Don Emde To Retrace Cannonball’s Trail On 100th Anniversary

Saturday, May 3, 2014, marks the 100th anniversary of Erwin “Cannonball” Baker‘s epic voyage from San Diego, CA to New York City. The goal was to beat the existing record of 20 days. Not only did he beat it, but he smashed it, going coast to coast in just over 11 days. This aboard his twin-cylinder, 7 hp, Indian. Tomorrow, Don Emde, winner of the 1972 Daytona 200, and 25 of his friends, will set off on a similar voyage from San Diego to New York, to retrace Cannonball’s trail.

Using Baker’s own notes, Emde and crew plan to follow the same route Baker used a century ago. Obviously, much has changed since 1914 and some of the trails simply don’t exist anymore. The gang will be forced to detour in areas, but the goal of making it to New York in 11 days still remains.

Along the way, Emde and Co. will be posting updates, which we then will share with you once we get them. And since the ride conveniently coincides with the rebirth of Indian Motorcycles, Robert Pandya, Indian’s External Relations Manager, will follow along in a very special, one-off Indian, named Elnora, after Baker’s wife. Look for more information on the bike elsewhere on Motorcycle.com.

Check out www.cannonballproject.com for more information on the trip.

Named after Baker’s wife, Elnora is a special one-off “dual-sport” project from Indian also taking part in the Cannonball Trail.

By Troy Siahaan