Who profits from Bike Week?

With all the coverage this event receives I don’t remember seeing any article about it being profitable, so is it? This used to be a weekend event, then a 3-day event, and then a 7-day event and now it’s a 9-day event. Bike week tents were going up at the end of May last year. Will it encompass the entire month of June in the future? An event doesn’t grow larger unless someone is making money. It makes you wonder who these people are since, from the outside, it appears to be only a small handful of people with a lot of influence and high-priced lawyers. The amount of police coverage in the area is staggering with representatives from the FBI, Immigration, Border Patrol and most every other municipality in the state. Who pays for this? We, the taxpayers, would be a good guess. It’s hard to believe enough temporary vendor permits are sold to cover the cost of extra police coverage.

The traffic congestion gets worse every year. All week long, the front pages of area newspapers show pictures of motorcycles with headlines announcing potential gang fights, guns, drugs and any other negative information you can imagine. How does this benefit the area as a whole? Various sources mention the tens of millions of dollars spent at this event but what percentage of those dollars go to local business or does most of that money go into the pockets of people who pull up their tents at the end of the week and leave the state? Do the food vendors pay the 8% meals tax that other full-time restaurants have to pay during the same time period? Do the other vendors have to pay the business profits tax that their full-time counterparts have to pay during the same 9-day period? I have nothing against large events coming to the lake’s region if there is a community-wide benefit and financial accountability. This event seems to have a smoke and mirrors accountability when it comes to who is profiting. Am I all wrong about this event?

From what I've read, the city usually ends up in the hole. I for one, would be happy if it went back to the long weekend format. MHO

I can't speak for all the small business owners in the" Lakes Region". I own a small lodge at the lake, Bike Week generates revenues of three to four times of what's normally taken in for one week.

The winter rental season is very slow compared to the summer, Bike Week comes just in time to help the small business owners financially recover after the long winter.

Who profits? You do (at least you JohnQPublic). While I don't have the statistics of how much the state makes on the 8% meals and rooms tax, that is probably a good place to start counting. Then, there is the publicity. The media loves to slant the event with a negative spin in order to sell papers and gain viewers, but it gets out the word that the lakes region of NH is a happening place. That no doubt brings tourists to rent homes and buy fishing licenses. More taxes for the state and income for residents and real-estate brokers. The police make overtime. Heck, they bus them in from all over. What an opportunity. Even the FBI gets involved by trumping up the fear factor and saying they gotta be there. Who knows, with all those beards around, there may be a terrorist or two lurking, and they can't take a chance on missing one. Yes, the amount of police is staggering, but its that way everywhere. You can't pin the costs of america's paranoia on the promoters of bike week. The traffic congestion can get bad - but hey, its JUNE! The water is cold, and there is not that much going on anyway. Those people have to eat somewhere - so there is another bonus. You obviously don't like the event. Lots of others do. I wonder if the folks in New Orleans complain about Mardi Gras. Probably do...

-lg

People have to eat.....even the bikers, and they also sleep, eat, buy gas .....drink etc all at local establishments, I would guess that is the tip of the iceberg, OK maybe more than the tip...

Don't forget there are a lot of other small businesses that pretty much have to shut down during bike week.

Seen or heard the following closed during Bike Week:
Surfcoaster USA, Weirs Water Slide, Dexter Shoes, Thurston Marina, Channel Marina, Kellerhaus, Mount Washington boat rides, Funspot, Weirs Go Carts, Basketworld and Hearth & Home.

If the traffic wasn't so awful I probably would have seen more.

I have a "friend" who runs a concession every year and every year the poor guy has to tell the IRS etc how much money he lost again. The he shows me the thousands that he put into his pocket. Wonder how much of this goes on. He cannot be the only one.

So many people put up with a lot of hassle while this guy makes a huge profit. So, I do not want to hear how good it is for the state because this guy generates no income for the state only his wallet and he does not live in NH!

I don't usually like to post things like this, but here goes. Can we please stopping blaming all the lawyers for all the woes in the world? Some of us are pretty darn honorable, ya know!

Jersey Girl, Esq.

There are a huge number of businesses that totally close during bike week. Look on a map and see how difficult it is to go between Meredith and Alton with the bridge closed. In addition we know of many locals who leave town and tourists who avoid the Lakes Region during bike week. No one has ever been able to provide meaningful evidence that this event is that beneficial or generates significant income LOCALLY. Why not scale it back so that it is more manageable?

