Summary: 2018 Cannonball

It is hard to believe that a month has passed since we completed the final stage. Things return to normal, but your mind is able to relive all the events of the month long adventure known as the Cannonball. Certain days and events rise above others, and some are forgotten in the passing of the miles. You never know where or when the takeaway moments are going to come, but they will, and they're yours for a lifetime.

For me, the days with difficulties rise on this list. The days you're tested, when you're backs up against the wall, sink or swim time. That's the Cannonball.

The day from Anamosa to Spirit Lake, changing tubes, patching tubes on the side of the road, racing the clock on the final 30 miles knowing it was going to be close,  approaching the Indian factory and seeing Mike, Patty, and Scott Byrd stopping traffic waving me in, racing up the cone lined entrance, and making it in on time was special.

The day to Sturgis. Two broken intake valves, a stuck exhaust valve, a leaking fuel tank, and running out of gas in the Badlands. All handled on the side of the road. Repairing a intake manifold with a Mt Dew can on Mt Rushmore, then totaling a head 60 miles out. Didn't get an Ace sticker that day, but felt like I earned one. It was a standout.

The day off. We started at 8:00 am and cranked the bike at 10:00 pm. We changed the front head, piston, exhaust valve, both intake valve assemblies, changed the hedstrom carb to a linkert, replaced the wheels, soldered the fuel tank, and reworked the rear fender struts. If working on an old bike is your thing, it doesn't get much better.

And the people make the memories. Mike and Patty were there everyday doing whatever it took to make another day, the day off accomplishments would not have been possible without Joe Gimpel, then all the new friends we made along the way.

Then there's the final day. The celebration, the short ride in. Having lunch overlooking the Columbia River, and the last 2 miles.

2018 was definitely a standout Cannonball. The routes, stops, staff, and organization were all top notch. As far as my performance,  I didn't get my perfect score, but it sure beat the side of a California highway, 28 miles from Carlsbad.



To be continued.........

The Finale

Stage 14 from Spokane Valley to The Dalles Oregon, was another tough 303 mile day. The morning route crossed some barren plains, with the wind blowing strongly in our faces. It never let up, thru the lunch stop at Kennewick, Washington, all along the Columbia River to The Dalles. It was a tough, but uneventful day. Arriving at the Dalles, they had a block party for us, and a late start time for the final stage the next morning.

Sunday morning arrived sunny and clear, and we prepped the bike for the last day. One last pin was cut for the front intake, and we were ready. It's always bittersweet on the last day. You are so ready to get to the finish, but you don't want it to be over.

Team 96 at the last official start 

The route for the final stage was classic. Old highway 30 that had been cut thru the gorge in the early 1900's was fantastic. I eased along, enjoying the final stage, and arrived at the final checkpoint at the Bridge of the Gods, where we were staged for grande finale. Class 1, then Class 2, and finally Class 3 left for the Skamania Lodge across the river!

Staging for the final 2 miles

The 3 Hedstrom Indian arrive at the finish.

The Skamania Lodge, The Grand Finish, overlooking the Columbia River

Spokane Valley: Stage 13

Stage 13 began with a beautiful ride out of Kalispell, along Flathead Lake. We turned west on 28 headed for Washington, and at the first gas everything was fine. But old habits die hard, so at about the 50 mile mark, the front cylinder pushrods bound, and the tig weld broke. This time I had tiewired the bottom half so as not to loose the cup, and was able to save it. It happened on a pretty decent climb, but the bike made it to the top, so I packed the pieces in my tool roll, and soildered on on just the rear cylinder. I thought I would get as many miles as possible, but soon noticed the bike was moving along pretty well. At speed, the front cylinder intake valve was working like an atmospheric valve, with the most noticeable differences at low rpms, and starting from red lights.

But soilder along we did, and made all 254 miles into Lone Wolf Harley Davidson that evening.

Princess "Half-a-day": the 1 cylinder twinn

The reoccurring theme of this trip has definitely been trying to nurse a sick Indian to the finish each day. Long days and late nights are the norm, and it seems each day brings the same challenges. So tonight, I'm going to try to sleeve the pushrod and silver solder it, then redo the valve domes and grind new lifter pins. Afterall, It's the Cannonball.

