AMA Gypsy Tour

[frank sider]

In 1917, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) sanctioned its first official "Gypsy Tour" at Laconia. A Gypsy Tour was an overnight event with organized road rides and other activities of interest to motorcycle enthusiasts... Click the picture for more and have a good ride
Frank

[Dragon]

Here's a relic from a few years later -

[frank sider]

Originally Posted by Dragon

Here's a relic from a few years later -

Man this is nice ... lucky guy

[Chris Haynes]

Here are a few of my relic's.

[frank sider]

Originally Posted by Chris Haynes

Here are a few of my relic's.

Ok dont know what to say except why dont you tell us more about those tours.

[Chris Haynes]

Organized Road Riding & Activities
During the early years of motorcycling, small gatherings of motorcyclists evolved into organized road-riding events. A "Good Fellowship Tour'' held in 1913 in Milwaukee proved to be immensely popular with the riding public. Following the pattern of the Milwaukee tour, Gypsy Tours were promoted by the FAM and later by the M&ATA. Upon its founding, the AMA inherited the organization of the Gypsy Tours, which became the biggest road-riding events of the year.
Gypsy Tours were held on a single weekend throughout the country. They featured a ride to a scenic location for a picnic and various motorcycle competition events. There were often races, including hillclimbs, "Tourist Trophy'' (TT) and dirt-track events, along with field meets involving such motorcycle games as slow races, stake races and plank riding.
In 1925, 212 individual Gypsy Tours were held on June 20 and 21. The Motorcycle & Bicycle Illustrated issue of March 19, 1925, stated: "The Gypsy Tour idea originated eight or nine years ago, the object being to set a certain date. . .for an outing, where riders, dealers and everyone interested in motorcycles would tour to some convenient spot for a day's sport and a real old-fashioned good time.''
The national organizing groups, the FAM, the M&ATA, and finally the AMA, produced souvenir items for participants in the Gypsy Tours. These items--watch fobs, belt buckles, pins, etc.--have become prized collectors items in recent years.
The Gypsy Tours, like nearly all organized motorcycle events, were suspended during World War II. But interest picked up again soon after the war's end. Through the 1950s, though, a small segment of outlaw motorcyclists began to give the Gypsy Tours a bad name. In 1957, the AMA changed direction and gave these events a new identity, along with a new name--AMA Tours. Today, that same line of road-riding events lives on in the District Tours.
That series, the crown jewel of the AMA's organized road-riding program, also includes National and Regional Road Riding Conventions, the National Championship Poker Run Series, District Rallies and, in an echo of history, a series of modern Gypsy Tours.
The backbone of that calendar of activities is the AMA's network of chartered clubs, which put on more than 750 road-riding events yearly. The Association's efforts to bolster this network stretch back to the economically depressed '30s, when the AMA initiated a national club-activity contest. These annual contests considered club member mileage, AMA membership percentage, and club appearance as primary contest criteria. The winner of the first national club contest was the Fritzie Roamers Club of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1934.
However, the biggest step the AMA has taken in advancing the interests of road riders took place in 1976 when the Association formally established a separate road-riding program and hired a full-time road-riding development manager.
The AMA Road Rep program, which created a network of involved volunteers to facilitate communications between the AMA national office and individual riders, was created in 1977. It has since grown to encompass both the road and competition sides of the AMA and has been renamed the AMA Field Rep program.

[Chris Haynes]

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