By Laura Brengelman
Photos by: Laura Brengelman, John Frederick, Joe Knezevic, Pam Proctor and
Jessica Prokup
ONE OF MY GREATEST PLEASURES IS
discussing things with my father-in-law. Fred’s a learned linguist.
When I told him I’d been to Americade and asked about the origins of “-cade,” he
explained that it comes from “cavalcade.” A cavalcade is a procession of
horses, by extension, with people riding those horses. So the suffix “‑cade”
implies a procession and riding. And “Americade” is a parade or procession
of Americans, in our case, riding motorcycles.
In its 20 years, this grand touring rally has in
fact welcomed visitors from many backgrounds and nations – from Canada and
farther abroad. But it still can be considered the ultimate American
touring rally, an event that welcomes motorcycle riders like you and me.
This event’s organizers also welcome all brands
and models of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and more, as long as the machine is
street-legal, something that differentiates today’s Americade from many other
events. It’s made clear that bikes with illegally loud pipes or other
infractions are not welcome, and many are ticketed and fined by local police.
These policies extend to the prestigious bike shows. The choicest custom I
saw this year was disqualified for not having legal lighting. While some
may not like it, Americade owner Bill Dutcher and his team are up front about
the rules.
Americade has certainly evolved over the years. I see the increasing
diversity in the attendees and motorcycles as being a change that aptly reflects
shifts in the motorcycle market. While there are still many couples who
ride two-up, at this Americade I talked with more single riders, both men and
women. I also met a good mix of seasoned and newer riders, and was pleased
to learn that both felt there was plenty going on that suited their experience
and interests.
At one time, this event was considered primarily
a Gold Wing rally. After all, the bikes have traditionally ruled the
touring world. And the GL1500 and GL1800 are still two of the most popular
rides. But wandering through the thousands of parked bikes and watching
what rode by, I also saw many more cruisers, a number of other tourers and sport
tourers, some standards like my ZRX1100, and some sport bikes.
The only complaint I have about this event is
that there’s simply too much to choose from. It easily takes a day to
explore the vendor area at TourExpo. The selection of products and
services is one of the best you’ll find at any rally.
Need new boots, gloves, a helmet, riding suit, or
rain suit? How about hard saddlebags, soft luggage, a windshield,
communications system, on-board music, or functional or decorative lighting?
Not happy with your current saddle? Want more pinstriping or a
three-dimensional mural on your bike? Considering a top-quality trailer?
Looking for products to clean, shine or mend your bike? Check out the
vendor list at
www.tourexpo.com and you’ll see all this and more as part of the annual
roster.
The seminars and presentations by featured
speakers are equally varied. I could have easily spent more than half my
time in one of the conference rooms at Roaring Brook. What I did catch, I
enjoyed, particularly the insightful and hilarious comments of
Motorcycle
Consumer News’ Fred Rau. (If you get the chance to hear him speak,
don’t miss it.)
For our part, RoadBike presented two
seminars. The first presentation was on writing up your motorcycle travels
and getting your articles published (start by e-mailing me for our writer’s
guidelines.)
I also led a panel of distinguished women riders.
Karilea Rhea is a motorcycle clothing designer; she and her husband, Kevin, are
about to come out with an exciting new line of apparel under the Olympia name.
Wendy Ream is a highly respected MSF instructor and prominent member of the
Motor Maids. And Lisa Dionne, an able outdoors-woman and intrepid rider,
is the talented editor behind many of Whitehorse Press’ top titles.
On Thursday night, the RoadBike team gathered on the shores of Lake
George to board our annual boat cruise. We were joined by our favorite
skipper and Americade volunteer crew. But unlike Gilligan’s unfortunate
misadventure, our voyage aboard the good ship Horicon went off without a
hitch.
Friday night once again offered award ceremonies
and fireworks, but the arrangements were somewhat different this year.
Since the sheer number of Americaders had finally outgrown Prospect Mountain,
the festivities were moved to the Great Escape amusement park. The show
included staffers decked out in grass skirts aboard a Polynesian – or was it
Hawaiian? – watercraft. This was followed by a slide show, projected on a
waterfall. The slides and music tastefully presented a tribute to the
victims and survivors of 9/11 and transitioned to photos celebrating 20 years of
Americade. After a 3-D laser show, also projected on the curtain of water,
the sky was alight with spectacular fireworks that I wished would never end.
The next morning, thousands of Americaders
gathered for the traditional parade. Together, they rode down past the
lake, through town, and then up Prospect Mountain. TourExpo was open for
the rest of the day. When it closed, Americade was over once again.
While this procession of riders, over 50,000 of them, is ultimately all about
motorcycles, that’s not what sticks in my mind. When I think back over
these precious few days, what I remember are the smiling faces of my fellow
motorcyclists. That, my friends, is what this event, or any event of its
kind, is ultimately all about.
Americade 2003
Mark your calendar, make your hotel,
motel, or campground reservations, and count the days. Next year's
Americade will be held from June 2 to 7. In the meantime, visit
www.tourexpo.com
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Article reprinted with permission of RoadBike magazine; photos are property of the photographers and cannot be reused without permission. To reach RoadBike's editorial offices, call 203/425-8777 or e-mail info@roadbikemag.com. For subscriptions, call 877/693-3577 or email orders_tourtrav@fulcoinc.com.
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