It was a good day for a ride.

And a good reason for one, too.

Engines revved and smoke rose from the blacktop in the parking lot of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1414’s headquarters off Lathrop Avenue on Sunday afternoon, as more than 100 motorcyclists got ready to ride for 6-year-old LeAsia Lee.

Lee slipped and fell in April, setting off a series of severe headaches. When her mother, Jessica Burdsal, took her to the doctor, it was discovered that she has Arnold Chicari malformation, a brain disorder that often brings paralysis. Lee is having surgery for the disorder today. Burdsal says the family has more surgeries ahead and several thousands of dollars in medical expenses not covered by insurance.

More than a dozen motorcycle clubs came out Sunday for a fundraiser to help Lee’s family cover those costs. Each rider chipped in $20, and more than $2,500 was raised before the day was over.

The ride — organized by clubs OTM Riderz Inc., Untamed Riders and Playa’s Choice — wasn’t the first time Savannah’s motorcycle community came together for a good cause. A December ride for Letechia Johnson — a Savannah woman who needs a kidney transplant — raised more than $10,000, organizers said.

The motorcyclists who were part of that ride plan to flank Johnson’s ambulance when she goes to Atlanta for the surgery. They’ll go as far as Macon, where other clubs in the Southeast Georgia Alliance will take over the rest of the ride.

These events have twofold goals, organizers said. They want to help the families of riders in need; LeAsia is OTM Road Captain Brad “Mr. Scorpio” Harley’s niece. But they also want to dispel negative stereotypes about motorcycle clubs.

The riders Sunday said a lot of people assume members of motorcycle clubs are outlaws who don’t care about the community. That’s not the case, they said; Savannah’s riders are run-of-the-mill men and women who like the thrill of a revving engine.

“Even though we wear vests, we still have professional lives during the week,” Playa’s Choice President DeAndre “Cat Eyes” Davis said.