I
llinois, Iowa and Wisconsin are some-
times listed among America’s various
flyover states, stretches of real estate
generally viewed from above. You get in a
plane, and then you sit back to enjoy the
ride, taking time to peek out the window
as the plane inches its way across this
great country. Your whole journey can be
summarized in a simple phrase: flyover.
Or you can ride a motorcycle. That, of
course, opens options to let you be more
intimate with where you are and where
you’re headed to, and also to experience
the sights, sounds, even the smells of
your surroundings. The result is pure
motoring nirvana, because the ride justi-
fies the destination, and the destination
justifies the ride.
There’s another level of nirvana to be
had while enjoying a two-wheel tour, and
that’s socializing with people you other-
wise might never meet. One such place
to mingle with the locals is situated in
Savanna, Illinois, home of the Iron Horse
Social Club & Museum.
Savanna itself is a stone’s throw from
the mighty Mississippi River. A motor-
cycle ride in and of itself along the famous
Great River Road is worthy enough of time
spent in the saddle, but since this ride is
also about socializing with new and inter-
esting people, let’s stop in Savanna so we
can pay our respects to the Iron HorseSocial Club & Museum.
The place’s name is slightly misleading
because, in reality, this is a Midwest bar
that also functions as a motorcycle muse-
um — and as a tattoo parlor and wed-
ding chapel. Yeah. Welcome to a rather
unusual social club that was started back
in 2001 by Jerry Gendreau, who also hap-
pens to be a motorcycle collector.
Gendreau’s original plan was to meld
the bar business with his motorcycle
collection, which resides in the rear por-
tion of the old-time tavern. Walk through
the front doorway and you’re greeted
by architecture associated with turn-
of-the-century (that is, the early 1900s)
Americana. Sturdy barstools form a row
along a solid-wood bar, and if your eyes
happen to scan upward you’ll notice the
classic embossed tin ceiling. Make your
way past the various collectibles along
the walls and you’ll eventually reach the
motorcycle museum (but only after stop-
ping to grab a cold one).
Gendreau maintains a rather eclectic
bunch of bikes, too, including Harley-
Davidson JD cutdowns, Indian bobbers,
flat trackers, hill climbers and a few stock-
ers, as well. His favorites are the hill climb
bikes: “They’re like they really were; beat
up and ugly,” Gendreau says. And even
though none of the bikes are 100-point
restorations, chances are you’ll enjoy aspecial high as you sip an ice-cold beer
while viewing bikes and memorabilia
tucked neatly inside this Midwest bar.
It’s all part of that nirvana that you really
can’t explain; you simply enjoy it during
the moment.
Should you decide to stay the night in
Savanna, ask the Social Club’s friendly
barkeeps about renting one of the two
suites upstairs. If they’re booked, try the
L&M Motel on the other side of town;
you’ll pass the county’s only traffic signal
on your way there. The L&M advertises
“theme rooms,” and one that might strike
your fancy is the Harley Room, decorated
with motif from The Motor Company.
Venturing farther down the road you’ll
find Poopy’s, a quintessential biker bar
with its own tattoo parlor. (Imagine, if you
will, the ink artist inquiring over the din
of the bar band’s rendition of Born To Be
Wild: “Before I begin I’m just making sure
— you said you want ‘America, Love It Or
Leave It’ tattooed on your forearm, not
your forehead, right?”)
Indeed, for a small town, there’s much
to see in Savanna. In any case, start with
the Iron Horse Social Club & Museum,
and include a jaunt along the Great River
Road nearby before hitting many of the
other interesting roads in the vicinity.
Flyover states? More like ride-through
states. — Dain GingerelliWhat: Iron Horse Social Club & Museum, 314 Main St., Savanna, Illinois, 61074,
and other historic Mississippi River towns.
How to Get There: From the north take US 20; from the east take US 52; from
the south or west take I-80 to US 61/30; from a flyover plane, parachute down.
Best Kept Secrets: To the north lies Galena, Illinois, which boasts many historic
Victorian houses, and a few doors from the Social Club you’ll find another bike-
theme bar, Hawg Dogs.
Avoid: The yellow, diamond-shaped road sign warning “Watch For Motorcycles”;
it’s posted right next to the cemetery — creepy.
More Info: visitsavanna.comIRON HORSE SOCIAL CLUB & MUSEUM, SAVANNA, ILLINOISRIDES AND
DESTINATIONS
THE SKINNY
82 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017