 tarting way back in 1937 the first weeks of March in Florida have always been about motorcycles. Lots of them. At first it was the Daytona beach races that were the big draw, bikes racing on an oval course that was half-sand/half-pavement with rutted, bumpy connections between the two testing both man and machine. By ‘59 that two-wheeled competition had moved inside the walls of the new Daytona International Speedway, and the Daytona 200 is still THE race to win for a significant number of riders. It’s the closing act of Bike Week. Over the years, though, that race action has had to compete with plenty of other Bike Week attractions. March in Florida is a lot more pleasant, weather-wise, than March most anywhere else and thousands of riders were heading south with racing the furthest thing from their minds. To this crowd of bikers Bike Week was a short-sleeved party, an early jump on the riding season up north and a chance to get out and have fun. Over the decades that part of Bike Week, the party side, has exploded, even eclipsing the races. In addition to those that attend the races at the Speedway, there’s easily 400,000 or 500,000 more out on the streets riding around in the sunshine and generally whooping it up. Bike Week has become a series of non-stop parties, and for 2006 it was bigger and better than ever. Literally bigger, because Bike Week is no longer confined to the city limits of Daytona Beach. It isn’t even confined to the borders of Volusia County. Bike Week has become a bone fide regional event.
Main Street, Daytona has long been the center of the Harley party, but that’s changing. Sure, starting at The Wreck Bar at one end of that fabled strip and running all the way to the ocean at the other end, Main Street is still the place to go, to see and to be seen. Throw in all the saloons with their non-stop music and merriment and the street vendors hawking everything imaginable and Main Street is packed from morning to night with the constant rumble of V-twin engines as a backdrop. Only now it isn’t quite the shoulder-to-shoulder mob scene it once had been. That slightly scaled down atmosphere holds true across the Halifax River Bridge, too. Beach Street, bracketed by Daytona Harley-Davidson at one end and Arlen Ness’s custom shop at the other, was always Bike Week home to what seemed like every big-name manufacturer in the industry. This was where you went for that up-close look at the newest hardware, all on display by the guys who make it. But real estate values in Daytona, like in most parts of the country, have skyrocketed. Beach Street is in the process of being converted into an enclave of million-dollar condos. Locals see Main Street soon following suit; the bars, leather shops and chopper-supply stores, while maybe not giving way to that condo-building craze, will most likely become a shopping strip of high-end boutiques, restaurants and specialty stores serving the new condo owners and bucks-up visitors to the recently renovated buildings and theaters lining A1A just to the east. No question, the entirety of downtown Daytona Beach is undergoing some serious cobblestone and gaslight gentrification–that doesn’t include those hundreds of thousands of bikers who come to town twice a year. The face and location of the motorcycle party is changing, and many say changing for the better.
Start with Beach Street. That giant V-twin parts-expo, seeing the writing on the wall, has already moved to two –make that three–new homes. The Harley aftermarket now fills the grounds surrounding the Speedway, once the sanctuary of the imports. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, Triumph and the rest are now rubbing fenders and tailpipe tips with displays from the Motor Company itself, Big Dog, American Iron Horse and dozens of other alternative manufacturers along with a regular who’s who of parts and accessory suppliers. And then, competing with all this, there’s Bruce Rossmeyer’s brand-new and just opened “Destination Daytona” motorcycle megaplex in nearby Ormond Beach. Sitting smack-dab at the intersection of I-95 and US-1, Destination Daytona features more than just the world’s largest Harley dealership. There’s a full 150 acres here devoted to all things V-twin, and while that giant dealership was packed day-in and day-out, outside there’s row upon row of more name vendors and their displays–Drag Specialties one of them. There’s a huge Easyriders Pavilion bike show running non-stop here, too, along with all the music, food and drink needed to fuel a world-class party. Add to that the aftermarket action surrounding Miller’s giant bike store way down Hwy. 1 at the border of south Daytona/Port Orange and the loss of Beach Street is soon forgotten.
These moves haven’t gone unnoticed by the city fathers of Daytona Beach, either. While certainly encouraging all that new downtown redevelopment, they also know that Bike Week has grown to become a huge moneymaker for all the hotels and restaurants in town. Business owners are loath to see this annual revenue stream move away, with even Orlando, an hour-and-a-half ride west, making serious inroads to draw the crowds away. At more than one major entryway back into the city limits of Daytona there were signs prominently posted reading “You’re Back. We’re Glad!”
