For those who don't know, the Cannonball is a biennial cross continental endurance challenge. It's gotten bigger every year and now includes a broad variety of scooters which are broken down into various classes.
Many of the Cannonballers customize their scooters with all types of electronics, GPS, extra gas tanks and so on.
Moderator Emeritus jrsjr is a Cannonball vet, as is member robtaylor.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
Ya know... if anyone at Genuine (Trey) is thinkin', "hey, wouldn't it be great to enter one of our fabulous new touring scooters in the Cannonball to show everyone what an amazing machine it is?" And then you were thinking, "hmmm, whoever could we get to ride it for us?...
It looks like I'm going to give it a go. I still haven't decided, though, Buddy or Stella, Stella or Buddy?
Another guy here in Tucson is riding and we are trying to get two other guys as well. One has a truck and trailer, so, not only do we save the cost of flying the scoots out, but we have a support vehicle as well.
Only 10 months to go. One of the big issues for me, will be buying actuial cold weather gear. We don't do much cold weather riding here in southern AZ.
Howard
Iron Butt Association Member Number 42256
Club - The Sky Island Riders.
Publisher: The Scooter 'Zine thescooterzine.com
Kaos wrote:Man, I was really hoping for the Portland to Portland run they had been discussing. Then I could meet everyone for the start
Though Vancouver, BC isn't undoable either....
This will probably be the most beautiful route yet. Vancouver has a very active scooter community. Hopefully some Canadians will join the ride.
Advice for anyone planning on doing it: Keep your scoot as close to stock or "normal" running configuration as possible. The scoots that don't make it to the end or have the most issues along the way tend to be the ones with a ton of mods.
If I were doing this one I'd maybe add a GPS and an external gas tank to my Vespa (just over 20K on odometer), have some hardcore maintenance done (valves, carb cleaned, new rollers, belt, tires) and that would be about it. Of course, it already has a cylinder kit and performance variator and exhaust, but I've been running with those long enough to know how they perform and that they're not going to fail or screw anything up.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
Here's a question worth posing: If there were enough Genuine riders on the 2010 Cannonball, would Genuine sponsor its riders by sending the Genuine Love Bus to provide support for its riders.
UnionZac wrote:Here's a question worth posing: If there were enough Genuine riders on the 2010 Cannonball, would Genuine sponsor its riders by sending the Genuine Love Bus to provide support for its riders.
Mmmmm… not likely, I'd say. It's not that they don't want to support owners and the community. It's more a matter of public perception and liability.
As I noted earlier, Rob Taylor didn't complete the '08 Cannonball, but he came damn close. The reason? Bent rod. IMHO, his modifications were largely responsible for the problem. (Extra gas tank plus heavy rollers let his scoot run at high RPMs for much longer than it was designed to and the engine ran very hot for too long.) Fact is, though a few people have crossed the continent on Buddys, they're not really designed for that type of endurance challenge.
It's more likely that a local dealer or other pars supplier might provide some type of sponsorship or support. The dealers along the route in past years have been very supportive and were instrumental in last year's run.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
If I were cherry-picking a setup for 2010, I'd go with a SYM HD200, a Garmin motorcycle GPS, and an auxillary gas tank (not quite as simple now that the HD is fuel injected). I'd leave the scoot stock (absolutely no performance variator/clutch/belts) and make sure it was thoroughly serviced, including fresh tires, right before leaving. I'd carry a AAA card, underpants with *no* seams (or bike shorts), couple changes of clothes, dop kit, travel alarm clock, and cell-phone charger and that's about all. Note: Before departing, I'd take a seam ripper and remove the back pockets from my jeans to avoid getting "seam-butt." Because I have back problems, I'd run a Biker's Friend and stash my rain gear in there along with a set of thermal underwear and glove liners. I'd stick my backup credit/debit/ATM card in the dop kit so I'd still have access to money if my wallet were lost or stolen. I'd stick a few tools and a tire repair kit including a handpump or CO2-powered tire pump in the pet carrier. On the ride itself, I'd try to find somebody who rides at my pace to ride with and avoid disputes over rules, regulations, vintage vs modern scooters and any other sources of bad karma. I'd study the route every day and be prepared to improvise in the event a section of the route goes pear shaped.
