Motorcycle Season Kicks Off with Annual Bike Blessing

Hundreds of street bikes and motorcycles from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania - to name a few - lined a portion of Springfield Avenue for the 39th annual Bike Blessing, done every spring to kick off motorcycle season.

The event, hosted by the Newark Knights Motorcycle Club, was one of the largest to date, closing down a portion of Springfield Avenue in the South Ward. Experts performed wheelies and burnouts before the crowd.

"We're here to set a tone, a protocol. We promote safety first and foremost," said Ronny Wells, spokesman for the Newark Knights. "If you're gonna ride, you gotta ride safely."

Earlier, motorcycles were blessed by a priest to foster safety on the roads, said Wells, who rides a Honda Goldwing.

"A lot of deaths come from not being safe [while riding]," said Wells. "Your bike is blessed, it kind of gets you in that realm of safety and spirituality.”

The Newark Knights, one of the oldest clubs in New Jersey, is made up of 33 active and as many as 250 honorary members. The club, located at 671 Springfield Ave., also raises funds for families of fallen riders, provides scholarships to area schools and feeds the homeless.

"It's about unity, bringing people together," said Wells of the Mother's Day event. "Setting off the motorcycle season is our No. 1 goal."

Safety is a sound objective for a club with a membership made up of primarily law enforcement officers. Seven women are also part of the Newark Knights, including Yvonne Hayes, who joined the club with husband Michael. Hayes, who started riding her Yamaha V-Star in 2003, said the Knights are one big family.

Yvonne Hayes and her husband are one of a few couples part of the Newark Knights. Hayes said she started riding her Yamaha V-Star in 2003.

"Once you're a Newark Knight," Hayes said, "you're always a Newark Knight."