Cannonball run

[LowRyter]

I don't know much Italian, but it looked like "Price" and "Email Contact" like it was for sale.   Don't know what the Italian for "Bid" is, though ... !

Lannis

I think were right the first time, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Unkept]

I really don't know what your budget is Chuck, but since some other options were shared...

https://www.kijiji.it/annunci/moto-e-scooter/varese-annunci-busto-arsizio/moto-guzzi-sport-13/121777401

26,000 Euros 



I imagine you'd rather have something that needs a revival, and costs a fraction of the above!

[Chuck in Indiana]

I really don't know what your budget is Chuck, but since some other options were shared...

https://www.kijiji.it/annunci/moto-e-scooter/varese-annunci-busto-arsizio/moto-guzzi-sport-13/121777401

26,000 Euros 



I imagine you'd rather have something that needs a revival, and costs a fraction of the above!

Thanks, Joe.. but yeah.. I'm "needing" a project. My antique airplane project has ground to a halt. It's at the stage where I need to be getting into and out of the cabin time after time, and I can't get in it any more since the operation.  I always like to have a project going on, though..
2016-03-08_02-59-06 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

[Unkept]

Loud and clear Chuck, I'm sorry about the airplane project. :(

I'll keep my Google skills sharpened and my eyes peeled for a project.

-Joe

[jas67]

I'll just leave this here....
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/d/1926-harley-jd-twin-74-cu-inch/6509129797.html

What we have a 1926 JD Harley V Twin 74 cu inch 3 speed tank shift, all the parts on the bike are original pieces no re pop -- the bike it has been partly restored as it is, and is not a show bike but a great start to a sweet collectible - this motorbike is not a 65,000 dollar trailer dolly it is a show rider at AMCA antique events and it is a 28,500 buy at that price - it is painted the exact color it would have been delivered from Harley my shop -- nine seven three - 347 - seven zero seven zero for questions and answers

[JoeW]

Team Lucky 13 is going to do it again. I tried to talk Fred into buying that pre 28 Guzzi and running that but, he convinced me that we have unfinished business with the 1913 Indian. No one in the Cannonball has made all the miles on a Hedstrom (1908-1914) powered Indian. There are 5 running this year including us. Our goal is to be the first Hedstom to make it all the way. I am in the middle of rebuilding 2 motors for the run. Last year's motor had a poorly done repair to the case that gave out in Pueblo. Luckily, a fellow competitor had a spare case half that they lent us. I rebuilt the bottom end in a hotel parking lot in Durango. We lost 2 days but, caught up with the run in Page AZ and finished 44th.
It's going to be fun and I'm looking forward to cooler weather, the day we left Cape Girardeau temps rose past 95, the bike got so hot that the engine paint on the case blistered. Two riders were hospitalized for dehydration.  I put Fred on Pedialite for a couple days.



Atlantic city at the start



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Replacing a broken valve spring in Ohio



Foggy start in Dodge City



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Broken case



Gluing it back together, this was about midnight in Durango, I was going on about 3 hours sleep. i called it a night, if i had been a younger man I would have pushed it to completion.



There were a lot of late nights.



The team, Me, Fred (owner and rider) and Frank the machinist
The stops are published on the cannonball web site, the route is kept secret until the night before. Hope to see some of you on the road.

[jas67]

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Is the cylinder head copper plated??? 

Good luck in this years run!

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yes, Good luck!
I thought I'd be able to build a Cannonball bike for $20K. So far, that isn't happening. 

[twowings]

Chuck: have you considered starting a GoFundMe or similar appeal for project funds?

[Chuck in Indiana]

Chuck: have you considered starting a GoFundMe or similar appeal for project funds?

That would be no.  I would have a hard time taking money from someone if I *needed* it. This is just play.. and I'm stubborn.  I really thought 20K would get a project completed enough to run the Cannonball. Don't care about completely original, or cosmetics up to a point. I just may have been wrong.

[twowings]

On March 17th, Italy will be 157 years old! Bet people would sponsor you to carry the Italian flag cross-country...

[rodekyll]

I don't know anything about these oldies, but I can tell a Ford wrench from babbit.  It looks like a fun (but expensive) project.  I could be persuaded to join if you saw any value to my participation.

[JoeW]

Yes, Good luck!
I thought I'd be able to build a Cannonball bike for $20K. So far, that isn't happening. 

Chuck, we had 10k in the motor!



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But look how pretty it is.

[JoeW]

Is the cylinder head copper plated??? 

Good luck in this years run!

No they are cast iron, that discoloration is from heat. There may have been some copper left from the chrome plating that we removed.



This bike had been restored in the 70s and lived in Fred's family room for 25+ years before we pulled it out in January of '16.

[jas67]

No they are cast iron, that discoloration is from heat. There may have been some copper left from the chrome plating that we removed.

I'll bet that's what it is (copper left from the home plating).

[Chuck in Indiana]

most likely..

[Unkept]

Closest thing I could find today.  https://wichita.craigslist.org/mcy/d/vintage-indian-motorcycle/6522667384.html

[jas67]

Closest thing I could find today.  https://wichita.craigslist.org/mcy/d/vintage-indian-motorcycle/6522667384.html

It only needs...... everything!   

[oldbike54]

It only needs...... everything!   

