Bikers stimulate small-town economies

Off the Wire
Rally & Event News

Fuel, Chapstick, camping gear, sunscreen, sunglasses, souvenirs — motorcyclists have diverse needs.
So although O'Brien's Café in Silverton has been designated a checkpoint for the Rose City Motorcycle Club Grand Tour, other businesses likely will benefit as well.

"One business is selected by name in each town, but unnamed businesses become beneficiaries over the five-month period," said John Goff, road captain for the Rose City Grand Tour.

Now through September, members of the Portland-based club will be cruising through 20 cities in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Canada.

Already, the weekends at O'Brien's have been busier.

Owner Molly O'Brien said that for the past two Sundays, tour participants have dismounted to refuel at the downtown Silverton café.

"They come in and relax and take their helmets and gloves off," she said. "(On Sunday) they moved tables around themselves and just had a good time visiting and talking."

With a goal to collect as many stamps in their passports as possible, the bikers ride on their own schedules, alone or in small groups.

"They are a compliment to the business, not a burden," Goff said.

The 20 designated checkpoints are required only to stamp passports.

The bikers with the most stamps will be rewarded with a variety of prizes at a sweepstakes banquet after the tour.

Goff said as many as 500 participants ride in the tour.

"There is a fairly high average of people who get to all 20 checkpoints," he said.

He estimated that checkpoint businesses see 300 to 500 new customers during the tour.

"When we go to extremely remote areas and walk through the door of a business that's struggling to survive and offer them customers free of charge, they're usually delighted to see us," he said.

Paths less traveled have led bikers through Granite, Princeton and Bates in the past.

Azalea, an unincorporated rural community in Southern Oregon, is a checkpoint this year.

The small town's claim to fame is Heaven on Earth, a restaurant known for its sizable cinnamon rolls.

Owner Christine Jackson said she served a Rose City customer just the other day.

"It brings new business for sure," she said. "They normally wouldn't stop off."

The Rose City Motorcycle Club pays for all costs related to the tour and for the prizes after the tour with money generated from a $25 entry fee.

Businesses have no financial requirements and do not have to offer discounts. They are selected through Internet searches, suggestions and Goff's own personal travels.

New checkpoints are chosen every year to keep participants on their leather-clad toes.

Silverton has been included in the tour in the past. In 1982, passports were stamped at Silver Falls State Park, and in 2000, Mac's Place was a checkpoint.

Goff said the Rose City Grand Tour dates back 34 years, but the club itself has been active on and off since 1911.

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