And that's pretty much the distillation of my experience from CBR 2004, 2006, & 2008. IMHO YMMVW ATGATT
ericalm wrote: Vancouver has a very active scooter community. Hopefully some Canadians will join the ride.
I went to the 2009 Wurst Scooter Rally. Weather was crappy, but they made it up with "Scooter Street Hockey"
Their rides included going in a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. I scooted to Vancouver on my MP3 and didn't attempt it. If I had my buddy, it would have been a different story.
peabody99 wrote:John you put a ton of thought into this- are you riding?
Honestly, I didn't have to think that hard. That's just the list of what I've seen that works. I had decided not to ride in '10 because it looked like we might just ride the '08 route in reverse, but there was a regime change and now it looks like we're going to do a northern route, which was what I wanted to do. That change makes a big difference to me. Now I'm going to have to rethink.
peabody99 wrote: And if so, a sym? I recall they did real well last time
That SYM HD200 that Patrick (and Pete the photographer, too) rode was a rock. No mods. No problems. They handle well. The '10 HDs have added dual front disk. The darned things are fast, too. What's not to love? You know what I mean? I don't intend (or hold) any disrespect for the Genune products. I was just musing on what my experience would lead me to choose. I see you have a yellow GTS now. Those are hard to beat, aren't they? You should think about going on the Cannonball. You don't need anything fancy other than a stock scooter. It's helpful to have a GPS and a small good-quality gas can, but that's about it. Think about it.
Last edited by jrsjr on Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
So, I am having to choose between my Buddy and my Stella. I don't believe a Stella has ever run in the cannonball. My local mechanic says there's a good reason for that and I should take the Buddy.
I only want to finish, I'm not riding to win (this time), so I kind of figure if I ride 50-55mph most of the time, the Stella should do okay. I know that 2-strokes aren't quite as reliable as 4-strokes, but 2-strokes ruled scoterdom for quite a while, and did okay, right?
Howard
Iron Butt Association Member Number 42256
Club - The Sky Island Riders.
Publisher: The Scooter 'Zine thescooterzine.com
Howardr wrote:So, I am having to choose between my Buddy and my Stella. I don't believe a Stella has ever run in the cannonball. My local mechanic says there's a good reason for that and I should take the Buddy.
I only want to finish, I'm not riding to win (this time), so I kind of figure if I ride 50-55mph most of the time, the Stella should do okay. I know that 2-strokes aren't quite as reliable as 4-strokes, but 2-strokes ruled scoterdom for quite a while, and did okay, right?
Howard
I don't know if a Stella has ever run, but many manual scoots have been in the Cannonball. The number participating has decreased every run, though. In '08 there were two P200s and a Lambretta LI. In '06 there were almost as many manual scooters as autos.
The thing about the Stella is that it's a 2T engine. 2T's don't handle high RPMs for long periods of time (which is exactly what the cannonball does). It has a lot to do with the way it fires every rotation instead of every other rotation (4T). Friggin great for around town and constant revving, but sustained high RPMs on an air cooled 2T engine will be a recipe for heartache and lots of money.
If I were gonna run a Stella in an endurance race (I'd be crazy enough to do it if I were a little more financially comfortable) would be with a fresh engine rebuild, timed to be past the break in point at the start of the race; fresh tires; synthetic 2T oil; an aftermarket engine temp sensor pulling from at least two locations on the engine and a "Dial-a-jet" that I'd already figured out altitude settings for. If there's a transmission kit for it that allows for taller gearing (lower RPMs at State Highway speeds) I'd consider that as well, but it'd have to be proven in my bike before I head out.
