You can spend a lifetime of motorcycling and never attend a rally. However, rallies are a wonderful aspect of motorcycling and a nice way to meet and ride with fellow riders as well as find some great roads. As of the 50th Falling Leaf I have attended over 150 rallies. I have met many friends from across the country at various rallies and always look forward to seeing them at the next one. The two main types of BMW rallies are local (regional) rallies, like the Falling Leaf, hosted by the various local chartered clubs as well as the national rallies hosted by the MOA and RA. There are also other large, all brands, motorcycle rallies such as Sturgis, Daytona Bike week, Americade, AMA Vintage motorcycle days, Barber’s fall gathering, etc. I will discuss BMW rallies, both regional and national as well as the Falling Leaf rally over several notes.
I have heard two viewpoints on why to host a rally. The first is to have a party for your fellow riders from across the region or nation and have fun while doing it. The second is to raise money for the club. George and Mae Glasscock, past icons in the Gateway Riders, who attended hundreds of rallies, taught me that rallies are a party for fellow motorcyclists and if every club hosts a rally, there will be opportunities all riding season to attend a rally and party with your new and old friends. The practical standpoint of hosting a rally is to set the entrance fee and control the costs such that you will roughly break even in a bad year and typically make money in a good year. Viewing a rally as a money-making venture (versus as a social event) is unreasonable. The man hours required to execute the rally means that people are “working” for well under minimum wage. The unpaid volunteers need to have fun for the rally to continue to be viable.
The hay day of BMW rallies was roughly 30 to 10 years ago. The Falling Leaf typically drew 600 to 800 people for many years with a peak of 997 for the 25th in 2000. The Iowa rally (PSTA) would draw close to 1000, and the MOA National would have close to 10,000 attendees when held on the east coast. Since then, the number of rallies as well as the attendance at each rally has fallen significantly. The two main reasons for this are that, sadly, many of these people are no longer with us and many others have aged out of riding. These reduce both the rally attendance and the pool of volunteers to put on the rally. Today, most local rallies are happy to get 100 to 200 attendees and maybe 5000 at the MOA National. Adapting to the needs of the aging clientele and reduced attendance has been key to the ongoing success of the remaining rallies like the Falling Leaf. On the positive side, it is much easier to host a rally for 100 to 200 people rather than 500 or more.
The success of the rally is heavily dependent on the management approach of the rally director and his immediate assistants. When you are executing a large event, with all unpaid volunteers, you need to find a way to motivate them and make the experience enjoyable. Demanding attendance and insisting that club members work the rally doesn’t work. Sadly, I have seen this approach drive away many good volunteers. On the other hand, Larry Floyd, Falling Leaf rally director for about two decades, did a great job making the rally fun for the volunteers. Keeping them smiling is imperative. Glenn Phillips, present rally director, as well as his assistants, Shari, Dan, and myself are following in Larry’s footsteps.
Some of the key aspects of hosting rallies are the venue, on-site food, availability of cabins, hotels and/or RV spots, local roads, field events or other on-site activities, and nearby attractions as well as controlling costs and manpower requirements. 30 years ago, most people were happy to camp, but with aging bodies, cabins, RV sites, and nearby motels have become much more important and are considered necessary by many attendees. The MOA has responded to this with their “MOA Getaways”, which are basically a local rally held at a nice hotel in an area with great riding. Ingenuity and a good attitude can make a wide range of approaches successful. The GWR’s are blessed to have wonderful roads a short drive from St. Louis for the Falling Leaf. The Hard to be Humble rally, previously held in Pontiac, IL, had nothing but flat, straight roads locally. To compensate for this, they put together some great observation runs and field events to substitute for the fantastic Ozark roads we have. The Hopewell rally, in southeast Ohio, not only has great roads, but the rally directors, Sam and Dave, also host history themed rides to the indigenous people mounds in the area.
In my next note, I will expand the discussion on local rallies.
Thanks;
Jeff Ackerman
President – Gateway Riders 1/24/2026