Motorcycle Events
There are hundreds of motorcycle and riding-related events in the U.S., Canada and around the world every year. Some are as small as a few members of a small club taking off on the weekend from LA to ride up to Santa Barbara. A few are as large and well-known as the Sturgis or Daytona rallies attended by hundreds of riders and their partners. Daytona Bike Week, which has been taking place since 1937, is one of the largest. Every March, 500,000 people come to ride, drink and generally have a good time. At the center of the event is the Daytona 200 motorcycle race but there are a hundred other activities. There's a dedicated 22-mile Loop for seeing the sights - the streets of Daytona, the beaches and Florida scenery. But, bikers being bikers, many riders are going to get off track and make their own routes. That kind of rebel attitude is at the core of what being a biker is all about. The event has had a bad reputation from time to time - some of it deserved. When you have half a million people in Daytona in mid-March, there's bound to be some rowdiness. Spring Break is nothing compared to this. But far from being a huge crime club, the Daytona is an event filled with families, couples and lots of single guys looking to find cool bikes and hot women in one place. Still, every year the clubs overflow with bikers who think drinking beer and riding a bike mix well. Fortunately, they have lots of designated buddies to discourage them, too. See www.daytonachamber.com/bwhome.html for additional information. There's also the venerated Sturgis Rally in and around Sturgis, South Dakota. The event has been going on for nearly 70 years and gets bigger every time. The original founder, Pappy Hoel, started it all by buying an Indian Motorcycle Franchise in 1936 in Sturgis, SD. Held in August, the core of the event grew from the activities of the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club formed shortly thereafter. The original rally had only nine participants. In 2000, the Sturgis Rally hosted over 600,000 people, as both riders and audience, and covers a weeklong series of rides, races, campfires and musical events, along with dozens of other happenings. Though several others now use the name, the 'Black Hills Motor Classic', re-branded as the Sturgis Rally, is the real McCoy. For more info, visit www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com. Then in October, there's the Biketoberfest, again in Daytona. It combines a biker rally with the traditional German beer drinking festival. Everyone flees from winter in the north at the center on Main Street. Then it's off to the route from US Highway 1 to New Smyrna for another week of riding and fun. For details on Biketoberfest, visit www.biketoberfest.org. Or see, www.daytonachamber.com/bwhome.html for additional information. All these huge rallies are big business for the vendors who sponsor and attend them. Bikes, gear, clothing, food and drink, and dozens of related (and sometimes entirely unrelated) products are sold during the seven days of organized mayhem. But the major emphasis continues to remain squarely where it is supposed to be: enjoying the world of motorcycling.