The men have to pass certain points at a given time, and not before that time. The Perfect Score award was given out to the winners of an "endurance run", which was a long-distance motorcycle course over public roads, typically 300 to 350 miles in length, that was run over two consecutive days, and that featured checkpoints (controls) about every 50 miles. Given the poor road conditions and general unreliability of motorycles at the time, this was clearly not an easy task! "An endurance run is a very complicated affair. In the second of the two magazine photos, the motorcyclists are posed on the northern side of the New Hotel Weirs block, near the corner of Tower Street.īelow is the caption to the above photos.ġ917 (Motorcycle Gypsy Tour) Some of the very first "Gypsy Tourists" at Laconia may have been awarded the ribbon medallion seen below.ġ918 A photo of the Laconia rally in 1918.ġ9 National Motorcycle Gypsy Tour watch fob award (below) was given by the FAM to those with a "Perfect Score". In the first photo, the motorcyclists are posed in front of the New Hotel Weirs on Lakeside Avenue, which burned down on November 9, 1924. The same photo, cropped, is seen below in a Jissue of the Motorcycle and Bicycle Illustrated magazine. Clair's and Jennifer Anderson's book, Laconia Motorcycle Week, Arcadia publishing, 2008. The above photo is from page 12 of Charlie St. The rally came to be known as the New England Gypsy Tour. The more tours there are and the more riders there are in each tour, the more effective the demonstration will be.įor Laconia, 1917 was considered the "First Annual" Gypsy Tour, even though an informal, unofficial gathering the year before had preceded it. SecondTo give the general public a convincing demonstration of the practical transportation and pleasure possibilities of the motorcycle. An article in the June, 1922 of the Harley-Davidson Enthusiast detailed these goals as follows :įirstTo promote good fellowship among the riders of all makes of motorcycles and to give them a pleasure tour worth talking about until the time for the next annual tour rolls around. The purpose of the Gypsy Tours was to provide a good time for the riders, and favorable publicity for their sport. The "National" Gypsy Tour referred to the whole series of these events. Gypsy Tours were held in various parts of the country, and typically occured on the same weekend every year. The term Gypsy was used because the riders would travel long distances, and often sleep in tents around a campfire along the way, much like the Hollywood stereotype. 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 favorite destination. 1916 was the very first year of the Laconia rally, but it was an unofficial gathering of about 150 riders.ġ917 In 1917, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) sanctioned its first official Gypsy Tours. For the most recent, current version of this webpage, please visit:ġ916 (The Gypsies) During parades and rides of the pre-World War 1 period, this flag (17"x8" with a 2' pole) was mounted on the handlebars of early Harleys and Indians. Notice: This webpage has not been updated in some time.
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