The 94th Laconia Bike week is here. from 10-18 June, a lot of bikers from New England converge to this historical event.
So what is the charm of this event?
1) Location.
Weirs Beach is beautiful in the summer.
Lake Winnipesaukee is beautiful and Weirs Beach is simply one of the best fresh water beach in New England.
The water is clear and warm, and the sun is bright. The location feels cool with a nice breeze in the summer.
2) Stuff to buy, see and do.
There are a lot of live music, great food and motorcycle swag. T-shirts, leathers, accessories. The whole event area at Weirs beach is very big, and it will take hours to browse through each store.
3) Bikes
Lots of bikes on display. There is the Indian Motorcycle Booth and Harley Booth that offers test rides. The motorcycles that are in the parking lot are also beautiful and unique. There are some vintage bikes -- 1929 Harleys, and some custom bikes.
If you are a bike lover, you will love these bikes.
4) People
Bikers are a special kind of people -- pretty crazy in their own way, however, there is one thing in common with everyone here. Everyone enjoys riding -- Japanese bikes, Italian bikes or domestic bikes.
Although everyone there may be different and have different beliefs, it is easy to strike up a conversation with anyone regarding bikes and riding.
In this environment, there is something magical -- there is no discrimination and no one talks about politics, sexual orientation or genders. You can see a guy wearing a "President Trump" badge having beer at the same table with a guy with a "Bernie or Bust" shirt.
You get to see guys having ice cream and the guys in the line are chatting -- one who gave out bibles and the other person looking like a cross dresser in leathers.
5) The journey.
The journey to Laconia is also a very enjoyable ride. Laconia is located away from busy cities, and there is not much traffic.
Whether you go up alone or with a group of friends, riding on the smooth roads with the wind in your hair (because you don't need to wear a helmet in New Hampshire) is am amazing experience. When you ride long distances, all your worries are gone. It is man vs the road, you get to see long roads, corners and beautiful skies and mountains.
The area is beautiful and the ride is memorable.
There are also other events during the bike week. From stunt riding to museums to rallys. A lot of interesting things to do, nice bikes to see and great food to eat.
This is an event to at least try out once in your lifetime.
==============================================
Tips:
1) Drink lots of water. The weather may be nice, but it is easy to dehydrate when you ride long distances. And dehydration when riding is especially bad and may cause accidents.
2) When you have a chance to go to a toilet (at a gas station, hotel, restaurant) -- go... Don't try to find one when you REALLY NEED IT.
3) Be prepared for any weather. This is New England, It can be 90 degrees out there but goes below 50 degrees at night. What may be sunny may turn into a thunderstorm that lasts 5 minutes.
4) Ride on Roller Coaster Road. I would suggest going to Laconia through Route 106 and enter through Roller Coaster Road from the back. You save time on traffic especially on the weekends.
-- Robin Low
