Un-Official MB Cannonball Thread

Post by **jrsjr** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:54 pm

Here are the links to the Cannonball-related pages. If there are more, please let me know and I'll add them here so we'll have one list. Thanks!

Group Pages
The Official Cannonball Results page
The Unofficial Daily Standings Chart
The Official Cannonball Rider List page
The Official Modern Vespa Cannonball thread
The ADV Rider Cannonball thread where Cdwise and DaBinChe are checking in.
The Official FollowRide site where you can follow the progress of riders using SPOT locators. Rider #s are shown below and on the
Scooter Cannonball site Rider List page.

Individual Pages
Our Fearless Leader, ericalm's page #98
Cdwise's page (Go Cdwise!) #56
DaBinChe checking in on the ADV Rider thread linked above. #18
Feb21st's page (Go here for slo-mo Go-Pro video of each day's ride!) #22
MrMoi2000's page #36
Wleuthold's page (A guy named Bill and scooter named Rocket) #41
Chuklestx's page #75
Lostboater's page #59
Skwirley's page (Ride terminated before it began in major mechanical failure) #66

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:39 pm

A safe ride to all (but an unabashed preference for Eric/Team BuddIx

)

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:06 pm

Indeed ride safe every body! I have the follow ride in my favorites bar, refreshing like a mad man!

http://followride.com

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:18 pm

woohoo! I will watch the updates with baited breath!

Post by **jrsjr** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 10:41 am

Results after Day 1

1 - DaBinChe
3 - ericalm
14 - Cdwise

Go MB riders!

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 1:30 pm

So, whose blogs are all of you following? I've just gone to the ScooterCannonball site and checked out the riders list page and clicked to anyone with a hyperlink -- but who are your faves?

Haven't been to Modern Vespa in a while but I'd bet they have some threads over there, too ...

Post by **jrsjr** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 3:03 pm

RoadRambler wrote:So, whose blogs are all of you following? I've just gone to the ScooterCannonball site and checked out the riders list page and clicked to anyone with a hyperlink -- but who are your faves?

Haven't been to Modern Vespa in a while but I'd bet they have some threads over there, too ...

EDITed to move the link list to the top of the thread.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 7:12 pm

According to the map, Eric is really kicking some butt on this ride! Well done there, E.!

Post by **jrsjr** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 1:49 pm

DaBinChe and Ericalm continue to run at the top of the leaderboard with Cdwise running strongly in the midpack. There are only one point separating first, second and third place. Go MB riders!!

1- Wleuthold 632 points
2 - DaBinChe 631 points
3 - Ericalm 630 points

14. Cdwise 486 points

easy · Post by **easy** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:40 pm

You can follow DaBinChe at advrider ride reports solo journey

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:39 pm

jrsjr wrote:DaBinChe and Ericalm continue to run at the top of the leaderboard with Cdwise running strongly in the midpack. There are only one point separating first, second and third place. Go MB riders!!

1- Wleuthold 632 points
2 - DaBinChe 631 points
3 - Ericalm 630 points

14. Cdwise 486 points

I have no idea what the points are about....

Post by **jrsjr** » Thu Jun 05, 2014 9:07 pm

pugbuddy wrote:
jrsjr wrote:DaBinChe and Ericalm continue to run at the top of the leaderboard with Cdwise running strongly in the midpack. There are only one point separating first, second and third place. Go MB riders!!

1- Wleuthold 632 points
2 - DaBinChe 631 points
3 - Ericalm 630 points

14. Cdwise 486 points
I have no idea what the points are about....

It's based on riding times which are adjusted via a handicap system. The handicap levels the playing field between old/new and big/small scooters. Plus the riders have to complete certain tasks or they get penalized. It sounds like a big deal, but it's actually a well thought-out system developed by Oopsclunkthud over at Modern Vespa.

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:58 am

After Day 3 the MB riders are still well-placed overall on the leaderboard. Go MB riders!

2. DaBinChe - 962 points
6. Ericalm - 891 points
15. Cdwise - 781 points

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:02 pm

pugbuddy wrote:
jrsjr wrote:DaBinChe and Ericalm continue to run at the top of the leaderboard with Cdwise running strongly in the midpack. There are only one point separating first, second and third place. Go MB riders!!

