TV Shows Chip in the Snow

Set Your DVR..

Those of us who've experienced Sturgis at 105 degrees, wonder what it's like in the winter.

Tuesday Night is Bike Night at TV's "Speed Channel", & South Dakota's Buffalo Chip Campground, home to thousands of rabid August bikers, is highlighted during the dead of winter. According to a press release from the Chip, Tv's "American Thunder" will air footage shot in the dead of winter, on April 15th.

Weather conditions during a Black Hills August can be weird. In 2004, ABM about froze to death, when 7am brought snow flurries & 34 degrees, taking twice the normal time to perk some cowboy coffee. It took double leathers to ride out to the Badlands that day. A couple years ago, it was 107. Sausage dogs on Main Street could have fried, even without a grill! Black Hills weather can change color quicker than a Florida gecko. 120 days to go..

Dave's Not Here, Man!

After 22 years, Cheech & Chong are back!

Tuesday, August 5, 2009 will be an eclectic evening at the world famous Buffalo Chip Campground, near Rapid City, South Dakota, as Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong take to the big stage. ABM expects a near record crowd. Aerosmith rocks the following evening.

Of all the campgrounds, all the rock shows (only moms call 'em.."concerts"), you've ever experienced, you will not forget the Buffalo Chip, easily the world's most famous biker hangout. Today (03-20-09) before 7pm, according to www.buffalochip.com, is the last day to book at a discount rate. ABM will be there...party on, Garth.

Proposed New Ethanol Mix An Engine Killer?

US Ag Secretary Pushing for 20-50% Ethanol Increase!

Owners of HD fuel injected V-Twins in for a Rude Awakening..

(from page 47 of the 2006 owner's manual for all HD softails)

"Ethanol is a mixture of 10% ethanol (Grain Alcohol) and 90% unleaded gasoline. Gasoline/ethanol blends can be used in your motorcycle if the ethanol content does NOT exceed 10%."

This is not something ABM made up. It's a direct quote from the mothership. Ethanol has pretty much been the bane of old school dudes running carb'ed bikes. Now, it's every biker's nightmare. To sum: The motor company says NO MORE THAN 10%. The government wants an immediate boost to 12 or 13%, eventually getting to 15%, hard working bikers struggling to meet monthly payments be darned. (sp)

Bikers Have Three Choices:

1-Call your legislator and ask what they've been smokin'.
2-Move to Another Country.
3-Give up your motorcycle.

Bikers Don't Wanna Go Home!

Still Here:

Leftovers, Anyone?

Like U2's "It's a Beautiful Day.." This one is a standout. On a ten scale, probably a 9.999, and beachside in North Florida is loaded with bikers who obviously didn't want to go home. In a working man's community like ours, it's rare to see a bike for every ten cars on Monday afternoon, but there they are, ridin', screwin' around, stopping for expresso, or a quick one at a local sports bar, before heading onto the sand & surf. They're joined by a plethora of locals who thought that calling in sick was the thing to do on a day like this. Going back to work won't get any easier. Temps will be in the 80's at least until this weekend. Some of Florida's most beautiful beaches are in between Jax Beach and St Augustine. The shelling, shark's teeth, and light blue aqua is plentiful. On a weekday, you can have a mile of dunes & sand all to yourself. It's a prime reason why ABM calls this stretch of beach.. home.

-Daytona Bike Week '09 Wrapup-

Oct-U-Mom Breakfast Biker Special:

"Fourteen Eggs-No Sausage-No Gravy & the Guy Next to You Gets To Pay the Bill."

Bike Week Overview:

The Good...Bikers who had little cash, an out of work spouse, but decided to come to the big party anyway.

The Bad...One bike-related fatality, one too many, but far below the '02 tally of 13.

The Ugly...FHP "Courtesy Checkpoints"...KA-CHING!.. $100 here, $200 there, & $1,000, $2500, or $5,000 if they catch ya with a "vertical" license plate. Like popping a pimple with a grenade. A waste of scarce tax dollars? How is the guy with a set of sky high "smell me" handlebars a threat to society?

Bigger, Smaller, The Same?

