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Laconia Bike WeekThe 85th annual Laconia Motorcycle Week Laconia Bike Week is the oldest national motorcycle rally. In 1916, a few hundred motorcyclists got together at Weirs Beach. In 1917 it became an official event known as a Gypsy Tour. Gypsy Tours turned into modern day rallies where motorcyclist gather for races, hill climbs, field events, local rides and other festivities. Laconia Bike Week Attractions The Laconia bike rally still celebrates its history with races and hill climbs. There's the Gypsy Tour parade as well. All the fun happens around the Laconia area mostly at Weirs Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee. Other attractions include; demo rides, biker contests, games, dynos to test your bikes horse power or tune the carbs, promo girls representing various vendors, poker runs, guided rides, tattoo contest, music tents and more. There are Laconia vintage races sponsored by USCFA
How Motorcycle Clubs Began Motorcycle riding, in the beginning, was limited to a group of enthusiasts who enjoyed the challenge of riding the rough road systems on dangerous machines that needed constant mechanical tinkering. Advances in the bikes were brought about as the U.S. Government commissioned several companies to produce motorcycles to use in World War II. Many returning veterans bought surplus motorcycles after the war and started to create clubs to organize group rides and activities. In the late 60's and early 70's motorcycles became safer, easier to ride and more dependable as more companies, especially those from Japan, began competing for the US market. Today, motorcycling is very popular in many countries with clubs of all sizes forming as a means of getting together for rides and other social events. The Laconia Bike Rally is one of three big rally events in the United States that attracts clubs, groups of friends, families, individuals and all of the commercial business related to the rally and motorcycle industry. Lodging Since the main part of bike week is at the Weirs, every biker tries to get a room there. It's nearly impossible. But, with some persistence there's a chance you can get a room there, if not this year, perhaps next year. The best time to get started calling for a room is in February. Try again in March and again in April. Deposits are required by April. If the lodging place doesn't receive a deposit from previous bookings, then the room becomes available. Its really good to use email because then you have a record of every transaction. Please don't use an obnoxious email address because proprietors won't answer them. Other options are to look outside of the lakes region. More rooms open up. If you go North, room rates are generally cheaper. Vendors Bike week has over 300 vendors in the area in and around the Weirs. They're near rally Headquarters at the Weirs Beach water slide, Lakeside Avenue, along 3North and south of the Weirs, Broken Spoke and Funspot and into Meredith. They offer many things - leather products, souvenirs, great food and more. Traffic During bike week, you'll have a lot of traffic. The City of Laconia tries to keep things going. For the last weekend (Friday - Sunday) expect to go super slow. There will be delays outside of the Weirs Beach area as well. Local Maps:
For additional information, check out these links: Calendar of events for bike week.
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