Flying Merkel Fails Test Ride

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

If you read Saturday’s RIDE-CT column in “The Republican-American” about the upcoming Motorcycle Cannonball endurance run from Kitty Hawk, N.C. to Santa Monica, Calif., you already know about the 1910 Flying Merkel that Ed Zalonski of East Haven has assembled for the trip. After interviewing him and hearing that the engine was only started for the first time a week ago and that it had only logged a half-mile on the road, I suggested that he contact vintage Indian expert George Yarocki of Torrington for input and advice.

Ed made the call and Saturday morning trucked the bike up to George’s shop – that’s Ed, left, and George in the top picture – to try and get it dialed in. The bike was idling too high and had some other issues.

After a couple hours of work, another test ride was in order to gauge its operating condition and to see how fast it could run. The top speed for the one-speed bike turned out to be about 15 miles per hour, but the Flying Merkel only lasted for about a mile before it shut down and refused to run – leaving Ed stranded on the side of the road.

Making it 3,300 miles across the country is going to be a real challenge for the Flying Merkel if the bike can’t make it for more than a mile in Litchfield County. More to come later. It’s early Sunday morning on what promises to be a gorgeous day and, well, it’s time to ride…