Raine Devries | 24 September 2026
Fall is when the industry calendar and the parking lots both fill up. This stretch gives riders—and the trade that serves them—several different reasons to show up: a legendary Dallas compound celebrating three decades and its founder’s 70th birthday, a fully escorted charity ride that ends with an after-party even non-riders can join, two weekends in the East Texas pines, and Texas’ largest motorcycle rally on the island.
This Weekend at Strokers: 30 Years, One Compound, and Rick Fairless at 70
Rick Fairless is celebrating his 70th birthday while Strokers Dallas and Strokers Ice House mark 30 years in Dallas. If you want to wear it, you can purchase the commemorative shirt at the 30th Anniversary Tee on Strokers Dallas merch.
The weekend runs Friday through Sunday at Strokers Ice House, 9304 Harry Hines Blvd. Expect custom motorcycles, vendors, the burgers and cold beer the place is famous for, and live music: Kim Younkin Friday 7–11 p.m., David Allen “Your Elvis” Saturday 1–5 p.m., Little Skynard Saturday 7–11 p.m., and Texas, Whiskey & You Sunday 1–5 p.m. Ride in. Hang out. Have fun.
Fairless did not inherit this. After 20 years selling paint—and becoming the number-one salesman in the country for Glidden without missing a day of work—he walked away to open what started as Easyriders Dallas in 1996. Strokers Ice House followed in 1998. When the franchise name disappeared, he put the Ice House name on the shop and kept building. The 2.5-acre Harry Hines compound became the destination: customs, parts, service, ink, live music, and weekends that regularly draw hundreds of bikes. Television and magazines found him. Tourists found him. His family grew up in the courtyard. He still shows up in tie-dye and Chuck Taylors. Thirty years later, that “stupid idea” is a Dallas institution, and turning 70 in the same weekend is exactly the full-throttle moment Strokers was built for.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check out our article on the final retail days of Moto Liberty.
End of an Era: Moto Liberty’s Audrey Menarik Is Retiring — and the Clock Is Running : Riders across the U.S. have until November 28 to call, visit, or ask about jackets, cruiser leather, and more from one of Texas’ best-known motorcycle gear shops.
October 10: 11th Annual 22KILL Ride—First 200 Registered Get the Tee Free
On Saturday, October 10, join One Tribe Foundation for the 11th Annual 22KILL Ride from Maverick Harley-Davidson in Carrollton to Gas Monkey Ice House in Grandscape. This is a fully escorted motorcycle ride with vendors, OTF merch, a new route, and hundreds of patriots riding together for a cause. Even if you do not ride, come for the after-party.
The free ride tee is not open-ended. The first 200 people to register get the official ride shirt free. After that cap, the complimentary tee is gone, so register now rather than waiting until the week of the ride. Sign up at the Givebutter 22KILL Ride 2026 registration page.
If you have ever noticed a plain black band on someone’s index finger at a bike night or a memorial ride, that is often the 22KILL Honor Ring—a silent salute to veterans and first responders, past and present. One Tribe Foundation (the organization behind 22KILL) is the group that offers it. Worn on the index finger so it is easy to spot, the ring is meant to start a conversation, not just decorate a hand. You can read more about the meaning of the ring on their Honor Ring page and support the same mission by riding on October 10.
Learn more about the mission at One Tribe Foundation and visit the One Tribe Foundation Facebook page for event updates. Questions go to Dallas@1tribefoundation.org. Special thanks to Law Tigers and the hosts at Maverick and Gas Monkey.
One Tribe Foundation grew out of the 22KILL movement after the VA reported an average of 22 veteran suicides a day. It now delivers traditional and non-traditional therapies—including Wind Therapy motorcycle programs—to veterans, first responders, law enforcement, and their families. Showing up on October 10 is one of the simplest ways to support that work while putting miles on the bike.
East Texas: Yellow Rose Canyon — Land O’ the Pines, Then Born-Free Texas 5
Point east of Dallas and you hit Yellow Rose Canyon in Mount Enterprise—116 acres of pines, camping, RV sites, cabins, and a natural amphitheater that has become East Texas’s motorcycle campground of record.
First up is the 42nd Annual Land O’ the Pines Rallye, October 2–4, hosted by the North Texas Norton Owners Association. It is Texas’s long-running vintage British/old-iron weekend: fun run, field events, bike show, rolling concours, and a few hundred people with more than a hundred classic machines on the grass. Event listing is on the Yellow Rose Canyon events page.
Two weeks later, the same property goes national. Born-Free Texas 5 runs October 15–18—the Texas edition of the Born-Free custom and chopper culture. Expect a ride-in bike show, invited builder showcase, Ives Brothers Wall of Death, dirt drags, minibike racing, AMCA swap, vendors, tattooing, two stages of music, and overnight camping. This is not a two-hour walk-through. Tickets and pass types (All-Out camping, Weekender, day passes) are at Born-Free Texas 5 on TicketSpice, with venue details at yellowrosecanyon.com.
November 5–8: Lone Star Rally Takes Galveston
After the pines, point south. The Lone Star Rally returns to Galveston November 5–8, 2026, and it remains the largest motorcycle rally in Texas—on the order of 400,000 attendees and well over 100,000 bikes across The Strand, Pier 21, Beach Central Park, and the Seawall.
Expect custom bike and car shows, hundreds of vendors, rodeo games, tattoo and sound contests, Miss Lone Star Rally, and free concerts on multiple stages. Official parking passes, VIP balcony packages, and maps are all on lonestarrally.com. Online parking-pass sales typically close in mid-October, so if you are rolling the island, lock lodging and parking early. Concerts are free; VIP and parking are the pieces that sell out.
Industry Note: AIMExpo’s Next Stop
For dealers, media, and anyone who tracks the business side of two wheels, the next American International Motorcycle Expo is already on the books. After AIMExpo 2026 in Anaheim, the trade-only show returns to Orlando March 3–5, 2027, just ahead of Daytona Bike Week. Details live at AIMExpo. It is not a public consumer show, but it is where OEMs, aftermarket brands, and dealers set the tone for the year. Weekends like Strokers, 22KILL, Born-Free Texas, and Lone Star Rally are where that industry actually meets the street.
Different flavors, same calendar. One weekend honors the guy who gave Dallas riders a permanent hangout. The next raises awareness and funds for people who have served—if you want the free tee, be in the first 200 to register. East Texas splits vintage British iron and chopper culture two weeks apart at Yellow Rose Canyon. Then Galveston swallows the island for four days in November.
Grab the Strokers anniversary tee if you want a souvenir from the birthday bash, register now at Givebutter for the 22KILL Ride before that first-200 cap is gone, lock Born-Free Texas 5 if the woods are your scene, and start watching Lone Star Rally for maps and passes.
~Keep the shiny side up!