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Font ResizeBill Eyler said there's just something different about riding a motorcycle.
"It's freedom. It's independence," said Eyler, a longtime member of the White Rose Motorcycle Club.
Though he is currently sidelined by some health issues, Eyler is gearing up for a weekend full of bike events in York County.
"There's great camaraderie" among motorcycle enthusiasts, he said. "We have an adventurous spirit, and hopefully we can draw a big crowd to York."
The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau anticipates 40,000 people will visit the local area this weekend for the bike events, which include White Rose Thunder, Harley-Davidson York Open House, York City's Annual Bike Night and the White Rose Motorcycle Club Hill
"It's a nice little package for enthusiasts," she said. Those events will generate about $4 million in the county, Freeman said.
"This weekend will feed into York County's motorcycle heritage and embrace it," she said.
An anniversary year: That heritage includes the White Rose Motorcycle Club, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, along with motorcycle racing at the York Expo Center, the parade of motorcycles featured on bike night
and the Harley-Davidson factory that churns out bikes in Springettsbury Township.
At Harley's open house, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, guests can choose from myriad activities.
Free, self-guided tours will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the dates of open house, where visitors can see the production of Harley-Davidson Softail, Touring, CVO and Tri-Glide motorcycles. Tour takers must be 12 or older and wear close-toed shoes, said Harley spokeswoman Bernadette Lauer.
Also from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., demo rides on new, 2013 Harley-Davidson models will be offered to guests with a valid motorcycle license. Visitors will also get to see the new Hard Candy paint scheme on the bikes.
Bike Night Friday: York City hosts a street party each year in conjunction with the open house, and organizers expect more than 2,000 motorcycles in a parade that leaves the York Expo Center at 6 p.m. Friday and continues through downtown.
The parade will travel east on Market Street to Broad Street before circling back to the Continental Square area, where food vendors and live bands will be staged.
Details about Bike Night street closings and parking information can be found at www.yorkcity.org/bikenight.
The 3rd Annual Pride & Ride will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. Riders will line up just west of the Harley-Davidson factory and weave through the Susquehanna Valley.
"This is an opportunity for us to open our doors to everyone so they can see the work we do," Lauer said. "Our employees are very proud of their work and the progress we've made. It's a great chance for the community to come out and see the great facility we have right here in York County."
------------------------------- Events this weekend
Bike events happening this weekend in York County:
---Harley-Davidson York Open House:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at 1425 Eden Road in Springettsbury Township
Admission is free.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/harley-davidson.
---White Rose Motorcycle Club Hill Climb:
Gates open 10 a.m. Sunday at 5252 Hillclimb Road in Spring Grove.
For more information, visit www.whiterosemc.org.
---White Rose Thunder:
9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at The York Expo Center, 334 Carlisle Ave. in York.
Costs vary by event.
For more information, visit www.whiterosethunder.com.
---York City's Annual Bike Night:
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, downtown
For more information, visit www.yorkcity.org/bikenight.
-- Staff writer Christina Kauffman contributed to this report. Candy Woodall can also be reached at cwoodall@yorkdispatch.com.