Stage 11 and 12: The Mountains

Stage 11, 248 miles from Billings to Great Falls Montana. The day should be spectacular. Heading towards Glacier Park in NW Montana, the route would prove to be great. After a run up the high plains, we turned onto US 89, The Kings Hill Senic Byway. Beautiful road up to the pass, with a nice steep climb at the end. The old singlespeed Indian did fine, but I decided I would gear down for Glacier the next day.

I have ridden Going to the Sun Road before on modern bikes, but you never know on these antiques. The weather decided to cooperate, but Jason still gave us the option to bypass Logan's Pass. Most riders chose the pass, and it was a special ride. 

Entering Glacier National Park

The Sun was shining on the way up, with sleet and snow at the top. The steep descent towards west Glacier it was spitting rain and foggy. Still a beautiful ride, and the old Indian preformed well.

Tonight we are in Kalispell Montana. Gonna change the gearing back and get ready for Spokane Valley.

Stage 10: The Day After

Stage 10 would be 300 miles from Sturgis to Billings Montana. We had finally arrived at the stages I had been looking forward to, with open roads and beautiful scenery. After a long day off, the #96 Indian is at the start for the 7:00 am start.

The morning was cool and crisp and the first 50 miles clicked off without a hitch. The first gas came and went, and as is typical with this motor, it doesn't like to start and stop. So at about 50 miles I noticed a drop in power, and looked down to see the front cylinder intake pushrod and lifter pins had been ejected. I soildered on for another 100 miles on 1 cylinder, then lost the rear cylinder due to a stuck intake valve. I changed the valve, spring, cage, and seal again, but the pushrods was not the correct length, and immediately broke the rocker.  So I had made it to Montana, only to be waiting on the bus.

Big Sky Country, not far from Custer's Last Stand

Another long night in the motel parking lot, but we figured out the problem with my valve geometry. All the spares were different lengths, and the valve stems were different lengths also, so we made the correct length pushrods and lifter pins. We also decided the new intake valves were to tight on the guides, so we opened them up.

Hopefully tomorrow we'll be back on track.

Our Day Off

Jason sent us a text early Monday morning to rest, relax, recoup, and enjoy our day off. Team 96 has work to do.

My souvenir from Mt Rushmore. I kind of wanted one of those small statues, but got this instead

We started to work at 8:00 am, completely taking the old indian apart. The heads of the valves had just popped off, so I displayed the carnage as it came apart. It was the talk of the parking lot.

Broken valves and hammered piston

So the list of repairs and adjustments was pretty extensive, including rebuilding a motor, fixing a leaking gas tank, servicing clutch and carrier bearings, changing wheels from 23" clinchers to my spare 21", welding rear fender and making a brace, and changing carburetor. We tore into it.

About 1:00

We worked thru lunch, then thru supper, finally cranking the bike and tuning the linkert carb about 10:00 pm. It was a long day, but team 96 will start stage 10!

I cannot thank Mike Podger, Joe Gimpel, and Patty Jones enough for all there help. They hung in there all day, making it happen. 

It's the Cannonball.

The Black Hills

Stage 9 from Pierre to Sturgis, then a much needed rest day. A long one at 300 miles, or third long hard day in a row. Just get there, and some much needed maintenance. Easing along at about 50 miles, I heard a pop, then a metallic clanck. Pulling to the side of the road, I start looking for the problem. Only firing on one cylinder. Check the plug wires, then the mag, the realize the front exhaust valve is hung open. About this time fellow rider Joe Gimpel stops, and decide to pull the pocket valve. I remove the front intake, and the valve face is gone, with a large piece of it stuck in the exhaust valve. Off comes the head. About now the support wagon pulls up to pick me up, but I convinced them I could fix it. So we put another intake valve in, and took off, but way behind schedule. For the next 50 miles, the grim reaper sweep bus rode right on my tail, so I really hated to stop and let them know my fuel tank was leaking.

Now I have another dilemma, so I just dump the fuel in the font tank, and take off on the rear, trying to stay on time. We rode thru the Badlands, and came across some other bikes having problems, so the chase truck got off my case for a while. Then about 5 miles from gas in Rapid City, I ran out and had to wait for the truck with some spare gas.