Depends. The first Saturday was packed. The second weekend, the same. A couple of 20 degree below normal days thinned 'em out some, but in the end, beer girls told ABM it was about the same. Hard times this year-the world is leveraging down.

Now What? Spring breakers are here in force, a typical hotel room has gone from $200 to $59, the checkpoints are gone, & so is a good share of the real fun.

As Likely To Find WiFi Around Here As..

..The Octumom Finding A Thirty Day Supply of Birth Control Pills...

4:30am this morning.. Awakend to sounds of Sirens & Helicopters...
Gasoline Tanker Truck Crashes at Our I-4 Exit, 1/4 Mile from Campground..
..Snarling Orlando-Daytona Traffic all morning..

Thursday's Daytona Downtown Crowd Was Real Friendly...Happy to be here..
Happier if there was more parking. It was h-o-t, and hotter today, Orlando/80,
77 alongthe coast, and yes, bikers are here in force.

What our campground lacks in landscaping, is more than made up for by the 18-wheeler style mobile showers.. They alone, are worth the 15 bucks a night charge for primitive camping. ABM returned beat up & dirty around dark, after having put a couple hundred hard mils on the bikes. After a huge fish sandwinch in Bunnell, (see past blogs), we headed for Deland on Rt 11.. a long and lonely haul of about 40 miles, during which we missed a wild turkey, (the animal, not the bottle), only to collide with a flock of small birds. This morning, I was picking parts offa the front forks, cylinder fins, and license plate, not exactly making me yearn for two eggs, easy over, which I'll get to after picking the remaining feathers offa my teeth.

We're headed back into the jaws of the tiger once again today. How long we can keep up this torried pace of interviewing & riding our buns off, only time will tell. It's a dirty, filthy, nasty job, but someone has to do it, ya know?

Getting out on the open road is good. Being employed when you return is even better. There are a lot of bro's here who aren't so lucky.

We spaced out & forgot to mention Willies Tropical Tatoo ride in bike show, which was yesterday afternoon, on US1, across from the Pubix store.. great turnout, and a hundred handmmade bikes.. The joint was packed.

"All the Humanity.. Why Bother?"

Said my postal delivery man, who also rides.

"I want to be surrounded by people who think like me."

His position is not unlike many Florida bikers, who figure the Bike Week scene is so outta control, they'd just as soon putt down a country two lane, & stop for refreshments & dinner, instead of dealing with trying to find a place to park the scooter, then doing the one-block-every-five-minutes-shuffle. It's ABM's position that for just a few weeks each year, Floridians have a chance to pal up with bikers from not just around the country, but around the world. It costs nothing to get out and meet new people, different people who "think just like us".

Meteorlogically Depressing! (But No More of That Crap!)

Riding around yesterday in the sun one minute, and under clouds the next. Man, the temp drops 10 degrees & the cold (55 degree) ocean water seems to take over the ambient air temp. Without a windshield, heated seat, clothes, and grips, it'll kill a sunshine state rider, but no problemo. Next ten days show temps of 75 to 80. New Yorkers will probably don speedos!

Daytona Bike Week '09 Events:

Bikes, Bands, Racing, & Wrestling!

What more could a biker ask for?

Day What Where

Thursday Kentucky Headhunters Broken Spoke Saloon, US1 North, Ormond
Fri-Saturday David Allen Coe Iron Horse Saloon, US1 North, Ormond
Friday 68th Daytona 200 Speedway
Saturday Daytona Supercross Speedway
Fri-Saturday Mud Wrestling Gwen's, Deltona, Fl.
Saturday Jackyl Destination Daytona
Sat-Noon Cole Slaw Wrestling Cabbage Patch, Samsula, Fl.
Sat-9am-? Rat's Hole Bike Show Daytona Lagoon

Local bands, drink & food specials, bbq'ed turkey legs, & bikes everywhere. Some are free, some are not.

The sun's out, warming bikers. Leathers are being shed.
Come on down...and...get ya some salt life!

American Biker Minute

www.americanbikerminute.com

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Daytona Bike Week Shocker:

Oc-ta-mom Wins Wet Tee Shirt Contest!

