   or the past few years we’ve all watched Bike Week in Daytona Beach, and Biketoberfest, too, for that matter, make some pretty significant changes. Both events, once centered on Main Street and not much farther out than that, are now all over the place. That’s no exaggeration. This pair of Florida motorcycle parties has expanded to cover two, three, even four or five counties if you want to count everything going on and everywhere to go. That translates into plenty of time in the saddle. Bike Week, and Biketoberfest, are now rider’s events. Sure, there’s still plenty of parking and posing along Main Street (this year, in fact, no cars were allowed on Main Street at all–it was all bikes, handlebar to handlebar) but all that posing, once the mainstay of the event, is now just one element of a much bigger picture. It’s become just one part of much bigger party with a whole lot more to do, a whole lot more to see and a whole lot more places to go.Bike Week has come a long way since that January afternoon in 1937 when Ed Kretz won the first “Daytona 200” on his Indian Sport Scout, and from the years during WWII when, with racing suspended, the motorcyclists still came to Daytona inaugurating an unofficial winter gathering that came to be known as Bike Week. During the ‘50s and ‘60s crowds grew to maybe 50,000 or more, although no one was officially keeping count. Longtime Bike Week revelers remember when $150 in the pocket of your jeans could keep you going all week long. By the early 1990s the crowds had grown to more than 100,000 and the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, realizing that it made more sense to join in here rather than buck the trend, began to really embrace the event and its participants instead of trying to drive them away. A smart move as it turned out; for the last few years the crowds have swelled to 350,000 to maybe 500,000 with estimates of $60 million being left behind by the time the weeklong party ends. So the “Welcome Bikers” signs went up everywhere, as did the price of a hotel room, a hot dog and a beer. Times changed. At Bike Week 2008 that $150 from the ‘60s might get you through one day…barely. Until just a few years ago it all still revolved around Main Street, though. But then, just across the Halifax Bridge the Beach Street businesses began springing up and siphoning off some of the crowd. A new Harley-Davidson dealership went up over there, Carl’s Speed Shop opened in ‘96, the Arlen Ness shop opened shortly after that, and in Beach Street’s “Riverfront Park” the city would set up a regular biker’s fair complete with major industry vendors, plenty of food, drink and big-time concerts. Bike Week was spreading out. That’s a trend continuing to this day. That giant Beach Street parts-and-party expo has already moved to two–make that three–new homes. The Harley aftermarket now fills the grounds surrounding the Daytona International Speedway, once the exclusive domain of the imports. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, Triumph and all the others are now rubbing fenders and handlebars with displays from The Motor Company itself, Big Dog, American Iron Horse and dozens of other alternative manufacturers and accessory suppliers. And the Harley party has moved inside the Speedway, too. Daytona’s infield area, once the hallowed ground of racers only, now shakes with a V-twin rumble. So, that would make it Main Street, Beach Street and the Speedway. Add to that Bruce Rossmeyer’s “Destination Daytona” motorcycle megaplex in nearby Ormond Beach. About 10, maybe 15 miles north of downtown Daytona Beach, Destination Daytona features more than just the world’s largest Harley-Davidson dealership (Rossmeyer still keeps the one on Beach Street open, too). There’s a full 150 acres here devoted to all things motorcycling, and while that giant dealership stays packed day-in and day-out outside there are more vendors and their displays than you could see in a day. All that’s been joined by even more buildings with even more motorcycle stores (Arlen Ness is here), more parts (there’s a mega J&P Cycles outlet), more accessories and more, more and more of everything. It’s Harleys to hot rods to boutique leather shops to cigar bars and to just about anything and everything else you can think of or want. Bands play non-stop at a number of stages scattered throughout the venue, there are restaurants, bars, and yet another giant trade show packed with vendors and suppliers. Wyotech even has a campus on-site, this year hosting a daily horsepower shootout on their Dynojets. There’s a huge Coca-Cola Pavilion open now, too. This year it was the site of a fantastic bike auction held early in the week. Add to that a whole host of motorcycle distractions between downtown Daytona Beach and that Rossmeyer complex. There’s the “World Famous” Iron Horse Saloon, The Broken Spoke, The Hogpen, The Battleground, Smiley’s Tap, a brand-new Carl’s Speed Shop (this year home to Drag Specialties). It all works out to plenty of bikers on the move. From St. Augustine and Jacksonville to the north, Cocoa and Melbourne to the south and Deland, Eustis (a great swap meet) and Orlando to the west Bike Week is all over the place. And, more than ever before, it’s a riding event, a merry-go-round of motorcycle fun. And important to all of us, business was good. In spite of a soft economy the Bike Week vendors, for the most part, did just fine at the 2008 event. Significantly, most reported the bolt-on market stronger than ever. While there are still plenty of those high-dollar customs around they’re wildly outnumbered by the Softails, Dynas, Sportsters and FLs–and they’re all sporting custom seats and wheels and handlebars and windshields and pipes and everything else. Looking for a clue as to where things are headed this year? There it was. Bolt-ons are good business, and we all know where to find them. The FatBook is filled with everything today’s riders are buying. Happy signs like that aside, Bike Week is definitely on the move. Figuratively and literally. If you were there you already know that. If not, start making plans for next year. Everyone’s got to do Bike Week at least once. But be forewarned. It’s a little like potato chips, and we know what that means. Bet ya can’t go just once…
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