What makes a great rally

[Rob Nye]

To expand on the thread of the greatest rallies, I have enjoyed every rally I have attended, whether hosted by my club, the Tar Heel Travellers, BMW Riders of Southern Maine, Finger Lakes, etc.

At each rally I have met folks who thought it was great and others who were less than delighted with their experience.

So.... What makes a rally great? Roads? Field Events? Meals? Entertainment? IMWTK.

[MrsKbasa]

A variety of things to do is important.

That way it appeals to all participants. Plus, if you go to the rally on an annual basis, you can change what you see each year.

My favorite new item in a rally is the English Trials held at the 49er rally Memorial Day weekend.

I can't imagine myself being able to ride off road, or up stairs.:eek This event gives one the opportunity to watch some VERY skilled riders do some amazing things with very large motorcycles.:clap

[fish]

Originally posted by MrsKbasa

My favorite new item in a rally is the English Trials held at the 49er rally Memorial Day weekend.

Log-jumping is cool to watch :thumb

http://fish.smugmug.com/photos/9036/9036-Medium.jpg

[MrsKbasa]

Do you have any photos of the Washing pit?

[fish]

Originally posted by MrsKbasa
Do you have any photos of the Washing pit?

Sadly, no...but it's right on the other side of the wall that Eric is riding in front of.

http://fish.smugmug.com/photos/9029/9029-Medium.jpg

Sasha rocked on that uphill grassy portion.
http://fish.smugmug.com/photos/9030/9030-Medium.jpg

[cmwingfield]

Each rally seems to have it's own personality, and I guess those individual differences are what appeal to me. For example:

Falling Leaf and the "Shooting of the Anvil". I won't try and describe it, you'd have to be there, but it's a hoot!

Swamp Scooters food and music in Lafayette, LA. A cajun good time!

As a general rule for me, a place that has ample firewood and either a common fire or individual fire rings.

Designated quiet areas for camping. That way, you can hang out with the rowdies til your tired, then head to the tent where it's quiet.

Ample porta potty space..with that I mean, plenty of porta pottys, and room to keep the smelly things away from the tents!

And finally, a "Don't crank your Harley too early in the morning rule", should some of our Hog riding brethren make it to the rally. Those things are noisy at 5:30am!

Best!
Mike:D

[brewmeister]

Just for as many as possable to show up is the best, the rest WILL fall in place.:bar:beer:rocker

[tourunigo]

"A place for everything; everything in its place" rule for RVs. I don't dislike them at all but at a motorcycle rally they should have there own location.... not rolled right in front of my tent. It happens at some rallies. As aging makes RVs a reasonable option for some, it will increasingly need a sound placement strategy so that they are not fragmented from the whole of attendees yet do not impose their bulk on the tenting brethren. - Bob

[cruisincruzan]

We are a varied group so I suspect there will be a wide range of answers. I usually attend rallies with my wife (pillion) so for us reasonably close lodging (at the RA rally this year we stayed in a small B and B 25 miles from the rally site and we had a great time), an interesting town nearby for a day of walking around and trying regional foods. Great riding roads and at the rally itself the more vendors the merrier, since I find it hard to see and touch things that work on our bikes in central NY. Entertainment would be a bonus, but for me secondary in importance. Seminars on wrenching and riding are always welcome.

Local riders sharing their favorite roads, places to visit/eat (the promo job that Paul did on this year's RA rally was great) help to stir the excitement and give visitors some help in getting the max enjoyment in our often limited time.

Something I always thought would be useful to members is comparison testing of various items that have been installed on members bikes. For instance we could set up a course and test stock lights, overwattage lights, HID replacements, various driving lights etc. with photos a/o videos and post for all to see and help make decisions. At the larger rallies i would think you could find members with most available accessories installed.

[GrafikFeat]

So.... What makes a rally great? Roads? Field Events? Meals? Entertainment? IMWTK.

Your Participation. :brow

[Polarbear]

Without volunteer's, no rally takes place, so great volunteers make great rallies:). You build it, they show. Randy:thumb

[BMWDEAN]

In addition to all the above suggestions, I add:

Cool weather

Lots of pre-1970 vintage BMW motorcycles

http://www.bmwdean.com/r67-792.jpg

[fastdogs2]

I like to go on great rides around the Rally site and visit different/exotic sites, associated with the Rally.

Although they were reluctant at first, my five friends who I enrolled in the ride to the Bush Beans factory at the 2009 Johnson City Rally, enjoyed that event the most. More events like this make a Rally interesting and memorable.

I also enjoy the vendors. While it is fun to surf the Internet, there is nothing like being able to see the merchandise and talk to people at the Rally who have a particular farkle that I might be looking at. While some have complained about commercialization, I am not one to do that. Unless you work in the government, commerce is what makes it possible for many of us to make a living.

Bill

[j-budimlya]

Are there any great rallies that are near large cities?? I guess I'm asking if its possible to have a great rally near a large city? Can anyone think of one?

[Ted]

Next year's BMW MOA Rally is within a 10-minute walk of downtown Bloomsburg - large enough to have lots of restaurants and stores (and some great history to boot) and small enough not to have suburbs :)

Rob asked an honest question and I will give an honest answer. I like rallies where I don't get bored. Some reasons I like various rallies: great roads surrounding, lectures/seminars, vendors, fun ride to and from, fun things to do in the area, a good rally site with trees, grass, centrally laid out and food onsite (Finger Lakes is a great example), friendly and helpful volunteers, the list goes on. All of these things figure in one way or another to make a rally worth going to, or not.

I am looking forward to the MOA National next year. I was just there and spent the afternoon checking out the site and the city, and stayed overnight at the hotel where I made a reservation. The location is great, the fairgrounds are a 10-minute walk from the downtown which is both historic and full of shops and restaurants (not boarded up due to big box stores just outside of town limits like so many neat old towns in PA, VA and WV.) The site itself has a ton of buildings all well laid out and centrally located and many things to see and do right there. The surrounding countryside is packed with interesting things to see and do as well as more excellent motorcycle roads than you could ride in a week much less a year or two. Virtually everyone I talked to, when they saw the BMW motorcycle, asked me if I was part of the group coming next year - the entire town is excited for us to come and made sure to tell me. As for my ride up and back, I already have a dandy one planned that hits exactly zero miles of highway :)

[mrspeed]

Do you have any photos of the Washing pit?

Ive got one

[GrafikFeat]

Next year's BMW MOA Rally is within a 10-minute walk of downtown Bloomsburg -
large enough to have lots of restaurants and stores (and some great history to boot) and small enough not to have suburbs :)

But are there trees to Camp under? :whistle
...Or tie a hammock too?

[Statdawg]

But are there trees to Camp under? :whistle
...Or tie a hammock too?

Yes