Ohio, Laconia, S&S Cycle's 50th - Back-to-Back

No wonder I'm in the gym as much as possible. This road life isn't for pussies! The sickest part of all is --I love it!

Check this out - I'm on a flight to Cleveland only to be whisked away to Sandusky, Ohio for "Ohio Bike Week". All the Broken Spoke Girls will be there. Our eighteen-wheeler is in Kentucky jamming for Ohio and the fine people at Roeder's Harley-Davidson are bustin' their tails to re-create a Broken Spoke Saloon at the fair grounds reminiscent of the Spoke in Sturgis. The main stage outside the Spoke will feature Ted Nugent, Travis Tritt & Saliva, among others. There will be free-style jumpers - Lucky Daredevil Thrill Shows - Killer house bands - and pyrotechnics that will be off the hook! All major bike magazines will be covering the event. World famous photographer Michael Lichter will be there for Easyriders and Chris Callen will bring the posse from Cycle Source magazine. Then there's me. My job is to keep the "Party Ball" rollin' at neck-breaking speed at all times! With a couple hundred thousand bikers ready to cut loose, it should make my job easy.

After ten days in Ohio, I step on the plane to New Hampshire to roll into the oldest rally on the planet! Laconia started in 1916, and whether it's rain or shine, the Louden Classic is off the hook! Since the Myrtle Beach Rally, Peter Cimasi, the Rally Bar Manager and many of our partners at Target Logistics have been bustin' their balls to ready us for Laconia. From a bar owner's perspective, it's one of the toughest rallies. We had to send a different 18-wheeler to New Hampshire, so our other one could roll from Sandusky, Ohio to La Crosse, Wisconsin for S&S Cycle's 50th Anniversary. There wasn't enough time for the one truck to make it from Ohio to Laconia and back to Wisconsin in time. The Louden Classic is always a good time. It can rain a lot some years, but the Northeast riders don't let it keep them down one iota. They are the heartest riders in this fine country and if you love vintage iron, Laconia's packed! We've got some great bands playing the Spoke, too! Dallas Moore, Dan Lawson, Mo Blues, Black Frog - Rick & the Giants, Lauren Rocken Band, and let's not forget the "Pathetic Losers"! The Spoke Girls are jacked for the Laconia Rally! It is one of their favorites and they will be an experience the riders will never forget! For those of you who have never done Laocnia, you don't know what you're missing! It offers some of the most intense, pristine riding in the United States. The White Mountains are magnificent! After a great day's ride, it's time to hit the Spoke for an evening of unforgettable mayhem! Aerosmith's Stephen Tyler was goin' to be hangin' with us to promote Redwing Motorcycles, but he was focused on a bigger picture - "Rehab". "Hey Stephen, rehab's for pussies!" Actually, with livin' at full throttle, rehab sounds like a necessity for Mr. Tyler. Oh well, maybe in '09. Speaking of 2009, the Spoke in Laconia is steppin' it up big time, thanks to my partners at Target Logistics in Boston. Daytona too!!

By Sunday, June 22, Laconia will done for another year. I'll be jammin' to the Manchester airport to wing my way back to Ohio to jump into the Spoke 18-wheeler to get my tail to La Crosse, WI by Wednesday in order to set up with all the industry's rigs that wouldn't miss one of the biggest events of 2008 -- S&S Cycle's 50th Anniversary shin-dig. By this time I think it's appropriate to hit an animal shelter for a stray cat, to lick my ... wounds! The fine city of La Crosse has never had a biker party on this scale before and it's my seasonal challenge to show the riders a party of a lifetime, and the citizens of La Crosse what the best crowd on Earth can do to enhance their fine community! Jesse James Dupree & Jackel is one of the many acts, and 50 the world's most famous builders will ascent on La Crosse to gun for a $50,000 cash prize! Can't wait to see all my home-boys! The builders were broken into groups and assigned different S&S power plants to build their works of art around. Don't quote me, but I think if a builder wins his motor class, he gets the engine for free. As I write this, 20-hour days are being logged by many of the builders for the year's biggest build off!

While I'm setting up the 18-wheeler, the Spoke Girls are rotating on & off drivers on their trek from New Hampshire to Wisconsin. They're hoping to get a couple of days recuperation. With bottle cuts on their hands and blisters on their feet from working Ohio and Laconia back to back, 48 hours rest can be huge. If you're reading this and June 26 is ahead of you, don't miss this one! It's mandatory! Witness motorcycle history first-hand! I'll see you there!

Until next time ...

Keep the Shiny Side Up and the Rubber Side Down!

Jay Allen

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