The ADV Cannonball is a coast-to-coast motorcycle rally with an emphasis on overland GPS navigation, endurance, preparedness, self-reliance, and rider skill. Each day competitors will leave the official hotel at specific times. Navigating by GPX track, competitors will ride on paved and optional unpaved roads to checkpoints earning points while enjoying a highly curated and painstakingly vetted route. The first competitor to arrive at the final checkpoint will be awarded additional points each day. The competitor with the most points at the end of the rally wins. The rally organizers will award additional points for special achievements and extreme checkpoints that will be revealed throughout the event.

Each year the route will change and “coast-to-coast” will be used creatively for future ADV Cannonball Runs. Typically an 8-11 day ride and between 3000-3500 miles.

Everyone is welcome on any motorcycle. There are no handicapping calculations or motorcycle classes.

This is not a race.

2025 Event: There is no other finish line more appropriate for a cannonball than The Portofino Hotel & Marina in California. If you know, you know. This cannonball saga will start at Kitty Hawk, NC on the OBX. It just doesn’t get more significant than that.

The 2025 route has been painstakingly curated for the perfect motorcycle adventure. Hundreds of hours have been spent selecting the best roads in sections that work for motorcycles. Checkpoints are placed at the end of epic roads or at interesting and historic landmarks. This route is not for the faint-hearted, but riders will appreciate the planning and pre-running. All the stress of planning a cross-country ride is taken care of, you will not end up on an off-road section that escalates to wildly difficult and you won’t find yourself at a dead-end canyon at midnight because something looked cool on Google Maps.

The 2025 route may look like random squiggles on a map, it may not even make sense on your screen today. But rest assured, every turn that seemingly looks like an inefficient turn to nowhere is actually heading for a ribbon of motorcycle paradise.

This is not a race nor a boring slow-paced group ride. It’s a coast-to-coast checkpoint rally with like-minded folks from all over the world. While a few of the riders will surely be taking scoring very seriously and you will only see them at the start line, there will be plenty of us who will ride at a reasonable pace and enjoy the safety of the well-planned route and the camaraderie of the group.