For a true motorcycle lover, there’s nothing like the rush of the open road. Whether it’s the open air or the rumble of the engine that hooks them, bikers are a proud, tight-knit community that loves to gather at rallies across the country. That passion runs through the lives and families of riders everywhere, turning a hobby into a lifestyle. Bikers travel far and wide to show off their pride and joy and swap stories with fellow riders at rallies from coast to coast.
These rallies are more popular than ever, and some date back more than a century. For casual riders and die-hards alike, here are six of the best biker rallies in America, courtesy of uShip.
The quintessential rally known the world over, Sturgis has been running since 1938. Every August, the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota, plays host to one of the largest motorcycle gatherings in American history, drawing riders from across the globe for about 10 days of racing, ramp jumps, and open-road riding through the Black Hills.
What started as a single-day event with a couple dozen racers has grown into a rally that typically draws around 500,000 people a year, with the record turnout topping 700,000 during the 75th-anniversary celebration. Normally home to fewer than 7,000 residents, Sturgis happily hosts the annual invasion of growling engines, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the local economy each year. With the Black Hills as a backdrop and miles of open highway nearby, it’s easy to see why Sturgis remains the rally every biker wants to check off their list.
Daytona Bike Week traces its roots to 1937, when it began as a motorcycle race on a sand-and-road course along the beach. Racing paused during World War II, but riders kept showing up anyway, and that unofficial gathering grew into the Bike Week we know today.
Every March, Daytona Beach, Florida, welcomes hundreds of thousands of riders for about 10 days of races, concerts, custom bike shows, and beachside parties. Warm weather and proximity to attractions like the Kennedy Space Center and Daytona International Speedway make it a favorite for riders looking to mix rally energy with a proper vacation. Daytona’s organizers also host Biketoberfest each October, a smaller sibling event that gives riders a second reason to visit each year.
Laconia Motorcycle Week is the oldest motorcycle rally in the country, with roots stretching back to 1916. The small-town New Hampshire gathering is a notch below Sturgis and Daytona in size, but its lakeside setting on Lake Winnipesaukee and quirky events, from hill climbs to tattoo contests, make it a must-see.
Held every June for about nine days in Laconia and nearby Weirs Beach, the rally has drawn crowds as large as 375,000 in its biggest years, though attendance has cooled some in recent seasons as travel and gas prices climb. Riders can cruise the tree-lined roads circling the lake, race in one of several competitions, or tackle the Mount Washington Auto Road, which climbs to the highest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 feet.
What started as a single spring gathering has grown into two: Myrtle Beach now hosts a Spring Rally in May and a Fall Rally in September and October, each drawing tens of thousands of riders to South Carolina’s Grand Strand. The footprint has grown, too, expanding over the years from North Myrtle Beach down to Georgetown.
Expect the same traditions that made Myrtle Beach a rally staple for decades, including custom bike shows, live music up and down the coast, and plenty of beachside riding, plus easy access to nearby attractions like wildlife reserves and historic sites for the days you want off the bike.
Rolling Thunder rode through Washington, D.C., every Memorial Day weekend for more than 30 years, growing from a few thousand riders in 1988 to roughly 500,000 at its peak before the organization ended its D.C. ride in 2019. Founder Ray Manzo, a former Marine, started the rally to bring attention to American prisoners of war and service members still listed as missing in action, a cause that hadn’t left his mind since a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The mission didn’t end with the ride: AMVETS picked up the torch with a new event called Rolling to Remember, which continues the same Memorial Day weekend tradition of riding into the capital, gathering at the Pentagon, and honoring the fallen with a vigil at the Lincoln Memorial. It’s not just for bikers, either. Thousands of veterans, families, and supporters turn out each year to show their patriotism alongside the riders.
Launched in 1995, the ROT Rally in Austin, Texas, once billed itself as the largest ticketed motorcycle rally in the country, drawing as many as 35,000 paying guests to the Travis County Expo Center and an estimated 200,000 more to the downtown street party alongside it. In recent years, organizers have intentionally scaled things back, trading the sprawling downtown takeover for a more intimate gathering at Austin Speed Shop.
The rally, typically held in early May, still packs in live music, a custom builder show, stunt performances, and vendors, just at a friendlier scale that organizers say puts quality over crowd size. It’s a good reminder to check the official rally website before you plan your trip, since the format continues to evolve year to year.
Let uShip’s marketplace help you ship your motorcycle there and back, faster and easier. Post your shipment and get matched with feedback-rated carriers from uShip’s nationwide network, ready to haul your bike safely and affordably.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2014 before being updated for current publishing.
The post The 6 Best Biker Rallies In The Country appeared first on The uShip Blog.
Enter the username of the member you want to find: