Destination Laconia: The Brazilians of Bike Week

LACONIA — It's no secret Laconia Motorcycle Week brings faces from across America. Lakes Region residents see license plates from as far away as California or as near as New Hampshire. But what are the chances of two Brazilians bumping into one another on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee?

Riders Ray Oliveira and Daniella Saulcon became acquainted among hundreds of bikes on Lakeside Avenue after spotting each other's Brazilian-themed decorations.

Saulcon moved to Lowell, Massachusetts over two decades ago, and Oliveira came all the way from Brazil, a pilgrimage he's repeated since 2008. The pair spoke and laughed together in Portuguese before agreeing to interview with The Sun.

“Every year, I transport my bike with me everywhere I go,” said Oliveira. “I put my bike on a boat from Brazil, and I got on my bike here almost a month ago.”

Oliveira rides a Kawasaki Z100 with a custom two-tone paint job, featuring matte black and camouflage. In keeping with the military aesthetic, Oliveira wears a black plate carrier on his chest complete with a Brazilian flag and variety of patches.

Oliveira has several friends in the Lakes Region and Massachusetts that he rides around with each season. Of all the motorcycle festivals he's attended in the United States, Oliveira says that Laconia Motorcycle Week is his favorite.

“I like the people, no helmet, freedom,” Oliveira said. “Live free or die baby! I need to feel the wind blowing in my face.”

Oliveira's newfound friend Saulcon, prefers wearing her modified helmet, complete with a Brazil-themed paint job and blonde pigtails that flap in the wind. “I come here 21 years as of now. I come every year. I came from Brazil where I rode every single day of the year,” Saulcon said next to her dark blue Honda Rebel 500. “I've always been in love with motorcycles."

When asked how riding in South America compared to Laconia, Saulcon and Oliveira chuckled.

“It's nuts,” Saulcon grinned.

“It's nuts. You can see a lot of different bikes [here],” Oliveira said. “Brazil, they all keep the same bikes, a lot of Harleys.”

Here on the East Coast, Oliveira enjoys the long, spacious highways, and frequently rides up to Maine with some friends from Massachusetts.