Motorbike record attempt falls short at Alice Springs pub during Red CentreNATS

The sound of revving engines echoed around the centre of Alice Springs last night as dozens of riders attempted to set the record for the most motorbikes ridden through a pub.

From the leather-clad to the board-short-wearing and everything in between, the riders on commuters and muscle bikes fell just short of their goal at Bojangles Saloon.

Aiming for 125 bikes, only 107 rode through the outback pub, filling it with fumes and noise, as dozens lined the barricades to get a glimpse of the action.

This year's Finke Desert Race motorbike race winner David Walsh, also known as the King of the Desert, led the charge.

"I was a little bit nervous to be honest," he said.

"It was really cool, something different, it was a great atmosphere, I'm pumped that I did it."

The record attempt was part of Red CentreNATS, the Northern Territory sister festival to Canberra's Summernats, with dozens of car and motorbike events planned over the next few days.

Laura Johnson from Red CentreNATS said despite the failed attempt, the fact they even gave it a go was a win.

"It might not be a world record, but it is absolutely a record for us and the growth that we've shown from last year, I am so confident that at Red CentreNATS [next year] we are going to smash it out of the park," she said.

She said the atmosphere was electric and Alice Springs locals and volunteers were part of what made Red CentreNATS so great.

"Where else do you shut down the centre of town and ride motorbikes through a pub," she said.

"To be able to be a part of it, for 107 bikes to ride through a venue, that's amazing."

Many riders came from interstate to be a part of the action.

Ngarrindjeri Kokatha-Wirangu man Harley Hall arrived in Alice Springs from South Australia with his family as part of the 3% motorbike group — which he said represented the 3 per cent Indigenous population of Australia.

"That was an adrenaline rush and a half," he said.

Behind the bar after the fog of fumes had lifted, Bojangles Saloon owner Pearl Randhay said she was grateful to have events like Red CentreNATS come to town and bring it to life.

"It was so exciting, I was nervous in a good way, I'm happy everything went well," she said.

"Thank goodness we had earplugs."

The event raised money for the Butterfly Connection, an organisation helping central Australians travel interstate for medical treatment.