But happy signs aside, Bike Week is definitely on the move. And for ‘06, with 10 straight days of clear skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s there were plenty of bikers right on the move with it. Hundreds of thousands of them. From St. Augustine and Jacksonville to the north, Cocoa and Melbourne to the south and Deland, Eustis and Orlando to the west there were motorcycles everywhere. Riders were headed in every point on the compass to take it all in. That’s the new face of Bike Week. Now, more than ever, this is a riding event. If you haven’t rolled up at least 1,000 miles on the odometer, better yet 2,000, at the end of this week-plus in the Florida sun well, you’re just not trying. These days Bike Week Florida is all about the riding, and that’s a good thing. See you next year!
Doing the Main Street crawl. Bike Week might be spread out all over the county now, but Main Street is still a “must do.”Photo by Joe Kress.
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Bruce Rossmeyer’s “Destination Daytona” was up and running for its first Bike Week. The world’s largest H-D dealership is just part of this giant, 150-acre biker complex. Photo by Joe Kress. |
Take a good look. Next year Carl’s Speed Shop will be at its new Nova Road location. Beach Street is going condo. Photo by Joe Kress.
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The Last Resort in Port Orange hosts one of the best chopper shows around. Just don’t bring an import, it could become tree art.Photo by Joe Kress. |
Okay, so gas is getting kind of expensive. But is jet fuel any less pricy? This one sure had folks scratching their heads. Photo by Joe Kress.
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First step to a smooth custom is a smooth frame and tin package. Independent Cycle’s “Lowlife” rigid fits that bill.Photo by Joe Kress. |
S&S had a pretty neat display going on. Every S&S-powered custom under the tent came from a builder outside the U.S., everywhere from Japan to Italy to Australia.Photo by Joe Kress.
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If you like the old and interesting stuff the J.Wood Auction in Deland is the place to be. This year’s highlight: Cal Rayborn’s old #14. It gaveled down at a cool $160,000. Photo by Joe Kress. |
Fort Lauderdale’s favorite son giving a Thunder Cycles creation the once-over before releasing it to a magazine test rider. Good luck getting it back in one piece. Eddie Trotta at Destination Daytona.Photo by Joe Kress.
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Memphis Shades’ Bill Gray didn’t get a minute’s rest. Business was so good he had to sell the windshields off his display racks. Photo by Joe Kress. |
Yet another example of a little bit of new mixed with a whole lot of the old. Probably not too comfortable, and definitely no long-haul tourer, but it sure is cool. Around town it can’t be beat.Photo by Joe Kress.
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Right once, it’s right forever. Classics like this veteran Sporty can always be found at the vintage-bike gatherings at Stetson College in Deland. It’s all part of the expanding Bike Week.Photo by Joe Kress. |
Bike Week brings out all types of motorcycles…and trikes. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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And while many are going larger, how about this junior-size custom? Photo by Horst Rosler. |
If one engine is not enough, add one more. That’s a recipe that could get out of hand pretty quickly. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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After you see them in Drag Specialties Magazine, the cool FatBook projects bikes are loaded up and hauled to events like Bike Week for display. These recent cover bikes were on display this year at the Drag truck at Destination Daytona. Photo by Horst Rosler. |
Don’t say you’ve done Bike Week unless you’ve cruised Main Street at night. Everyone gets into the atmosphere. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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Yes, there are a few tough guys in town during Bike Week, but their bark is usually bigger than their bite. Photo by Horst Rosler. |
The only Honda Cub still running by week’s end. The others were seen hanging from a tree up near Ormond Beach. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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The work of Indian Larry carries on, as do many tributes in his honor. Photo by Horst Rosler. |
There are a few vintage meets in Florida during Bike Week, this one in nearby Eustace. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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Two generations of the Sands family: Roland (left) gets a hug from Uncle Ted. Photo by Horst Rosler. |
Just like in the Doublemint gum commercial: Double your pleasure, double your fun! A twin-engine Harley takes home all the marbles at the Rat’s Hole Custom Show. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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Nobody works harder to get their bikes ready for Bike Week than the guys who build the Rat Bikes. Big Daddy would be proud of this guy! Photo by Horst Rosler. |
Joe Montana would love this nice tribute to the San Francisco 49ers. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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Great art at Bike Week is lined up like cord wood sometimes to fit it all in. Photo by Horst Rosler. |
A really cool gas tank skull. Photo by Horst Rosler.
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