The next time you are at your local car dealership, ask them how many cars they sell that week or how much business their service departments receive. Same goes for all the marinas. Downtown Laconia businesses want to bring more of bike week downtown because they suffer such a loss while it is here.

Very few local people profit from bike week. The profiteers will boast loudly about the tremendous economic surge for the entire area. The rest realize it's a lie but don't want to stick their faces in front of a newspaper or television camera and risk saying the event stinks. No sense in taking any chances.

I bet whatever his concession is, it somehow benefits NH, probably buys stock in NH for whatever he sells.
So I guess we should judge the weeklong event on what some guy does to evade taxes???
Does he stay in a motel? Eat? drink while here?
who makes dough on the parking lots that charge high rates to park?

Why not change it to Moped week? Then again, no. They get 100 miles to a gallon. The poor gas station owners will be in dire straights...(not the band).

how much do these businesses charge to park your car there during bike week..$10-20 per car. Do they charge to park there any other time. I think they are finding other ways to make money. Just relax and enjoy it or go to another part of the lake!

Don't you people ever think of anything other than money, profit, and how you benefit? So bike week isn't your thing, I'm sorry. It does interest a lot of people so let them have it, whether it puts money in your pocket or not. There are a lot of activities and events on the lake that last all summer that I don't like, and don't put money in my pocket, but you don't hear me crying.

Hate to tell you but, there is NO tourism up here during June. As for places making a profit. Try and get a room north of Manchester, good luck. Car dealerships, try and get an appointment for service, good luck. Boat dealers and marinas, you're kidding right? They sell as much gas as the 4th of July and Labor Day not to mention repairs and rentals $$$$$$ Someone mentioned some places that close down. Water slides are closed???? They don't open till the end of June or 4th of July anyway. With or without bike week. Thurstons, yes boat sales are closed but, not service and gas besides, his parking area is rented out. To mention the financial impact to Fun Spot was absolutely ridiculous. With all the tents there, I don't think it's a financial hardship. The Mt. Washington, becomes a floating bar $$$$$ Talk to the large food store managers$$$$$$$ It's the greatest show on earth and it's still FREE.

Most of those business's profit from bike week!
Dexter Shoes utilizes their parking lot as "pay for parking"

The Mount Washington is a floating docked bar!

Fun Spot leases their facility to bike vendors!

Lobster Pound leases their property to bike vendors!

Surf Coaster leases/rents property to bike vendors and charges for parking...

Several business's on Weirs Beach Boulevard lease properties to bike vendors or charge for parking.

They all profit more from these venues than what they take in from local residents or tourists...

Located on the big empty lot just up hill from Channel Lane in The Weirs and where a Howard Johnson's restaurant was located until 1982 when it burnt down, the Camel Cigarette beer tent, which is hosted by the Camel Cigarette Girls does some big business. Just check out all they crowds and the waiting line to get into that happening tent. Hey, this is the US of A, so if people want to go have a good time courtesy of RJ Reynold Tobacco and their beer tent then, I say, go for it. If you want a piece of this beer tent action then go buy some RJR stock which pays something like a 9% dividend or something, last time I checked, imho!

Treerider I think you missed the point of JJingle's post. He was implying that if the man he knows engaged in this then there has to be many others. He wasn't saying we should judge the whole weeklong event on the actions of one man..he was saying we should look at the fact if one person does this to evade taxes then many others might as well.

As a resident whose taxes pay for all the police, pay to repair the roads and clean up the mess afterwards, (etc), and who suffers through all of the abuse, noise and inconvenience of Bike Month, how are all these profits to businesses like Dexters and the Lobster Pound helping me?

Bike Month? Great idear "Big AL". In case you don't know, all the buisnesses that profit pay taxes also and in many cases a lot higher than the residential tax you pay.

Why does it have to help you? For one week, can't people who have a different lifestyle than yours enjoy the lake?

is it really hurting you? im sure the laconia rally has been here longer then you have. i wouldnt move next to an airport if i didnt like the noise.

What a surprise. Yet another person who doesn't live here but knows how much we all profit from bike week. The primary benefactor (The city of Laconia) is never clear about the profit and loss statement from this fiasco, the outlying communities are impacted but receive almost no compensation for their added expenses, so the time has come for this to be put on a ballot for all the communities to vote on. Is it beneficial to the area and attracting new business or is it a drain on the area and attracting the wrong type of business? Do we need any more tattoo parlors, bars or chopper shops?

