Motorcycle Cannonball II - Antique Motorcycles Cross the United States

The Motorcycle Cannonball II Run, completed in 2012, showed that both antique motorcycles and dedicated riders had what it takes to ride across the United States. Here's an excerpt from an article by Michael Lichter of motorcyclistonline.com:

"The 2012 Motorcycle Cannonball II Endurance Run had all the makings of an epic tale. It attracted participants from around the globe who shared a love for old motorcycles and were compelled to test themselves and their machines in a singular way. Nearly 70 bikes made it to the start in Newburgh, NY, creating an assemblage of museum-quality bikes the likes of which had never before been put together for a ride like this." -- Michael Lichter, motorcyclistonline.com

Read the complete article that tells how particular riders made out and shows some pictures taken along the run.

1923 Matchless Motorcycle Stays in the Same Family

An article by Anna Edwards of Dailymail.co.uk shows a bike that has been in one family for over 90 years. It's a 1923 Matchless J Type. Take a look. This contains plenty of pictures to let you see it from all angles.

If you'd like to look at a 1951 Matchless motorcycle that was just placed in my Moto Pics Gallery, click here.

Rare and Expensive Motorcycles

Motorcycles can be rare, in perfect shape, and extremely expensive to buy. Take a look at 10 such motorcycles as displayed on the CNBC.com website. These are mostly old machines but a few racing bikes are also shown. There are three Vincents that you'll love.

If you'd like to look at what I have on old motorcycles, check out my Old Motorcycles subject.

I also have a large number of Antique Motorcycle Ads that show how early motorcycles were advertised.

We All Love Old Motorcycles

I have a picture gallery of old motorcycles that has some beautiful old bikes. Especially, look for the Cushman, Indian, Harley-Davidson, Matchless, and Phelon and Moore. Take a look.

BMW Riders to Recreate First Round-the-World Trip of 1912-1913

In 1912-1913 - one hundred years ago - two men rode brand-new Henderson motorcycles around the world. Now, two modern men will attempt to duplicate the trip on BMW motorcycles. Ultimate Motorcycling has an article about the trip just begun. Here's an excerpt:

"Two BMW-riding adventurers from Northern Ireland - author Geoff Hill and former road racer Gary Walker - have set off from Dublin on the first leg of an 18,000 mile round-the-world expedition. The duo will replicate and celebrate the inspirational and ground-breaking adventure undertaken by pioneering Irish-American writer, and silent film director, Carl Stearns Clancy in 1912-1913." -- ultimatemotorcycling.com

Read the complete article.

Do You Recognize this Motorcycle?

Someone submitted a picture of his dad riding a Harley but is not sure what year and model the bike is. He thinks it's a 1954 because that was the year printed on the bottom of the picture but I'm pretty sure it's a much earlier year.

His father, Ellis B. Emery, was shipped to Vietnam when he was drafted in the early 60s and this Harley was stolen from him while he was overseas. Emery passed away in 2005.

Take a look at the bike and description and see if you can help him learn more about this motorcycle.

Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run - Old Bikes Hit the Road

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, The Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run has begun. This is a coast-to-coast run of pre-1916 motorcycles starting from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and ending in Santa Monica, California. Dates for the run are September 10-26, 2010. Check out the Cannonball Run website for everything you might want to know about this historic run. (I've noticed that the website can be slow to load or even produce dreaded Internal Server Errors.)

To give you a flavor for what the bikes look like and sound like and how enthusiastic their riders are, I've listed five videos of interviews with Cannonball riders:

• #44 Jon Szalay - 1911 H-D 7A


• #16 Bill Campbell - 1915 H-D Twin


• #15 Buzz Kanter - 1915 H-D Twin


• #47 Ron Mattson - 1915 Indian F-head V-twin


• #89 Cristine Sommer-Simmons - 1915 H-D 11-J

Keep checking the Cannonball Run website for daily updates. Hopefully, we may see some coverage of this event on TV.

Coast-to-Coast on a 95-Year-Old Harley

This story caught my eye. It tells of a coast-to-coast antique motorcycle race, the Motorcycle Cannonball Run, to start September 10, 2010 from Kitty Hawk, NC and end in Santa Monica, CA. One rider plans to ride a 1911 Harley-Davidson Silent Grey Fellow all the way. Here's an excerpt from an article appearing in the Simi Valley Acorn written by Angela Randazzo"

"While the antique motorcycle’s thrust pales in comparison to today’s street bikes capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph, Simi Valley resident Paul Watts, the proud owner of an 11F, is hoping the 95-year-old bike is capable of carrying him across the country." -- Angela Randazzo

Read the complete article.

Antique Motorcycle Ads Gallery - Old Ads with Low Prices

One of my forum members, MadMichael, has a collection of antique motorcycle advertisements that appeared in magazines many years ago. These ads are pretty interesting and reflect the times they appeared. You'll find ads from WWI and WWII and before. There are currently 80 antique motorcycle ads in the collection.

The prices were very low in those days as you'll see. There are many Harley-Davidson ads, a few Indian ads and then some ads for obscure makes. Take a look at my Antique Motorcycle Ads Gallery.

I have just added four motorcycle ads to the collection. They are: 1908 Yale, 1916 Harley, 1924 Harley, and 1932 Harley.

Vintage, Antique, and Classic Motorcycle Pictures

The Motorcycle Views main site has created many galleries of motorcycle pictures. I'll be discussing a few of these over the next few days. To start off, I'll show you the Vintage, Antique, and Classic Motorcycles gallery.

This gallery contains pictures and descriptions of motorcycles manufactured up to and including 1953. Thus, all motorcycles in the gallery will be at least 50 years old.

I'm lumping antique, vintage, and classic motorcycles into this group without regard to the special distinctions that many people may have on what an antique, vintage, or classic motorcycle is. To me, it's any bike more than 50 years old. Add your own comments on the distinctions among these three classes, below.

The picture shown above is a 1929 BMW R63.

Take a look at Vintage, Antique, and Classic Motorcycles.

Old Motorcycles - Picture Gallery

I just released my Old Motorcycles Picture Gallery. This gallery contains pictures and descriptions of motorcycles manufactured up to and including 1953. All motorcycles in the gallery will be at least 50 years old. I'm lumping antique, vintage, and classic motorcycles into this group without regard to the special distinctions that many people may have on what an antique, vintage, or classic motorcycle is. To me, it's any bike more than 50 years old.

Again, I depend on you to help me populate the gallery. Send me a picture and description of your old motorcycle. The submission information is in the Old Motorcycles - Picture Gallery feature.