Local Harley dealer to compete in cross-country race

Stephen “Doc” Hopkins, of Doc’s Harley-Davidson in Bonduel, and his girlfriend, Dawn Hamilton, have spent most of the last two years preparing for the trip they’ll be embarking on Tuesday.

It was about two years ago that Hopkins learned he had been selected to participate in the 2016 Motorcycle Cannonball Race, a historic endurance contest that will take them from the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Carlsbad, California, more than 3,300 miles away.

In order to qualify for the race, riders must participate on a motorcycle that is at least 100 years old, and Hopkins will be riding his 1916 Harley-Davidson, with Hamilton along in the sidecar.

Hopkins said it was “quite special” to have been selected.

“It’s been a lifetime dream,” Hamilton said, adding she felt “very excited and very nervous” about the trip.

Slots in the race are typically reserved for riders who have run the race before, but there was an opening for this year’s event.

Hamilton sent in an audition video that, Hopkins said, “showed them what we do and how we do things over here.”

Apparently, race organizers were impressed.

“They said, ‘You guys might be interesting,” Hopkins said.

The couple has been working for two years getting the 100-year-old bike in shape.

“For something that old, it’s hard to find parts for,” Hopkins said.

Upgrades to the motorcycle were allowed up to a point, he said, but much of it — including the original frame, crank case and transmission — still remain.

Rules allowed Hopkins to add a slightly updated carburetor, provided it was manufactured no later than the 1930s.

He was also allowed to put in a front brake, something that didn’t exist on the 1916 model.

Hopkins also added a few other touches, including a windshield for the sidecar, a wicker basket for Dawn’s make-up case and a hot dog-cooker on the exhaust pipe.

The bike is also engraved with the names of Hopkins’ and Hamilton’s friends and family, and with the names of some noteworthy racers Hopkins has known over the years.

“We’re taking them along with us,” he said.

The couple will depart Doc’s Harley-Davidson on Tuesday. The bike will be transported to Atlantic City via trailer.

Hopkins plans to dip his rear tire in the Atlantic Ocean and collect a vial of sand before the race begins on Sept. 10.

It wraps up Sept. 25 in Carlsbad, where Hopkins plans to dip his front tire in the Pacific and get another vial of sand there.

The couple will travel between 200 and 300 miles per day, with each day having a mileage quota they will have to meet or lose points.

Hamilton said the motorcycle could easily do 60 mph, though rules require a limit of 45-50 mph.

Vehicles are not allowed to follow the bikes along the route — which will take them through hot deserts and cold mountains — so if anything goes wrong along the way, they’ll be stuck waiting for a ride.

That’s one of the realities they had to consider in preparing the bike.

“You’ve got to look at what can happen,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins will be riding one of 89 bikes taking part in the race.

There is no money or trophy for the winner; “just bragging rights,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins has over 50 years of experience working with motorcycles and was involved in motorcycle drag racing for 40 years.

He is also known worldwide for his achievements in building some of the most unusual motorcycles to have ever graced the highways.

He is the creator of the world famous Timeline Motorcycle, built in 2009. The Timeline Motorcycle is powered by seven different Harley-Davidson engines, each from a different era of Harley-Davidson history.