Port Dover Friday June 13th, 2104
Starts: Jun 13, 2014 at 00:00 AM Market Street East, Ontario, Canada
Strap on the leather chaps and take the steel lady for a ride
Every Friday the 13th the little town of Port Dover, Ontario welcomes tens of thousands of motorcycle riders for a day of show-and-shine.
According to the town, it's North America's largest motorcycle rally, (but I think it's because they add up all the Friday the 13ths).
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of riders, mostly cruiser but a good representation of sportbike riders as well.
Port Dover is on the north shore of Lake Erie, Ontario and about 90 minutes from Toronto and about the same from Buffalo, New York. Around here we call it PD13.
What is PD13?
If you're Canadian, you'll know Rick Mercer. Here he is describing PD13. Hilarious.
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A few riders recently asked me if it's worth going and I say yes. It's crazy to see this town taken over by bikers. A few manufacturers set up a pop-up shop and people bring their bikes to sell.
This Friday June 13th is the first of the summer. Expect a big crowd if the rain holds off.
Backroads Route to Port Dover
Traffic will be a mess so head out early and take this backroad into Port Dover along the water. This road is as twisty as you're going to get around Port Dover.
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More of My PD13 Photos
Here I am on a Sporster 48. Now I just have to ride it!
Lucky PD13. See you there.
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120 months ago
@jlee @slyck255 We're heading out. Hope it doesn't piss down with rain 🙂
120 months ago
Been going for a few years now (friend has family in town). The other part I like besides the bikes on display, are the vendors. Always can find a good deal on miscellaneous clothing and gear. Food isn't half bad either!
120 months ago
@Marina  Rick Mercer has the best job in Canada!  Seriously...
I guess I could strap on the chaps and jump on the V-Twin and rumble on down  (as much as a Virago "rumbles")
Port Dover is very nice place to go to when it's NOT Friday the 13th too.
The story of the start of the event, as I heard it, was a bunch of friends who settled on Friday the 13th as a day to meet up for/after a ride - trying to find a common day was difficult and Friday the 13th was infrequent enough that people could commit to it. Â
Then a few more people who wanted to ride heard about it, then they told two friends, and they told two friends and so on and so on... (it was an 80's shampoo commercial)
Anyway, the town embraced it, there is a strong police presence to discourage troublemakers and 100,000 can show up on a warm summer day.  Oh, and people still show up if Friday the 13th falls in March or November!  My impression is that most riders come for a few hours, have a walk around to "bike watch" and then head out again. Â
It's still an experience, even if you go just the once - put it on the "to do" list.
Cheers!