Wrapping Up The Motorcycle Cannonball

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

(Editor’s note: The Motorcycle Cannonball ended a month ago in San Francisco. This is the second of two column about the endurance run that appeared in “The Republican-American.”)

Amazingly, “The Beast” made it. It went coast to coast, Newburgh, N.Y. to San Francisco and all 3,956 miles with owner Jeff Alperin in the saddle, and crew chief George Yarocki of Torrington and mechanic Tim Raindle driving a support van with a trailer filled with tools and spare parts. The 1929 Indian 101 Scout – dubbed “The Beast” because of its rugged exterior – successfully completed the Motorcycle Cannonball endurance run (in mid-September) without once breaking down or stranding its rider.

“Absolute perfection,” declared Yarocki, reporting that all that the vintage bike required was routine maintenance, such as adding oil, putting air in the tires and checking the valves. “I was worried sick. Anything can go wrong. I was hoping for the best. We prepared for the best. Then it’s the luck of the draw,” he said.

While the official results showed that Alperin came in fourth place out of the 69 pre-1930 bikes that left the Motorcyclepedia museum in Newburgh on Sept. 7, all headed for the Golden Gate Bridge, “The Beast” was one of the 19 motorcycles that successfully covered every mile of the prescribed route. The winner was Brad Wilmarth of Virginia, who claimed victory by simply having the oldest motorcycle among the 19 full-mileage bikes – a 1913 Excelsior.

“When I started, my only goal was to make all the miles but, frankly, I didn’t think it was going to happen,” said Alperin, a longtime Connecticut resident who now makes his home in Florida. “After the second day, which was bitterly cold and rainy, I began to wonder if it might actually be possible. A couple more good days and I became convinced it really was possible.”

As detailed in RIDE-CT earlier, Alperin bought the 101 Scout in 2001 from Yarocki, who is arguably the world’s leading expert on the Indian model. Joined by Englishman Raindle, a protégé of Yarocki’s, they formed the Torrington-based team that prepared “The Beast” for the rigors of the Motorcycle Cannonball that took riders cross country in two-plus weeks with only a one-day rest stop in Sturgis. S.D.

“We did the very, very best we could. All the knowledge we’ve ever gained about the 101 Scout went into this motorcycle. Any little thing could have ruined the whole experience,” said the 85-year-old Yarocki, whose wife, Millie, stayed home and cheered the team from their home on Riverside Avenue.

What astounded Yarocki the most was “the collective energy of the group. It’s unbelievable that you could get this many people … to get these old motorcycles across America,” he said. “Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was the moment that stood out.”

Alperin pointed to the teamwork that was required to succeed. He noted the contributions of Yarocki and Raindle, and downplayed any discomfort he may have felt riding an 83-year-old machine. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re comfortable or not or whether the roads are good or bad, just do it. They kept the motorcycle viable, so essentially my job was to wake up the morning, get on the damn thing and not fall off.”

Other participants were not so lucky. Three riders had accidents and many suffered breakdowns. “Every night people were out literally rebuilding the engines in parking lots. We didn’t do that. That’s purely because of George Yarocki,” Alperin said. “Our bike may have been the only one that didn’t get some kind of significant repair during the event.”

The flawless performance of “The Beast” enabled Raindle to loan out his mechanical skills to other riders of 101 Scouts, notably Josh Wilson of Virginia, who finished fifth after having only purchased his unproven bike shortly before the event.  “I’ve seen a lot of hotel car parks; mostly by torch light,” said Raindle, using the English terminology for parking lots and flash lights. “I had an absolutely superb time fixing bikes; an awful lot of emergency repairs that you wouldn’t consider in a shop. That was really enjoyable – like stepping back 70, 80 years.”

“The Beast” was one of three bikes in the Motorcycle Cannonball with Connecticut connections. Dan Emerson of Woodstock rode a 1925 Henderson Deluxe, completed 3,950 miles and finished 21^st. Buzz Kanter, the publisher of Stamford-based “American Iron” and “RoadBike” magazines, covered 3,687 miles on a 1929 Harley-davidson JDH and finished 31^st.

Just because Alperin’s 101 Scout ran smoothly didn’t mean he didn’t have concerns along the way. “There were many moments during the run when I wasn’t worried the engine, I was worried some bolt would fall off the damn motorcycle, something idiotic would happen,” he said. “For me, crossing the line and having it actually over was a phenomenal relief.”

(Originally published in “The Republican-American” on Sept. 29, 2012)