Lake Erie Loop motorcycle tour

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Lonely road: Ken Carlson disappears into the fog in the early morning hours of the loop.
Lonely road: Ken Carlson disappears into the fog in the early morning hours of the loop.
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A few hours after braving the morning fog, Ken Carlson is deep in traffic, heading across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada.
A few hours after braving the morning fog, Ken Carlson is deep in traffic, heading across the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Canada.
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John McElfresh finished third in Class III on his Honda CB200T.
John McElfresh finished third in Class III on his Honda CB200T.
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Ernie Copper on his CB200-powered CB175.
Ernie Copper on his CB200-powered CB175.
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Dave Ritner and his Class I-winning Derbi.
Dave Ritner and his Class I-winning Derbi.
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McElfresh’s CB200T and Bobb Todd’s Suzuki GT185.
McElfresh’s CB200T and Bobb Todd’s Suzuki GT185.

For some people, the phrase “Lake Erie Loop” elicits memories of the dramatic August 2003 power shortage that was blamed on a complicated electrical power grid in the general vicinity of Lake Erie.

But for Bill Murar and his wife, Joyce — and a small but growing number of motorcycle enthusiasts — the Lake Erie Loop is something else entirely. For them, The Loop is an annual 650-mile race around the circumference of Lake Erie.

More rally than race, it’s still as much of a race as you can have on public roads with machines sporting sub-225cc engines. And the competing bikes’ relative lack of power is the only thing this Loop has in common with its power shortage namesake, helping to keep things sane as “Loopers” ride from the Clare-Mar Lakes Campground in New London, Ohio, through Michigan, across the border into Canada, back into New York, Pennsylvania and hopefully back to Clare-Mar Lakes the same day. There, they’ll sit around the campfire for a grand bench racing session following a spectacular adventure.

First Loop
The idea for the Lake Erie Loop came from founder Bill Murar’s 2003 “Four Corners” fund-raising adventure.

A career firefighter and paramedic, Bill has a passion for helping pediatric burn victims. Some years back, he combined that with his passion for diminutive, vintage motorcycles and organized a ride that would be completed, in theory, aboard his 106SS Sears Allstate to raise money for pediatric burn victims. His wife, Joyce, a registered nurse, agreed to follow along driving the support vehicle.

  • Published on Feb 7, 2008
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