William Shatner To Trek Again In Futuristic Motorcycle For Inspiring Cause
The 84-year-old William Shatner is planning a new kind of trek — a road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles over eight days in a three-wheeled, custom motorcycle.
The actor, best known for playing Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series, proclaimed in a statement, “I am taking another step into the unknown,” according to Fox Sports.
William Shatner’s goal is to raise awareness for the American Legion, the world’s largest veteran’s organization, as well as promote the futuristic motorcycle, which he helped create.
According to the Chicago Tribune, American Wrench, the company that designed the trike, describes the vehicle as a “landjet” that will have a V8 engine that gets over 500 hp and a single open seat that is “only for a captain.” The crew got their inspiration from a B-17 bomber.
American Wrench owner Kevin Sirotek explained their vision in a statement.
“Having this unique opportunity to design and build a custom machine for William Shatner, we knew it had to be nothing short of amazing. Our vision with Rivet is simple, to give the most thrilling motor experience possible.”
The company plans to sell a limited quantity of the super-charged three-wheeled landjet, but it’s still not clear how many they’ll put into production.
William Shatner’s journey will start on June 23 outside of Chicago. He will make stops in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada, before finally arriving in Los Angeles on June 30.
The road-trip will take Shatner along the historic route 66.
The entire 2,400-mile journey is expected to take eight days. Members of the American Legion and American Wrench team will join William Shatner on the road.
E! Online reports that Shatner explained this is truly something new for him in a video from Rivet.
“I’ve been across this country on my thumb, in sports cars, in trucks, with a dog, with a family, but I’ve never been across the country on a motorcycle. I wanna do that. And I’m going to do that on this new Rivet motorcycle.”
Shatner’s cause, the American Legion, has over 2.4 million members and 14,000 posts, according to the group’s website. They have won hundreds of benefits and engage in fundraisers and career fairs for veterans.
William Shatner’s trek will likely garner the group some more attention as he tackles the road in a supercharged futuristic bike.
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
