Is this the year you finally make your way to a motorcycle rally? Want to get more out of the events you attend? Not only does Online Motorcycle Magazine review how to choose the motorcycle event that's right for you and your riding buddies, but we also bring together a variety of experience and boil it down to ten useful tips to help any two-wheeled traveler.

There is hardly a more exciting time for a rider when they pull the motorcycle out of winter storage and carefully prepare it for the open spring roads.

For some the cold months seemed longer than the actual days shown on the calendar with warmer weather not coming soon enough. Regardless, a sure sign the riding season working its way through the gears are the motorcycle events beckoning from all corners of the country.

With motorcycles ready and spirits more than willing, bikers have plenty of choices for destinations in the numerous rallies filling the summer schedule of events.
 
The term motorcycle rally has become a generic label for any event that involves small and large groups of riders coming together over a various lengths of time. They can be as short as a weekend or last as long as eleven days such as Daytona Beach Bike Week, but even then the official number of days don't include the enthusiastic bikers arriving early or those that are having so much fun, they leave a few days late.

The length of a rally does touch on a sensitive subject, why do organizers refer to an event as a week when it is clearly longer?

While no definitive answer can be given to that question, it does highlight an important rule to attending motorcycle events; they may not all be as advertised or as even named. Just because an event is advertised or even titled at ‘Incredible’ or ‘A can’t miss’ doesn’t necessarily mean it is or will be. Arriving at an event that doesn’t look or feel anything like the advertisement in your favorite motorcycle magazine or the fancy flash based website is more than a disappointment, it costs the average rider vacation time taken to attend the event and of course hard-earned dollars for food, lodgings and gas.

The reasons for the rallies vary, some riders enjoy live music by a beautiful river, others will visit an area known for it’s racing history, while at other events bikers simply enjoy the breathtaking landscapes as they ride the roads surrounding the event. For those interested to know which events were referenced in those examples, they would be; Rumble on the River, Daytona Beach Bike Week and of course, Sturgis Bike Week.

Although not one of the ten tips given in this article, when deciding on which motorcycle event to attend, it might be beneficial to ask other riders while out riding on the weekends or at local bike nights about their favorite events. Motorcycle forum boards are also a great resource, particularly if they have something to do with the event by either motorcycle brand or if the majority of members live in the area hosting the event.

Not only will this background work help with the truth behind motorcycle rally advertising but give insight into the nature of the event and the type of people who attend.

To be fair, organizers of a motorcycle event can bring together the same vendors, re-book musical acts and host them on the same fairgrounds, but still have a different outcome. A recent example of this would be Daytona Beach Bike Week 2009, which experienced an unexpected cold front hovering over the event for over a third of the event, keeping the bikers close to their hotel rooms and campgrounds affecting its overall look and feel.

And seasoned rally-goers have learned that each event has a certain feel. For example, Sturgis is an event spread out over campgrounds, great rides and popular stops found along the way. Daytona Beach Bike Week has three or four must-hangout areas while Arizona Bike Week manages to encompass a large part of the state. Smaller events define themselves with music, staged contests and even motorcycle competitions. The Honda Hoot, which is currently on hiatus attracted crowds of multi-brand riders with family entertainment filling the bill.

Understanding what the rally is about before deciding to attend can save a rider not only the time it takes to ride to the event, but also the days afterwards needed to get over the disappointment.

A whole host of tips can be found in Online Motorcycle Magazine's article, ‘How to plan a road trip’ to help with those motorcycle events taking riders too far from home. Many anticipate and look forward to the journey to the event and back as much as the rally itself!

The following tips and hints on how to get the most out of a motorcycle rally has not only come from the experiences found around the Clutch and Chrome office, but the riders we've spoken to at events and online. Some are a matter of opinion while others can be ignored at the cost of ruining your time at the event at best, or at worse find yourself leaving the rally early.

We know this tip makes it onto various Online Motorcycle Magazine articles, but it just shows how important the basics are.

Not only does the routine maintenance need to be completed to the manufactures recommended schedule, but the mileage that will be added to your motorcycle’s odometer should be taken into account as well. If possible, anticipate any fluid changes and have them completed by your trusted motorcycle mechanic.
 