That doesn't help me. i am a tax payer, not a tax user. first off, these businessmen are going to somehow end up showing a paper loss by underclaiming their income, deducting every meal they ate last year, claiming their boats as business vehicles, and using every loophole in the tax code. even the few cents they may pay are not going to come back around to help me and the other joe taxpayers in the towns aroung the Lake that suffer through this nightmare for tweo weeks every year. maybe some 28 year old deadbeat down in Nashua who is on SSI because he's "depressed" or "fat" will get a few more dollars in foodstamps next year (which he'll spend at McDonalds), but how is all this going to help me and my neighbors in Meredith? my taxes almost doubled last year, and i didn't make any profits from Bike Month.

You are totally missing the point! The question is why should it HARM residents and surronding communities when no one can show any benefit?

Because i'm funding these activities, and because they are obnoxious to me and interfering with my activities. I have no problem with other people enjoying activities that I don't, so long as those activities do not impact mine and so long as I am not required to subsidize them.
This is not a position that anyone can argue in good faith. Anyone who pretends that he would not object to the use of his tax dollars to support an activity that infringes on his rights is just not being honest with himself.

As a resident whose taxes pay for all the police, pay to repair the roads and clean up the mess afterwards, (etc), and who suffers through all of the abuse, noise and inconvenience of Bike Month, how are all these profits to businesses like Dexters and the Lobster Pound helping me?

How do we "go to another part of the lake" if we live here? Why should we have to?

Perhaps some portion of those huge taxes that this event is generating can be refunded directly to the local residents. Like, say if the state gave $1000 to each resident of Gilford, Laconia, and Meredith as their share of those profits, in exchange for the sacrifices they alone make for hosting the event. Surely that 30 or so million dollars can be taken right out of the hundreds of millions that these businesses are paying in taxes for the huge incomes they are making that week (ya, right).I personally would rather pass on the $1000 if they'd forego the event, as would liekly most of my neighbors, which should tell you how imbalanced the burden/benefit ratio on the local residents really is.

I think that if anything should be put on a ballot, it is the elected officials of Laconia. If they can't give a straight out account of expenditures vs. profit, something is wrong with the leadership - not the event itself... if it isn't profitable to the community, it's the elected official's job to do something about it, right? If they aren't doing anything about it it's either, A) really profitable or B) horrible leadership. Something tells me that people wouldn't have as big of a problem if there was a "world (insert family hobby here) week" with the same problems (traffic, parking, increased police presence, vendors, etc).

As traditional as the passage into spring and Ice Out so is the inevitable forum discussion of Bike Week. I love it because it only means Ice Out is that much closer.

The point is that Bike Week infringes on the rights of people who are just trying to live their lives and go about their day. Bike Week restricts where you can go for an entire week. Not only does it restrict your ability to go about your business it make sleeping difficult because the noise carries over the entire lake. I do not believe that the price paid by residents and summer residents (taxpayers) is any way worth the compensation received by them. Oh I forgot they get no compensation just aggravation!

Sad part is Bike Week is here to stay.

Just how would you stop it? People do have the right to gather and have a good time. You might be able to stop the formal events, but you can't stop the bikers from coming.

Speaking of rights, what right do those wooden boaters have to hog all the public docks for their shows? What about all the craft/art shows hogging the parking (cars and boats) in Alton, Wolfeboro, Meredith. What about the chowderfest? What about the fishing derbies? I sure see more state troopers, game wardens, and marine patrols around. Do the towns make a profit on these events? I'm sure if you add all them up there's more actual disruption time then bike week.

I just assume we all need to share the lake.

You profited last year - property value wise, about double, if your taxes doubled.

Yes it is Tony. When many of us moved here, it was a THREE DAY EVENT, not a massive disruption for ten days. Why can't anyone provide concrete evidence of positive BENEFITS?

I'm offended by all of the huge boats in the entire summer and the snowmobiles during the winter, should that be banned?

