The 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball is currently happening, taking place from September 7 to September 24, 2023. Participants are riding their antique motorcycles on a grueling 3,800-mile journey from Virginia Beach, Virginia to Oceanside, California.
The Motorcycle Cannonball is a challenging endurance event where riders navigate the organizers’ chosen route across the United States. Originally held biennially, the event’s scheduling shifted to odd-numbered years due to the pandemic.
Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum has been involved with the Motorcycle Cannonball since its first edition in 2010. In a video, Matt Walksler explains how his father, Dale, participated in the inaugural Cannonball riding a 1915 Harley.
Although Wheels Through Time Museum is not officially running a bike in the 2023 Cannonball, Matt’s friend, Gary, is riding a 1928 Harley-Davidson JD. Matt sold him the bike in 2022 specifically for Gary’s participation in the next Motorcycle Cannonball.
The video provides insight into the history of the event, the challenges faced by riders, and the anticipation surrounding Gary’s progress. The mechanical strain of riding 300 to 400 miles a day on backroad courses designed by the organizers is immense, especially considering the age of these antique motorcycles.
Antique machines like these come with their own set of mechanical issues, which the riders must contend with. In this particular video, Gary arrives at the Wheels Through Time Museum late, after other riders have already taken their required break and moved on to the next leg of the journey. It turns out that Gary’s clutch has been malfunctioning since the start of the Cannonball. Matt is surprised that Gary managed to make it as far as the museum. Upon inspection, they discover that the single nut holding the clutch in place is missing. Matt fixes the issue by installing a new nut and tightening it properly. They then restart the motorcycle, and Matt even joins Gary on a 1915 Harley to continue the Cannonball.
If you’re interested in daily updates on the progress of the 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball, you can find videos, photos, and written posts from the road on the event’s official Facebook page. They also post daily scores as PDF files, allowing you to track your favorite riders and their progress. As of Stage Nine, Gary Brace on his 1928 Harley-Davidson JD from Wheels Through Time is holding strong in 25th place.
The majority of participants in the Cannonball are riding various antique Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles. Only four bikes in the top 25 rankings do not belong to these two brands. Notable among them are a 1917 Henderson G in third place, a 1926 Rudge Special Four-Four in tenth place, a 1929 Scott Flying Squirrel in eleventh place, and a 1924 Henderson Deluxe in twentieth place.
Currently, the top two bikes in the race are a 1909 Indian Single, ridden by Todd Cameron in first place, and a 1911 Harley-Davidson Single, ridden by Dave Currier in second place. With seven stages remaining, it’s anyone’s guess who will cross the finish line in Oceanside, California, on September 24, 2023. Stay tuned for updates.