100 years of Motorcycle Week: A look back at the city's most historic event

Offering scenic rides featuring New Hampshire’s signature landscapes, bike shows, live music and downtown entertainment, Laconia Motorcycle Week has continued to promise nothing short of a memorable time for its participants. Formerly referred to as “The New England Gypsy Tour,” Laconia Motorcycle Week celebrates its 100th rally this summer and proudly holds the title of oldest national motorcycle rally.

The tradition finds its roots back in the summer of 1916 when a group of motorcyclists landed at Weirs Beach for a gypsy tour. Charlie St. Clair, executive director for the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, described these tours as an opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts to share their love of riding.

“They were for people who liked riding together and who had a passion for motorcycles,” St. Clair said. “They just rode to have a good time and take advantage of all the amenities that Weirs Beach had to offer.”

Gypsy tours were essentially an overnight event for bikers that centered around a favorite destination; they would then enjoy holding different competitions and activities there during their stay. The intent behind the tours was twofold: to promote camaraderie and fellowship and to also present to the general public a more favorable opinion of motorcycles and motorcycle riders.

“Riders from dealerships down in Massachusetts organized people to ride because they wanted people to get into the whole motorcycling thing, as it was a relatively new form of transportation,” St. Clair said. “And they came to Weirs Beach because it was already a great tourist destination.”

After its debut, the tour quickly grew in popularity and was recognized in 1917 by the Federation of American Motorcyclists as an official gypsy tour. The tours offered a variety of activities for motorcyclists to participate in, one notably being a two-day endurance run. The several-hundred-mile course was designed to challenge motorcyclists in both their riding and maintenance capabilities. Over the duration of the course, riders were expected to pass certain checkpoints within a given amount of time as well as complete a brake- and hill-climbing test in order to finish. Finishers were then awarded accordingly.

As time progressed, the FAM dissolved and the American Motorcyclist Association, upon its establishment, eventually took over the sponsorship of the gypsy tours. The AMA then successfully worked to expand the size and quantity of these tours. With this new rise in popularity, so did an increase in interests and ideas surrounding the event. Jennifer Anderson, Laconia Motorcycle Week Association deputy director, said that nearing the late 1930s, the event experienced a shift in its main focus.

“The popularity of motorcycle racing took off in the ‘30s through the 1950s,” Anderson said. “That's when it really grew into a weeklong event, and it became largely focused around racing.”

The now longstanding tradition of motorcycle racing had begun in 1938 when Fritzie Baer helped bring the 200-mile National Championship race from Maine to Laconia. Although seven years were missed due to national and world events, St. Clair said that, as a result, Laconia Motorcycle week became a widely celebrated event and especially flourished up until the late 1900s.

“It became the premier event to attend every year up through 1965,” St. Clair said. “We were the largest and had people from all over the world coming here back then, until it all disappeared in 1966.”

He explained that in 1965, a riot broke out which culminated in nearly 100 people being arrested and many severely injured. Subsequently, stricter measures were taken in the following years and a more significant police presence implemented. The rally then experienced a decline in popularity until 1990, becoming instead only a weekend event designated for racing.

“There was a very, very heavy police presence. The rally for the number of years after that was really just for locals,” St. Clair said. “We weren't getting people from all around the country because there weren't the usual events going on all week.”

Over time, the event gradually returned to its usual one-week length and the other traditional events and activities were restored. With Laconia Motorcycle Week now bringing in, on average, around 300,000-400,000 bikers, Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, said the economic benefit the event generates is significant.

“I think the businesses now, for the most part, find it a jumpstart to the economy for the Lakes Region,” Gifford said.

Gifford noted how spending during Laconia Motorcycle Week has evolved and is now directed toward additional experiences in the Lakes Region.

“In the early days, the majority of people would tent on the side of the roads; they weren't spending their money, they were coming just to stay,” Gifford said. “I think the tourists spend more money today when it comes to lodging, also restaurants, and anything with an experience factor like a brewery.”

According to Anderson, the event earns more than $100 million in revenue for the state each year.

Beyond the positive effect that it has on the economy, Anderson said Laconia Motorcycle Week is known for building a community of people with a shared passion.

“The goal of the rally is to bring people together, to have this camaraderie of riding that brings people in from all these different places,” Anderson said. “To have this one shared interest is what makes New Hampshire the most interesting place in the world, as far as I'm concerned, for nine days.”

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Sydney Green is an intern with The Laconia Daily Sun and hails from New Hampton. She is a rising sophomore at Hillsdale College studying chemistry and journalism. When she's not writing or studying, she enjoys hiking in the White Mountains.