LACONIA, N.H. – Snarling motorcycles, leather chaps and bandannas might not sound like ingredients for the perfect vacation, but for enthusiasts at one of the country’s oldest and largest motorcycle rallies, the combination is pure bliss.

“I enjoy this kind of thing as much as going to Europe,” said Dieter Hardtke, 52, from Ottawa, Ontario.

Motorcyclists have flocked to Laconia since 1916, when a group of Massachusetts bike dealers used the city as a stop on a tour organized to get more people interested in riding. From those humble beginnings came Bike Week, which now draws hundreds of thousands of die-hard riders to New Hampshire every year in mid-June.

So what’s the allure of all that chrome and cowhide?

“It’s being around your fellow two-wheeler compadres,” said Jim Abart, 43, a computer engineer from Rochester, N.Y.

For many at Bike Week, that means swapping road stories, buying parts and ogling each other’s hot rods, lined up by the thousands along Weirs Beach, the hot spot for riders.

The rally is also a chance for people to let their hair down, said Shannon Pohorecki, who lives outside of Toledo, Ohio. Decked out in leather and a bandanna, the nurse and self-described “soccer mom” doesn’t look like either – but breaking free of those molds is exactly the point of riding, she said.

The activities at Bike Week are meant to celebrate that spirit. During the weeklong event, participants can go on road trips, visit bike demos, even check out a display of motorcycle art.

That level of organization may run counter to an outsider’s perception of bike rallies as unruly, lawless affairs. Granted, officials have had some excitement this year – so far there have been a few motorcycle accidents and alcohol arrests – but order seems to have prevailed.

“Other than some traffic problems and traffic being backed up, we’ve had no problems at all,” Laconia police Capt. Tim Cavanaugh said Thursday.

The relative quiet is a far cry from the 1960s, when rioting at Weirs Beach was common and police had to deal with hundreds of arrests and the occasional homicide.

This year, officers from police departments around the state help direct traffic or monitor street activity on bicycle patrols. And even a few kids can be spotted among the massive crowd of biker chicks and dudes.

But if Bike Week can be considered a family outing, it’s for a particular kind of family, rally organizers say.

“A motorcycle family is not a golfing family,” said Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association. “I’m glad to see kids. They grow up with motorcycles in their blood.”

On the Net: Bike Week: http:///www.laconiamcweek.com/