Daytona's Biketoberfest '08: Sunny, Hot, Florida!
Some Came Anyway!
Times are tough. Many bikers are faced with a choice between hitting all of the major MC gatherings, and simply being able to keep making payments on their ride. Followers of ABM know we've been predicting this financial fiaso ever since rally attendance began to fall of some 18 months ago. Bikers are a pretty good barometer of what's going on, economically, in the American economy. That having been said, Daytona's Biketoberfest is off to a decent start, and we expect this area to be packed from Friday thru Sunday.
Eddie Trotta, Corona Drinker?
Yesterday was a cooker on Dayton's Main Street, and after a hard day of searching for press passes, we settled down with a friend for a couple of cold ones inside of "Wiseguys", a two-level bar on the north side of Main. Staring across the bar at a fine looking blonde lady, we noticed Eddie Trotta/Thunder MC had drifted in for a can of Corona. Either it was Eddie, or his 100% "doppleganger". What amazes me about this dude, is every time I see him, he looks younger, and I look older!
Fish Sandwich, Anyone?
There's a little town just about ten miles north of Destination Daytona, by the name of Bunnell. After dropping by my buddy Scott's shop (US-1 Cycle) for a fresh set of plugs for the evo, we dropped by "THE BANTAM" for a fish sandwich. The dude who rode down with me was famished, announcing he could eat a whale, or something like that, and the BANTAM didn't let us down. As always, the FISH SANDWICHES were HUGE. $5.99 and you can't get yer mouth over it, ya just have to hold it by the wax paper & much a little at a time, like you were eating fish out of a bucket! He said, "man, you should have told me it was this big!". Hey, I did tell him, but noboby listens, ya know? THE BANTAM is (don't freak out on me now) kitty corner from the town police station, a stone's throw from one of only two intersections. Tell 'em we sent ya! By the way, the Oyster po boy is pretty good, too! ABM still doesn't know how they can sell such a huge sandwich so cheap, but we ain't complaining.
Two Passes For A Parking Spot:
Main Street had quite a few bikes. We made a couple of passes before finding a tight spot where two bikes could fit. Altough the bars weren't crowded, each had a decent share of bikers. Vendors seemed to have been caught with their pants down. In Ignacio, they would have killed for this many bikers so early on in the week. We expect most of the tents and trucks to have been set up by this morning. (Thursday).
Kansas Rocks Destination Daytona:
Tonight, in the big, open air pavillion. Be there or be square! Just last week Kid Rock sold out the St Augustine ampitheatre. Didn't suprise us to hear it was good. DD is packed with vendors, as usual.
Despite the Economy, Bikers Ride:
Irritating pundits who have been predicting the demise of motorcycling are totally out of touch. They believe that if there is declining rally attendance, fewer Americans are enjoying motorcycling, and that's an outright lie. We still ride, we just don't have as much available cash to roam all over the country, while taking time off from work. Want proof? Look at the figures for a rally where nearly all of the riders are locals: Look at Leesburg, Florida, a half hour northwest of Orlando. Ten years ago, it started out with 10,000 bikers. Last year, 300,000, up from a quarter million the year before, and yes, we spoiled Florida bikers are already beginning to complain about the overwhelming pack of humanity. Complain, complain, complain. There's not enough bikers, there are too many bikers.. just SHUT UP & RIDE!
Times are tough. Many bikers are faced with a choice between hitting all of the major MC gatherings, and simply being able to keep making payments on their ride. Followers of ABM know we've been predicting this financial fiaso ever since rally attendance began to fall of some 18 months ago. Bikers are a pretty good barometer of what's going on, economically, in the American economy. That having been said, Daytona's Biketoberfest is off to a decent start, and we expect this area to be packed from Friday thru Sunday.
Eddie Trotta, Corona Drinker?
Yesterday was a cooker on Dayton's Main Street, and after a hard day of searching for press passes, we settled down with a friend for a couple of cold ones inside of "Wiseguys", a two-level bar on the north side of Main. Staring across the bar at a fine looking blonde lady, we noticed Eddie Trotta/Thunder MC had drifted in for a can of Corona. Either it was Eddie, or his 100% "doppleganger". What amazes me about this dude, is every time I see him, he looks younger, and I look older!
Fish Sandwich, Anyone?
There's a little town just about ten miles north of Destination Daytona, by the name of Bunnell. After dropping by my buddy Scott's shop (US-1 Cycle) for a fresh set of plugs for the evo, we dropped by "THE BANTAM" for a fish sandwich. The dude who rode down with me was famished, announcing he could eat a whale, or something like that, and the BANTAM didn't let us down. As always, the FISH SANDWICHES were HUGE. $5.99 and you can't get yer mouth over it, ya just have to hold it by the wax paper & much a little at a time, like you were eating fish out of a bucket! He said, "man, you should have told me it was this big!". Hey, I did tell him, but noboby listens, ya know? THE BANTAM is (don't freak out on me now) kitty corner from the town police station, a stone's throw from one of only two intersections. Tell 'em we sent ya! By the way, the Oyster po boy is pretty good, too! ABM still doesn't know how they can sell such a huge sandwich so cheap, but we ain't complaining.
Two Passes For A Parking Spot:
Main Street had quite a few bikes. We made a couple of passes before finding a tight spot where two bikes could fit. Altough the bars weren't crowded, each had a decent share of bikers. Vendors seemed to have been caught with their pants down. In Ignacio, they would have killed for this many bikers so early on in the week. We expect most of the tents and trucks to have been set up by this morning. (Thursday).
Kansas Rocks Destination Daytona:
Tonight, in the big, open air pavillion. Be there or be square! Just last week Kid Rock sold out the St Augustine ampitheatre. Didn't suprise us to hear it was good. DD is packed with vendors, as usual.
Despite the Economy, Bikers Ride:
Irritating pundits who have been predicting the demise of motorcycling are totally out of touch. They believe that if there is declining rally attendance, fewer Americans are enjoying motorcycling, and that's an outright lie. We still ride, we just don't have as much available cash to roam all over the country, while taking time off from work. Want proof? Look at the figures for a rally where nearly all of the riders are locals: Look at Leesburg, Florida, a half hour northwest of Orlando. Ten years ago, it started out with 10,000 bikers. Last year, 300,000, up from a quarter million the year before, and yes, we spoiled Florida bikers are already beginning to complain about the overwhelming pack of humanity. Complain, complain, complain. There's not enough bikers, there are too many bikers.. just SHUT UP & RIDE!
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posted by americanbikerminute at 4:15 AM
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