1- Wleuthold 632 points
2 - DaBinChe 631 points
3 - Ericalm 630 points

14. Cdwise 486 points
I have no idea what the points are about....

Let me ask a question (everybody please feel free to chime in), is this chart helpful? The riders are listed in their overall points position in the event, but it also shows where each rider finished in each leg of the event. This is how seasons are typically summarized in MotoGP or NASCAR, for example. It seems sort of intuitive because it shows what position each rider finished each leg of the event; first, second, third and so on. Plus it makes it much easier to visualize whether a rider is consistent vs up and down and it shows performance trends (improvement, decline or steady) in an intuitive way. Let me know if this is useful and I'll update it each day. Please bear in mind that this is just for fun. The actual event points are shown off to the right and that's what actually matters.

(See Latest Chart Below)

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:34 pm

I like it and find it helpful!

Looks like Eric had a slowish day yesterday -- guess we'll know more when he blogs.

When I heard they chose this route for SCB14, I thought it was insane because of the difficulty getting to the start and the multiple border crossings and so on. But that is one spectacular route!

I'm impressed with the Vespa GT series models and how they are performing so far.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Fri Jun 06, 2014 9:33 pm

I think the chart is helpful as well!

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:08 am

Eric's day three stuff is up.

http://www.scooterfile.com/category/sco ... annonball/

Post by **jrsjr** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:46 pm

Because folks liked my little chart, I'm updating here every day. Go MB riders! Consistency is king and you folks are doing a great job. Keep up the good work!

EDIT: FINAL FINAL FINAL results posted below.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:47 am

Is it me, or does this one seem like the most awesome Cannonball to date? I'm gonna have to go ride those roads someday.

RoaringTodd · Post by **RoaringTodd** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:28 pm

What does DELTA mean?

jrsjr wrote:Because folks liked my little chart, I updated it for day 4 below. Would it be better if I stuck it at the top of the thread so it would always be in the same place? Go MB riders! Consistency is king and you folks are doing a great job. Keep up the good work!

EDIT: Now updated with Day 5 results.

Post by **jrsjr** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:28 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:What does DELTA mean?

Delta always means difference or change. I don't know how exactly Patrick is using it here, but, if you look down at the bottom of the Cannonball Results page, you will see a bar graph of everybody's "delta." Apparently, whatever delta represents, it is cumulative.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:55 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:What does DELTA mean?

Doesn't Even Leave The Airport.

Sorry, did my time in the airlines and I just can't forget that one.

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 5:44 am

jrsjr wrote:
RoaringTodd wrote:What does DELTA mean?
Delta always means difference or change. I don't know how exactly Patrick is using it here, but, if you look down at the bottom of the Cannonball Results page, you will see a bar graph of everybody's "delta." Apparently, whatever delta represents, it is cumulative.

It looks like the Delta is how far one rider is behind the rider above him, though I don't know what good it does, most are simple enough to figure out in your head.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu Jun 12, 2014 11:55 am

Sounds like Eric didn't have a great day yesterday.

The registration on ModernBuddy.com expired, which resulted in visitors to the site starting to get redirected to an expiration page instead of here. Y'all may have noticed that. I posted a message to the official Cannonball thread on Modern Vespa asking someone to tell him, and was told that he was by the side of the road trying to fix his Helix. And on his blog, catching up with a report of the day before, he ended it by saying "My attitude would change on Day 7, which indeed sucked, and not just because I crashed."

The good news is that the registration did get renewed (which is why you're all able to see this now). And he is checked-in in El Dorado, Arkansas this morning, presumably ready to ride into New Orleans.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:32 am

Looks like it's wrapping up. Results haven't been posted, but congratulations to all participants, and especially survivors!

EvilNerdLord · Post by **EvilNerdLord** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:49 am

Looks like svhess and the 2012 4t Stella (same year as mine) is petty consistent on time..is that with a hack?

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 10:24 am

Congratulations again to all the Cannonball riders. You folks own the epic.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 12:03 pm

Nice job to all the CBR 2014 runners!

We now have some new MB additions to the fairly exclusive CBR veterans club!

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 12:49 pm

Here are the FINAL FINAL FINAL results. All the daily results are updated using the data published on the Cannonball site this morning (Friday the 13th).

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:21 pm

HUGE congrats to Eric, CDwise and DaBinchi, and everyone who participated. Always nice to dream from the home screen, but they did it!

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:29 pm

With more than honerable mention to all riders, congratulations to those who finished in the top 28....!!

