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Michigan's best kept secret for bikers
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Bike Time 2009 in Muskegon--45,000 bikes!
An open letter to the residents of Muskegon, Michigan and to Chicagoland and Midwestern motorcyclists.
I like Muskegon, Michigan and I’m here to tell you why you too will like the best kept secret on Lake Michigan’s eastern shore.
You’ll really like Muskegon if you ride a motorcycle.
You’ll like it quite a bit even if you don’t.
First, a big “thank you” to Muskegon Mayor Steve Warmington and the residents of Muskegon for this year’s “Bike Time:” 45,000 bikes, 90,000 attendees, vendors of all types and sizes, bands, stunters, a motorcycle-only main street known as “Steel Horse Alley,” a free concert with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, monster truck rides, the clubhouse from FX Channel’s “Sons of Anarchy,” Dyno Drags, ABATE’s burn-out pit, a bike blessing and the Mayor’s Ride (led by his Honor Mayor Warmington himself).
“Bike Time” bills itself as one of the fastest growing motorcycle events in the country. They have the 
numbers to prove it, and it’s easy to see why: unlike some towns down south where the city council has turned their backs on bikers, the people of Muskegon don’t have a problem with motorcyclists who like their leather black, their pipes loud, their tattoos visible and their music cranked up.
Best Bike Time memory of 2009: at a breakfast grill four burly black-leather bikers dismount four loud Harleys—then patiently, genuinely smile and hold the restaurant doors open for an 83-year-old silver-haired Muskegon grandma as she uses her cane to inch herself, agonizingly slowly, into the joint—and she smiles back.
“Thank you, boys.”
“You’re quite welcome, ma’am.”
Muskegon is a small town of about 40,000 about halfway up the east coast of Lake Michigan, more or less a straight shot across the lake from Milwaukee. There’s a Chicago connection—Michigan lumber from the forests north and east of Muskegon helped rebuild the Windy City after the great fire. Muskegon is a blue-collar town; people here work for a living. That work is much tougher to find these days, as Michigan is one of the hardest-hit states by the recession. Many of Muskegon’s once humming factories are chained shut and weeds poke through cracks through the parking lots.
There are open lots where an old mall came down and new construction has yet to fill in, and the downtown has yet to be fully “revitalized.” Some of Muskegon’s working class houses, built in the 40s, 50s, and 60s could use also a good carpenter and a fresh coat of paint as well. There are a couple of parts of town you’d want to steer clear of, but these are small and the exception, not the rule. But Muskegon’s residents are of tough stock--Michigan winters will make you that way—and the town is clean and neat, the people generally open and friendly.
Collars are blue in Muskegon, and without apology. You don’t get trendy, cute, and touristy like you do in better know vacation towns to the south. You don’t get hoity-toity in Muskegon; you get real.
I like Muskegon because it has some of the best beaches on the shoreline, and unlike their trendy, resort-city neighbors to the south, Muskegon’s beaches are free. There are two lighthouses in Muskegon and a third a short ride north. You can safely park the bikes and walk along the breakwater out to one of them for a view of the lake and shoreline that is worth the ride from Chicago all by itself. The city seems to do a pretty good job keeping blown beach sand off the roads too—no small task given the size of the beaches and the steady lake breeze.
If I were a rich urban biker instead of a poor motorcyclist, I would go in with a few others, sign up for one of the rental cabins along the beach, ride all day, hit “brisk” lake Michigan to cool off, and then grill and drink adult beverages while watching the sun set on the lake. Come to think of it, if you plan far enough ahead you don’t have to be rich. If you don’t plan far enough ahead there’s a chain motel down town, but I like the mom-and-pop places that dot the side roads. Plenty of those.
When it comes to roads, most in Muskegon proper are pretty well maintained, although Scenic Drive north from Muskegon is something of a washboard (take care of that soon, will you, Mr. Mayor?). The best riding is to the north and east, although the Blue Star and Red Arrow highways to the south get most of the press. There are lots of straight-line county roads that you would expect in that flat portion of Michigan. However, a little map work will yield you some nice sweepers and a little exploration will get you to some twisty stretches. Not the Dragon by any means, but you can lean hard and grind some pegs if you like.
I like Muskegon because while you can find all the chain restaurants you want, Muskegon is still a town of family-owned and run shops, eateries, and pubs. You know, the kind that built this country before the malls took over. A couple of our favorites were well off the beaten path. The Getty Street Grill at 1572 S Getty Street in Muskegon serves a traditional grill lineup, with portions large enough and enough potatoes at breakfast to feed two men and a boy. Unlike many other Michigan eateries, the Getty Street Grill has been smoke-free for years. Ryke’s Bakery at 1788 Terrace Street in Muskegon is housed in a converted dairy and serves fresh-baked pastries, donuts, and cookies that you won’t want to share. If you’re riding in Michigan, Ryke’s is worth a detour; come with saddlebags empty. Uncle Mark’s Family Restaurant at 1910 E Apple Avenue in Muskegon provides fast, friendly service and good home cooking with enough of it that you will not leave hungry. If you need a cold one, drop by the Moorland Tavern, Ok, that’s not Muskegon proper--but close enough. All are biker-friendly, family-run, and are hidden gems that the locals know about. And nobody, nobody goes to Muskegon without getting pizza and a side order (full) of onion rings from Mr. Scribbs—it’s just not done!
Hot Rod Harley-Davidson® is in downtown Muskegon if you ride Milwaukee Iron. Metric riders have their shops as well, and there are a few independents hidden away. If it breaks down you’ll likely be able to find the parts and a wrench to fix it, and if you just want to customize it you shouldn’t have much problem either.
The folks who keep track of such things say that more and more of us are migrating the big cities—the coasts and the major metro areas throughout the country. Yeah, city life has its benefits, but there’s something about a small, go-to-work-and-raise-your-kids town that brings out the romantic in me and lets me reach out and touch the heart and soul and guts of this country. There’s something to be said for a place that moves at a slower pace, where everyone isn’t looking for an angle and a big Saturday is when all the cousins come over and you all go to the lake.
I like Muskegon. You go and make up your own mind, but I think you will too.
For more info: visit the city of Muskegon's website or read more about Bike Time in ThunderPress.
See more from other motorcycle examiners:
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