And then some 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks, Joe.. but that's a little more of a project than I want. 
It's amazing to me that I can restore an antique airplane for 25K and it will be worth 60-80K.
I was talking to a collector yesterday that told me that sometimes projects bring more money than completed bikes. You can put 50K in an antique motorcycle that will be worth 45. (!) This is not pencilin out..  I've found a Harley single for 25K that needs work.  No.
I guess the problem for me is that I just want to run the Cannonball. I'm not in *love* with any particular antique motorcycle.. (unless it is a Guzzi of course) enough to take a beating on it. (Guzzi content)

[JoeW]

Thanks, Joe.. but that's a little more of a project than I want. 
It's amazing to me that I can restore an antique airplane for 25K and it will be worth 60-80K.
I was talking to a collector yesterday that told me that sometimes projects bring more money than completed bikes. You can put 50K in an antique motorcycle that will be worth 45. (!) This is not pencilin out..  I've found a Harley single for 25K that needs work.  No.
I guess the problem for me is that I just want to run the Cannonball. I'm not in *love* with any particular antique motorcycle.. (unless it is a Guzzi of course) enough to take a beating on it. (Guzzi content)

I'm finding that out with the restorations that I have done. In most cases, you'll have more in the completed project than its worth. I think that's why patina bikes and cars are climbing in value. Unless a person can either do the work themselves or have an emotional attachment to the bike, it's not worth the money to restore it. There are exceptions to the rule. Also, especially in 2016, as the departure date of the cannonball approached, the prices for spares for the 100+ year old bikes skyrocketed. The run has increased the demand for early bikes and the parts to put them together. We paid just over 6k for a complete Hedstrom motor just before Wauseon. Then at the swap meet, I saw one sell for 15k. Too bad we needed it, 9k profit in 24 hours, I could live with that.


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[Denis]

5 or 6 of my friends have run the Cannonball a couple of times. The year the cutoff was 1916 the all ran '16 Power Pluses. I think all of them completed the entire race.
Building them was a challenge and once the year cutoff is determined for an upcoming race, all the parts start getting expensive and get bought up. And you'd better have spares!

[Chuck in Indiana]

I'm finding that out with the restorations that I have done. In most cases, you'll have more in the completed project than its worth. I think that's why patina bikes and cars are climbing in value. Unless a person can either do the work themselves or have an emotional attachment to the bike, it's not worth the money to restore it. There are exceptions to the rule. Also, especially in 2016, as the departure date of the cannonball approached, the prices for spares for the 100+ year old bikes skyrocketed. The run has increased the demand for early bikes and the parts to put them together. We paid just over 6k for a complete Hedstrom motor just before Wauseon. Then at the swap meet, I saw one sell for 15k. Too bad we needed it, 9k profit in 24 hours, I could live with that.
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Heh. I really thought it would be like antique airplanes, and you could get your money out of it (or lots more) once finished. Being a cheap Guzzi Guy.. I'm not about to put more in an antique motorcycle than it's worth.  Too bad.. I would have loved to run the Cannonball. 

[oldbike54]

 Chuckie , maybe a more palatable concept for the typical Guzzi owner is the long distance contests where the budget allowed for a bike is $1,000.00 . Some local boys (Northwest AR) put on a multi-day road rally based on that idea , of course building a thousand buck motorbike is fairly easy if one has a $50,000.00 machine shop in the back yard 

 Two members of that NWA crew are members here , but getting them to post is like pulling teeth  Cheap pun , one of them is a dentist 

 Dusty

 

[Denis]

I guess the problem for me is that I just want to run the Cannonball. I'm not in *love* with any particular antique motorcycle.. (unless it is a Guzzi of course) enough to take a beating on it. (Guzzi content)

Most of the people who run the Cannonball have to worry less about money (and the time off) than most of the rest of us. Most I know are independently wealthy, own their businesses and most if not all, can work on their own bikes and some are retired.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Chuckie , maybe a more palatable concept for the typical Guzzi owner is the long distance contests where the budget allowed for a bike is $1,000.00 . Some local boys (Northwest AR) put on a multi-day road rally based on that idea , of course building a thousand buck motorbike is fairly easy if one has a $50,000.00 machine shop in the back yard 

 Two members of that NWA crew are members here , but getting them to post is like pulling teeth  Cheap pun , one of them is a dentist 

 Dusty

Pffft. I could build an MZ for a thousand bucks. That wouldn't even be a challenge.. 

[Lannis]

Most of the people who run the Cannonball have to worry less about money (and the time off) than most of the rest of us. Most I know are independently wealthy, own their businesses and most if not all, can work on their own bikes and some are retired.

I guess what we're trying to let Chuck know (and I think he knows it anyway, we're just chatting now) is that, as "owner" and "rider", his expenses would only be the bike and his personal travel expense; he, like a lot of us, doesn't have to be "independently wealthy" to do that.    We splash out money on old bikes and vacations every year.

All of the other costs would be covered by the team.   (If they weren't, then he'd have picked the wrong team and I don't think that'll happen ...) 

Lannis

[oldbike54]

Pffft. I could build an MZ for a thousand bucks. That wouldn't even be a challenge.. 

 Yeah , but you have a $50K machine shop 

 Dusty

[LowRyter]

Chuckie , maybe a more palatable concept for the typical Guzzi owner is the long distance contests where the budget allowed for a bike is $1,000.00 . Some local boys (Northwest AR) put on a multi-day road rally based on that idea , of course building a thousand buck motorbike is fairly easy if one has a $50,000.00 machine shop in the back yard 

 Two members of that NWA crew are members here , but getting them to post is like pulling teeth  Cheap pun , one of them is a dentist 

 Dusty

.....or you could find a 1970 Honda 350 and put gas in it and still have a few bucks.

[kirby1923]

I'll go out on a limb here and say the cannonball thing is more of an ego trip for those that don't have to ask  "how much does it cost".

 Yes I'm sure there are a couple of participants that have a very old machine that they have had for many years and get people to "team" for free,(or some version of that), but its really a game for the well healed. Those that make the rules will decide who can join in.

Too bad they don't have one for the pre WWII machines as well then some of us might be able to join the fun.

I once participated in a similar event in Europe but was over my head, and it could have been a better experience for sure.

Cynical? maybe!?

:-)