So we need each and every taxpayer's approval for every dime that's spent in the state? Nothing can go on that doesn't line your pockets?

well as a resident also I like to see the local business make some money also so they can stay in business so we don't have to live in a ghost town. Too many establishments have gone by the wayside already and it wasn't long ago that every thing closed down all winter "seya in the spring".there is finally starting to get some growth to the area. maybe you shouldn't complain about the crowding and complain about the inadequate roads to handle the increased amount of traffic that has ncreased here in the past 25 years with no update to the traffic flow other then makitire circle.and far as the tax payers dollar being spent on the police presence, its a bit absurd the amount they overspend unnecessarily anyway.
Now if you want to complain how about all the trafic generated from the craft fair in alton bay? there 2 weekends of hell.lol

"As traditional as the passage into spring and Ice Out so is the inevitable forum discussion of Bike Week. I love it because it only means Ice Out is that much closer. "

Yup, and next the discussion will swing to PWCs or midges or mosquitoes. I forget which comes next though.

Like cagers dont alter the lives of bikers. Yall gas wasting , over poluting no drivin fools. Loud pipes save lives since john Q is on the dang phone eatin an ice cream cone and readin a book in there monkey cage.
The pipes will be getting louder, and bikers are taking a stand to make the murdering cagers pay real penalties for crimes involving the death of bikers, that result from traffic violations. Go buy a boat, a snowmobile, get a plane, get a loud ass bike, and screw the cagers!
I for one will call yall a WAAAAAHHHHM BULANCE! WAAAAAAH!
B

I am thoroughly enjoying the lively debate about Bike Week or Bike 10-Days or whatever it is now. It is too bad that there isn't some consensus on how the event can be changed or tweeked to make local residents less uncomfortable while still benefitting local businesses. It is a shame if it really doesn't benefit anyone locally including Laconia itself. Must wonder why the city persists in holding the event if it doesn't do anything for them.

But, I have to say, that we avoid the lake that week. We don't have a choice now since my boys are in school until after Bike Week is over. We used to go up around that time, but stopped because of this event. I distinctly remember when it was only a long weekend. I don't know why Laconia changed it to a longer event. We could hear the motorcycles all night - even from Alton! I know the motels in Alton are full during that period which I suppose is a good thing, but the inconveniece for the local residents must truly be near unbearable.

I hope those of you who support Bike Week have a little understanding for those who live there and have to endure the event. I wouldn't want to be there and even my husband who has a motorcycle which he bought after we were there at the tail-end of Bike Week one year, doesn't want to go. (Now there is something for which I am truly grateful).

It really isn't a family type of event even though the lake really is a family type of place. So, anyway, while I have enjoyed this thread, I wish everyone could be a little bit more open to everyone's point of view. Of course, I expect to read a little bashing about this. Such is life.

Hey, if you attend Bike Week, say hello for me to the Teutels from Orange County Choppers in NY. They have a "reality" TV show on the Discovery Channel which is absolutely hilarious. It is on Mondays at 10 pm. Too funny. They go to Bike Week every year and are very popular now. You should have seen the line to meet them at the NYC Motorcycle Show in January.

Jersey Girl

The Democratic NAtional Convention is going to DISRUPT the city of Boston for a week....how come nobody is complaininng about that?
The Boston MArathon disrupts all sorts of Traffic patterns in April....should we stop any event that disrupts someone???
I used to live close to Boston and the church right across the street ran a 3 day carnival with rides etc. 100 ft from my livingroom, I always took that long weekend for a trip north.....

I guess we should end NASCAR racing at Loudon, that messes up traffic for the whole weekend!!!

Why dont you stop your whining already! If you want to benefit from Bike Week/Month than do something. Find something to sell that the bikers would buy. Or better yet, just leave town and rent your house out for the event. You wouldnt have to put up with any inconveniences and you would make money that you (dont) deserve!

We had a condo right in the Weirs and for that week we became prisoners. Roads closed to 4 wheel traffic, parties and noise all night long. For so many of the people that feel Bike Week is a great thing, I wonder how they would like it if it was in their back yard. Have sold the condo and moved from the area and Bike Week was definitely one of the deciding factors. And yes we knew when we purchased the condo about Bike Week but never realized just how bad it was. Oh and by the way, I am also a biker of 30+ years, so its not like I just have a thing for bikers.

I went down to the Star Market this morning and told them that although I didn't have any cash left after payign my RE taxes, the town says my house is worth twice as much as last year. So I asked I could buy some groceries with that and my good looks. They said no.
Are you saying I should sell my home to buy my groceries? And that this is some sort of justification for Bike Month?

Are you paying for them?

Isn't Ice Out usually already over by the time of Bike Week?

