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@pbcoole avatar
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GTV300
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UTC quote
I didn't want to hijack KimPossibles' thread with my own questions. It seems to have its own trajectory, and I won't be making it to this year's Cannonball, but I am thinking about making it to one in the near future. I also thought it might be nice to start a thread for those with oddball questions - though I imagine there might be one back in the archives somewhere.

My questions -

1. Support vehicles - from the films, it looks like people have support teams. Is that average/common, or do most riders load themselves down with their tools and spare parts, (as I have done for traveling)? Is there a general support vehicle on hand for everyone, or is it every scooterist for themselves?

2. Budget - that first question pretty much falls into the budget category too. I'm thinking ten + nights in hotels - are we talking $39 a night rooms? Actually, those seem to be things of the past in my few recent travels that involve hotels. (Normally I camp.) So, I would think $1000-$2000 for lodging. I need gas around every 100 miles on the highway, so about five fillups a day - give it a wide margin, let's say $500 for gas. Food? Who needs food? So I'm guessing most riders spend $2000-$5000 on the Cannonball, depending. I feel if I have $5000 saved, I would be in much more than better shape.

3. Getting to the start and from the finish. My first thought is I would ride the scooter to the start and back home from the finish. (My second thought is I don't get that much vacation time.) Does anyone do that? I have found on my past scooter journeys that I overestimate the number of miles I can travel in one day enjoyably. Maybe I should wait until I'm retired, so I won't be trying to squeeze everything into too little time. My brain usually thinks this way - New Mexico to the East Coast - 4 days. Google Maps tells me that's a 26 hour drive (to Myrtle Beach as an example). I think if I did that, I would wind up at the start already a little beaten down. If anyone has ridden to and from the Cannonball, how much time did you give it in order to arrive relaxed and ready for long days? Or if no one scooters to and from, how do you get there if you don't have a trailer and a support driver?

4. Changing Tires. As I've mentioned in another thread, that's the one bit of maintenance I fail at. I can get the old tire off, but I can't get the new tire to seat. Do most Cannonballers just find a handy scooter shop when they need new tires installed?

That's basically where my Cannonball curiousity has led me so far.
OP
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UTC quote
I guess the short version of my questions is how do you keep the budget low and the scooter running.
@gotmojo avatar
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GTS 300, BV250
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Location: Orange County, CA
 
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Location: Orange County, CA
UTC quote
Technique is everything when it comes to changing tires. Well, technique and the right tools. A lot of riders don't bother with that and bring mounted tires they can just swap out. If you shop around you can pick up used wheels relatively cheaply.

No matter what you do, it's going to be a relatively expensive endeavor -- time and money wise. There's no getting around the fact that the scooter needs to be at the starting line and (usually) back home afterwards. Some people split the costs of shipping if someone happens to have a truck or a trailer. Others pay commercial shippers to take care of it.

Because of the delays and increased cost of pretty much *everything*, this year feels like pouring money into a bottomless pit. Hotels alone are over $1k. Just for the 11 nights required if you stay at the 'official' hotels by yourself. I'm probably close to the $5k mark when you include transportation, hotels, parts, support vehicle costs, etc. Gas, water, meals will just add to that pain.

Having a support vehicle helps in 2 ways. First, it decreases the amount of stuff you have to carry on the bike. Second, it can provide assistance or a lift when/if you break down, run out of gas, etc. This can be worth a lot if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere, on a road that sees a handful of vehicles a week.

To limit the financial hit:

Make friends and get a roommate or two.
Get a friend or a spouse to drive a support vehicle and have others buy in to help offset your out of pocket costs (assuming you have a truck and a trailer or access to one)
Camp
Learn to wrench and fix absolutely everything on your bike
Pick up spare parts from people upgrading or from wrecked bikes
Live close to a start/end so you only have to worry about one way costs.
Buy used gear.

Most bikes survive just fine with minimal maintenance -- wear items (belts, rollers, tires, etc) and fluids.
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UTC quote
Thank you GotMojo - that gives me some things to think about.

Another question I sometimes wonder about is if the vintage, "shifty" Vespas do better in so far as they do not need new variators, belts, and rollers at some point in the Cannonball. I'm guessing that they are prone to other problems and that the simple issue of age comes into play.

It's a bit of a moot point, since I only have the GTV, (and I'm not sure I would be ready to adjust to the reduced top speed), but it is something I often wonder about.
@lostboater avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
Vespa LX150 GTS250ie GTS300x2 sold 'em
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@lostboater avatar
Vespa LX150 GTS250ie GTS300x2 sold 'em
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UTC quote
I have done a few Cannonballs and to my knowledge no one has successfully completed a Cannonball camping. A couple have tried but made about one night and then made other arrangements' like sleeping on someone's floor.
@gotmojo avatar
UTC

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GTS 300, BV250
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Location: Orange County, CA
 
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UTC quote
lostboater wrote:
I have done a few Cannonballs and to my knowledge no one has successfully completed a Cannonball camping. A couple have tried but made about one night and then made other arrangements' like sleeping on someone's floor.
He wanted to be cheap, not comfortable.
OP
@pbcoole avatar
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GTV300
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Location: New Mexico
 
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UTC quote
GotMojo wrote:
He wanted to be cheap, not comfortable.
Yeah, don't get my wife started on that particular character trait.

I would stay in the Cannonball hotels. Without the camaraderie, what would be the point? It would just be me, riding across the country on my Vespa, which I could do without pressuring myself to complete a specific route in a specific time frame. I have no illusions about placing high in the ranks.
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GTS 250, Sprint 150 & HPE Tech
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GTS 250, Sprint 150 & HPE Tech
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Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
UTC quote
$5k is a comfy budget if you are just looking at event participation. Scooter prep, excessive farkle, riding gear, Amazon Prime, reading message boards while intoxicated, can all clean you out when preparing for the Cannonball!

Anyway, for 2021 the biggest expenses remain hotels and shipping. If you stayed at the official hotels for 11 nights, $1605 after all taxes and fees. You can work this down with a roommate or seeking out more affordable accommodations. 2021 is long in the miles so the hotel selections this year are very luxurious as far as the Cannonball goes. Also, Bar Harbor and Traverse City make up 25% ($426) of that $1605 but every year has had touristy overnights.

2021 the event has an arrangement with MotoShippers - $750 gets your scooter to the starting line or home from the finish (anywhere lower 48). If you are shipping both ways thats $1500. It's hard to beat the offer doing it yourself. If you ride to the start or home from the finish - cut that in half. I'd also note that MotoShippers has a breakdown deal - if your scooter breaks down along the route - secure it and they will fetch it and return it to your doorstep for $750. This adds some monetary peace of mind / insurance.

Hotels and shipping you're around $3100-3200. That leaves another $150-175 a day for food, gas, gambling, etc.
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UTC quote
pbcoole wrote:
Another question I sometimes wonder about is if the vintage, "shifty" Vespas do better in so far as they do not need new variators, belts, and rollers at some point in the Cannonball.
Generally, no. The vintage bikes may not have belts or rollers, but that doesn't stop them from breaking down. They were not made for the kind of abuse that Cannonball dishes out, and it takes someone with both riding and wrenching skills to coax a vintage bike across country.
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