A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. Some rallies are ride-in events, whereas some like the Iron Butt Rally involve days of riding and an actual gathering only at the end of the ride.
Notable annual North American rallies include the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Laconia Motorcycle Week, Black Bike Week and Daytona Beach Bike Week, with each having thousands in attendance. The Republic of Texas Biker Rally is held each June in Austin, Texas and attracts over 200,000 bikers to the state capitol. There are innumerable smaller, regional rallies around the United States, including the annual BMW MOA international rally, the Oyster Run in the Pacific Northwest, the Golden Aspen Rally (formerly Aspencade) in the Southwest, the Route 66 Bike Week in the West, Americade in the Northeast, and Motorcycles on Meridian in the Midwest. A popular rally in the East takes place in the mountains of Maryland called Apple's East Coast Motorcycle Rally (formerly East Coast Sturgis). [1]
Rallies will often incorporate entertainment such as a burnout pit, motorcycle contests, bike washes, motorcycle stunt performances like wheelie acts and the wall of death, live bands, and dice or poker runs. The Indianapolis and Daytona Beach motorcycle rallies have championship motorcycle racing at nearby circuits. In some cases, rallies are held as benefits for organizations or groups such as the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, American Legion, or VFW.
The oldest motorcycle rally in Europe is the Elefantentreffen (Elephant Rally) established in 1956 [2] by former Wehrmacht motorcyclists and named in honour of the Zündapp motorcycle that was nicknamed the "green elephant." The growing reputation of the Elephant Rally led to the creation in 1962 of a British winter rally called the Dragon rally and is held each February in North Wales.
One of the largest motorcycle rallies in Europe is the Thundersprint, held annually in May in Northwich, Cheshire, England and usually has notable motorcycle champions or enthusiasts such as Giacomo Agostini and James May. Another large motorcycle rally is Glemseck 101. It takes place around the Glemseck at the Solitude race track in Leonberg, Germany every first weekend in September. A special attraction are the 1/8 mile drag races, where customizers and motorcycle brands send their best bikes and bikers to the race (e.g. Triumph, BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki). [3] [4] [5] [6]
In the UK, the Iron Ore Rally is held annually in Egremont, Cumbria and the Rally of Discovery is held in Ireland. Rallies are held year round. Many motorcyclists (or bikers) prefer the winter rallies, such as the Mayflower MCCs Force Ten Rally or the Dean Vally MCCs Rallymans Rally. The usual order of the day is camping with a real ale tent and music. Rallies usually start on a Friday afternoon and finish at lunchtime on a Sunday. The point is to travel there by motorcycle, motorcycle and sidecar or trike (not cars or vans), meet friends from all over the country and sometimes further afield, claim a rally badge and enjoy the entertainment. Prizes are awarded for the furthest distance travelled, best bike, best rat bike, oldest person attending, youngest person attending, etc. There are usually planned ride-outs on the Saturday taking in good roads and sometimes historic sites, museums, etc.[ citation needed ]
In the UK, many people relate motorcycle rallies to the famous Bulldog Bash near Stratford-upon-Avon. This is a hugely popular event and attracts thousands of people including non-motorcyclists. There are many much smaller rallies that attract between 50 and 500 bikers to each event, organised and controlled by a host club. Rallies are still attended by motorcyclists that have been going to rallies for up to 40 or 50 years. In the UK motorcycle rallies began in earnest in the early 1960s as young, mainly working class men and women (usually on the pillion) gained freedom by motorcycle ownership and set off around the country camping. Some went in groups or clubs and thus the rally was born. Many were Ton-up boys, later Greasers and then Greebos.[ citation needed ]
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Gypsy tour is an American motorcycling term which originated before the 1920s; the term has been mostly but not entirely replaced by rally or run. Gypsy tours were organized where groups of riders all over the country converged on a favorite destination. The term gypsy was used because the riders would travel long distances and often sleeping in tents around a campfire along the way much like the Hollywood stereotype of Romani.
