Longtime adventurer Jack Smith will depart from Lotta’s Fountain in San Francisco on June 4th riding an electric bicycle retracing the route used by George Wyman during the first motorcycle crossing of America in 1903.
Wyman’s ride was the first to be done using an internal combustion engine, and he finished twenty days ahead of the first transcontinental automobile drive of Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall Crocker. Wyman’s motorcycle, a 1902 California, was really a bicycle with a one and one-quarter motor attached. The "motorcycle" could also be pedaled. In fact, he had to pedal the last 150 miles when the motor gave out. Sadly, Wyman's incredible story was soon forgotten after Horatio and Sewall finished their crossing. It seems people were more interested in automobiles at the turn of the century.
Image source: expeditionportal.com
Smith, after reading Wyman’s story and articles about modern motorcyclists who recreated the historic ride, decided to retrace the route. Never a motorcycle enthusiast, he settled on the fun idea of riding George's route on an electric bicycle supplied by Vintage Electric Bikes based in Santa Clara, California.
Image source: expeditionportal.com (From left: Jeff, Mike, Jack)
Smith is no stranger to cross country adventures. In 1976 he and two friends made the first skateboard crossing of America. He then completed three more transcontinental skateboard rides in 1984, 2003, 2013. In 2018 he rode an electric skateboard across America, a 53 day journey. In 2022 Smith and two friends drove a 1964 VW bus electric conversion known as the Rust Bus/OG Buzz from San Francisco to New York City and back. On the east to west leg they retraced the route of the first transcontinental automobile crossing, on the return they followed the 1913 version of the Lincoln Highway. In October 2023 Smith and wife Cathy drove the same vehicle from Chicago to Santa Monica on Route 66.
Image source: expeditionportal.com
Image source: expeditionportal.com
Smith estimates the 3,800 mile ride will take 30 to 35 days to complete. Having done his previous crossings either as part of a team or with a support crew, he’ll be doing this one solo with no support team. Smith commented “I've always wanted to do a solo transcontinental ride and at 67 years old, I figured might as well do it now. I’m very confident the Scrambler e-bike manufactured by Vintage Electric Bikes is up to the journey. One thing I won’t be doing is riding on train tracks like George did. About fifty percent of his ride was spent bouncing along railroad ties”.
Image source: expeditionportal.com
All of us at Beyond Riders are proud of Jack who has been managing our customer support and logistics operation for the last few years. We’re happy that he’ll be wearing our protective gear during his trip. We wish him the best of luck in his exciting endeavors!