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100 years, 3,300 miles: Vintage motorcycles hitting the road

Bob Wooldridge, right, of Georgia, shares a laugh with Bill Kurtz, while sitting near their 1913 Sears Dreadnought motorcycle Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J., as they prepare for the Motorcycle Cannonball, a bi-annual run for vintage motorcyclists, that will take them almost 3,400 miles across the country from Atlantic City to San Diego, where they expect to arrive Sept. 25. This marks the fourth race since motorcycle expert Lonnie Isam Jr., founded the inaugural run in 2010, but the first that requires motorcycles at least 100 years in age. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Bob Wooldridge, right, of Georgia, shares a laugh with Bill Kurtz, while sitting near their 1913 Sears Dreadnought motorcycle Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J., as they prepare for the Motorcycle Cannonball, a bi-annual run for vintage motorcyclists, that will take them almost 3,400 miles across the country from Atlantic City to San Diego, where they expect to arrive Sept. 25. This marks the fourth race since motorcycle expert Lonnie Isam Jr., founded the inaugural run in 2010, but the first that requires motorcycles at least 100 years in age. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

By Associated Press 1 min read

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Thomas Trapp sells new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Germany, but for the next two weeks he’ll be riding 3,300 miles coast to coast in America aboard one made 102 years ago.

He’s one of about 100 riders set to straddle century-old machines as part of the Motorcycle Cannonball run for vintage motorcycles starting Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The Frankfurt, Germany, resident will be joined on the run to Southern California by his son, Eric, who will ride a 1916 Harley. He says the ride is a special experience with people coming from all over the world.

The motorcycles used in the race can be refurbished, but the engines must all be original.

The riders will mostly stick to two-lane back roads, with less than 100 miles of the trip done on interstate highways.