Live coverage of the 2012 Cannonball

[Chuck#1848]

What a tough day--320 miles, heavy rain, twisty roads in Pennsylvania, then two (yes two) complete freeway closures trying to get through the Cleveland area. The sweep trucks finally rolled into the hotel parking lot about 9 p.m., and we're all just happy it's over.

The Day Two coverage should appear magically very soon in the News area of the website: http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/index.php?page=news

Bill Wood

Bill,

I see there was a Henderson out yesterday, where we were setting on rt 6 a red henderson quit runing up the hill and we thought that that the jd behind him was going to connect with the rear of the henderson but the jd pulled it off with what looked to be inches between them we backed away from the road side expecting the worse, when they passed we came out to push the henderson off the road.
2 kicks and it fired up and off they went.

I followed Chris on the JAP sidecar rig he was fighting clutch issues all through the mountains and eventually he called it quits for the day when the clutch was completely lost we loaded it up on Lonnies trailer BUT when helping load it my ring got caught up in the sidecar spring and twisted my finger pretty hard and scared the ***bleep*** out of me, thought I was going to loose my finger, the ring...well it's gonna need some re-work before it goes back on again

[c.o.]

Thanks Bill, can't wait. Don't know about the rest of you guys, but this stuff really gits me. Like nothing else so far ever with the antiques. Been thinking about em all day, day dreaming, wondering what their going through, how their machines are running. Man this is great fun and I am thousands of miles away and only envolved through just the interest in the event. I hope I can ride out and watch them go by too as some of you have, I did the same on the first one - great fun :-) Good luck guys!!!

I know exactly what you mean Tom! This event is something else! I find myself drifting off wondering how they are doing and the roads man!! I bet the roads are awesome!!!!



Stage 2 results are in as well... http://www.motorcyclecannonball.com/

[Spag]

A group from the Allegeheny Mountain Chapter (Western PA) traveled to Wellsboro PA on Friday (approx. 220 miles) to greet the participants of the Cannonball Run upon their arrival after their first leg of their journey. What an experience for us! We watched their arrival one after the other, some singles and some in groups, with great awe, admiration and envy. It takes a really passionate old bike person to even think about undertaking such an adventure let alone actually doing it. Just to see their faces and hear about their experiences made our congratulations seem insignificant compared to their courage and perserverience. We watched some work on their bikes that evening probably knowing that it could soon be the end for them but still displaying hope that one final adjustment may make the difference between success and failure. And we watched others do nothing to their bikes mechanically except plan for the next day's ride. And we watched volunteers offer help to those in need of tools, advice and just simple encouragement, all of which were evident on the first Cannonball Run. My admiration goes out to all participants but mostly to those who don't have a designated support crew. A little crazy? Yes, but a real tribute to our sport and what draws us all together. These folks know that if they need help, it will be there.
If any of you have the opportunity to ride to one of the stop over points along the way, I encourage you to do so. You won't regret it. And the participants will certainly appreciate your support.
Richard

[fillibuster]

I've mentioned that I'm catching them Tues evening in Spirit Lake, then chasing them or hanging around Wed.
What kind of etiquette (if any!) should be expected of me? Can I just show up and be an ass? Do I have to ride behind them? Can I pass them? Gawking? Cameras, pics? Free-for-all? chics flashing and mooning?

[c.o.]

[QUOTE=Spag;124263 My admiration goes out to all participants but mostly to those who don't have a designated support crew. A little crazy? Yes, but a real tribute to our sport and what draws us all together. These folks know that if they need help, it will be there.
[/QUOTE]

That's what I've been thinking Richard. In as big of a production as the Cannonball is, the folks going it alone have me grinning. Is that true pioneer spirit or what??? "Around the World Doug" is one of those people. He started a thread here that is priceless... http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=822028 It's fairly lengthy but has some great photos toward the end!!! Here's a more condensed version but it's a little behind... http://www.motosapiens.org/forum/vie...e5e030e4d5c5f1

WTT is also keeping track of things... http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/motorcycle-cannonball/

[aka HAWG]

just in from the sandusky ohio stop

we got to sandusky about 1 pm saturday, found lunch and sat to see enterants arrive - first to arrive ( at almost 2;30pm )was #14 slojoe dressed to the nines - bright orange raingear and a glo-in-the-dark lime green helmet. so we got close to the sign in point to watch others arrive. we sat and watched joe clean all the oil from his ride, we had to wait almost 2 hours for the next rider to arrive - it was not any of the wolf pack, it was a BMW. most riders arrived before dark. it was great watching them arrive 1, 2 or 3 at a time

this is my 2nd cannonball experiance as I went to kitty hawk nc to watch them leave and follow for a few days during the first cannonball. this is a truely memorable event that I will charish for a good long time - thanks lonnie for making your dream come true not only once but twice

aka HAWG

[Knotthed]

2012 Cannonball leaving ferry and headed to Harley Museum

What a cool event! I went up to Milwaukee to catch them coming off of the ferry. Took a pass by the museum well before they were set to arrive and I could not believe the amount of support vehicles for these riders. I never imagined it would be so many and of such great scale. I took a video at the ferry to share with everyone.