One Australian newspaper referring to a Gypsy Tour rally from Melbourne to Sydney in 1927, stated - "The idea of a "gypsy tour" originated in America. There these tours are usually being organised simultaneously in different cities and towns, and routes all converging on one centre, where a great rally is held by the touring parties". [7] The term gypsy tour has been used for other activities, but predominantly motorcycle rallies, and the idea quickly spread around the world.
Many gypsy tours have been held over the years and are still a regular event for many vintage and modern motorcycle groups. The annual gypsy tour to Laconia, New Hampshire near Lake Winnipesaukee began in 1916 and is the oldest continuous motorcycle event in the U.S. [8]
A number of rallies are held throughout Australia throughout the year. These range from 'back to basics' rallies, usually held in remote locations with no facilities, to catered rallies held in country towns and other rural locations. Many rallies are held at a local recreation reserve, football ground, racecourse, or showground in country towns. These venues often have toilet/shower blocks, and bar/kitchen facilities. Often the motorcycle club organising the rally will arrange for a local service group like the Rotary club, or local sporting club to cater an evening meal and breakfast, and to run the bar. These events often provide much needed revenue sources for the communities in which the rallies are held, and the communities welcome the rallies to their towns.
Compared to European and American rallies, Australian rallies are often small affairs with attendance ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred bikes.
The Ulysses Club Annual General Meeting Event is a weeklong affair that brings in thousands of motorcyclists and millions of dollars to its host site, which can be different each year. [9] The 2014 event in Alice Springs is expected to draw 5,000 to 7,000 participants. [10]
There are number of rallies held throughout New Zealand, most events taking place over the warmer months. There are a couple of cold weather rallies such as the Brass Monkey Motorcycle Rally.
The Loudon Classic, originally named the Laconia Classic, is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held during the Laconia Motorcycle Week at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Founded in 1934 when it was originally sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the race is one of the oldest motorcycle competitions in the United States. The competition changed locations over the years, starting as a dirt track race before evolving into a road race. From the late 1930s until the early 2000s, the Loudon Classic was one of the most prestigious motorcycle races in the United States, second only to the Daytona 200.
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, but due to security threats in Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, events from 2009 to 2019 were held in South America. Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of the participants.
The Hollister riot, also known as the Hollister Invasion, was an event that occurred at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)-sanctioned Gypsy Tour motorcycle rally in Hollister, California, from July 3 to 6, 1947.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the surrounding Black Hills region of the United States. It began in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts and races. Since then, the rally has become a pluralistic endeavor that consists of events put on by many different groups. Attendance has historically been around 500,000 people, reaching a high of over 700,000 in 2015. The event takes place over 10 days and generates around $800 million in annual revenue.
The six main types of motorcycles are generally recognized as standard, cruiser, touring, sports, off-road, and dual-purpose. Sport touring is sometimes recognized as a seventh category or integrated with the touring category.
Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since 2021, events have been added in DeLeon Springs. Approximately 500,000 people make their way to the rally area for the 10-day event. The festivities include motorcycle racing, concerts, parties, and street festivals. The event is usually held on the first full week of March and contends with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as the most popular motorcycle rally in the United States.
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is a time-card enduro, whereby a number of stages are raced in a time trial against the clock.
Laconia Motorcycle Week is an annual motorcycle rally held in Laconia, New Hampshire, United States. The rally originated as a motorcycle Gypsy tour in 1916 as, the New Hampshire Lakes Region became a popular riding destination for early motorcycle enthusiasts from New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Montreal. The popularity of the rally led to the formation of the Loudon Classic motorcycle race in 1934 which, became one of the most prestigious races in American motorcycle racing, second only to the Daytona 200. The scheduled events included races, shows and a motorcycle hill climb competition. The rally traditionally takes place over nine days in June, always the 2nd and 3rd full weekend. The rally was the largest annual gathering of North American motorcyclists until it was overtaken by the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally during the 1970s.
