Powerplus or Bust, Eh?

[Shaky Jake]

Hi Jake, congratulations on completing your second cannonball. I followed with interest both your journey and also a couple of others.

You may have answered this already and if you have and I have missed it then sorry for the duplication.

How did the new re-engineered cam followers fare? Also what was the bike like with its revised timing?

John

Thanks for asking John. I checked the cam followers when I replaced the magneto on day four I think was. They had a shiny spot where they had broken in, but no discernible wear. In 2016 I was the guy that everyone passed on the hills. This time I was passing everyone else on the hills. Trust me, it was way more fun this way.




Kevin

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[ihrescue]

The member bike builds has been my favorite forum and this thread was very well done. Congrats Kevin on the accomplishment for competing two endurance runs. Later when you start to reflect and bring in a few more details I for one would like to hear of the performance of your rear suspension with the nylatron bushings you fabricated. I am sure it was an improvement with the repairs you made and it will be interesting to hear how the material endured over the nearly 4,000 miles.

Mike Love

[Shaky Jake]

The member bike builds has been my favorite forum and this thread was very well done. Congrats Kevin on the accomplishment for competing two endurance runs. Later when you start to reflect and bring in a few more details I for one would like to hear of the performance of your rear suspension with the nylatron bushings you fabricated. I am sure it was an improvement with the repairs you made and it will be interesting to hear how the material endured over the nearly 4,000 miles.

Mike Love

Thanks Mike. I'll be sure and cover that in a future post.




Kevin

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[Shaky Jake]

Jason and LeeAnn just announced this publicly on Facebook, so I guess I can pass it on now.

Most of you know that ten years ago, one man set out to become the first person to take a group of like-minded antique motorcycle riders across the United States on machines that were only often seen in museums and private collections. In 2010, Lonnie Isam Jr’s dream and bold sense of adventure took him and his friends from one ocean to the other, forever setting the standard of endurance for man and machine. Since 2010, history has been made and continues to be made; machines are coming out of the woodwork, they are being ridden, they are being enjoyed, and they are being put to the Motorcycle Cannonball test.

Now it is time to announce the next adventure…the next epic journey… the next ride…it will be nothing to take lightly. This next experience will be different from what we have done in the past. It will be again a test of true endurance. It will pit “Man vs. Machine” on some of the best two lane, back roads that our beautiful country has to offer!

The Motorcycle Cannonball has now successfully navigated across the United States five times, with the latest run in 2018; in which we managed to take over 100 ninety year old and older machines from coast to coast going from Portland, ME to Portland, OR. Now, in September of 2020, we plan to write a whole new chapter in history with the 6th Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run.

Qualifying bikes for this event will feature motorcycles manufactured before 1930, including motorcycles manufactured in 1929 and older.

This time we will be changing it up a bit, instead of the traditional East Coast to West Coast, we will be starting in the north in Sault Ste. Marie, MI located on the Canadian border and in the Heart of the Great lakes which is considered the 4th coast and making our way to the east coast landing in Kitty Hawk, NC for a 10 year Motorcycle Cannonball Anniversary Reunion. After our day off in Myrtle Beach, SC we will navigate our way through the deep south eventually making our way to the southern most point of Texas touching the Mexican Border near Brownsville, TX and having our grand finale on the island of South Padre Island, TX.

We will start accepting applications for the 2020 Motorcycle Cannonball starting on 12/18/2018 stay tuned to Social Media and the Website for further instructions and information.




Kevin

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[Shaky Jake]

Here's the picture (of yours truly) on the back of the new 2019 AMCA Omaha Chapter membership cards. Kinda fun.






Kevin

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[BoschZEV]

Here's the picture (of yours truly) on the back of the new 2019 AMCA Omaha Chapter membership cards.

That's a very neat honor your fellow motorcyclists gave you. Your picture will be close to their, um, hearts, for the next year. Congratulations.

[Shaky Jake]

That's a very neat honor your fellow motorcyclists gave you. Your picture will be close to their, um, hearts, for the next year. Congratulations.

Thanks Charles. It is an honor indeed. Good to hear from you. How've you been? I've lost track of your BritBike thread since my iPad crashed. Have you kept it up since the Cannonball? If so, can you point me to the start of the post-cannonball posts?

