On May 3rd, 1913, 100 years ago, Erwin “Cannonball” Baker started his 7 horsepower Indian V-Twin and pointed East, aiming to beat the existing record for cross-country travel by motorcycle. He and his beloved Indian Motorcycle did the trip in 11 days which was 9 days faster than the previous record. A newspaper said he was faster than the Cannonball Express Train and the name stuck.
100 years later a group of riders is recreating this historic ride through The Cannon Ball Project.
Indian Motorcycle is joining the trip on a specially modified Indian® Chief® Vintage. Named Elnora, after Cannon Ball Baker’s wife, it is a development motorcycle that has already seen thousands of miles of engineering testing and over the road miles. The bike was modified to remove weight, stiffen the suspension and add protection as the route features hundreds of miles of gravel roads and some particularly sandy sections.
See more photos here
