Oatman a popular destination for bikers again

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OATMAN — The weekend has come and nearly gone and the festivities are almost over as thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts begin returning home for the coming week. In terms of sheer rider visitation over the weekend, it appears that Oatman was the big winner with bikers and tourists all descending on the former mining town turned tourist attraction.

Looking in all directions for the throngs of motorcycles expected to come to and through the Tri-state this weekend, they didn't really materialize in truly big numbers until Saturday. Wednesday's start of the Route 66 Bike Week left people looking for the bikes, but as expected they came for the weekend. The tattoo convention in Bullhead City Mayhem: The Main event was packed on Saturday with large crowds of bikes and visitors stopping in to see the affair.

Many riders said they found few, if any, bikes and bikers in Laughlin over the weekend, the original host of the Laughlin River Run weekend. That event was cancelled due to limitations on crowds that remain in Nevada until June 1.

As for this weekend, it became a coupling of the tattoo convention called Mayhem: The Main Event, and the Route 66 Bike Rally from Golden Valley to Needles to Seligman, along with all points in the Tri-state — Needles, Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City, Kingman and Laughlin. One brought the regular tattoo convention, usually hosted on the third floor of the Colorado Belle during the Laughlin River Run, and the normally huge bike rally that comes to Laughlin and spreads out all over the Tri-state.

The originators of the Route 66 Bike Week event touted "Route 66 Bike Week" Spring Rally as riders from all over the world uniting for good times and great riding. That is exactly what they got, as all manner of languages could be heard in Oatman. Harley was the common language of the weekend.


Read full story at: MohaveDailyNews.com