Cleveland...I stopped to ask a ride Frank Westfall (49) riding a 1914 Henderson if he needed help...he was out of fuel and was using his spare tank to fill... I flagged traffic ...then he tried to restart...no luck...at that point I ask him "How far back is your support truck and personnel" he replied...this is it...I'm running this like I think it needs to be run...if it didn't fit in my bags..I don't have it...just get by with what I have and maybe some guardian angels will stop to help...so there I was...in the guardian angel mode... well we got it going and I followed him to the Exxon Station to fill up...no fire again.. I would hold the throttle while he turned the back wheel to fire it...then he would jump on and I would latch the center stand at the rear...

Well everything was going good...a smooth 37 MPH...and then...it quit... the pin on the shaft to mag sheared...we are along a backroad near Chattanooga, I would spin the back wheel while he lined up the shafts to put pin back in... now the timing was out and the plugs needed replacing...so he changed the plugs, I would again work the throttle til it fired and we repeated our hop on and fold up stand routine... off he goes ... we go about five miles and then the clutch has malfunctioned to point he's is stopped again... we finally get it going... we repeat the stops three more times and just 8 miles from the finish line in Chattanooga it quits again...this time he is out of time and we can't get it going... DNF for this leg...

At every stop...more support trailers pass with bikes loaded....couple of the one cylinder bikes had to be pulled over the mountain on the Cherohala Skyway...

Pic: http://dongnorwood.smugmug.com/galle...06896545_9fvr4

[Vance]

Wow Don! Great pictures and story. That looks like that ride would be a real chore on those bikes indeed. And by the way...you make a great guardian Angel! I am sure he much appreciated all your help. maybe the next leg will be better for him...they sure have a long way to go!

[R90srider]

Thanks for the excellent write-up and photos Don. It amazes me that pre-1916 machines would have a chance to make such trip across country. It is even more amazing that a rider would attempt it on one of these machines.

Vernon Headrck and I went to Rocket Harley Davidson in Huntsville Tuesday to help welcome the Cannon Ball riders to Huntsville. The bikes started arriving mid day and continued coming in until 2 pm or so. I tried to keep up with them and believe that there were a total of 26 bikes that make it under their own power. To be sure, this was a sight to behold.

Here are some photos, a few with captions.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bsteberbtr/CannonballRun#

[Vance]

Very cool. These guys have quite a ride ahead of them...and it sounds like it has already been one! Thanks for the reports!

[Norwood]

Thanks for the excellent write-up and photos Don. It amazes me that pre-1916 machines would have a chance to make such trip across country. It is even more amazing that a rider would attempt it on one of these machines.

Vernon Headrck and I went to Rocket Harley Davidson in Huntsville Tuesday to help welcome the Cannon Ball riders to Huntsville. The bikes started arriving mid day and continued coming in until 2 pm or so. I tried to keep up with them and believe that there were a total of 26 bikes that make it under their own power. To be sure, this was a sight to behold.

Here are some photos, a few with captions.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bsteberbtr/CannonballRun#

Thanks Bob,
Good pix as well, Vernon is standing behind Frank's 1914 Henderson. Got a report from Flecther at the Mississippi river crossing. Frank had replaced the mag and he had a good run the past two days.

The German couple where doing real good in the standings. The lady was in first place after the first three days, but she and several more had to pulled over the mountain on the Cherohala running the one cylinders.

Good feeling to hop on my BMW and hit a button and go!

[Gator]

Really enjoyed your stories and pictures of the vintage bikes Don and Bob. It's amazing what these old machines can still do.
Gator

[R90srider]

Hey Don.

It's a small world and one heck of a coincidence that we got a photo of Vernon standing behind your new friend's bike.