Tell us about your ride: Charlie St. Clair's 'yearbook on wheels'

Editor's note: “Tell us about your ride” is a series featuring patrons of Laconia Motorcycle Week.

LACONIA — Charlie St. Clair refers to his 2000 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail as his “yearbook on wheels.”

Though many know him as the face of Laconia Motorcycle Week, they may not recognize his bike, on which he has written the stories of his time on the road — literally. 

In 2012, St. Clair hit a deer on his motorcycle. He was seriously injured, requiring a lengthy hospital stay. The Harley was sent to a dealership in Dubuque, Iowa. When St. Clair went to retrieve it, the body work was not finished and instead of paint, it had only a layer of black primer. But, needing to return home, St. Clair was unable to further extend his time away. 

“I told them not to bother with it,” St. Clair said. “And it turned out to be kind of a gift.” 

St. Clair reached for a silver sharpie and had people from the dealership who had repaired his Harley, as well as members of the nursing staff who had cared for him, sign the primed areas. This started a trend where, throughout his travels and life in Laconia, St. Clair would have people sign his bike. 

Like a yearbook, each signature has a name, a date, and sometimes a message. This bike has been St. Clair’s companion on travels across the country, and the volume of signatures it boasts match its 142,000 mile odometer. 

“But I don’t let just anyone sign it,” St. Clair said. 

“I have people do it who are important to me – people who care about me, and I care about them.” St. Clair said. “There’s also notable people, like mayors, police chiefs, and others that I have sign it.” Former Laconia Mayor Ed Engler had once signed, St. Clair noted. 

Other notable signatories include Jennifer Anderson, St. Clair’s assistant executive director, and Mimi and Clint Bassett, who St. Clair said were married for seventy years. 

The signatures have stood up well against the elements. They only become illegible in the places where St. Clair’s legs rest against the bike while riding, which have been polished from the matte finish primer to a shine by years on the road.