No, not really, but..is that a lower lip or a hot dog?

ABM has noticed fewer lady bikers gripping their own handlebars this year. Expect to see more women riders over the next few days as the first weekend crowd morphs into a new crowd.

Harley-Davidson's Most Collectible MC Ever?

'77 HD Shovelhead "Confederate"

The Facts: Back in the day of Skynyrd, Allmans, & BOA, this just under 1,000 cc ironhead shovel sold for about three grand, complete with rebel flag insignia on the gas tank, confederate scrambled eggs (you vet's know what we're talkin' about), on the rear fender, & silver everywhere else except for the black frame. An untouched one in mostly original condition might-could fetch a quick 20 thousand samoleans.

Why Daytona's Main Street Is Always Hot:

Dogs Aren't Stuck To Poles..

That Doesn't Mean It Hasn't Been Cooler Than Normal-The Good & The Bad:

Daytona struggling to hit sixty today, from frigid Canadian air then blowing over a snow pack that extended from Alabama, Georgia, & the Carolinas, & all the way up the eastern seaboard. Cold in Florida? Keep your back to the breeze. Main Street's orientation is east-west, so the cold yankee air blows right over the top of the buildings, leaving the street toasty & warm. In other words, cold wind almost never blows down Main Street from end to end. Couple times over the years, it was freezing there, but that's why they make Tequila, ya know?

Here & There:

Subdued Harley exhibit, ditto Millers, but Shelly Rossmeyer has an Italian bike you just gotta see: Asking $65,000. Cool bike, on the floor at the former "Arlen Ness" store next to Rossmeyer World. Will someone buy it? That's why they make Tequila! (sorry Shel..)

Lime Alert:

If you need 'em, get 'em now. This time of year, most are from old Mexico, supplies are limited, & who wants to cut one up that looks like it's been in the stomach of a whale?

..A Side Order...or...A Wrestling Mat?

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If You Found A Main Street Parking Space..

Bikers May Be Headed to The Cabbage Patch:

For what has become one of the must-see events of Daytona Bike Week, (and Biketoberfest). Thousands of scooter tramps head out southwest from the speedway, and into the countryside to a little bar called the "Cabbage Patch". Surrounded by agrarian countryside, on several acres, this is the place to come and enjoy the sport of kings, "Cole Slaw Wrestling". Sure, the beer isn't ice cold, & sometimes they'll be out of your favorite brand, and at 3-4 bucks a bottle, it ain't a bargain, but for no admission price, (if you park for free), twice this week, you get the experience of watching two females go at it, & beat each other's brains out for the right to claim bragging rights as the toughest woman on 'slaw.

Wrasslin' Schedule:

Today (Wednesday) 12 Noon.
Saturday (3/7/09) 12 Noon

Wrapped around the wrestling schedule, they have something called, "the sexy banana, hot buns, wet tee, & strong man" contests, but believe me, cole slaw rules the day. ABM has even noticed Daytona's Main Street sort of empty out a little as bikers hop on their iron & blast off for the patch. Schedules, more info at www.cabbagepatchbar.com.

Avoid the parking ripoff:

Their website says they're providing signs to guide bikers to the free parking. That's a good thing, since the neighbors have been earning a fortune off first timers who pull into the wrong lot, & figure it isn't worth turning around in the grass to go look for the free lot. (more info on how to park free in one of our recent blogs.)

Bro finds friends among Bikers:

Depressed dude we interviewed last weekend, facing a ride through the snow to get back home. Broke, no longer able to stay. Brothers chipped in for his $15/nite camping fee at the ABATE campground so he could stay until the storm passed, fed him too. That's the old school way we used to watch out for each other, it's back again.

New York Bikers Throw Myrtle Under Da Bus?

New York MC Plates Are Everywhere:

One roving group of New York bikers, about a dozen, spotted on US1 North In Ormond Beach. At a stoplight, we asked if they were enjoying themselves.. "Hell Yeah!" You'd expect to see lots of New York plates in Daytona, but this year, they're almost 2nd behind the number of Florida Plates, begging the question, did they give up on Myrtle's spring rally for an early shot at Daytona Bike Week? Also heavy in numbers, Ohio, Pa, Iowa, Ky, Tn, Vt, & In. The I-95 is packed with bikes heading south, into the sunshine, and out of the now, very unwelcome snow.

