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How to find and avoid HOG rallies?

glenfiddich

TravelsWithBarley.com
I see Erie PA has a HOG rally from July 12-20. Having been stuck in one of them before - with all the noise, drunk riders, lines for everything from gas to food - I have no desire for an encore.

Does anyone know of a Website that lists rallies for the coming season so I can route around them?
 
Don't know the answer to your question, but it describes mostly what we will find after the St. Paul rally anywhere in the upper Plains states beginning about the first of August (Sturgis, ya know?). My experience is that lodging will be difficult to find within 200 to 300 miles of the Black Hills for most of the month of August.

BTW, I don't find the cruiser crowd difficult to deal with; in fact, it's sometimes comical to observe them. If you can find a safe place to observe from.
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?

I sorta agree, but, if you have ever pulled into a small town gas station/convenience store to find a single cruiser bike parked at each side of each pump, and a small crowd of bikers over at the front of the store eating ice cream bars, smokin' and jokin', or whatever they are doing .... while nobody has done the polite thing and moved their bike after fueling .... then you will get exactly what the OP meant with the original post.

Or if you have ever tried to have a pleasant quiet ride through Spearfish Canyon in late July or the first half of August, you will know then, too.
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?

Because their behavior affects other people.
Public drunkenness and driving or riding under the influence affect other people.
You might look to your local laws for some guidance on that.
dc
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?

I wasn't certain about posting but retrieving information is a thing with me. I reread it a couple of times and thought it more of a case of looking for information for a bye pass than an elitist value judgement; that may come in another post if the OP gets stuck in an undesirable situation again.
 
My parents live in Sioux City, IA and I try to get over there in June for Father's Day to play golf with my dad. That same weekend is "Awesome Biker Nights", formerly known as "Awesome Harley Nights". You know, typical cruiser rally with "rock" bands, burnout contests, and every kind of fried food you can think of. I have to admit, I kinda like it - there's not much else to do in Sioux City (or Siouxer City, as I like to call it - it's ok, i grew up there), so it kind of livens up things in that dirty river town. HOWEVER, law enforcement is super vigilant around that weekend. I got a speeding ticket on my way over one year and the deputy was kind of giving me grief for "trying to get to the big rally in a hurry". Never mind the fact that I was on an Aprilia and had my golf clubs strapped to the back - not exactly the "rally" set-up!

But, hey, we're all enjoying the lifestyle in our own way, so to each their own. I'm sure the cruiser guys say the same thing about all those Beemer drivers in their florescent yellow jackets and full-face helmets! :laugh
 
I rarely see the cruiser herds, stick to small curvy back roads, they are out of their natural habitat, and they hate them, except the few that ride the "Dragon" to get a sticker.

Stick to small out of the way towns for gas and food, not enough parking for the herd. I do occasionally get behind a few strays, that got separated from the rest, but they are generally dispatched quickly and after 2 or 3 more corners, not visible in my mirrors any more.
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?

I believe its Barley who is the elitist, not Pete. :brow


No wait I think Barley is more laid back than most:ha
 
I rarely see the cruiser herds, stick to small curvy back roads, they are out of their natural habitat, and they hate them, except the few that ride the "Dragon" to get a sticker.

They're not usually out before noon either.
 
I sorta agree, but, if you have ever pulled into a small town gas station/convenience store to find a single cruiser bike parked at each side of each pump, and a small crowd of bikers over at the front of the store eating ice cream bars, smokin' and jokin', or whatever they are doing .... while nobody has done the polite thing and moved their bike after fueling .... then you will get exactly what the OP meant with the original post.

Or if you have ever tried to have a pleasant quiet ride through Spearfish Canyon in late July or the first half of August, you will know then, too.

Paul, I agree with you but the behavior you refer to is common throughout the whole motorcycle community. Try using the gas pumps in Suches Saturday or Sunday and you will notice it is not only cruisers but squids, adventure riders and BMW riders.
 
Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "Elitist" Forum?:dunno

Enjoy your ride the way you want to, but why be critical of the way others choose to enjoy theirs?

I wasn't being critical, just trying to avoid situations where I need to make good time and can't, and knowing those sorts of rallies are often marked by some who like to drink and ride. My dog also gets very anxious around loud pipes and fireworks, which is another reason to avoid that crowd. (Strangely he's fine around gunfire, go figure!)

Some of the nicest, most helpful folks I've met on the road ride Harleys, and if we find a group of them pulled over for a rest stop I generally join them, knowing that Barley will make new friends and get socialized while I stretch out the kinks. I find I have more in common with a fellow long distance rider on an HD than I do with a GS rider who has never ridden more than 50 miles from home. I've also helped a few cruisers over the years when they ran out of gas. (I carry a gallon in a Rotopax under Barley's bed just in case.)
 
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Once made the mistake of diverting through Yellowstone on our way home and it was the week before Sturgis. Legions of RVs pulling trailers with HDs and HD clones in every camp ground. In the morning they would swarm into groups of 20-50 bikes and parade around the park at 10-15 MPH under the speed limit. They of course were in T-shirts, shorts and sandles and cared not the least little bit about the impact of their behavior on others. Not a day to expect to see wildlife. What is amazing is that they seem to think that other people are looking at them with admiration when in fact it is the look of distaste for their inconsiderate passive aggressive behavior. The OP is wise to try to avoid any event that causes the area to become infested with large numbers of such riders.
 
Once made the mistake of diverting through Yellowstone on our way home and it was the week before Sturgis. Legions of RVs pulling trailers with HDs and HD clones in every camp ground. In the morning they would swarm into groups of 20-50 bikes and parade around the park at 10-15 MPH under the speed limit. They of course were in T-shirts, shorts and sandles and cared not the least little bit about the impact of their behavior on others. Not a day to expect to see wildlife. What is amazing is that they seem to think that other people are looking at them with admiration when in fact it is the look of distaste for their inconsiderate passive aggressive behavior. The OP is wise to try to avoid any event that causes the area to become infested with large numbers of such riders.

Sounds like you did get to see "wildlife" :bliss:bliss
 
it wouldn't have taken much effort to do a search or two on line to find out where the rallies were with respect to the route the original poster was taking. Many different groups hold them, not just the Harley owners and they can all be a pain, if they happen to interfere with your plans. My experience over a long time of riding is that the bike no matter the brand is not the problem, but the rider certainly can be. Bike riders are a mosaic of society, they run the gambit from the idiot to the friendly. Such is life.
 
...My experience over a long time of riding is that the bike no matter the brand is not the problem, but the rider certainly can be. ...

I agree. In fact, the group I am in is a PITA when it has more than 3 or 4 bikes and we're all trying to fill up at a tiny station in a tiny community and there's only one, maybe two, pumps.
 
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