William Shatner soon will travel Route 66 in a space-age motorcycle

William Shatner, Star Trek

William Shatner, the actor best-known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” original television series and movies, is traveling Route 66 this summer, according to a story in a Canadian newspaper and a tweet from his account.

First, Shatner tweeted this early today:

The Prince George Citizen, based in British Colombia, had more elaboration from Shatner himself. He’s going to travel the Mother Road in a futuristic-looking motorcycle from Rivet Motors.

This summer, he and a team of mechanical designers and camera crew are going to ride it across America.

“From Chicago to Los Angeles – I’m going to do Route 66 and film it all,” he said, practically giddy. “I thumbed it when I was 19. Just before I started at McGill I thumbed from Montreal to San Diego to Vancouver back across to Montreal. Part of that was from Chicago to L.A. on Route 66 – they hadn’t yet built the intercontinental highways. So I’m going back on this motorcycle I helped design. It may just be a personal odyssey – the people I meet along the way, the fears I feel, the weather I encounter… The romance and the fear is in my fuel mixture. Can I do 2,200 miles on a bike? I never have. What do I see at the end? What happens in the middle? Who do I meet? Can I set interesting people up in advance to meet along the way?”

Here’s a short video about the motorcycle:

Superheroes Wanted – A Look At The Machine from Rivet on Vimeo.

This may be a case where the motorcycle will get more attention than the celebrity driving it.

It also should be noted Shatner, before he became a star, appeared in an episode of the television drama “Route 66” in 1963. The episode was filmed in South Portland, Maine, as the series seldom was shot on the real Route 66.

Even at age 84, one gets the impression from the newspaper article that Shatner still thirsts for adventure and new experiences. With Route 66 and that attention-getting trike, he’ll get it in spades.

UPDATE: Shatner later provided some details about his trip:

A town or charity interesting in hosting an event with Shatner during his Route 66 journey should contact him through press(at)williamshatner(dot)com.

(Image of William Shatner from a 1966 episode of “Star Trek” by James Vaughan via Flickr)

10 thoughts on “William Shatner soon will travel Route 66 in a space-age motorcycle

  1. I too would love to know the schedule. I work at the Holiday Conoco in Tucumcari,NM and we are located just off of the first exit coming into Tucumcari. Exit 335. I would very much like to shake Adm. Kirks hand for his years of service.

  2. Just came down 66 from Laughlin. Its CLOSED from Essex road to Amboy in CA.
    Caltrans needs to get working, lotta bridges washed out.

    1. Ken, Caltrans does not own that stretch of road and San Bernardino County has been working on it since the washouts. There are threads on Route 66 News pertaining to that elsewhere.

  3. We would love for Mr. Shatner to stop in McLean, IL. It’s the half way point between Chicago and St. Louis. We have a rich Route 66 history and we are home to the legendary Dixie Truck Stop.

  4. A week to do the ride, AND talk with interesting people and support local events? That bike better be able to do warp speed! I can’t do 66 in under a week, Missouri-Arizona. Good luck, sir!

  5. I live off a fantastic stretch of Rt 66 between Tijeras and Moriarty, NM when the spirit of Rt 66 is alive and well. Would love to seen you even if don’t stop (but Moriarty is a very interesting town with a huge soaring (sailplane) community at the Moriarty Airport.

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