Out of gas in South Dakota

By the time I was rolling again, I was late again, but picked up an hour by not stopping for lunch. With only about 60 miles to go, I turned off the highway headed toward mt Rushmore and the Black Hills. The bike was not running well at all, and I didn't think it would climb the hills that were coming. It got very hot climbing, and I walked along side pushing and slipping the clutch for the last bit up Rushmore. It got so hot the intake manifold hose melted. Refusing to quit, I got a Mt Dew can from a park ranger and cut a bandaid for the tube.

Mt Dew Manifold

After cooling down a bit I took off towards Sturgis, just 60 miles to go and just enough time. Easing along, enjoying the black hills, and the motor broke another intake valve. Only this time, it took the head with it. So after so much struggle, the day was done about 69 miles to soon.

End of the Road

Lots of work to do our day off!

Midway: Recap of 1800 miles

The days fly by on these events. You lose track of where you are, what day it is, etc. it's also hard to find time to get everything done. Day 1 and 2 went smoothly, with minimal trouble. The adjustments to the bike made over the last two years seem to be working. We made every mile, and are running in the top 10.

Day 3 was rained out, with over 3" of rain some the roads were flooded and unsafe, so we trailered the bikes to the next stop. Things go pretty smooth over the next stages, with flat roads, cool conditions, and minimal trouble. Still running a perfect score.

Pulling into Anamosa Iowa 

Things started getting exciting on stage 7 from Anamosa to Spirit Lake. It was another long day, and as I pulled into the hosted lunch stop, I realized my rear tire was going flat. So during lunch I removed the tire and found a valve core leaking. So after reinstalling the wheel, I left the lunch stop a little late. About 65 miles later the tire was flat again, so I replaced the tube on the side of the road. Shortly thereafter, I was removing the tire for the third time. This time I had to patch the tube, and I removed the rim lock, and headed to the destination at the Indian Motorcycle Factory. Knowing I would be close, I rode it hard, squeaking in with 3 minutes left of my 45 minute grace period. Still on perfect score, and running 7th.

Arrivng at Spirit Lake

Stage 8 took us into South Dakota, and the terrain started to roll and the winds picked up. Another long day (300 + miles) and the bike is showing it's age. Arrived at the hosted dinner by the Missouri River with the bike barely running. A long night replacing intake valves, dome washers, and springs, and we head for Sturgis and a day off. Still on perfect score, and running 7th.

Day 1: Portland Maine

Arrived at Portland Maine, ready to get the event started, along with approximately 106 other riders. Went to Bug Light Park for the official photo and start, and again had to deal with heavy traffic. Beautiful day and setting for ceremonial start.

Bug Light Park

Day 1 Start

Day 1 ended in Keene New Hampshire, after 150 miles. Very pretty ride through Maine and 

southeastern New Hampshire. I broke the front brake stay in the first 20 miles, had to tie wire it in 

place hoping I could find a welder at the lunch stop at Rodchester Harley Davidson.

Slipped right in the service department and Mike fixed me up.

After lunch the road headed southwest to Keene, and the bike began running poorly, but I was able to make it in without penalty. Upon inspection I found the rear intake valve adjuster had vibrated off, so the bike was running on only 1 cylinder. Further inspection revealed a broken rear fender support, so we welded it up. Topped off the gas and oil, and ready for day 2.

2018 CANNONBALL: Portland to Portland

The 2 years that separate each Motorcycle Cannonball have flown by. It is hard to believe that we leave for Portland Maine in the morning. Registration is Thursday, followed by a new promotion stage on Friday, then the official start Saturday morning. Headed west.

The bike eligibility was extended to 1928 this time, but I knew I had to ride the 14 Hedstrom again. I'll be in class 2, and one of the older bikes. A Singlespeed. I did fit a front brake this time. The reoccurring issues we battled in 2016 have been addressed, and I hope solved. Time will tell. The Hedstrom era Indians have not had great success on previous Cannonballs, But maybe this is the year we get one across!

It's the challenge that brings over 100 like minded riders, from all walks of life, to the Cannonball every two years. I'm sure the organizers have put together an amazing ride, with lots of cool destinations and events, but we all know the best stuff lies in the unexpected.

Portland or Bust! (Both of Them)