Mom

Here is a picture of my mother in her 20's riding her own motorcycle. It was in the 1950's sometime. She attended and participated in many Laconia Gypsy tour hill climbs and scrambles during the late 1950's thru the mid '60's taking all us kids(6) with her. She let us roam the camping area until supper anyways. Back then you could camp any wheres in Laconia and people were from my memory super nice and kind. And to be a 12-14 year old allowed to run around Laconi bike week...dude it was the shit. It was a grand adventure. We could get up close to the scrambles or walk over to the hill climbs or just whatever.

When she rode her bike she wore a black leather biker jacket with white leather collar,lapels and waist belt. She was cool.


This is her now with 2 of her 5 great grand kids

Very very cool!

WAY cool. Dig it !

Excellent! Hardly anyone had a mom in those days who was into motorcycles. Those were the days when a kid could have fun and not have a care in the world . . .

I'm thinking it was frowned upon for a woman to ride on one never mind ride there own. Mom's always been her own woman and to this day. She's tough to this day. She survived war torn Poland (where she is from) as a child and came over here when the ward was over and when she was 13.

Great pic...Good for her...

Women just didn't do things like that back then. But I remember hearing about the Motor Maids, an early bike club for women. A lot of them rode Electra Glides .

Way, way too cool. +++1

Very cool story. Very cool lady.

I loved my mom when she was alive, actually you never lose your love for your mom. But boy she hated bikes and really hated me being on them. Your mom is all right, a special gal. Cherish having her around. I miss my mom not being thrilled with me riding and letting me know about it.

I think she would be disapointed in how the rallies are just a big impersonal expensive cash cow of foreign tee shirts and leather( I know Bill from Bills old Motorcycle msueum was bitching about that. He happened to have an excess surplus of Brooks and Schott USA made leather biker jackets, none in my size dammit!They were only 280$!!!). . Back in the day it was a great big rendezvous for enthusiast,small community clubs to race,visit and help each other out. minimum to no venders..maybe a smattering of food deals..french fries and hamburgers/hotdogs. People broke out the BBQ grills,had there friends from other camps/clubs over,walked around the camps visiting,raced and competed and went home. It was alot more personable and freindly. I guess thats what happens when its gets corporate.

I have 8mm video of a few years of 1960's Laconia bike week,what a dust bowl,lol. I've converted some of it to VHS. It one clip there's a triple engine triump ripping the strip.

I live close enough I usually run in for the day,look around and head back home early. The best part of Laconia I think is the surrounds mountains to ride and the Mt Washington auto road. If you've never done it you're missing a thrill.

http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/

Looks like it would be easy to go off the high side on Mt. Washington LOL. I've been up Pikes peak in a cage. Would never attempt either with my bike (only one brake).

I agree about the best of Laconia is the surrounding countryside and touring it. The Mt Wash auto road has become a traffic jam during bike week though. I used to go up it and rarely saw another bike on the way up or down. The Kancumugus highway also got to be like the Long Island expressway! I love NH and have been there many many times since I was 12

Living in the area I can tell you the best time for riding a motorcycle around here is April/May and September/October. Major tourist area in June-July-August. Parking lot from Laconia to Conway. It sucks. Like they say "Don't take New Hampshire for granite." lol