Bike-week rain

[VitaBene]

I agree with Mike- I think there are a lot of bikes coming for the week, but it should be called NH bikeweek instead of Laconia BW. The Weirs is no longer the epicenter of the event.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

I agree with Mike- I think there are a lot of bikes coming for the week, but it should be called NH bikeweek instead of Laconia BW. The Weirs is no longer the epicenter of the event.

Even this forum was not really very "busy" with biker commentary. I'd hoped to see some interesting bikes on the road, but saw hardly any bikes at all!

One Bike Week biker breezed by who had a helmet with antlers mounted on it. In the same "group", another had antelope horns on his helmet.

Nothing to see like these bikes of note:

1) V-8 power

2) Reptile-themed bike...

3) Big-Radial engine...

4) I have no idea what this one is!

5) Always have antlers on the handlebars of your bike, 'cuz you'll never know what you'll meet on the road.

[Airwaves]

numbers came from the new hampshire state police and charlie st. claire at the race and rally headquarters.

Neither of which have a vested interest in keeping those numbers high!

I can attest, as others have already done so, that bikes between the Mass border and Laconia on the major routes into Laconia, 93 and 106, were virtually empty of bikes. So if they were not in Laconia and they weren't between Laconia and the Mass border where were they and how could they possibly get anything close to an accurate count of bikes "statewide"?

They cooked the numbers. Nothing unusual about that. I'm just saying don't buy into the "official" numbers blindly when your own eyes and experience tell you something very different!

[ironhorsetim]

Let me start by saying that I worked from the first Friday till Sat. before Fathers Day, a.m to a.m (been doing that for 8 years, not all at the same place) right on Rt 3 (got Fathers Day off cause I'm old ) and there were many times traffic was backed up to Rollercoaster Rd.

Originally Posted by Airwaves

I was up at the lake all week, light bike traffic as compared to past years and I am on a major Bike route! Tues and Sat even took a trip through the Weirs (by boat) and it was slower than I ever remember seeing it. Tuesday there were only a half dozen or so boats at the town docks (plenty of docking) and Saturday there were only 3 or 4 waiting! Went over to Meredith on Saturday and there was plenty of docking and had a late lunch at The Town Docks.

The first Mon. and Tues. are always the slowest day's. If you had gone to Meredith by bike that day you would have had a much later lunch as traffic was backed up in both directions by noon.It's called BIKE WEEK not Boat week for a reason...almost all my boat owning friends tend to stay away by boat that week I have no idea why.........

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

I feel badly for the restaurants and other businesses in the lakes region. This was truely a washout.

Not all businesses did badly, I think all the rain made people hungry and thirsty the local bar and grille I worked was at capacity almost all week long and had a waiting line many times...

Originally Posted by Airwaves

Originally posted by Mike Ray

Mike, I gotta tell ya, I don't know where you're getting the numbers from but I would guestimate about half that at best!

I've been going to Bike Week for decades and as I posted I am on a major route that bikes take.

Went through the Weirs by boat twice during the week and no crowds, and on the final weekend headed up to Meredith and ate at the Town Docks and got in and out without any waiting.

300,000 is a major stretch...of course I watched some of the same bikers drive past my place a dozen or so times during the week. I counted the ones I recognized as ONE.

Next year we'll make sure they all go by your house..cept for the one's coming in from Canada, which by the way account for a big chunk of that "estimate" as they say not all roads go by your house, but they all lead to Laconia... just kidding

Originally Posted by mike ray

you can guestimate if you want, but those numbers came from the new hampshire state police and charlie st. claire at the race and rally headquarters. keep in mind the rally has spread out to all different parts of the state. there may not have been 300,000 bikers in the weirs area at any one time, but the state of new hampshire saw an influx of 300,000 bikers.

Couldn't agree with you more Mike....in any case 1,000 or 300,000 more people spending money in OUR state is always a good thing and that older more mellow crowd made my job alot easier

[Woodsy]

I gotta go with Mike & Tim on this one...

I live at ground zero for Bike Week.... I have to take the last thurs & fri off from work because they close the bridge. There was a backup of traffic almost everyday, and just about every establishement I frequented was at or close to capacity, Lob Pound (great time as always Mike), Looney Bin, Paradise, Crazy Gringo, Spoke etc... There were alot of people having fun and spending $$$ and thats a good thing. Its def not the bike week of yore, but its still a rockin good time!

Woodsy

[Airwaves]

Then Gentlemen we're going to have to just agree to disagree.

The comments I have read seem to indicate that Bikers only travel by someone's place, or make a trip to the Weirs once during bike week. Otherwise they would be counted multiple times even though that biker is only one person.

The estimates of 300,000 are in the same ballpark as the estimates given when Bike Week was much healthier and the roads and highways into Laconia were congested all the way from the Mass border.