Next Friday over 100 pre-1937 motorcycles will depart Daytona Beach for Tacoma, WA. This will commence the 3rd Motorcycle Cannonball event. The route will take the bikes over 4000 miles and over the Colorado Rockies. The first was in 2010 from Kitty Hawk to San Diego. The second in 2012 went from NY to San Francisco. Bikes will go separate and more scenic routes than the support team vehicles.
There will be 17 daily "stages" consisting of about 250 miles per day. In 2012 only 19 out of 70 bikes completed the 3956 mile event with perfect scores. To get a perfect score, you must complete every mile and not have any penalties. 1 mile = 1 point. Our team worked hard and was fortunate enough to earn a perfect score and ultimately come in 3rd.
Generally bikes will depart about 8am and must be in by 5pm. There is a rest / day off on day 7 in Junction City, KS. See schedule below. More info can be found at www.motorcyclecannonball.com . Many stages will have a sponsored lunch at a museum or bike shop where the public is invited to see the bikes and mingle around. Most every evening's stop will also have an area where the public can see the bikes and riders, rally term for this is "parc ferme". After there viewing sessions bikes are squirreled away for daily maintenance and repairs back at each team's makeshift home on the road. Many of the support vehicles will look more like rolling machine shops. The public is welcome to walk around the pits and see the trials and tribulations first hand. Pictures are welcome as well as your questions.
The field is again very diverse, both as to types of bikes and riders. Lot's of v-twin power from H-D and Indian. Many returning teams as well.
The BMW teams have more than doubled from the 3 in 2012.
#8 Joe Gimpel from Daytona Beach riding a 1928 BMW R52 again this year.
#20 Denis Sharon on a 1936 R12.
#23 Team HMS (Historic Motorcycle Society) based in Jax, FL, again ridden by Norm Nelson. Bike owned by collector Jack Wells.
#52 Darryl Richman from Santa Cruz returns on his 1928 R52.
#53 John Landstrom from Atlanta and owner of Blue Moon BMW will be riding a 1928 R62 .
#62 Scott Blaylock will be riding another 1928 R62.
#63 Alabama's Eric Bahl will be riding a 1929 R63.
If you have any spare parts for these bikes, get out and visit a checkpoint. If you have experience working on any of these bikes, get out to a checkpoint. We certainly have Vech's number on speed dial.
Everyone on our team owns or has owned an airhead of some description. Many own more than one. Here is the route and some of the highlights...................
Sept 5 Start from Daytona Beach Resort B, 2700 N. Atlantic, Daytona Beach. Bikes leave resort at 8am for group photos on beach and depart officially at 10am...
This stage is 140 miles and overnight is in Lake City, FL.
Sept 6 Lake City, FL to Cabot Lodge in Columbus, GA. 250 miles.
Sept 7 Columbus, GA to Dairy Queen lunch in LaGrange, GA. Stage is 224 miles in total and ends at Coker Tire, Chattanooga, TN.
Sept 8 Chattanooga to lunch at Cyclemos Museum, Red Boiling Springs, TN. Stage is 237 total miles and ends at Appleton H-D, Clarksville, TN.
Sept 9 Clarksville to Grass Roots BMW, Cape Girardeau, Missouri for 199 miles.
Sept 10 Cape Girardeau to Yeager Cycle Sales, Sedalia, Missouri for 291 miles. The 3rd longest day.
Sept 11 Sedalia to City Cycle Sales, Junction City, KS for 244 miles.
Sept 12 .........Rest Day in Junction City.
Sept 13 Junction City to the Old Town Museum in Burlington, CO for a total 311 miles. This is the longest stage.
Sept 14 Burlington to the Rocky Mtn Motorcycle Museum, Colorado Springs, COfor lunch with the overnight at David Uhl Studios, Golden, CO. for a total of 249 miles.
Sept15 Golden to Leadville, CO for lunch with overnight at Grand Junction H-D, Grand Junction, CO for a total miles of 278.
Sept 16 Grand Junction to pit stop at Jeff Decker Studio, Springville, UT and finish at Legends Vintage Motorycles in Springville, UT for 289 total miles.
Sept 17 Springville to group photo at Bonneville Salt Flats and an overnight at 5th Gear Powersports, Elko, NV for a total of 298 miles. This is 2nd longest day.
Sept 18 Elko to High Desert H-D, Meridian, ID for a total 257 miles.
Sept 19 Meridian to Hells Canyon H-D, Lewiston, ID for a total of 284 miles.
Sept 20 Lewiston to Owens Cycle, Yakima, WA for a total of 243 miles.
Sept 21 Yakima to a lunch at Destination H-D, Fife, WA and then on to the finish at the LeMay Museum, Tacoma, WA for final day of 142 miles.
Our traveling team this year consists of ........
Jack Wells , Cannonball bike owner and owner of dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of airhead BMW's. Retired commercial pilot.
Norm Nelson , rider and owner of a very high mileage 1977 R100rs. A former nationally ranked AHMRA road racer. Retired commercial pilot.
Chris Alley , tech team. Owner of a very nice '74 R90s and a growing collection of vintage European m/x bikes. Retired Mercedes-Benz technician.
Ed Miller , tech team. Owner of numerous /2's and other airhead sidecar rigs. Retired tool and die machinist.
Our non-traveling team.......
Bill Botkin . Owner of a nice R80RT a '40 something H-D. Retired commercial pilot.
William Robinson . Team Manager and head of promotion. Bill is a retired advertising and marketing executive who has ridden all over the world. Has several bikes and recently sold his 2 airheads to another friend / supporter of our team.
Rob Goetz . Rob is Jack's Son in Law and is based in NJ. Rob works for Federal Government and will be handling all the communication to our friends and supporters.
John Duss, Esq . John is helping with legal and financial duties. Avid old bike and car collector. NO BMW's, but some Guzzi's.
Larry Meeker , Former Team HMS Road Mgr in 2012. Owns a few airheads and other more modern BMW's. Fan of all things on 2 wheels. Retired Goodyear Tire guy.
Come out and see us if you can. Try to wear your Airhead colors so we can pick you out in the crowds as you proudly support other Airheads.
This is a very expensive proposition. Donations to HMS Team 23 accepted and should be directed to Jack Wells. In a crowd, you will probably hear him before you will see him.
Larry in Jax, FL
HMS Team 23
1928 BMW R52
ABC # 7058
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