Make sure your motorcycle is in good working order
We know this tip makes it onto various Online Motorcycle Magazine articles, but we still manage to see bikers broken down by the side of the road to, from and during motorcycle events proving how important the basics are.

Not only does the routine maintenance need to be completed to the manufactures recommended schedule, but the mileage that will be added to your motorcycle’s odometer during the trip should be taken into account as well. If possible, anticipate any fluid changes and have them completed by your trusted motorcycle mechanic. While he's there with his head buried in your V-Twins, offer a few extra dollars to have a knowledgeable eye give the motorcycle a once over. Its better to have a trusted mechanic point out a change of plugs or belt rather than some random repair shop that just happens to be close to where you broke down.

Having any work done well before the trip also allows for time to find money for a surprisingly high repair bill, which hopefully doesn't cut into the spending fund put aside for the event itself. There is nothing more annoying than attending a rally flat broke.
 

Don't drink and ride
Aside from the fact that drinking and riding is a stupid idea at anytime, doing it in a new town while riding on unfamiliar roads with more than the usual number of law enforcement on the streets puts it in the category of extremely dumb moves.

Understanding everyone is in the mood to celebrate while hanging with newfound friends at happening bars with the drink specials of shots and 'Buckets of Beer' making it hard to stay sober. But ultimately the motorcycle event should be more about one night and those four hours of fun at a bar, regardless of how famous or well known its name may be.

Losing your motorcycle from an accident or being impounded by police as well as spending the remainder of the event in a jail cell, hospital bed or worse, chilling in the morgue can all quickly follow sitting in the saddle after an afternoon or evening of drinking.
 

Take Cash
For all the independence, bikers tend to be a tight bunch, not wanting others to being taken advantage of. So it’s beyond annoying to come across ATM’s conveniently located at bars and high traffic areas charging three, four and five dollars on top of what the bank who holds the account charges to withdraw money. While it’s easy to be angry with the owner of the ATM for charging for such high fees, realizing the bar or storeowner receives a portion should leave a bitter taste in any biker’s mouth.

To avoid losing your hard-earned money in transaction fees, take what cash that not only you can afford too, but also feel comfortable carrying. While at the motorcycle event, use a credit or debit card where possible in places such as restaurants or in dealerships when buying apparel. Save the cash for casual bars and stands selling everything from helmet stickers to chaps. Realizing staying on budget should be the main goal, if more cash is needed, the most cost effective way of withdrawing cash without going to your bank’s ATM is to buy a small but needed item from a drug or food store and ask for cash back.
 

Buy drinks and water before going into the rally
With the last tip saving valuable dollars on over-priced ATM fees, the next obvious place to economize would be on what should be an inexpensive purchase that shouldn’t take a second thought to buy. But drinks can be incredibly over-priced at motorcycle events charging five or even ten dollars for a soda or water and dehydration listed in Online Motorcycle Magazine's ‘Ten things new riders do wrong’ drinking liquids can be an important part of the rally-going day.

Buying a case of water at the local grocery store, storing it in the hotel room or campsite and filling up the saddlebags at the start at each day can save a considerable amount of cash.

Bring a camera
This should seem like an obvious item to take to a motorcycle rally, but its what you do with the camera before the event that matters.

Firstly, digital cameras have come down in price with many new ‘point and shoot’ models being cheaper than a budget leather jacket, with used ones such as those found on Amazon costing less than a rally T-shirt. The quality of these cameras can be as high as 10 megapixels making the most random photographs sharp and detailed. Just as you should prepare your motorcycle for any event, a little bit of pre-rally preparation on a digital camera will make sure every memorable moment is captured and kept.

Whether buying a camera for the event or using one already bought, increasing the size of the memory card will pay off in countless ways. The cameras built in memory or the card that came with it are usually very small and limit the number of pictures that can be stored before they have to be downloaded to a computer or printed. Packing for a road trip is difficult enough without finding room for a laptop and besides, who wants to spend time on a computer transferring pictures when there are rally highlights to attend?

Memory cards have never been cheaper with an 8-gigabyte card holding over two thousand pictures for a 6-megapixel camera. This allows for every moment of the different bike shows and bikini contests to be photographed and forever saved. And make sure those pictures are taken at a fairly high resolution as it will allow for zooming in and cropping the pictures giving that professional look.

