Harley riders clog parts of highways in charity event

A roaring caravan of more than 6,000 finely buffed motorcycles shut down traffic briefly on Route 128 and two other major roadways yesterday while their riders raised tens of thousands of dollars for families of children with cancer. The delays - which stretched to 35 minutes - were worst on Route 128/Interstate 95 northbound in Westwood where state troopers blocked the highway with their cruisers at 11:30 a.m. to let the riders take to the road.

''It's for a good charity. They'll get over it,'' said John Barbush, 40, of Londonderry, N.H., who rode a Honda motorcycle to help generate money for the Boston Ronald McDonald House in Brookline Village. ''What's 10 minutes?''

...of course I decided to head up to Clay's place in Arlington at exactly 11:30. It was an impressive sight, but it took me 90 minutes to get there. So, although I was in awe of seeing so many motorcycles all in one place, I would have gladly donated $20 for them to not block the highway for so long. Perhaps that should be their tactic for next year.

Also, it wasn't 10 minutes. The cops kept the road blocked off even at locations they had passed for the duration of the ride.