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:49 pm

Besides their impressive accomplishments on the road, all of these folks have served as excellent ambassadors for the rest of us riders. I just wish that there was more coverage of this in the MSM. I guess no fights, no blood, no news.

I would have loved to participate in something like this when I was younger, but you know it's too late when you need a nap halfway down the driveway.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:21 pm

Also congrats to the two riders who completed the route on Genuine Stellas: Frank Tabor and Svhess.

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:26 pm

Congrats Everybody! MB all up in the top 5! Stella's finished! Top notch ride all around. I didn't do it, but now it's time for CBR withdraw.

Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 5:11 pm

TVB wrote:Also congrats to the two riders who completed the route on Genuine Stellas: Frank Tabor and Svhess.

Indeed! I didn't mean to neglect them. Do you happen to know if either or both of them are Modern Buddy members?

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:18 pm

Indeed it was epic and I have the deepest admiration for the riding skills, wrenching skills, and stamina of the CBers. Congratulations to all of them!

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Fri Jun 13, 2014 10:55 pm

Oh, almost forgot.....

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:20 am

charlie55 wrote:Oh, almost forgot.....

Hey, I thought y'all were supposed to be the nicest people...

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:06 pm

az_slynch wrote:Hey, I thought y'all were supposed to be the nicest people...

That's only on the little Hondas.

Post by **jrsjr** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:22 pm

Ericalm posted his epic Day 7 blog entry complete with a photo that really captures what it's like to ride in a Kansas crosswind. Spoiler Alert: there's also a vivid description of...

bgwss · Post by **bgwss** » Sun Jun 15, 2014 1:18 pm

jrsjr wrote:Ericalm posted his epic Day 7 blog entry complete with a photo that really captures what it's like to ride in a Kansas crosswind. Spoiler Alert: there's also a vivid description of...

Living in Kansas I can relate.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 4:03 am

A much belated thanks to the MB community for their support. I honestly don't think I'd have done it, or done as well, without the encouragement of so many in the scooter community.

I have a lot of thoughts about the Cannonball and long distance riding, which is kind of a different animal. Some made it onto the blog. Thanks also to all who took the time to read it and follow all of us.

DaBinChe is a maniac — in the best way. A hardcore rider who earned his rank. Always had a good attitude. Happy to see him win!

I had no intention of seriously competing (or any idea how to compete) until after Day 1, when I suddenly had a target on my back, ha. Mostly, I was competing with myself, pushing myself to see how I could do.

Next time — game on!

TVB wrote:Sounds like Eric didn't have a great day yesterday.

The registration on ModernBuddy.com expired, which resulted in visitors to the site starting to get redirected to an expiration page instead of here. Y'all may have noticed that. I posted a message to the official Cannonball thread on Modern Vespa asking someone to tell him, and was told that he was by the side of the road trying to fix his Helix. And on his blog, catching up with a report of the day before, he ended it by saying "My attitude would change on Day 7, which indeed sucked, and not just because I crashed."

The good news is that the registration did get renewed (which is why you're all able to see this now). And he is checked-in in El Dorado, Arkansas this morning, presumably ready to ride into New Orleans.

Heh, yep. I managed to get MB renewed while sitting roadside getting eaten by chiggers. Still scratching the bites! Thanks for the heads-ups. I got a Facebook message and then 24 hours of Cannonballers saying, "Oh, hey, Eric…!"

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 5:24 am

ericalm wrote:Mostly, I was competing with myself, pushing myself to see how I could do.

Eric, you just nailed the one reason that I would consider running in a Cannonball. That was the same reason why I lashed together a $250 Volvo and drove to New York in 2008 to run in the BABE Rally. My team didn't win, but we gave it hell.

Your write-ups on Scooterfile were excellent. You had me checking that site far more than I usually do. Between your wordsmithing and the pictures there and on MV, I think there are a lot of us out there that feel like we missed out on one heck of an adventure!

Thank you for sharing your amazing your experience and providing grist for the mill.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:41 pm

Well done, Eric! Heliphiles everywhere can now recline in vicarious glory.

What shape is the scoot in? I'd love to get the gritty details of the mechanical problems you encountered, and the resolutions thereof.

I think you've earned a vacation with your relatives in Brooklyn. Kick back, take it easy, and go for some nice relaxing rides on the BQE.

