Texan motorcyclist Alex Jones has covered 4506 km (2800 miles) on a 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 in 32 hours and 52 minutes. The rider covered the distance from New York to California and has set a new Cannonball record on a motorcycle.
Jones had purchased a 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 for USD 4000 (AED 14,692) for this epic ride. The motorcycle had over 80,000 miles (1,28,747 km) on its odo and still accompanied Jones to achieve his goal.
Jones had set off on 17 Oct from Red Ball Garage in Manhattan at 6:24 AM and arrived at Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach at 12:16 PM. He had submitted hourly screenshots of the GPS he used alongside notarized statements. Jones was able to maintain an average speed of 87 mph (140 kph) and hit a top speed of 120 mph (193 kph).
For his record attempt, the Yamaha FJR1300 was modified accordingly. The motorcycle was fitted with a 32L auxiliary fuel tank, radar detectors, laser jammers, extra lighting, and two mounted phone units. Jones said, “During the ride, cruise control stopped working and there were some issues with the electronics that did not go as planned. The auxiliary lighting failed right as night hit, and the rear tire was nearly bald on arrival, due to wind and road conditions.”