One easy "tweek" that would probably help alot is to just change the name to "The Cape Cod Classic". How long do you think it would last down there? Martha's Vineyard is very nice that time of year and could probably use all of this income too.

The noise is terrible and I do not know why it is tolerated. It seems like the law book is tossed out the window for a week and it is a free-for-all. If your car has a noisy muffler you get a defective equipment ticket and a set period of time to get it fixed. If you own a motorcycle, you can remove the muffler completely and the police do nothing. If there are any policeman who read this forum, can you explain this so we'll all understand? The bike noise is bad enough all summer but it is deafening during bike week. Try to sleep with the windows open when you have jerks tearing up the stretch of Route 3 from the Weirs sign to the old Brickyard on their bikes running straight pipes. When you can still hear a bike that is now over a mile away, that's a problem.

I have some questions for the lawyers on the forum:

1.Is closing the Weirs bridge to 4-wheel traffic and forcing residents to drive miles out of their way even legal? I thought Route 3 was a state road and not a city street.

2. Could I save gas receipts and submit them to the city for the extra miles I have to drive to get home because they closed the bridge?

3. Do the towns or state have any noise laws that apply to vehicles other than cars? Maybe I should put straight pipes on my new car and argue the lack of enforcement of motorcycle noise as a precedent for my being able to do the same.

Surely this will be flamed but there are many of us living in the Weirs vicinity that feel the same. The event is like an invasion and occupation by foreign forces and we're tired of it. How can any sane person say this is a good thing? I don't buy the "it brings in tourists" line. We're losing more than we can possibly gain.

It isn't Laconia that turned Bike WeekEnd into Bike Week. It was the Hotels and Motels in the area that made 3,4 & 5 day stays a MINIMUM, forcing out of town visitors to book for a week
So if you want to blame anyone for turning a 3 day event in to a 10 day event blame you're local Hotel, Motel, Inn or B&B

Why was this idiotic post allowed on the board? Go away Biker ....please

Comparing this to the Alton Craft Fair is no comparison at all except for traffic.

A huge influx of "crafters" in Alton would result in more "craft" people moving into Alton, the opening of more arts & craft shops and maybe even a relocation of a nationally recognized craft club.

A huge influx of "bikers" in Laconia has resulted in more "bikers" moving into Laconia, the opening of more biker bars, tattoo shops and shops specializing in leather and loud pipes and the location of a nationally recognized "motorcycle club" to White Oaks Road.

Who decided that it would go from a weekend event to a week long event? I admit I did not mind the weekend event, but the week long event drags out traffic for 2 weekends coming and going. I could not imaging having to drive through that every day on my way to work.

I think it is time for you to move on. The other option is to rent out your house for the week. I hear you can get big bucks for rentals. This event would then have you making a profit.
I also am a taxpayer and reap no benefits from this event. I do not own a business either. People from all come to this event and this in turn generates more vacationers during the year.
Are you really concerned about who makes a profit or is it you just do not like this particular event?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

You may have sell if the other retailers are of the same opinion as your grocer - an opportunity cost of life.

I tell them to put in on account - on account of the fact I paid the taxes and there's nothing left for me, plenty for the town, just nothing left for me.

Isn't life grand?!

I can't decide if I should reach for the toilet tissue or go blind.

Bikers have class...They would rather be at the Lake than at the Cape.

Just get over it! Bike week is here to stay, deal with it. Sorry, the world doesn't revolve around all these people that don't want to have fun and accept other individuals life styles.

Can anyone out there explain to me what this guy is trying to say?

Wake Up! It's time for the bikers to move on and stop the insanity of Bike Week.

Wrong. I'm pretty sure the Laconia Motorcycle Rally & Race Week Association was responsible for that change.

Just in case I'm wrong: Please accept my apologies for running my business as I see fit to maximize profit and make my workload a little easier.

I don't think the Vineyard is hurting for $$$

I agree about working around traffic while working. That's why I'm taking the week of the DemNatCom off and heading north. Any parties going on the last week in July?

The begining of the week is very "family" oriented, I notice the change over right around Thursday. Partiers come in the "families" go out. The first few days are very relaxing and safe, and you get an oppurtunity to shop for cool things before Thursday rolls around. Can't wait for this year a week later (leap year) means nicer weather for Father's Day.

That's not our fight to fight. But if the residents who have lived around there since before the track was built want to complain about the noise and inconvenience and the taxes they have to pay to police the events, we should respect their right to do so and not pretend that we have any real basis to argue with them over it.

