Portland Alley Sweeper

The Portland Alley Sweeper, also called the Alley Sweeper Urban Enduro,[1][2] is a motorcycle rally in the city alleys of Portland, Oregon. Begun in 2009 by Zac Christensen of the Sang Froid Riding Club motorcycle club in Portland,[2][3] the rally has been described as "a cross-city tour of Portland’s mangled side streets by way of whatever two-wheeled contraption you can hobble together", drawing around 300 riders a year.[4]

Portland Alley Sweeper
2012 Alley Sweeper Urban Enduro poster
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Portland, Oregon
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2009 (2009)
FounderZac Christensen
Most recentApril 19, 2014
Next eventApril, 2015
Participantsc. 300
ActivityMotorcycle rally
Patron(s)Sang Froid Riding Club
Websitesang-froidridingclub.com

Event organizers say by riding street legal two-wheeled vehicles in the city's alleys, they are merely exercising their rights on a public right of way and said that it is "not a race but a parade".[5][6] Opponents say they are concerned about child safety[7] and some even say they are "hostage in their own yard" for the duration of the hours-long rally.[6] One resident said that the mostly small-displacement dual-sport motorcycles and scooters[notes 1] "sound like tanks".[8]

Portland police have said the rally riders are permitted in the alleys if they are obeying the 15-mile-per-hour (24 km/h) speed limit, and other traffic laws.[8]

Notes
  1. "[T]he day belongs to tiny bikes. As if drawn by an international homing beacon, a huge number of 90 cc lay-down cylinder Honda/China Lifan bikes inevitably appear."[2]

References
  1. Marjorie Skinner (March 23, 2011), "Motorcycle Weekend!", Portland Mercury
  2. Courtney Olive (March 19, 2013), "Portland Alley Sweeper Urban Enduro", Motorcycle Daily
  3. Nicole Friedman (April 14, 2013), "Bikers explore Portland alleys en masse for Sang Froid Riding Club event", The Oregonian
  4. "Get off my lawn", Limiter newsletter (online), Portland, Oregon: Icon Motorsports, April 15, 2013, archived from the original on October 6, 2014, retrieved September 29, 2014
  5. Motorcycles roar through Portland back alleys Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, KGW, April 19, 2014
  6. Portland motorcycle event route raises concerns Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, KPTV, March 20, 2014
  7. "Motorcycle News", US Rider News: 14, May 2014, archived from the original on 2014-10-06, retrieved 2014-09-30
  8. Chris Holmstrom (March 20, 2014), Motorcycles through alleys 'sound like tanks', KOIN
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