A touring motorcycle is a type of motorcycle designed for touring. Although almost any motorcycle can be used for this purpose, manufacturers have developed specific models designed to address the particular needs of these riders. Touring motorcycles commonly have large displacement fairings and windshields that offer a high degree of weather and wind protection, large-capacity fuel tanks for long ranges between fill-ups, engines with a great deal of low-end horsepower, and a more relaxed, upright seating position than sport bikes.
Motorcycle racing is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.
FIM Rally is an international annual motorbike gathering that also has a competitive side compared to usual mototourism events. The nations and bike clubs compete in various fields e.g. covering the longest distance coming to the Rally, having most motorbikes with engine displacement from 125 cc to 250 cc or having most bikers aged under 21.
The Dragon Rally is a motorcycle camping rally held annually during winter in North Wales since 1962, making it one of the UK's longest running bike events. In the 1960s the attendance at the Dragon sometimes topped 3,000 riders; more recently the figure ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 depending on the weather and location. The rally is famed for its toughness and spartan facilities. Riders often have to endure miserable riding conditions to attend the rally and, once on site, they are expected to camp without regard to the weather conditions. It is an event held in veneration by large numbers of motorcyclists as a test of stamina and endurance because it was common to have to endure snow and ice to ride there. The Dragon is often grouped with the German Elefantentreffen and the Norwegian Krystall Rally.
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) is a motorcycle riders' rights group in the United Kingdom. The BMF was founded in 1960 as the Federation of National One Make Motorcycle Clubs to counter accusations of "leather-jacketed hooligans". It renamed itself the BMF in 1965. The group lobbies for motorcyclists' interests at local, national and European levels.
Americade is a week-long motorcycle rally that is held during the first full week of June. The headquarters and location of many rally activities are at Fort William Henry Resort in Lake George Village, New York. The event is open to all motorcyclists and brands of motorcycles, and in the late 1990s attracted around 50,000 people annually, which grew to over 60,000 by 2007. Americade is billed by its organiser as the "World's Largest Motorcycle Touring Rally", and is distinguished from events such as Daytona Bike Week by its emphasis on motorcycle touring and by its organisation and peacefulness.
Black Bike Week, also called Atlantic Beach Bikefest, Black Bikers Week, and The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival, is an annual motorcycle rally in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, held on Memorial Day weekend. Called a "one-of-a-kind event" and "an exhibitionist's paradise" by Jeffrey Gettleman, Black Bike Week is "all about riding, styling and profiling," in the words of Mayor Irene Armstrong of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina.
The Buffalo Chip Campground is an event venue in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The campground is a place for motorcycle enthusiasts and music festival visitors each year, and has been since its founding in 1981. Host to a 10-day Concert Series and thousands of motorcyclists each August during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Buffalo Chip provides a music festival, various other forms of entertainment, and full service tent, RV and cabin camping on almost 600 acres in rural Meade County. The motorcycle and music festival also features entertainment including multiple disciplines of racing, exhibits, beauty pageants, dance performances, bike shows, world-record-breaking stunts, midget bowling, and military tributes.
A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by motorcyclists (bikers). Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward motorcyclists. Some bars and restaurants advertise that they are "biker friendly" to attract more bikers and motorcycle (bike) enthusiasts. Biker bars are patronized by people from all walks of life, including bikers, non-bikers, and motorcycle club adherents, including outlaw motorcycle clubs.
Doug "Danger" Senecal, born March 31, 1962, in Palmer, Massachusetts, is known as Doug Danger. He is an American motorcycle jumping world record holder and stunt performer and Stage 4 cancer survivor who lives in Daytona, Florida.
Gloria Tramontin Struck is an American motorcyclist who was one of the early members of the Motor Maids women's motorcycle club, which she joined in 1946, at age 21. She is both a Sturgis Hall of Fame and Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee.
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