Revisit these two Texas motorcycle rallies from 2022, featuring images from the Harvest Classic Rally in Luckenbach and the Texas Motorcycle Revival in Burnet.
The normal way to tell a story is to start at the beginning and finish with the ending. But normal is boring and beginnings are usually more upbeat than endings, so this tale of two Texas classic motorcycle rallies will be told bass-ackwards, starting with an ending and finishing with a beginning.
The Harvest Classic European & Vintage Motorcycle Rally bids adieu
Faithful readers of this magazine may remember the Harvest Classic Rally which has been featured in these pages several times over the years. It saddens me to report that the edition held in Luckenbach, Texas, in October 2022, was the final chapter for this special event and marked the end of a wonderful 20-year-long run. Back in 2003, a group of friends who shared a love of classic and European motorcycles started the not-for-profit rally as a way to bring the community together while raising money for Candlelighters, a charity that helps hundreds of Texas families struggling with the challenges of childhood cancer. The rally’s honcho, Russell Duke, and his wife, Kathy, had recently lost their 4-year-old daughter, Emma, to the disease and saw the rally as a fitting way to honor her memory.
Over the years, the activities on offer varied somewhat but there were some features that defined the event: on-site camping, trials competitions, a bike show, a raffle, an auction, a swap meet, a Saturday night moto-movie, BBQ, live music and a Fun Run for 100cc tiddler bikes. Some years there were demo rides, special exhibits and the infamous Globe of Death.
Looking back on two decades of the Harvest Classic rally, Russell says: “As the rally founder, the Harvest Classic was always important and special to me. But one of the cool things that I discovered over the years was how special it was to so many other people. Each year, I loved hearing stories about how folks have watched their kids grow up at the rally, got exposed to Trials here, met their future bride here, built up a Fun Run bike, made so many friends and memories in Luckenbach, and were touched at a deeper level. Our daughter Emma died from cancer at the age of 4, but through the rally, her legacy lived on, and she motivated us all to look within and find a way to support other families who were going through cancer together. This is the spirit of the rally.”
Through attendance fees and sponsorships of the 20th and final Harvest Classic Rally, Russell and his team of volunteers raised over $100,000, bringing the 20-year cumulative donation to the Candlelighters program to over a million dollars. About the decision to end the event after two decades, Russell said: “We wanted to end the rally just like we started it — on our own terms. We didn’t want to sell out, fizzle out, or fade away. It was a hard decision, but one that we haven’t regretted. Now go start your own rally!”
The rally was always a fun time and something we all looked forward to every year. It’ll be missed by many but, fortunately, as the sun sets on the Harvest Classic Rally, I’m happy to report that another local event is on the upswing.
The Texas Motorcycle Revival is reborn
The 10th edition of the Texas Motorcycle Revival was held at the Hill Country Motorheads Museum in Burnet, Texas, in November 2022. This was the second year that the event was held at the museum, but it was the tenth edition because the event was previously hosted by a motorcycle dealership in Georgetown, Texas, starting in 2009. The dealership was eventually sold, and the new owners weren’t interested in continuing the event, so the Revival went on a two-year hiatus.
Steve Littlefield, the original owner of the dealership, reached out to Pat Hanlon, owner of the Hill Country Motorheads Museum and the two vintage motorcycle enthusiasts agreed that the show must go on. The Texas Motorcycle Revival was reborn at the museum in 2021 and proved very popular, with hundreds of attendees at the one-day event. In addition to the machines on display in the museum, the parking lot was full of classic and vintage bikes brought by local enthusiasts.
The 2022 event honored former racer Ronnie Lunsford, who passed away earlier in the year from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. During his racing career, Ronnie won multiple championships and was inducted into the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association Hall of Fame in 2004. Lunsford owned and operated the Northwest Honda Ducati dealership, and he organized the Honda-sponsored Houston Ride for the Kids, a fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation which continues today. One of Ronnie’s racing pictures was featured on this year’s Revival event T-shirt and three of Ronnie’s prized Hondas are on display in the museum.
The Texas Motorcycle Revival was a bargain — the $5 admission fee provided over 500 attendees access to more than 100 vintage motorcycles brought by show entrants, in addition to the 130 machines on display in the museum. There were several special motorcycles on display from the Sierra Madre Motorcycle Company including a 1914 Yale, an inline 4-cylinder 1922 Henderson Deluxe and a 1902 Indian Camelback. The Henderson was parked out in front of the museum and Steve Klein, Sierra Madre owner, entertained the crowd by firing up the 100-year-old bike several times throughout the day.
Hosting the Texas Motorcycle Revival fits well with the Hill Country Motorheads Motorcycle Museum’s mission to exhibit, restore and preserve vintage motorcycle history. For husband-and-wife team Pat and Jenell Hanlon, running the museum and sponsoring the event is a labor of love. Says Janell: “I love the slow-paced feel of the Texas Motorcycle Revival. People can take their time to enjoy the exhibitor motorcycles and museum displays, swap stories with friends and relive the good old days.”
With the demise of the Harvest Classic, the Texas Motorcycle Revival has become the main Fall event of its kind in Central Texas. The near-term goal is to maintain the overall feel of the event but eventually grow the number of bikes on display in the parking lot to 300 and attract more attendees. Plans include expanding the age range of eligible bikes from 25 years old to 20 years, adding more classifications and featuring special guests.
Pat Hanlon shared his thoughts about the end of the Harvest Classic Rally and the future of the Texas Motorcycle Revival: “We’re disappointed to lose the much-loved Harvest Classic Rally. We moved to the Hill Country in 2014 and once we discovered the Harvest Rally, we became faithful supporters. The Harvest team did a phenomenal job of educating and promoting vintage motorcycle collecting and, with the Harvest’s exodus, enthusiasts will be searching for new venues to display their bikes and share them with the public. We hope the Texas Motorcycle Revival will help fill the void as a low-cost, accessible, one-day event appealing to vintage bike collectors and enthusiasts, especially considering our typically mild weather and small-town setting in the Texas Hill Country.”
The 11th annual Texas Motorcycle Revival event is planned for Saturday, November 4, 2023. For more information about the Hill Country Motorheads Museum and next year’s event, visit Hill Country Motor Heads.
The world of Texas motorcycle rallies keeps spinning
The natural world is cyclical — hot and cold, day and night, wet and dry — and this tale of cycles is about more than motorcycles; it’s also about life’s endless cycle of renewal and continuation. The Harvest Classic Rally was a very special event, and it will be greatly missed, but it’s comforting to know that the Hill Country Motorheads Museum has stepped into the breach and is breathing new life into an exciting event that we can look forward to each Fall. I believe the legendary Texas musician, Robert Earl Keen, was right when he sang: “The Road Goes on Forever and the Party Never Ends.” MC
Originally published in the March/April 2023 issue of Motorcycle Classics.