As for the '10 SYM HD200s. Dual front disks, and fuel injection?! I've heard the rumors, but how much can I base this on? I've test ridden one (the 08/09) and damn! I mean, DAMN! It's comfortable, roomy, peppy, etc. If they bring in that version with rear disks, I'll be heading over to Scoot Richmond to start making arrangements for a first model in the next week or so.
I might be tempted to do a ride along for this CB run, but no way I'd do it on my Blur. It's a great urban assault scoot, but no way my butt can take long hours. My old beast of a MC on the other hand was made for that. If I got one of them '10 HD200's I'd be tempted to be an honest contender, though.
I'll have to keep an eye out on this stuff right here. It'll give me something to do with my vacation time excess that doesn't match up with my wife's.
Other then being deemed clinically insane, I could only ride if there was some way to use a catheter-the thought makes me shudder though. I have a very small bladder
I agree that northern route sounds great. I would love to to it, but just at a wee slower pace-ie a couple weeks.
Interesting route. It just touches the northern end of my little jaunt this past summer, but I've also driven most of the Michigan section by car. This route includes the single most tedious section of road in the entire state: the 25-mile stretch from Shingleton to Seney, which contains not a single turn, bump, or landmark of any kind, just one lane in each direction. No gas stations either, though I assume any Cannonballers will be prepared for that. But mostly some nice territory, and there's no point in detouring around the Seney Stretch (which would add another 100 miles at least). Too bad the run won't leave time to get off the road and see the really nice parts of the UP.
Howardr wrote:So, I am having to choose between my Buddy and my Stella. I don't believe a Stella has ever run in the cannonball. My local mechanic says there's a good reason for that and I should take the Buddy.
I only want to finish, I'm not riding to win (this time), so I kind of figure if I ride 50-55mph most of the time, the Stella should do okay. I know that 2-strokes aren't quite as reliable as 4-strokes, but 2-strokes ruled scoterdom for quite a while, and did okay, right?
Howard
I don't know if a Stella has ever run, but many manual scoots have been in the Cannonball. The number participating has decreased every run, though. In '08 there were two P200s and a Lambretta LI. In '06 there were almost as many manual scooters as autos.
I rode a Vespa P-200 in the 2006 Cannonball. After that I rode it as a daily rider for two more years before it started leaking gear oil. Rocket rode his P-200 in 2006 and 2008 with the same engine. So two strokes are reliable as long as it is not too modded out. I don't know why the number vintage riders has diminished; other than modern bikes are just plain more comfortable. Riding that many hours on a vintage two stroke does take its toll on your body.
dakotamouse wrote:Shoot! I've been messing around on their site and now it looks like they will be sticking to SD.
The jog north into North Dakota didn't really make sense to me. It's the long way of getting from Point A to Point B (unless that was the goal) and just adds more interstate miles, rather than regular roads (which I'd expect any marginally-sane scooterist to prefer).
There was a glitch in the google map. There aren't any interstate miles involved in the ND, SD route. Although I'm disapointed they aren't going across ND, just a little snippit, the route they are taking across SD should be scooter friendly and should by pass the really desolate areas of SD.
Ride what you like so you'll love to ride!
Scooterist Extraordinaire!
pyrocpu wrote:So would I be safe in assuming that renting a Silverwing would be considered cheating?
Not cheating, just not considered a participant. Unless they've changed the rules a bit (lot) the CB is for 250cc and under scooters.
Now, if you want to rent a Swing and tag along for the experience and memories, possibly offering to carry extra rations, tools or offer support and camera services, I'm sure there'd be one or two there that'd relish your company. That's assuming you don't keep blowing by them and slowing down or do any other show-off moves on the Swing.
Howardr wrote:So, I am having to choose between my Buddy and my Stella. I don't believe a Stella has ever run in the cannonball. My local mechanic says there's a good reason for that and I should take the Buddy.
I only want to finish, I'm not riding to win (this time), so I kind of figure if I ride 50-55mph most of the time, the Stella should do okay. I know that 2-strokes aren't quite as reliable as 4-strokes, but 2-strokes ruled scoterdom for quite a while, and did okay, right?