Al,

Why should the profits help you? I pay the same taxes and bills you do and DON'T even live in the region!

PLEASE give bike week a rest folks. It's been going on a for a ton of years and isn't going away soon. Suck it up or leave the area for a week. I realize you should not have to leave your home because of it but do you have any other ideas? Oh ya, forget about stopping it, not an option.

The Mount Washington cruise company lose's thousands of dollars that week because they are forced to stay at the dock.

The places you state are probably making more money parking cars then if they were open and in business.
I believe you are wrong about the marina's closing.
Both have rack storage. I doubt their customers would allow them to be closed for a whole week during the summer. Not to mention the revenue lost for gas, boat rentals(Thurston's)and missed sales.

You are wrong about the marinas. Their employees can't get to work and the folks with rack boats can't get to the marina to use their boats.

You answered your own question. You don't even live in the region. You might want to take part in another debate about events that take place down where you live. If you do, I'll stay out of it.
I really don't think Bike Month is here to stay that much longer. There is finally a well-deserved groundswell of opposition to it, and I hope we can finally chase this embarassment from the region once and for all.

Yeah, people have a right to have gather and have a good time but your comparisons to craft fairs, boat shows, fishing derbies and chowderfests is like comparing apples to oranges. How can you keep a straight face and say these other events are equal in irritation to bike week? The suggestions to move away for the week and rent out my home are crazy! What happens when it becomes 2 weeks long, 3 weeks long, a month long? I don't have to move away when a craft fair, fishing derby, chowderfest or boat show comes to town.

There's little fear of a war between the Garwood and Chris-Craft boat owners over who has the turf rights to the Weirs docks when the boat show comes to town.

Watch out, I heard rumor at the next craft fair, the little old men who make whirlygigs are going to rumble with the old ladies who make the time-out dolls since they're cutting into their profits. I saw them arguing at the last craft fair and the f-bombs coming out of their mouths made me blush. The National Guard will be standing by on full alert.

The chowderfests aren't what they seem either. I heard the FBI and DEA have been watching all the chowderfests because they have been a front for illegal drug traffic run by the powerful chowder gangs in the country. The *** are one of the most notorious chowder gangs in the world! I'd better rent my house out that weekend and get out of Dodge. LOL

We are 4 miles from Weirs and hear the constant roar all night, every night of this intrusive event.

Weirs Beacher, did you not know about Bike Week when you moved in? Laconia Bike Run is in it's 81 year. Should Bike stop because you didn't do your homework before moving in to you home?

Could the Mount run anyway and just skip the Weirs pick up?

Don't my taxes pay for the marine patrol? Environmental cleanup? Maintainance of buoys, lights, and markers?

Ya, the Mounts forced to stay at the dock and become the area's largest BAR!
I'm willing to bet they make more money staying docked and selling booze then they do cruising around the lake.

How exactly are you going to stop it, will you ban bikes for the week? And again with the "Bike Month" stuff, if you need to exaggerate the problem to argue against it, then maybe the problem isn't that big.

Winni isn't a retirement home for the old and wealthy, so stop trying to turn it into that.

So Big Al, you've lived on the lake since before Bike week?

Actually I'm not. We used to have a boat racked at Channel. They were open that year. Each time I've driven up the channel during bike week they looked to be open.
There is a back way in. As for the problems created during bike week. I'll stay out of it.
Each and every year we see the same boring he said/ she said over bike week. Whether I like it or not it probably will be here long after I'm gone. fortunately we live close enough to be minutes away, yet far enough to be away from all the noise. Sorry Paugus Bay Resident....

I don't think anyone would be complaining if the event was the same as it was 81 years ago.

I wasn't comparing the events. I was trying to illustrate that if you start banning things because the town doesn't make a profit and it irritates people, eventually they'll ban something you like.

I still don't think its' legally possible to ban bikers from coming to the lake and having fun. Assuming of course that they break no laws. Sure you change the law and refuse to sell permits for beer tents, and t-shirt stands, plus stop "bikes only" traffic restrictions. Eventually people may get annoyed and stop coming, but it won't be overnight and it won't be painless.

I am walking distance to the Weirs, and have never had a problem with the noise.

