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REVENGE RUN 4

May 3-5, 2013 North Carolina outer bank islands.

Inspired by the traditions of West Coast chopper rallies and runs, The Revenge Run came from the idea that the East coast should have a run of their own. The guys from Death Science pushed to make it happen for a fourth consecutive year this past May 3-5. I first heard about the Revenge Run through ChopCult.com and after seeing the video from last year’s turnout, I knew I had to go. My story starts in Miami, Florida. 

Only home for 48 hours after attending the Leesburg, FL Bike Fest, I packed my bike and rode out into the night. In the pouring rain, I rode solo for 350 miles to meet up with friends in Jacksonville.  From Jacksonville, FL, we continued the ride another 480 miles up to Rocky Mount, NC, the starting point for the ride. The rained continued and it sucked.

Friday morning the parking lot was full with a couple hundred choppers and bobbers. There were modern bikes with old school looks, as well as, a ton of Pans, Shovels, Knuckles, old Triumphs and XS650’s everywhere. A few guys were doing some last minute fixes on their bikes while others got their registration packages. Excitement was building, the sun was shining and we were ready to roll.

Around 10am we headed East on Route 64 towards the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The 200 bike train was impressive so I pulled over to photograph it. We reached the coast and headed South on NC12. This part of the trip reminded me of the Florida Keys with the many bridges and ocean views. The main difference was the sand dunes and the 35mph cross winds that kept sandblasting everyone riding though. We made it passed the sandstorm and stopped for lunch and to regroup. I don’t know if that convenience store knew we were coming or not but a couple hundred people on bikes showed up at the same time and bought every sandwich, cookie and bag of chips they had in stock.  We cleaned them out!

Again, some more quick repairs and adjustments to a few bikes. It was nice to see people sharing tools and knowledge to make sure nobody stayed behind. However, by now there was one bike with a flat tire on the trailer of the support vehicle. That bike, like so many do, had a story but what first caught my attention was a see-through hole on the tank. It looked like a 2” hole drilled on each side of the tank with a pipe fitted through and welded in place. As if the hole in the tank was not interesting enough, I later found out that that bike had caught on fire a few weeks before. The owner got it running again a few days later and went on this ride only to get a flat tire. How is that for bad luck?

We continued south to Hatteras for yet another treat, the ferry. We rolled the bikes onboard the ferry and went for a choppy hour-long boat ride to Ocracoke Island. By the time we got to the dock it was nighttime already and everybody made a beeline for the campground to set up their tents or in some cases, just a tarp. It was very windy and the bonfire at the beach didn’t happen yet parties still popped up amongst the smaller groups throughout the park. I personally ended up with a bunch of guys from New York and New Hampshire hanging out by the bathrooms since there was a light and more importantly, an outlet with a dozen phones charging. 

Saturday we all head into town to do some sightseeing…and look for some trouble. By noon the clouds were rolling in, the wind was picking up and the temperature had dropped. Collectively, everyone decided to rent hotel rooms and abandon the campground. Luckily, most of us ended up filling two hotels next to each other. The real fun began when someone had the brilliant idea of renting a golf cart. Since there is never a shortage of mechanics at a chopper run, a few guys were elbow deep in several golf carts to make them go faster. A few golf-cart-wheelies in the parking lot later and we almost got kicked out of the hotel. Later came the rented scooters and let’s just say I doubt they got their deposits back… Meanwhile, a guy named Colby brought out his grill and cooked a ton of burgers and hot dogs and fed us all for free. What a cool dude, thanks man!

Saturday night was supposed to be the big party night with a bonfire at the beach and the raffle prizes but since the weather was not cooperating we ended up by the local bar and everything got raffled out then and there. I saw a ton of shirts, a few helmets and one peanut tank with a killer paint job, all for a bunch of cool sponsors.

Sunday morning came around and it was time to move out. We were aiming for the 7am ferry to make some time and avoid the rush. It was 6:15am as we strapped our gear to the bikes. We were hung over and sleep deprived; it was cold and already raining. The acronym FML kept coming to mind. However we made it to the boat on time and our “Escape From Ocracoke” was underway.

The weather was brutal but we reached Rocky Mount, NC. We were ready to jump on I-95 but 4 out of our group of 6 Floridians decided to call it a day. Chris and I figured we keep going since we were already wet and ready to go home. Every gas stop included me the removal of my shoes and ringing out my socks. It rained hard and constant all the way through North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Chris and I arrived in Jacksonville, FL Sunday at midnight to fuel up once again. While we had considered calling it a day once we made it to Jacksonville, one simple look at each other was all it took and we knew we would press on. Chris split towards the west coast of Florida because he was headed for Tampa and I continued towards Miami…that was the end of our ride together. Before we departed, we shook hands and took off our own ways. Around 4:30am I found myself doing jumping jacks on the side of I-95 trying to wake up. I caught a second wind and jumped back on my scoot. I caught the sunrise in West Palm Beach and made it to Miami at 8am Monday morning, 24 hours after I got off the ferry in Hatteras in the Outer Banks. I was exhausted but happy to be home safe and have completed another 1,000 mile ride in 24 hours. 

The weather was miserable on the ride up, the ride back and half the time we were there but I’m still thrilled I took the ride. Saw some rad bikes, rode new roads, logged in over 2,000 miles and best of all, met a bunch of new people as well as people I had only known from Instagram or Facebook. I know most of these people will be at The Smokeout in June and I look forward to seeing them again.

Everybody knows that California is home to some amazing chopper events but after participating in The Revenge Run, I can say that the East coast can hold it’s own with a ton of cool dudes, beautiful chicks, rad bikes and a ride to call our own.

For more pictures, check out these hashtags on Instagram #revengerun4 #RR4 #revengerun and #Escapefromocracoke and keep your eyes open for next year’s Revenge Run 5.

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© 2013 Downey Cavicchioni / Downeyman

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