o one was sure what to expect from Biketoberfest 2005. For weeks fuel prices had hovered around $3 a gallon all over the country, and just as final plans and preparations got underway all over Daytona Beach the season's latest hurricane, for a while the strongest Atlantic storm ever recorded, took a turn and threatened to run right over the place. Would anyone actually show up? Or would the whole thing be a washout - literally?
     Well, bikers being bikers they weren't scared off by some weatherman's dire forecast. And since there's not a vehicle more fuel-efficient than a motorcycle (almost) Biketoberfest did just fine. While it's hard to put a total number on an event like this, those in the know and those who are paid to keep track of things like that calculated attendance at something like 75,000 to 85,000. Just about exactly what it had been the year before. But this time there was a new wrinkle: you wouldn't have guessed at that number just riding around. On its face, or more accurately on the roads, Biketoberfest 2005 seemed a little slow. But it was all just an illusion.
     Biketoberfest 2005 just might have been the biggest Biketoberfest ever, area-wise. As a dress rehearsal for that giant biker blowout in March, this year's Biketoberfest showed what it's like when an event really spreads out. See, biker events in Daytona Beach aren't limited to only that legendary strip of asphalt known as Main Street. Not anymore. For this Biketoberfest, Bruce Rossmeyer's giant "Destination Daytona" (previewed in this magazine) was open for business and running full throttle. Vendors galore set up all over the place. Destination Daytona, featuring the world's largest Harley-Davidson dealership and lots more right at the intersection of I-95 and US-1 in Ormond Beach, now marks the northernmost end of major biker attractions. Miller's mega-bike store and all the activity around that legendary shop way down at the border of So. Daytona/Port Orange brings up the southern end of things. Between those two book-ended "must stops" add in all the action along US-1, up and down Beach Street, now almost completely surrounding Daytona International Speedway and of course all along Main Street itself and you're faced with an event stretching maybe 30-plus miles end-to-end. That's a lot of area for even 85,000 motorcycles to cover, and it's the explanation why, at times, the roads of Volusia County appeared just a little motorcycle-sparse. Biketoberfest, and all the Bike Weeks to come, are now bona fide riding events with lots of space and plenty of miles between stops.
     Pull in at any of those stops, though, and it's immediately apparent where everyone is. From that new and sprawling Destination Daytona complex to Miller's and at all points in between, the crowds and crews and vendors and industry reps were all there and packed in as thick as ever. It takes some riding to find them all now, and probably a couple days' time to do it up right, but Biketoberfest - and Bike Week, too - is a regular "Who's Who" of industry vendors and heavy hitters. It's the FatBook come to life, an experience putting new meaning into the word interactive. Have any questions about what's new at Saddlemen or Samson or Baker or S&S or TP Engineering or just about any other name you can pick out of that giant Drag Specialties catalog? The people with the answers are right there, in many cases the designers, engineers and owners of those companies themselves. Got some questions about what's hot in the market, what the average riders are really interested in and maybe you should be paying more attention to back at the shop? The folks manning the booths and displays at Biketoberfest hear it all. Ask them, they'll tell you what's on people's minds. You couldn't buy a market analysis any better then this. Sure, it's all a big party, but for those industry insiders it's a working party, too, and properly applied their work can pay off for you.
     Didn't get down to Daytona this year, or maybe didn't get to see it all? We did, or at least we tried, and while this certainly isn't an all-inclusive rundown here's a little of what we saw and what we learned. Take a look...

Biketoberfest was the finale for this season's "Blood, Sweat & Gears" tour, culminating with Billy Lane and a handful of customizing heavies combining talents to produce a wonderful tribute motorcycle and do it all right on stage. See more details on page 14 of the News & Events.

"If you build it, they will come." Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona sure turned into a Field Of Dreams for Biketoberfest. And this place is only partially complete! Wait until they have it finished - or don't, because it's ready and waiting right now.

The Hard Rock show at Destination Daytona spotlighted the best of the "Brat Pack." Machines from the fertile imaginations of young guns like Roland Sands, Johnny Chop and Jesse Rooke were sights to behold.

Famed motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter (right) always manages to scout out the wonderful and wacky. Or does it find him?

Up front and prominently on display was Baker's new Torque Box 5, a gearbox designed to handle the power of those increasingly bigger engines. Of course all the other Baker transmissions elicited lots of interest, but Ryan, who worked the booth from morning to night said that the vast majority of questions were about the 6-speed retrofit gearsets for Evos, TCs and XLs.

The guys at Corbin had a steady stream of the curious at their setup, and little wonder why. Anyone serious about a new seat was invited to take a look at that seat on a demo-bike right there. Hot styles? Touring saddles seemed most popular for the FLs and Softail Deluxe models, and lots of guys were interested in solo seats, too.

Ever wonder if those FatBook project bikes draw any interest? You bet they do. An integral part of the always-big Drag Specialties presence, those catalog builds fire many a rider's imagination. At Biketoberfest it was the that recent pair of cut-down 'bobbers receiving the closest scrutiny.

Gary Chipp of Fat Baggers, Inc. shows off his FBI line to a Biketoberfest attendee. Lots of riders did throughout the weekend and they liked what they saw. Gary's fat-tire FL and 240-Series V-Rod conversions are straight bolt-ons and both are in the latest catalog.

Lindby Custom's Linbar highway bars remain a customer favorite. Per Lindby told us he's worked up lots of new applications for most of the new-model bikes.

As always the Memphis Shades road team set up right at the front door at Miller's. They had the full display of windshields and windscreens on hand, and using that "Windshield Sizing Guide" (pg. 24 in the '05 FatBook let riders immediately see which one works best for them.

Metzeler's show promo has become an event standard, keeping everyone busy all week long. A free front tire with the purchase of a rear is a sweet deal, and once a bike is up on the lift it generally leads to extra work and parts ordered.

The Patrick Racing Polished and Show-Polished billet engines are new to the FatBook. Often a favorite with top-line builders, they were all on display in Daytona.

It's a custom in the foreground getting a set of pipes, but Jamie Hanson says 90% of the business is represented by that bike on the other lift. A basic "Stage I" tuning kit is high on every rider's wish list.

Dave Echert says riders couldn't stop asking about the whole Saddlemen luggage lineup, particularly the new Stallion Bags and the Rollaway Duffels.

Joe from the TP team said it was price, fit, horsepower and options that were questions he had to answer from morning till night. TP brought the whole engine lineup with them, too, everything from the basic to the hand-tooled beautiful.

Have you met the hardest working rep in the business? Brenda Trumbo knows just about everything there is to know about helmets, and the crowd around Miller's was the better for it.