CN
III ARCHIVES
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
C
hristopher O'Brien recalls
hearing the family lore since
he was a child. "While growing
up in New England, I would hear
about a relative on my mother's
side of the family named Alan
Bedell."
Bedell made quite a name for
himself in the world of motor-
cycling before his passing. In
1917 Bedell became famous in
motorcycling circles for breaking
Cannonball Baker's motorcycle
cross-country record in 1917 on a
1917 Model G Henderson.
A retired neurologist from
P130
"On my mother's side of the
family, the Bedell's were from
New Jersey originally," Chris
says. "Alan was an adventurous
young man who began riding mo-
torcycles for the fire service out
west in Montana and Wyoming.
Then he moved out to California
and set up a dealership and be-
gan competing for cross-country
speed records."
Bedell was just one of the
scores of young men who were
seeking fame attempting to set
long-distance motorcycle speed
records on some of the newly
built roadways of America. At
first these were city-to-city runs
and then longer runs such as
the Three-Flags Run (Canada to
Mexico) and the granddaddy of
them all, the transcontinental.
The record runs of this era were
Vashon, Washington, O'Brien now
has the time to pursue his dream
to complete a similar trip on the
same model of Henderson in
honor of his great-great uncle.
It all came together late this past
summer when O'Brien entered the
Motorcycle Cannonball. O'Brien
ran a 1917 Henderson Model G
built as a tribute to his great-great
uncle Bedell.
Chris O'Brien recently entered
the Motorcycle Cannonball on a
1917 Henderson Model G built as
a tribute to his great-great uncle,
Alan Bedell.
TRIBUTE
TO UNCLE
ALAN
In 1917, Alan
Bedell rode
from California
to New York in
just seven days
on a Model G
Henderson.
