I'm very proud to say I am headed to Kitty Hawk, NC for the Motorcycle Cannonball! 

The 2010 Motorcycle Cannonball is an endurance & reliability run that will go coast-to-coast on pre-1916 motorcycles.  The goal is to be the most consistent rider on the most reliable bike.  Hopefully I can be that rider and I really hope I have the bike. 

I will be riding a 1915 HD Twin Cylinder 3 Speed 3300 miles cross country from September 10th to the 26th. 

On this page you'll find my story leading up to the Cannonball and recieve updates throughout the race.

For all the details on the race go to the official website at www.MotorcycleCannonball.com

Here's some pictures of what the bike looked like when I got it.

Above is a copy of the promotional postacards sent out by V-Twin Mfg.  They did a great job in helping to create national awareness for this event.

The bike at the AMCA meet in Eustis, FL February 2010.

A nice shot of the 1000cc V-Twin 1915 Engine.

My entry in the Motorcycle Cannonball is sponsored by Berklay Cargo also known as www.ShipMyBike.com

Greg at Berklay Cargo handles many antique bikes that I ship and is regarded as the best in the business for international shipping here on the east coast.

If you ever buy or sell overseas or want to ship your own bike overseas for a great motorcycle vacation, Greg at Berklay Cargo is the only way to go.

A big THANK YOU to Greg and Dennnis at Berklay Cargo for their sponsorship of Team 74 Shop.

www.ShipMyBike.com

Photo By Joe Rogate
 

Since acquiring the motorcycle there have been many people who have helped me along with getting myself and the bike ready for the race.

From helping me find the motorcycle and making the deal in December 2009, to loading the bike in the trailer to leave for North Carolina, these people deserve a big thanks from me.

My Wife (Stacey Trapani-Barber), My Mom (Peggy Barber), Fuzz Terreson, Bob Provencher, Dan Henke, Steve Lippoldt, Pat Murphy, Bill Nugent, Dave Fusiak, John Iannace, Joe Rogate, Rat at Harbor Vintage, Chuck at Kickstart, Competition Dist., Ted at V-Twin, Berklay Cargo and Capt. Boatshoes.

Without your help I would not have made it in time for the race.  I thought the bike was ready for the race on August 13th. However, the next day the rod bearing cages came apart and turned to dust.  With just a few weeks to go I was faced with the challenge of rebuilding the motor.  I had never touched an F head motor before and was about to learn real quick on what to do and what not to do.

This is what's left of the rod roller bearing cages.  They were brass!?! 

So long story short, alot of cool people helped me out to find the parts and took the time to walk me through over the phone how to get the bike back together and running great.

It was down to the last hours, as with everything I do, but we got it all together and put 45 miles on it today, September 7th.  It's just the start of adjusting everything and breaking it in but it feels so good to have gotten the bike back together again.  Now it just needs to get me California. 

I'm really looking foward to the practice day before the race to break the bike in and work out everything in time for the start of the race.

As of 9/9/10 I'm in North Carolina and will post more pics throughout the run.  You can also follow my Stacey's Twitter account for daily updates at http://twitter.com/BellaStellaB

Thursday morning I woke up in NC to a beautiful day.  The hotel parking lot was alive with the most pre-16 bikes I had ever seen at one place. 

Fuzz & I prepped the bike for another test ride.  I headed out for a brief ride and I was joined by Dave Fusiak and Tyler from American Iron Magazine.  We rode 10 miles from the hotel, turned around and my rear tire tube exploded like a shotgun. 

I had heard that clincher tires had a habit of coming off the rim.  I can now say I know that it is true.  The tube blew and the tire came off the rim at 52 MPH.  The rear end danced around and sparks flew off the wheel rim as it skidded ascross the pavement.  I leaned foward and held on for the ride and got it stopped on the right shoulder safely.  It scared me but I kept my composure very well. This was the closest call I've had to a bad wreck in a long time but came out totally fine.   Dave & Tyler waited with me for over an hour as the support bike rider coming to get me was lost.  He found me 90 minutes later but I was just glad to have a free ride back to the hotel.   I may have been the first to get a ride on one of the rescue bikes.  Matt Olsen was also the first to get a traffic sticket for speeding.  A day of firsts for amny of us.  The Coker Tire support truck had not yet arrived so I was loaned a new tube by John Hollandsworth of AR.  I later met with Cameron Coker of Coker Tire and he is going to hook me up with a different set of tires and another couple back-up tubes.  A really great guy.

Fuzz went right to work on the bike and we had it back together just in time for the 1st rider meeting.  Lots of rules, instructions to follow and such.  I'm looking foward to the challenge.  Out of an initial 70+ riders signed up for the race, only 44 made it to Kitty Hawk ready to go.   My bike is running so good with the new motor and I am confident that I will complete the first days run and end up in Greenville, NC tomorrow afternoon.

Friday Sept. 10th                          Kitty Hawk, NC to Greenville, NC      The Start of the Race!