If buying a new camera, invest $20 in some form of screen protector usually a clear self-adhesive film that covers the cameras LCD display. This is the first thing to attract those small scratches as it’s taken out pockets, purses or bags, quickly making a new camera look old and worn. At the Online Motorcycle Magazine offices we found Invisible Shield by Zagg, originally bought for a cellphone but it was easily trimmed down to fit perfectly on the cameras LCD display with affecting the appearance of the colors in any way.

The only other thought to end this particular tip would be to make sure either the battery charger is packed or plenty of spare batteries depending on your camera’s power source.

Know where you’re going and what you’re doing
Really two tips in one, with the larger the event the closer the advice should be followed.

If not riding to the event as a group, finding some friends or riding buddies to enjoy the rally with is easily done and usually inevitable. Either results in a pack of motorcycles roaming from place to place in typical biker camaraderie during the event. While not going into the kind of detail or lengths required for an organized ride, having everyone in the group knowing the route, direction and distance to the next destination can not only make for a smoother trip but certainly a safer one by eliminating unforeseen lane changes or the need for erratic riding.

What can be considered as important as everyone having an idea of the route to the next destination is a mutual understanding of why the group is going there in the first place. Is a stop along the way to another destination or is there something specific to see? How long is everyone expecting to stay there and is what else is in the immediate area of interest?

Between knowing why everyone is going and how they are getting there, many misunderstandings and frustrations can be avoided with the new found friends or those riding buddies known for years. Ultimately, there are just as many riders who want to pull up a stool at a well-known watering hole and listen to a few bands as there are bikers who are looking forward to enjoying the local roads for the afternoon. The bands will be more enjoyable if a member of the group isn’t restlessly wandering around the bar looking at their watch, and that all-day ride will go much smoother without someone asking ‘how much further?’

Although the motorcycle event is a vacation to get away from the everyday nine to five routine, time should be considered a pretty precious commodity. At the end of the day, the rally won’t happen for another twelve months, and this moment with friends and fellow riders will never happen again. As casual as any rally can be, having an idea of which activities are ‘must-sees’ and list of places to go will help create a rough schedule for your time at the rally. This ‘to-do list’ becomes more important for the larger the events with time easily and needlessly lost riding from activity to the other on different sides of the map.

Many events host comprehensive websites, listing entertainment and activities on daily calendars and most major rallies have free giveaway booklets found at hotels and restaurants full of information and great local rides. These are also an invaluable resource of vendors attending the rally, giving bikers an opportunity to see accessories, equipment and apparel normally seen in catalogues or online up close and in person.

As with many bikers who attend rallies, the Online Motorcycle Magazine gang has informally found a routine when arriving first at the event. After checking into the hotel and unpacking the bikes we find a place to eat or have a drink for that wonderful, relaxing ‘sit-down’ that comes at the end of every long ride. It’s during this time everyone pulls out the free booklets and handwritten wish lists and makes their case to have activities penciled in the group calendar. This process allows for individuals to decide if they would rather head off alone to see an activity of no particular interest to the others.

While all of this may seem a little structured, it becomes second natured to the more seasoned rally attendees and with an honest look back, well worth doing.

Be careful where you park
There are very few things that stir the anger in bikers as much as motorcycle thieves and yet they swarm to the same rallies and events as riding enthusiasts for obvious reasons. This was brought home at one of the first events the Online Motorcycle Magazine gang attended together when we witnessed a biker discovering his Boss Hog Motorcycle had been stolen.

Thieves targeting motorcycle events are such a concern, authorities have become proactive in combating them. In Daytona Beach a multi-agency law enforcement Task Force fights the problem by not only hunting thieves but also by leaving what’s known as ‘bait’ bikes parked around the area. Outfitted with a GPS device or closely monitored, ‘bait bikes’ are placed by police among others owned by rally attendees or in an area known for stolen bikes.

But even with all the efforts of local law enforcement, riders take responsibility to personally ensure they come away from a rally with the same motorcycle they rode in on. Park in well-lit areas, parking lots that have a lot of activity and limit the entrance or exits to only one. Although it may not seem ‘manly’ but always use the fork lock or additional motorcycle locking systems you may have, especially since hitching a ride home sans bike certainly doesn’t fall under the definition of ‘cool’.

