So Big, Mama Couldn't Get Her Mouth Over It!

An Elusive Fish Sandwich..How Big Is It?

She wanted to go for "a little ride", which turned into a six hour cruise.. a six hour cruise, eventually wandering into the little town of Bunnell, Florida, 10mi north of the sprawling Rossmeyer spread on US1, home of the "Bantam", a little hole in the wall with no inside dining room, just picnic tables & plenty of crumb-stealing blackbirds. A sunshine state thunderstorm, (oxymoron?), was brewing over the town, nowhere else, blocking our approach to this huge piscatorial delight, so we dropped in to the "Dog Pound", a biker bar on the outskirts of town. Eventually, it begain to rain there too, and this hungry biker's hope for a one pound pile of filets in between two buns was fading fast. After a couple of cold ones, the rain subsided, & we rode away, toward the innerstate, only to find dry road, like not a drop, so we did a 180, headed back toward town, to the point where you could almost smell filets being dropped into hot oil, but no.. we hit another round of heavy showers even before we reached the town limit, so.. no fish sandwich, which was to be a "research" project for Biketoberfest. One of these babys could feed two bikers (okay, two small bikers). Hitting the Krystal in St Augustine, we were jonesin' hard for the fish, settling instead for a sack o' tiny meat burgers which were good, but no match for the forsaken gut buster. By now, you're thinking, why couldn't you simply ride thru the rain? After she washed ocean salt off both bikes not even 24 hrs earlier? Wasn't that hungry..

Come On In.. The Water's Fine!

Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, Oct 14-18!

Bring Your Speedo?

Or whatever. Our fav time of the year. Air temp 80's. Ocean temp 80's. Slip in during the morning hours. It'll feel like a warm bath. Trust me, statewide, the quality of our beaches beats the hell out of So-Cal. Girls who come to hang during our bike weeks are ez on the eyes, too!

But we're broke!

This is the mother of all times for a good deal on lodging. Have a few bucks, prefer to sleep in a bed? ABM is seeing mid-level oceanfront multi-rise rooms going for 100-115 bucks on Sat nite. The longer you wait to book, probably the better the price. If this sounds too rich, you'll find plenty of places to rent a slab o' land for one, or several evenings. Find a biker establisment & ask the barkeep where's a good place to crash. If you have friends, double up on the room. If they own an RV, work something out, they have bills, too.

What To Expect From Biketoberfest:

Lots of southerners. Way cheaper food, drink, lodging than it's big brother, Daytona Bike Week.
This is the one to come to if you want the ambiance, and not the crowd.

Comming Soon: A Fish Sandiwch So Big, Even the Wife Can't Get Her Mouth Over It?

Never Run Out Of Gas Again! Be A Bandana-Bandit:

E-Z Fill Up Reminder for memory-challenged bikers:

After a 50 mile ride along some of Florida's most beautiful beaches, the chop was running on fumes, so was the rider.. (that'd be me), due to 90 degrees & 90% humidity. Decided to fill 'er up this morning instead of last night. Having had to walk for a gas can on more than one occasion over the years, when the bike's on reserve these days, a bandana is tied onto the right handlebar grip. It looks so out of place, that the first thought in my mind this morning was.. "oh yeah, the tank's on reserve, got 'ta fill 'er up."

You don't carry a bandana, or a shop rag? Why not? Having soft cotton to wipe up a gas spill sure beats scratching your paint by wiping the tank down with one of those nasty paper towels at the gas pump, worse yet, your sleeve.

Carb'ed bikes are more forgiving than injected models when it comes to actually running the tank dry. In either case, you'll still have that long, embarrasing walk to the station and back. Hopefully, your steed will be there upon your return. Once, out int the middle of nowhere, I had to walk back a pint of gas in a soda can, with my thumb in the hole. It worked. Best to not run out of petrol in the first place, right? Embrace the bandana, it beats the crap out of walking!

HOG Announces Florida Rally Following Biketoberfest!

Meet Local Fl Bikers, Swap Couches?

Why stay home for lack of lodging money? Biketoberfest, Daytona, the second full week of October is a great way to meet local bikers, some of whom might be interested in putting you up for a few days in return for the same favor.

Can't make it to Biketoberfest?

The Florida HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally is the 3rd full week of October, the week after Biketoberfest, in beautiful St. Augustine, America's oldest city, featuring an intact, Spanish fort! Another opportunity to meet local bikers & make arrangements to exchange spare rooms for a few days to a week, saving up to a grand or more on food and lodging, and making an otherwise unaffordable trip.. possible!

North Florida Beaches, Wild, Unspoiled by Condos!