Say it Ain't So..

Some arriving two wheeled nomads riding with road salt encrusted bike fenders! Oh, the humanity.. We should provide trophys for anyone who made it through 4-5 states of snowfall. That takes heart.

Best BW Ever?

It won't be the biggest, but the quality of arriving bikers is very high. All have an optimistic tone, happy to be blasting around. My friend's mom, who lives in nearby Deland, Fl, says the Abate Campground at the Volusia County Fairground, is packed with camping bikers. We're riding over to check it out this Wednesday. If I can find a public library that lets bikers use the high speed connection, you'll get a fresh report.


Quality Bikers:

The shiny side of a rotten, lousy economic downturn, is that, for the first time in years, these bikers are here to enjoy what life, and the open road has to offer. The absolute dearth of "posers" is leading ABM to believe that finally, some of the old school brotherhood is returning to our sport. There's an incredible amount of diversity here. From Sweeden to San Antone, Montreal to Miami, Ohio to Orlando, they understand that bikers don't need a lot of money to have a good time. After this week's shows are finished, we'll be blasting back down the slab to join the bro's for some great times, just hope my rear tire lasts another 7 days...

Heated Gloves, Grips, & Seats Are IN..for 2 days only.

"Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow..."

Just like each time ABM drops by our local bank, and they've hired all different tellers, what a difference a day or two makes in our weather. My just completed 4am ride to the beach to drop off a borrowed set of truck keys left me with frozen hands & a vertical line of frostbite where my leather jacket zips up the front. 44 degrees is cold anywhere, but in Florida, it's sudden death. Airports closed in Greenville, SC, winter storm warnings for the Carolinas all the way up the east coast? A forgivable offense, would be the decision to trailer your bike down from New Jersey.

Let's Get it Over With:

Temps around sixty for the next couple of days, then, like always, they bounce right back. You can't keep the sunshine state down for long. Midweek through Sunday looks like a batch of upper seventies, and low eighties, and NO RAIN.

Saturday Was Great!

Main Street, Daytona Beach, Saturday morning, 10am, not a parking space to be found for fat boys, but we were able to slide the skinny ironhorse in between a couple of baggers. The ladies were peeled down to the bare essentials. Half were tanned, the others looked like they hadn't seen sun in months.. The town was rockin, & at 3pm, beer sales soared as the Bud Clydesdales (sp?) proudly high stepped down main behind a motorcycle police escort. Speaking of cops, Daytona's finest seem to be fairly mellow this year. ABM did spot one who looked extremely upset, but that was in Ormond Beach, on the way up north.

Action Spots: (in order of our appearance)

1-Anywhere on Main Street 2-"The Lyndhurst", back of the old Harley Place, off Beach Street, $1 hot dogs/cold Bud Select. 3-"Ironhorse Saloon" Left side of US1, just before Rossmeyer World. Packed with bikers drinking $4 beers, band. 4-Florida's Oldest Biker Bar, "The White Eagle" AOA1%'ers mixed in with the regulars, band crankin', plenty of vendors with everything from shirts to sausage sandwiches. This place is located in a town called "Korona", and this year, they weren't out of Coronas, but the bottles were warm. At four bucks a hit, we can afford to ice 'em down a little, right? Nothing's worse than warm beer. This ain't Germany. Still, a righteous bar packed with real people.

Food's Getting Better?

Best: "The Bantam", US1 North, Bunnel. Right side, next to the little lake. $5.99 gets you a fish sandwich with what looks to be a pound of deep fried filets, fresh outta the grease. Man, that's livin'.

Worst: Vendor Pizza on Main Street: Tony Soporano would whack 'em for even thinking about making 'za like this, but what do you expect from a trailer in the middle of the street?

Honorable Mention: Dollar Hot Dogs at The Lyndhurst. With a mess of chopped onion, some mustard & relish, it's genuine tube steak for 100 pennies. Gets the job done in record time.

Out of Town? Catch ABM Here!

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