Motorcycle rally coming to Simpsonville

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When Beth Brown rides her Harley Davidson motorcycle through Simpsonville or Greenville or the nearby mountains, she envisions the Upstate as a destination for motorcycle riders from across the Southeast.

Now she wants to bring those riders here.

She expects more than 3,000 bikers to cruise into Simpsonville June 4-5 for a new two-day rally at Heritage Park. Others have told her to expect 5,000-10,000 bikers, she said.

The Southern Throttle Motorcycle Rally is being organized by Greenville event-management company Epic Events. Brown, the event's organizer, hopes the rally will become an annual draw.

“I … was kind of disappointed with what's going on in Myrtle Beach with them running the bikers out of Myrtle Beach, and I pretty much just wanted to keep the riders in our state,” Brown said.

Brown considered several locations before she settled on Heritage Park and said the city was “all for it.”

Events will be held at the park and at Harley Davidson of Greenville, Brown said. Live music, bike games, best-in-show contests and dozens of vendors will set up on the park grounds.

A separate concert with the Zac Brown Band will play at the Heritage Park Amphitheater June 4, coinciding with the rally.

Simpsonville City Council recently expanded its alcohol ordinance to allow alcohol to be sold at events in public places. Brown said her event was part of the reason for the changes.

Simpsonville Police Chief Charles Reece said the city would deploy extra patrols at the park and in the city during the rally.

Reece, a biker himself, didn't expect extra traffic hassles.

“The most dangerous thing for bikers is that people just don't pay attention,” Reece said. “Slow down, take one more minute and look twice.”

Brown expects the rally to bring a revenue boost to both Simpsonville and Greenville County as bikers travel from out of state.

Bikers will don leather jackets and pants, rev engines and cruise around the area, but Brown said today's bikers are a different breed from the rough crowd of decades past.

You're more likely to see a doctor or lawyer on a bike than a Hell's Angel.

“You're definitely talking a different class of people today owning a bike,” she said. “We just want to get together, have a good time, socialize, look at bikes and ride.”

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