I hope this link works as I am not sure how to embed the video in this post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZEHA...ature=youtu.be

There were several bikes that appeared to be broken already with their support crew at the museum before their arrival. I also heard rumblings of people not making the ferry. There were definately not 66 bikes coming off the ferry. I feel for the ones that did not make the ferry as they will be in for a long night especially if they have to travel around the bottom of the lake. Never a great place to be on a Sunday night.

I wish it would have been daylight at the museum where the bikes were parked. It was very interesting to take a look at all the mods, like modern front wheels and speedos etc... I was quite suprised and how well some of the modern wheels looked on the fronts of some of these old machines. Most of them actually looked right at home.

Sorry if the video is not top notch it was taken with a pocket digital camera.

I wish all of the riders a safe and enjoyable journey!

[c.o.]

Great stuff!!! Thanks for posting the video!!! When asked today why I was wandering off in thought, I answered, "there's a Cannonball going on, how am I supposed to stay focused???"

[wlwood]

What a cool event! I went up to Milwaukee to catch them coming off of the ferry. Took a pass by the museum well before they were set to arrive and I could not believe the amount of support vehicles for these riders. I never imagined it would be so many and of such great scale. I took a video at the ferry to share with everyone.

I hope this link works as I am not sure how to embed the video in this post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZEHA...ature=youtu.be

There were several bikes that appeared to be broken already with their support crew at the museum before their arrival. I also heard rumblings of people not making the ferry. There were definately not 66 bikes coming off the ferry. I feel for the ones that did not make the ferry as they will be in for a long night especially if they have to travel around the bottom of the lake. Never a great place to be on a Sunday night.

I wish it would have been daylight at the museum where the bikes were parked. It was very interesting to take a look at all the mods, like modern front wheels and speedos etc... I was quite suprised and how well some of the modern wheels looked on the fronts of some of these old machines. Most of them actually looked right at home.

Sorry if the video is not top notch it was taken with a pocket digital camera.

I wish all of the riders a safe and enjoyable journey!

D.J.:

Well, one of them didn't make the ferry. I know, because we pulled the sweep truck out of line and I went back down and got him, then drove his bike around the lake. We just arrived in Milwaukee about a half-hour ago (11:30 local time).

The unfortunate rider was Buck Carson, who's the youngest entrant in the Cannonball at 20 years of age. He made a wrong turn that several other riders also made, but had the misfortune to suffer a mechanical breakdown while off-course, so the sweep crew didn't find out about him until it was way too late to get on the boat.

Just a short post in the news area tonight, I had to dictate it over the phone while driving through northwest Indiana before tackling the Chicago area. Here's a link: http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/ind...t01returnid=97

Bill Wood

[eldomike]

Thanks for your effort Bill, both there and here to give us good undates

[LouieMCman]

I also just made it home from the Sandusky Ohio stop. Having caught up to the first run in Maggie Valley and experiencing the flurry of activity there, I found this cannonball (so far anyway) to be alot more mellow. Sure a lot were adjusting chains, valve, oil changes, and bolt tightenings, but I didn't see the total motor tear downs like the first cannonball. I anticipate a much tighter race this year....oh ya it's not a race it's an endurance run....right Slojo?

Big thanks to the Lake Erie Chapter for furnishing food and beverages for the riders and support crews.

I got a lot of pics that I'll be posting soon.

[rwm]

oh ya it's not a race it's an endurance run....right Slojo?



.

insurance companies hate the term IT'S A RACE

[HarleyCreation]

Thanks Bill Wood for covering Cannonball 2012 for those of us not able to see it in person. It's like an old time endurance run, only with lots more traffic.

Is Slojo going to lap the field?

[LouieMCman]

Most of these pictures where taken as the riders came in off the road to check in.

Picture of Brad's #1 bike, the champ from the first Cannonball. Brad said the bike was running good, had some minor problems that were fixed.

How can you not like the paint job on this J model Harley?

The Henderson's seemed to be everywhere!

[LouieMCman]

Let's not forget the Indians!

Jim Petty and Buzz Kanter arrive together.