Remember those bad late 1970s/early 1980s movies featuring David Carridine and a host of B-grade actors bombing across the U.S. in a madcap coast-to-coast dash? Inspiration for those flicks came from auto editor Brock Yates' Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, a protest against Richard Nixon’s 55mph speed limit. Yates was inspired by the legendary endurance runs of Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, who made his first cross country dash in 1914 aboard an Indian twin. Today, Lonnie Isam, Jr., promoter and owner of Jurassic Racing in Sturgis, South Dakota, is adding to the Cannonball thread, making final preparations for a coast-to-coast endurance run for pre-1916 motorcycles, the Motorcycle Cannonball.
New retro bikes continue to grow in popularity. Royal Enfield, Triumph, Harley and Moto Guzzi all build motorcycles geared to riders whose tastes lean to yesterday’s classics. Add one more to the list thanks to the newly incorporated California Scooter Company, which is launching a line of bikes directly inspired by the classic Mustang motorcycles built in Glendale, Calif., from 1947 to 1965.
In celebration of the new Norton Commando SE, we’re giving away some hyper-cool Norton gear. How cool? At the top of the list is a framed metallic print from the Lord of Light and Master of the Pixel, motorsports photographer Daniel Peirce. Featuring a 1973 Norton 850 Commando, the signed and numbered print is from Peirce’s critically acclaimed book, The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine.