Las Vegas BikeFest Included in the 2017 American Motorcyclist Association Gypsy Tour
American Motorcyclist Association announces new era for Gypsy Tours
17 road rides scheduled between March and November
PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The 2017 AMA Gypsy Tour, a national series of premier road-riding events, features 17 road rides between March and November in all sections of the country.
AMA Gypsy Tours and the rallies that include them, are among the largest and most popular U.S. motorcycle gatherings.
“We have a great slate of rallies on the 2017 Gypsy Tour series,” said Marie Wuelleh, AMA recreational riding and volunteer manager. “These great rides are put together by experienced organizers, who promise all participants a memorable experience.”
Originally, a Gypsy Tour was an overnight event with organized road rides and other activities of interest to motorcycle enthusiasts, where groups of riders would converge on a single destination. Gypsy Tours were staged in different parts of the country and typically occurred on the same weekend every year. The “National” Gypsy Tour referred to the whole series of these events.
Laconia Motorcycle Week, which dates to 1916, is a 2017 AMA Gypsy Tour Heritage Event and part of the 2017 AMA Gypsy Tour, a national series of premier road-riding events, which has been newly reorganized for the 2017 riding season.
“We are proud that this event has been running for so long, and we are happy to be a part of the 2017 AMA Gypsy Tour series,” said Charlie St. Clair, executive director of Laconia Motorcycle Week.
The original Laconia event was a social gathering of about 150 riders organized by the Bay State Motorcycle Club riders and New Hampshire Motorcyclists at Weir Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee near Laconia, N.H. Over the years, the event grew to attract as many as 430,000 motorcyclists.
The AMA has been sanctioning Gypsy Tours since 1924.
The schedule for the 2017 AMA Gypsy Tour, a national series of premier road-riding events includes:
March 10-19: AMA Gypsy Tour at Bike Week, Daytona Beach, Fla.
April 5-9: Arizona Bike Week, Phoenix, Ariz.
April 26-29: Laughlin River Run, Laughlin, Nev.
May 3-7: Thunder Beach Spring Rally, Panama City, Fla.
May 12-21: Myrtle Beach Bike Week Spring Rally, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
June 5-10: Americade, Lake George, N.Y.
June 10-18: Laconia Motorcycle Week, Laconia, N.H.
AMA National Gypsy Tour Heritage Event
June 22-25: Thunder in the Valley, Johnstown, Pa.
AMA National Road Rally
July 7-9: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, New Lexington, Ohio
AMA National Gypsy Tour
AMA National Road Rally
July 12-16: Roar on the Shore, Erie, Pa.
Aug. 2-6: National Biker’s Roundup, Kansas City, Kan.
Aug. 23-27: Rally in the Gorge, Hood River, Ore.
Sept. 13-17: Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally, Mescalero, N.M.
AMA National Road Rally
Sept. 22-24: Ray Price Capital City Bikefest, Raleigh, N.C.
Oct. 5-8: Las Vegas Bikefest, Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 25-29: Thunder Beach Fall Rally, Panama City, Fla.
Nov. 2-5: Lone Star Rally, Galveston, Texas
A full schedule of AMA National Road Riding events can be found at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Riding/Story/AMA-National-Gypsy-Tour-Series.