Man Breaks Solo Cannonball Motorcycle Record from Los Angeles to New York City in 38 hours, 49 minutes

Carl Reese of Santa Clarita, California broke the solo cannonball motorcycle record from Los Angeles to New York City in 38 hours, 49 minutes. Reese completed the 2,829-mile feat on a 2015 BMW K 1600 GT six-cylinder motorcycle, breaking George Egloff’s previous record of 42 hours set in 1983. No one in history, with the exception of Erwin “Cannonball” Baker himself, has set as many cross-country records in such a short period than Reese and his team. Reese set six records in under seven months from April through October 2015, including the official Guinness World Record for the shortest charging time from Los Angeles to New York City in an electric vehicle. In October 2015, Reese and two other drivers set the first semi-autonomous driving record from Los Angeles to New York City in 57 hours, 48 minutes in a Tesla Model S P85D.

“There is a reason this record has gone unchallenged for over 30 years. Unless you have completed Army boot camp, it is difficult to relate the mental and physical exhaustion,” said Reese. To prepare his body, he gave up all stimulants before the run, including coffee, tea and sugar. “The immense level of fatigue driving a motorcycle solo for 38 hours is like finishing a UFC fight, then getting hit by a freight train. This was far more difficult than any other transcontinental record I’ve set to date.”

Reese is now working with Hollywood-based filmmakers to produce a documentary highlighting the history of transcontinental driving records. The production team is seeking funds to complete the documentary. The documentary trailer can be viewed on YouTube and donations made on Indiegogo. Transcontinental driving records date back more than 100 years, when “Cannonball” Baker drove an Indian motorcycle from Los Angeles to New York City in 11 days. Historians attribute interest around such trips to advancements in transportation and manufacturing in the U.S.

18 Responses to “Man Breaks Solo Cannonball Motorcycle Record from Los Angeles to New York City in 38 hours, 49 minutes”


  1. 1 Donnie Jan 30th, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Congrats but how do you avoid the cops?

  2. 2 Greeko Jan 30th, 2016 at 10:06 am

    No way you could be this time on a factory Harley.

  3. 3 Mike Jan 30th, 2016 at 10:42 am

    Average over 72 mph. I would imagine he wore a truckers friend and fueled up
    on the fly

  4. 4 SIGFREED Jan 31st, 2016 at 7:57 am

    Fast Motorcycle (Industry) News…

    Mike – technically he should be arrested; eg criminal proceedings against VW will be based on deductions – ie (in this instance) he averaged an illegal speed.

  5. 5 hdrider Jan 31st, 2016 at 10:21 am

    I agree he should be arrested — what he did is totally irresponsible.

  6. 6 Sportman Jan 31st, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    A man breaks a record for riding a motorcycle a distance that obviously no one else can and all some can say is he should be arrested. Gentlemen i beleive he will be in the record books as the final option.

  7. 7 Woody's Jan 31st, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    @ Sigfreed, true, but who will write the ticket? The math says he was speeding somewhere, but the ticket has to say where and by how much ;(

  8. 8 Reyn Mansson Jan 31st, 2016 at 7:44 pm

    HDrider, how exactly was he irresponsible. If he came across Texas there’s plenty of places were 72 is under the speed limit. Four states — Idaho, Texas, Utah and Wyoming — now have top authorized limits of at least 80 mph. A dozen more states have top speed limits of 75 mph, including Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

  9. 9 Andygears Jan 31st, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    Thanks Cyril, for just another aspect in the motorcycle world we all love.

  10. 10 bigalyts Jan 31st, 2016 at 11:31 pm

    I agree and thank you Cyril for your commitment to all aspects of Motorcycling. I believe it to be a Sport and there is more than Motorcycle involved in the Sport. Thanks for your un-bias reporting of the Sport. I am sorry to say that a HD might not make this Run with the only stipulation being No breakdowns, just get there. I guess what they say about a BMW is true 100 mile per hour for 24 hours straight and no issues. well at least we know that it can run 38 hrs 49 minutes at 72 mph with no Issues!

  11. 11 A 1 CYCLES Feb 1st, 2016 at 8:58 am

    EXTRA CAPACITY TANK..FUEL ON THE FLY…PEE ON THE FLY..NO STIMULANTS SO WHEN HE TOOK THEM IN THE RECORD SETTING RUN THEY WOULD HAVE FULL EFFECT! BRAVO..BRAVE MAN..AND IM SURE HE HAD A SCANNER REPROGRAMMED FOR ALL LOCAL FREQUENCIES ON THE ROAD AHEAD OF TIME…WELL DONE

  12. 12 Jay Horton's Private Shop Feb 1st, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    I love collusion…. Later Jay

  13. 13 Mrs. Behaves Feb 1st, 2016 at 1:58 pm

    So congratulation to Carl Reese of Santa Clarita, who will forever be remembered as the guy who creatively found a way to break laws across the USA with sponsors, crew and an even got an award for it.

  14. 14 Precision Bullet Feb 1st, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    Major Kudos for pulling that off..He has quite a network of friends..

  15. 15 Precision Bullet Feb 1st, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    Major Kudos for pulling that off..He has quite a network of friends..Did any of them get tickets??

  16. 16 domino Feb 1st, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    Right or wrong, I am fascinated by the guys who do this … The technology, the network of people, is amazing.
    If any of you want to know more about what it takes (at least in a cage), google Ed Bolian or Alex Roy.

    ……… Domino Dave ………

  17. 17 Lugnut Feb 2nd, 2016 at 11:31 am

    Congrats in a major way. It is quite amazing to see all the folks here that have never broken the speed limit. For those that have and didn’t get a ticket, you know you have to immediately turn yourself in.

  18. 18 Chris G Feb 5th, 2016 at 3:09 am

    Pathetic people saying he should be arrested. For those of you wondering why our freedoms are disappearing look no further than some of the jackasses in this comments page

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Cyril Huze