A trip north or south on route A-1-A, the closest you can get to the blue surf, beautiful sand dunes, with thousands of palm trees is a must. From St Augustine, or Ponte Vedra (Jacksonville Beach), ride within a stone's throw of our remote beaches for miles and miles. Unlike Daytona, there are no condominiums, just park land on both sides of the road, and plenty of wildlife. Go shelling, look for fossilized shark's teeth, some of which can weigh a pound or two, most are necklace size. They look like a "T" with a pointy end, and are jet black in color. St. Augustine has some of the best restaurants in the area, & waterfront watering holes are many. Few places in the sunshine state are this unspoiled, and you'll likely want to ride it both north and south. Bring a rod and reel. The surf fishing here is outstanding. For northerners, our water feels warm until December, so don't forget yer' speedo!

Sons of Anarchy's 2nd Season Debut Next Tuesday:

Set Your DVR: Tuesday, Sept 8, 10pm, FX (cable) Network.

Note to straights: "Sons" does not represent an accurate depiction of the lifestyle of 99% of the biker nation. That's why they call the rest of us.."one percenters".

Also: Owning a motorcycle, growing a beard, wearing boots & leather, does not make one a terrorist, or a gun runner.. It's only a TV show!

Almost Heaven: Swapping Old Clunkers for New Motorcycles!

$4500 Incentive On A New Bike?

Got a gas guzzler of an old car or truck? Replace it with a new motorcycle, which certainly would qualify as a great improvement in gas mileage! "Cash 4 Clukers" expired before Sen Casey's (D-Pa) bill could be considered. Too bad. Almost any bike would outlast an economy car by years, & just the thought of $4500 off the top of the msrp of your next bike is almost a drool point..

Get Da Money!

Congrats to C4C buyers who scooped up part of the big government giveaway, a program which borrowed money from another soverign nation, (China), to finance American's purchase of new cars, the majority of which were brands represented by other soverign nations (Japan, Korea).

We Wuz Broke!

ABM's extended stay at the "Four Corners" area of Ut, Nm, Az, Co, was cut short due to a lack of working capital, in other words, we ran out of money. Maybe we should have contacted China for a bailout..?

Four Corners Rally Rain?

This year's two big 4corner biker parties, one at Mancos's Sugar Pine Ranch, the other near the Southern Ute reservation at Ignacio, Colorado, are in prime riding territory. Last year's festivities were marred by an overnight spectacular display of electrics, followed by a huge downpour. Close proximity to the 14,000 ft Rocky Mtn range allows storms to build quickly as they shed moisture in order to make the long climb over the peaks. Rain chance last Labor Day, was 40%. This year, it's 60% over the weekend. We wish both rallys the best of luck in avoiding the wet weather, because these two are mainly "camping" events. However, with a hurricane crossing over the Gulf of California, and into the desert of Az and Nm, this year the partiers may get a little wet, still not a problem for bikers who inhabit the Four Corners, a tough bunch looking for a good time, no matter what.

Holiday Travel? Bikers, Beware of Bed Bugs!

Sanitation Level Does Not Matter!

Will you wake up with bites after sliding into that comfy, $100 hotel bed this Labor Day weekend? Anywhere there are human beings, there exists a chance that we will encounter bed bugs. Regardless of sanitation level, bed bugs can exist. This means that a five star, $250 room may well have as many bed bugs as a $25 flop house.

Bed Bugs Are Patient, Prefer Quiet People?

BB's can be dormant for up to a whole year before they awake to grab some of you. College kids, and other sundry types, (like BIKERS?), are said to have some of the lowest levels of bed bug infestations. Why is this? Perhaps BB's prefer quiet, who knows?

How long has it been since you slept in a tent, underneath the stars?

ABM books just one room each year, for three days, in what is pretty much a campgroundless area of central Florida, near the big mouse. Camping may not be pretty, but when we slide into the old sleeping bags, we don't get company...

ABM's Missing Fried Chicken Leg!

Don't Mess Up Yer Leg This Weekend!

Use common sense. Don't ride while wearing cutoffs, swimsuit, shorts, or risk the inside of your right leg becomming a slab of deep fried chicken. Wearing leathers or jeans works wonders when it comes to preventing painful pipe burns. Sure, you may think you can remember that hot exhaust pipe each time you climb aboard your steed, but sooner or later, you'll forget, and if that moment occurs this holiday weekend, you're wearing cutoffs, you'll be carrying a little momento on the inside of your leg until October! Fried chicken legs are for eating!

Got all ten toes? Ride barefoot, or with flip flops, and you may go missing one or two of 'em.

Have a great loooonnnng riding weekend. Safety first!