Bike week perhaps is 91 years old, but it has not been this busy or noisy. I am not for nor am I against bike week. I am against taking the freedom of movement away from others such as closing the bridge and making people go around. I am against the people on motorcycles that interferes with the lakes noise level by having loud mufflers which I think is against the law and the state, city ignores for the sake of the bikers. Perhaps if they enforced the noise level then it would not be bad. And I think that same noise level should be enforced on the boats as well. Equal rights for equal toys.

So much bull being thrown around on this thread.Channel marine WAS open motorcycle weekend last year.I know.Myself and my friend picked up his boat from storage on that saturday.We had to walk a whole couple hundred feet over the bridge from the car.Big deal!The exaggerations here are incredible.Motorcycle month?Give me a break.The Weirs area is really only crowed for ONE three day weekend.It is only closed to car traffic at peak times on a few days.Big deal.Stop your whining and enjoy the show.Get out and participate in the event and check out all the beautiful bikes.As far as the people that it draws goes,the VAST majority are the same people you work with and interact with everyday.They just happen to be wearing different clothes and so now I'm freaked out. Chill out!I love this event and obviously most people do because it has survived and prospered for 80 years. By the way,I do not own a bike and have not since my dirt bike 30 years ago. SS

I thought about that myself. Not sure if the Weirs is the only place capable of handling the ship or what.
Remember with all the restrictions there might be a problem restocking it.

My husband (originally from Tilton)drives 1400+ miles (from Mississippi) every year just for bike week. And he says it is to hear the sound of the bikes. Of course, he brings his bike. However, I don't think he will be going this year. We are planning our trip to NH in September for the Nascar race.

Well there's only one way to find out. Why don't you go there every day and check it out. From what I've observed during bike week there isn't much of a crowd on the boat. In past years I was told the mount was more of a last resort for people who couldn't get into the bar's on the strip.
But that's only hear say, I could be wrong.
Figuring 40+ per person for a 4 hour dinner cruise not including the booze. Then there's all the daily cruises.
Not really sure but you might not know what your talking about????

Al, It's not going away in my lifetime and I'd be willing to guess I'm younger than you. And as other people have stated "bike month"?? Give that a rest also.

As long as I pay taxes I'll debate what I want, thank you very much.

Geez, I've had things not make the board that's appropriate for pre-schoolers. Bikers must have slipped through, I can only guess.

Face it, you residents are there to host us visitors.

Thats because alot of people have to head home come thursday. then you just get your local daytripers up for the weekend fun.

There's a good chance he has since it only became bike "week" in the early 90's. It used to be bike "weekend" before that. It became bike "9-days" about 3 years ago. I remember not too long ago when the bikes rolled in Friday night and left Sunday morning.

but the ROAR of boats and jets skis, that OK??

Let me think? Just about every one!! From the waiters & waitresses to the business that hire the help. Gas stations, motels, hotels, bars, Shaws, restaurants, need I go on? I know what I spend and if thats any inclination of what others spend Laconia and the surrounding towns do real well!!

What about all the people who work at the new huge Meredith Harley Davidson? They all pay federal income taxes plus social security plus the business turns around and spends money locally on lots of stuff. If NH had an income or sales tax the state would take a big bite too, but with just a property tax the local town doesn't get much. What about all the construction people who built the new building. A big reason that Meredith Harley exists is due the local popularity of motorcycles and Bike Week.

I'm surprised that no one has brought up the fact that in the past 10 years we have lost over 36 bikers (some ones father, son, brother, uncle, close friend) in motorcycle related accidents. That alone should end the event imho. What's a life worth???

That really isn't a good comparison.
Was drug's or alcohol involved? If so hopefully they only killed themselves.
People are killed in every motorized sport there is not to mention skiing, hiking rock climbing, the list goes on. We cannot ban everything but instead use common sense.
As for the original post, I believe the state put out a list of revenues generated. Haven't heard anyone mention the increased toll revenue.
Besides, mother nature has been against bike week for at least the last 3 years. Rain, rain, rain..

I think in some areas the same bikes do not make as much noise, or it does not sound as bad. However their are places on the road around the lake that the noise amplifies because it is hitting off the mountains, and that is when it gets annoying. and their are some boats out there that have a means to open their exhausts to make loud noise. I also understand that that is unlawful.

Are all those things brought in just for that event? If the state installed all these bouys, and hired all these marine patrolman, even bringing some in from other states, just for this one event, and asked you to pay for the event, then i suppose you'd have the same argument that we do.