BootScootin'FireFighter · Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:43 pm

congratulations to everyone who participated! It was pretty epic from all the daily ride reports. Bears, snow, wind, rain, cold, breakdowns, all the elements that test a riders endurance and patience. Much respect for everyone who made it to the start. I noticed "Cochid" only posted points for the last day, but his followride icon showed him near the border early on. Did he actually make it to Hyder? I was a big fan of him in 2012 riding his Yamaha C3. He'd be gone before anyone woke up and come rolling in as we were packing up for the night. Truly hardcore!

Post by **ericalm** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 11:48 pm

charlie55 wrote:Well done, Eric! Heliphiles everywhere can now recline in vicarious glory.

What shape is the scoot in? I'd love to get the gritty details of the mechanical problems you encountered, and the resolutions thereof.

I think you've earned a vacation with your relatives in Brooklyn. Kick back, take it easy, and go for some nice relaxing rides on the BQE.

The Helix lived up to its reputation as a sturdy, reliable machine. As I've learned is common on Cannonball, almost all issues were my fault, due to negligence. I did a lot of prep work on the scoot, but of course the things I didn't check were the things that went wrong. Maintenance-wise, I just changed the oil twice and checked the transmission. Almost every non-Helix had many more issues, went through at least one set of tires, needed belts, rollers, variators, brakes, etc. So despite the list below, the Helix was still a low-maintenance machine!

It's not necessarily the miles that are hard on the scooters, it's how we rode them. I was WOT most of the time for days, really pushing it and demanding all it could give. My wife was watching my progress on FollowRide each day and later said that she'd see that I'd usually leave in a second round of scooters to depart, but then would usually make time and catch up quickly. The Helix is not a fast scoot; slower than the Vespa GTSs I was riding with. I just flogged it all day. Weather extremes and frequent changes in elevation were also hard on it.

It took a ton of abuse. On Day 2, we had a very long stretch of gravel that was filled with impossible to see or avoid potholes. This was followed by another long run on dirt.

I bottomed out, slammed into holes at 50mph, skidded around, had to stop to re-secure my luggage, RAM mounts and so on, which were falling all over. A bunch of scooters suffered damage in this section, as lights mirrors and many things were either shaken loose, lost or hit by rocks. My plug cap came loose, which caused a brief idle/stalling issue. That was it.

On Day 8 my speedometer stopped working. Since I bought the scooter, when it was cold out there'd be a loud whistling from under the dash. I ignored it. It wasn't the cable, but the mechanism in the gauges. I was going to replace the unit but never got around to it. When it went out, I just used the speed on my GPS.

And on Day 7, I crashed it. Poor Helix. All surface damage. The crash was likely due to a leak in the rear tire but in the madcap rush of everything and dealing with a hard day, I neglected to check it. Even though I checked the front. Duh. I can't explain my thinking now.

The one major part I didn't work on pre-Cannonball was the carburetor. It had been fine for the 2K I'd put on the scooter since buying it. So of course on Day 9 it quit on me 7 miles from the motel. I had just plugged a tire in 20 minutes and was feeling pretty full of myself for losing very little time despite my rear tire going out on one of the few big highways we hit on the trip. Then, putter putter blurgh. I did a bunch of checks and looked at everything I could at the roadside but in the end, knew it was the carb. It got cleaned that night and ran like a champ for the rest of the day and at Amerivespa.

Lesson learned: Cannonballers often regret saying, "It should be okay."

All plastic damage!

THIS is why we wear gear. No road rash or marks on this leg. The Firstgear TPG Escape pants are great!

BootScootin'FireFighter wrote:I noticed "Cochid" only posted points for the last day, but his followride icon showed him near the border early on. Did he actually make it to Hyder? I was a big fan of him in 2012 riding his Yamaha C3. He'd be gone before anyone woke up and come rolling in as we were packing up for the night. Truly hardcore!

He actually only rode Day 1. His variator blew up. He tried to find another one and trailered along for a couple days but eventually gave up. I never even met him; they pulled into Hyder late, after the riders meeting before the first day. Most of us had already been there for a night.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:19 am

I wonder if a Buddy could handle this? I'm pretty sure they've been in the race before. Not sure if I'd want a fuel injected engine (170) or not if I tried.... Thoughts?

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:31 am

Thanks for the write-up. That gravel road sounds nasty. It's a good thing that we have pretty decent belly pans on these things.

I'll tell you why you didn't check the rear tire - because it's a pain in the ass to get at the valve. And once the muffler's hot, it's damned near suicidal. It's my biggest mea culpa.