Merry Christmas!

Kevin


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[BoschZEV]

can you point me to the start of the post-cannonball posts?

Kevin, it doesn't feel like I've accomplished a lot on the bike since the end of the Cannonball, but somehow that work has resulted in 14 pages of posts starting at:

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...l-c#Post750381

I'm held up for now waiting for a backordered valve blank from Kibblewhite at which point I'll decide what approach to take with the valve seat.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours as well. May 2019 bring peace, happiness, and interesting new adventures to everyone.

[Shaky Jake]

Kevin, it doesn't feel like I've accomplished a lot on the bike since the end of the Cannonball...

Ah yes. The post-Cannonball slump. Perfectly normal. Thanks for the link. Are you in for 2020?

I hope retirement is treating you well.

Kevin


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[BoschZEV]

Are you in for 2020?

I have to solve the logistics problem. This year's event taught me that a U-Haul truck carrying the minimal tools and spares that can be shipped to the start is sub-optimal. The sweet spot on the Cannonball seems to be something between that rented U-Haul and a full-size tour bus towing a two-story trailer (how did they even find places to park that rig??).

I hope retirement is treating you well.

As others before me have observed, I'm busy all the time and don't know how I was able to do anything before I retired.

[Shaky Jake]

I have to solve the logistics problem. This year's event taught me that a U-Haul truck carrying the minimal tools and spares that can be shipped to the start is sub-optimal. The sweet spot on the Cannonball seems to be something between that rented U-Haul and a full-size tour bus towing a two-story trailer (how did they even find places to park that rig??).

As others before me have observed, I'm busy all the time and don't know how I was able to do anything before I retired.

I feel like I hit the sweet spot with the old Sprinter van. Easy to park, hauls plenty, comfortable for the support crew. The one thing that I'm lacking is some sort of motorcycle lift or work platform. I'm tired of working on my knees in hotel parking lots. I have some ideas for that. Also, I my work lighting could be improved.

Of course, you could always pull a Kelly Modlin / Doug Wothke and just ride the bike to the start, ride the Cannonball, and ride it home. That would be maximum fun for minimum investment. There should be a special award for that.


Kevin

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[BoschZEV]

I feel like I hit the sweet spot with the old Sprinter van.... The one thing that I'm lacking is some sort of motorcycle lift or work platform

I can see where your van works well for a single rider, but I guess I'm thinking in terms of a two-person team. That said, the tour bus with two-story trailer was for a single rider...

It's tough enough working on a bike after a full day on the road, but crawling around on your knees to do it makes it a lot worse. Even if all the other factors were under control, if the Norton Team hadn't kindly given my Ariel space on one of their lifts to replace its worn valve guide it would have been a nightmare -- not only because all the work had to take place at night -- to work on it. A lift and plenty of lights are like, ahem, night and day.

[Shaky Jake]

It's almost next year so I guess I should give this thread a jumpstart and get ready to start thinking about some post-cannonball work on Patience. I have been spending some time cleaning and organizing the moto-shed. It got pretty bad as a result of the pre-cannonball rush of activities, but it's looking pretty good at the moment. I could almost call it 'comfortable' or 'homey.'












I did spend quite a bit of time cleaning up the Sunnen hone. It works great but was pretty grimey.












I took the catch pan apart so I could clean it up in the parts washer. I drained the old honing oil out of the sump, removed the sludge traps, and cleaned it all out. I had 10 gallons of fresh oil shipped in from Michigan. The only part I had to replace was the 'stay-put' flexible hose for the oil. I'm happy to have found this hone with the dual (course and fine) controls and the two speed drive pulleys. Here's an after shot.






That's about it for now. I'll get started on the Indian again soon, and post some pictures of that. Today I need to split some fire wood.






Kevin

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[BoschZEV]

Your workshop is way too clean and uncluttered. Did you post those photos to make the rest of us feel bad?

Happy New Year to you, and may 2019 find your workshop messier than it is now as you make progress on your projects.

[Shaky Jake]

Your workshop is way too clean and uncluttered. Did you post those photos to make the rest of us feel bad?

Happy New Year to you, and may 2019 find your workshop messier than it is now as you make progress on your projects.

That will happen Charles, I guarantee! ;-)

Happy 2019 to you and yours.


Kevin

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