Pedanten nerven. Trotzdem, for the record:
In 1914 schaffte Erwin 'Cannonbal'l Baker (1882 -1960) einen neuen Weltrekord:
Auf einer 7PS twin Indian durchquerte er die USA von der Westküste zur Ostküste in 11 Tagen, 12 Stunden und 10 Minuten und war damit 9 Tage schneller als der vorherige Rekord und 4 Tage schneller als der Rekord mit Auto.
Von den 3379 Meilen waren nur 4 gepflastert und 68 Meilen sogar über Bahnlinie!
(
https://rideapart.com/articles/motorcyc ... ball-baker)
Und all das ohne 'comfort', 'rain' oder Rukka!!
Der kaputte, aber glückliche Mann zu Füssen der 2015er K16GT ist Rekord Jäger Carl Reese aus Californien, der die nunmehr 2.829 Meilen in 38 Stunden und 49 Minuten schaffte, und so den vorherigen Rekord um 4 Stunden verbesserte - eine tolle Leistung in heutiger Zeit mit moderner Maschine.
(
http://transcondrivers.org/2016/01/27/m ... 9-minutes/)
Beam me to Earth, Scottie, in 100 Jahren, denn ich möchte wissen, wie Motorräder dann aussehen - mit 'flight' und 'amphibious' Modus? Exhaust sound selector für 'Standard' oder 'Akrapovic'? Solar powered??
Sagt Mr Emde, der an dem centenary run 2014 teil nahm:
“At home I ride a 1915 Harley-Davidson, so I have a real appreciation for what Baker did out there with 60 pounds of pressure in those clincher tires. And he must’ve been a heck of a mechanic to keep that thing going. He couldn’t have been going more than 20 or 30 mph on that terrain. And here we are with GPS, fuel injection, and 10 inches of suspension travel, and we’re whooped at the end of the day.”
Clearly, Baker was a gifted rider with almost supernatural endurance, but he also had a profound understanding of engine tuning, which he spoke about later in life. “The only way to handle a carburetor is here,” he’d say, pointing to his ear. “I learned that and became a motorcycle champion because I was better tuned than the others. The carburetor sings a song, and you’d better listen.”
From the sand of the dramatic Apache Trail near Phoenix to the expansive battlefields of Gettysburg on the Lincoln Highway, our eyes saw what Cannon Ball saw all those years ago, and our appreciation for him grew. We marveled daily at Baker’s pace, after putting in what seemed like a full day’s ride, often 300-plus miles and at speeds mostly above 70 mph.
A quick look at the scope of Baker’s racing and speed-record achievements underscores the talent of the man. In addition to 143 speed and fuel economy records, he has 5.5 million miles of documented motorized travel. At just 32, Baker was recognized as America’s greatest motorcyclist, thanks largely to that San Diego-to-New York record. Baker broke at least 15 national and international speed records on motorcycles, including another transcontinental run in September of 1922 on an Ace, where he nearly halved his 1914 record time, going from Los Angeles to Staten Island in only six days, 22 hours, 52 minutes. He was 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds in his prime, and although he had some success in track racing—even winning the first motorcycle race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in 1909—he must have known he’d be more successful in endurance events. He broke the automotive transcontinental record 11 times; his fastest run was in 1933 when he drove a Graham-Paige from New York to Los Angeles in two days, five hours, 30 minutes, a record that stood some 40 years. His last transcontinental crossing was on a motorcycle in 1941, age 59."
Cannonball würde bestimmt gerne seine Indian an Petrus' Pforte abstellen, sich auf die GT schwingen und es Mr Reese noch mal zeigen...