I'm surprised that the carb gave you trouble. I thought sure that it'd be the swingarm/muffler/gasket/pipe combo that'd act up. Especially with all that pothole-induced jostling and jarring.

All-in-all, it's in great shape considering the beating it took. These things are like Frankenstein - ugly, and no matter how much you try to kill them, they just keep on going.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:36 am

charlie55 wrote:I'll tell you why you didn't check the rear tire - because it's a pain in the ass to get at the valve. And once the muffler's hot, it's damned near suicidal. It's my biggest mea culpa.

I'm surprised that the carb gave you trouble. I thought sure that it'd be the swingarm/muffler/gasket/pipe combo that'd act up. Especially with all that pothole-induced jostling and jarring.

Actually, when we pit the fresh tires on before the Run, we used an angled valve stem that was rotated to it was easier to get to. I looked for damage on the front because the nose had gone down in the crash. I was checking the rim, forks, looking for leaks. Soooo… mea culpa.

We chuckled the swing arm and replaced the bearings during the prep.

The carb was really fouled. The jets were just blocked, completely crapped out.

pugbuddy wrote:I wonder if a Buddy could handle this? I'm pretty sure they've been in the race before. Not sure if I'd want a fuel injected engine (170) or not if I tried.... Thoughts?

BootScootinFireFighter did it on a Buddy.

Three Buddys have attempted it, two have finished, both 125s.

There was a lot of Monday morning mechanic-ing at the time, trying to figure out what went wrong with Rob Taylor's Buddy in 2008.

cdwise · Post by **cdwise** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:42 am

I'm still catching up after the cannonball, thanks for including me in the updates.

My speedo went haywire when we swapped tires in Stewart prior to the start of the cannonball. Neither my husband nor I had changed a rear tire before so we must have done something to the sensor when we reconnected everything. I wasn't particularly concerned since I was riding with a GPS which is far more accurate than any scooter speedo. Downside was that it shows I traveled 11,000 miles instead of the 4,000 from start to when I pulled back in my driveway after riding home from New Orleans.

Total maintenance since the start of the cannonball on the Sports City - added 2lbs of air to the rear tire. I did have a tail light bulb go out at some point but since the Sports City has 2 tail lights and both the brake/turn signal still worked I figured it could wait until I got home.

I still haven't updated my blog yet but I did put some videos my husband shot using a quadcopter & gopro at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7kg1C ... Ozw7ObC6SQ I threw up a quick photo gallery at http://wizerways.net/cannonball/ as well. Hopefully, I'll get my blog updated in the next couple of days.

One rear tire survived the cannonball but was down to the wear bars by the time I got home. Front is still going strong. Single most popular engine in this cannonball was the Piaggio/Vespa/Aprilia Quasar 250 used in all the GTS, Sports City, MP3 and BV 250s in the event.

Buddys have survived the cannonball in the past and I expect they would have done so with this one though they would have needed at least one tire and oil change. I chose the Sports City over the Buddy because a) for 360 mile days (average cannonball day) it is simply more comfortable and its oil change and other maintenance intervals meant that I shouldn't have to change things during the cannonball. Chose the Sports City over the Vespa GTS because I did a custom paint job after my accident and didn't want to risk messing it up.

Like Eric I didn't set out with the idea of winning in my mind. My goal was to finish in one piece - me and the scoot since last year I ended up with a plate plus 8 screws in one leg putting 18 pieces back together and a screw/washer in the other ankle after an accident at the H-Town Rally. I figured bonus would be finishing in the top half. I achieved both goals.

Anyone doing the cannonball on a Buddy, Honda NH110 (Bin's scooter), vintage or 50cc has my admiration whether or not they finished. I did have a chance to meet and talk with the gentleman who attempted the cannonball on the Scarabeo 50cc. It was originally going to try it on a Yamaha C3 that he had previously used in a cannonball but found the Scarabeo on ebay for $600 and thought its bigger wheels and faster top end would be a better choice. Turns out he only made it 68 miles before blowing something up he didn't have and wasn't able to get a spare for so when the cannonball reached the closest point to his house off he went. I'll give credit for getting to the start and going forward. There were another dozen who still showed as planning to be at the start that didn't make it for various reasons.

Will I do it again? Who knows but I know there was more than one person on this cannonball who had said "never again" after an earlier one. That's why I won't commit either way.