George Wyman Was the First Guy to Ride a Motorcycle Across the U.S., 113 Years Ago.
“In 1903, American transportation was in the middle of a transformation. Cyclists in the Good Roads Movement were advocating for better intercity roads, but it was still more than five years before Michigan built the country’s first concrete highway. Outside of cities, roads were still made of mud and gravel, and the train was still the fastest way to travel between cities. Trains came rarely enough, though, that Wyman could ride along their tracks without fear. For the first half of his journey, most of the places he stopped had just a scattering of buildings, built by the railroads to serve crews and passengers. He even caught sight of a few families still traveling in covered wagons.”
Great story on Atlas Obscura is here.
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This is more way more amazing than Ewan and Charlie sans video.
But, but, but, what about Rif Addams' George A. Wyman Centennial Run Project of 2003 ??? Most information has been scrubbed for some reason, although a single picture still survives from that ride showing Sean Brown (aka Rif Addams) in a wool suit in Iowa heat in June of 2003, standing with the bicycle he used which was a 1915 Mead Ranger. https://alchetron.com/cdn/george-a-wyman-f004b24e-fa66-4e07-89cb-06cf2bcb74e-resize-750.jpg This pic was taken in 2003 when I was there working on the gas tank which had failed and was sent to Texas for repair, then sent to me in Ames Iowa, so I could meet Rif and work on it. I know exactly where this picture was taken, ... because I am the one who took it, on a dirt side road, between Ogden and Boone, Iowa, on the way to the Boone Historical Society. Here is an article saved from the Ogden Reporter newspaper at the time. http://www.whizzerusa.com/RifAddams1.html http://www.whizzermotorbike.com/RifAddams2.html
The elimination of Rif Addams from the decade later and ongoing George A. Wyman Project is a lowdown dirty shame. https://wymanmemorialproject.blogspot.com/