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On this day in engineering history, George Adams Wyman left San Francisco on the first transcontinental motorcycle
trip, a 3800-mile journey which ended in New
York City some 50 days later. Wyman's ride aboard a
1.25-hp, 90cc. 120-mpg motorcycle was also the first transcontinental trip on
any motorized vehicle. A native of Oakland, California, George Wyman was a champion bicyclist who had
once pedaled his way around the perimeter of Australia. After returning to the
Bay Area in 1902, however, he discovered motorized bikes (as motorcycles were sometimes
called) and took a summertime trip to the Sierra Nevadas, where he decided upon
a future transcontinental trek.
From the Golden Gate to the Windy City
On May 16, 1903, George Wyman mounted his 90-lb. motorcycle
and left San Francisco
in a three-piece wool suit with a tie and cap. Because passable roads were
rare, he rode along railroad ties after he left the city. In the Sierra
Nevadas, Wyman's bike foundered in deep snow, forcing the uneasy rider to pass
through wooden train-tunnels that clung to the mountainside. Sometimes, the
former bicyclist helped power his 1.25-hp motorbike by pedaling up steep
grades. Sand, mud, and livestock were also common impediments. Although a shepherd
in Nevada cursed Wyman and his noisy motorbike,
a rancher in Wyoming
helpfully hitched-up a team of horses to pull the sunken vehicle from thick,
cold mud.
From the Windy City
to the Big Apple
George Wyman performed all of his own maintenance, often
using materials found along the roadside to make repairs. As he neared Chicago, however, his
engine broke a crank. For nearly a week, Wyman waited in the Windy City
for replacement parts to arrive. By the end of June, he was on his way again. Summer
weather had arrived, and finding gasoline and oil became easier as Wyman entered
more populous parts of the country. In Buffalo,
New York, an automobile
manufacturer offered to service Wyman's motorcycle and loan him a car to take a
tour of the city. Upstate New York
was not without trials, however. Once, Wyman had to stop five times in one mile
to make repairs. Frustrated, he nearly abandoned his quest. By the time the California biker reached Albany, New York,
his vehicle's motor was beyond repair.
Fortunately, the 25-year old adventure-seeker was in good
physical condition. George Adams Wyman pedaled the final 150 miles to New York City, arriving
in the Big Apple on July 6, 1903. After attending the first meeting of the
Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM), he returned to California aboard a train.
Resources:
http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=296
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