It was another great day in NC. 

 Just before leaving the hotel - Day 1

The Wright Bother's Monument in Kitty Hawk, NC was the sight of the grand start of the race at 10am.
 

It was a madhouse at the Wright Brothers monumnet park today.  There was a ton of spectators that came to see us off along with plenty of press and all the crew members.  There was a panoramic photo taken of all the riders which should be really cool to see when completed. 

The bike ran great all day.  I completed the course on time and travelled about 170 miles today with no breakdowns.  The tools only came out for maintenance.  We went through the middle of nowhere in NC today but it was great because for the most of the day it was just us Cannonballers on the road. 

There were a few bikes that did not make the start of the race today and about 6 that broke down today.  You can get daily scoring updates at www.motorcyclecannonball.com  In the evening Stacey's friend from college, Likia, came to see us in the hotel parking lot/pit area.  She only lives a few blocks up the road and it's great to see friends along the way.  We're looking foward to seeing more of you all during this trip.  There was a ton of riders doing some serious wrenching in the parking lot tonight and I hung out in the lot until midnight.  The parking lot scene is really great and all the locals are coming to check us all out.  I'm all ready for another great day tomorrow with 225 miles ahead of me to Concord, NC.  Now if I can just get to sleep! 

Saturday Sept. 11th - Day 2   Greenville, NC to Concord, NC

Day 2 started out great.  The weather was nice and cool and the bike was really running great.  I got on the road at 9am with a goal of being in Concord, NC before 6 pm.  I had a handling problem that was solved by removing a ton of heavy tools from my tour pack and leaning foward while riding the bike at speeds above 50mph.  I cruised most of the day around 52 and did get up to 63.  My mountain bike speedometer is working extremely well and totally accurate while navigating through the route sheets.  The tripometer is typically within 0.1 miles each turn.  My tour pack is not handling the vibration of being rigid mounted and the lock broke.   While at high speed I rolled over some bumps and showered the road in a few whenches and sockets which proved quite tricky for Buz Kanter & Dave Fusiak who were behind me.  They were very happy they weren't hit. 

The rain came in the afternoon and lasted until 15 miles away from the finish point.  I rode in the rain for about 75 of the 225 miles covered today.  At the 210 mile mark my motor sprocket nut came loose and spit out the shaft key.  I pushed the bike a little up the road to a small servive station where I was able to make a new shaft key from the top brass screw from an extra spark plug and a bench grinder.  I put it all back together in time to reach the finish line with just minutes to spare.  I was the last to finish the day's route on time.  I have a perfect score for the first two days.

The finish line was at Speedway HD and they provided a great dinner for us and quite a crowd.  Fuzz made the necessary repairs back at the truck this evening while I did the maintenance.  We're all ready for another day.  This is going to be one of the toughest days on the whole trip.  We're headed into the Smoky Mountains and on our way to Maggie Valley, NC.

Sunday Sept. 12th                             Concord, NC to Maggie Valley, NC

It was a damp start to the day as the fog and morning mist burnt off and it became a very nice day.  The first 100 miles were nice back roads and the next 100 were in the mountains.  We spent quite a bit of time on the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way into Maggie Valley. 

Dale Walksler held dinner at his Wheels Through Time Museum and treated us all like family.  Dinner was great and the place was jam packed.  After dinner Dale's garage was also packed.  There were so many people working on bikes you could hardly move in there.  The place was freakin full!  Many more bikes broke down today and several riders opted out of the afternoon portion of the route. 

My 1915 HD is running even better today.  I hit speeds up to 65 and hit 60 quite a bit.  Most importantly the bike did not have one problem and treated me like a king all day.  The bike roared up the hills of the Parkway and I finished today again with a perfect score.  Fuzz and I did our maintenace tonight and we're ready for day 4.

Day 4 Sept. 13th                           Maggie Val. NC to Chatanooga, TN

The weather was a bit cold in the morning heading into the mountains and boiling hot on the other side of the Smokies in Tennessee. 

The bike ran like a bear all day long.  We rode up and down steep grades for the first 100 miles of the day and alot of nice back roads before getting into the city of Chatanooga.  Our final destination was the Coker Tire Museum.  We were treated to a steak dinner with all the fixins a guy could ask for. 

It was also Fuzz's 62nd Birthday.     Happy Birthday Fuzz!! 

Corky Coker, Cameron Coker and the entire Coker staff treated us extremely well.   It was a beautiful place to end the day.  In the evening Coker's garage area was just as full as Dale Walksler's was the night before and it was the same cast of characters who are having trouble.  

Fuzz & I did our nightly maintenance and Fuzz spotted that the rear chain was broken.  It happened to be the master link and it was an easy fix.  It was broke on one side but kept the chain together and got me home.  I have no idea how long it was like that but I completed the day's route 2 hours early and was able to get some rest before dinner.  After 4 days of riding I still have a perfect score.  I'm off to Alabama in the morning.