No matter how much fun the event may appear to be, after initially walking away from the parked motorcycle come back after a few minutes to check in on your ride. Look for anyone loitering around the area, tampering or simply taking too much interest in a motorcycle are sure warning signs. To help fellow bikers, while riding around the event keep an eye out for people walking motorcycles or loading them onto a trailer.

When parking at the hotel, look for well-lit areas or in direct view of a security camera and certainly close to other bikes. If in a campground, park well within the grounds, near other motorcycles and if at all possible within earshot of your tent. Taking advantage of natural obstacles or barriers such as other tents or other motorcycles by parking behind them with deter casual thieves. Regardless of where you stay during a rally, riders should avoid parking near busy roads.

Never store the motorcycle registration on the bike itself.

Leave the attitude at home
Anyone who rides appreciates ‘biker attitude’, the quiet self-confidence that comes from endless miles on the road and untold hours of wind in the face.

But riders planning to attending a rally or motorcycle event should anticipate plenty of crowds policed by a small army of law enforcement, volunteers and security guards. Simply for crowd control bikers are expected to follow traffic direction and a range of rules including burnouts, over-revving or even the more risqué dress habits from the fairer sex are enforced depending on the event.

We mentioned the free handouts and event schedules given out at hotels and restaurants earlier in the article and these usually include which local laws or standards are enforced throughout the rally. Using the events websites as well as any forums relating to the rally can help understand the lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Tempting a run-in with authorities or not handling an encounter with law enforcement in a respectful fashion not only has the potential of ruining your own time at the event, but any of the group you’re riding with.

Riders should expect the more popular events to be difficult to navigate with bustling crowds spilling off of sidewalks with most distracted by passing motorcycles and not necessarily paying attention to what’s directly in front of them. This results in heels being stepped on and being run into by others. Not intentionally done, none of it should be taken with offense or as anything other than an accident bound to happen in such a large crowd.

Do something different
A good event will host a variety of entertainment from motorcycle-based games and competitions to days of bands. Larger rallies give attendees the opportunity to check out a variety of motorcycle contests specializing in rat bikes, custom creations and the pride and joy of everyday riders. Rally officials, local motorcycle clubs and bars all organize rides and Poker Runs while beauty contests and wet t-shirt competitions can be found throughout the rally.

There are so many different things to do at a motorcycle rally it’s the perfect opportunity to try something other than the normal biker events enjoyed at home.

For example, just outside of Daytona Beach the Cabbage Patch bar and campgrounds hosts coleslaw wrestling matches and drops foreign built motorcycles from a great height at set times during the day. Both make for great stories when returning home.

Forget the wave
Online Motorcycle Magazine included bikers who wave regardless of what others ride as one of the things we should all be thankful for, so it might be surprising to include the following as a helpful hint.

Riders might want to forget the wave while attending the rally.

Ironically, the one sign of how close the riding community can be becomes a casualty when thousands even hundreds of thousands of bikers come together. Disappointing yes and also understandable, yet the biker spirit is tough to break with many still throwing out the way as the ride around the rally.

Although not officially included in our list of tips (otherwise it would be 11 things and not 10) having enough storage on your motorcycle throughout the rally is also a good idea. Bikers who don’t ride tourers tend to take off their removable saddlebags as they ride around the rally to give their motorcycle that more naked look. But this leaves riders tucking bags into leather jackets or hanging them off of handle bars for those unexpected purchases, both of which can be dangerous. Besides, with most rallies happening over the spring and summer months, the weather may not allow a rider to wear a jacket. If you decide to strip off the removable saddlebags, strap some bungee cords onto the bike so those impulse buys can be secured safely.

Whether attending its the first motorcycle rally or you’re a veteran of these events we hope these tips help you enjoy the next one that much more using any of the above helpful hints. Regardless of what’s used when, always be careful while at motorcycle events even if it’s not your first time there. Traffic patterns can change and road works can leave dangerous or uneven surfaces.

If you any suggestions or insights to add to our article helping your fellow riders get more out of their next motorcycle event, feel free to email the editor from our 'Contact Us' section.