Leesburg BF crowd HUGE IN 2012!

Hey look, it's not so crowded!

(only we shot these at 9:30am)

By 2pm, even the overflow $5 parking lots were full, prompting a call we guess, to the local Brinks truck.  So many bikes this year, you could easily pay five samoleans for a space, then be faced with a one mile walk into town!

(We shot some vids which we'll post later)

The people who work on American Biker Minute agree, not only have we never seen this many bikes in Leesuburg, Florida,

WE'VE NEVER SEEN THIS MANY MOTORCYCLES AT ONE TIME, ANYWHERE.

Yes, this includes Sturgis and Daytona.

Messin' around with Big Daddy Rat..

Some bikes we liked.  Hell, we liked 'em all!

A dab of Rick Fairless Color...

plus some stars 'n' bars..

a chick on a pink rocket..

gimme some 30 inch wheels on a hd sporty..

Good Times!  We took a ton of vids and pics, which we'll keep posting as time permits.

Gotta get out for some fried flounder..more later.

Leesburg reverses the ravage of time?

Average biker age skewing younger?

Or, is it only here?  Over the past eight years, the average age if the bikers ABM interviews has moved from the 40's and 50's to the 30's and 40's.  We're also seeing a lot of older model, hopped up Harley sportsters parked curbside, a sure sign of gen y'ers.  The older riders are still here, they're just harder to pick out in the more youthful crowd. Many of these younger riders cruise in from the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area.   It's not out of place to see dozens of riders, with or without "colors" making the pilgramage to Lake County.  We've noticed this in Daytona, too.

Ducati dude, check your primary chain/fluid level

Maybe the kid's parents are loaded, and he doesn't care if his primary chain is singing like someone at the trial of John Edwards.  He rode by several times, on the fire engine red duke,  hottie in tow, the bike sounding as if the primary cover might pop a hole at any minute.  Since the last time we had to repair primary damage (we ride a LOT), the ABM brain has developed an acute sense of hearing primary noise.  Replacing primary covers/chains is very expensive.  Too tight, or too lose is not good.  Our bikes are adjusted to 5/8" cold, half inch warm.  Once the chain is shot, you'll never get a correct adjustment.  Noise is often present when the primary is dry.  Not good, unless you're running an open belt. 

Thank you officer, we'll n-e-v-e-r speed again.  

Bikefest is expecting to break their all time high attendance record this weekend.  300 thou?  That's a lot of bikes for a little town.  We've seen a few more cops than usual this go-around, but they're mellow as usual.  BTW, we'd like to thank the Umatilla cop who followed us, but didn't pull us over for our lack of discretion in backing off the throttle after an exhilarating ride through the Ocala National Forest.  Here's a little ABM tip you may find comes in handy when you're blasting down the slab, and find yourself just a little over the speed limit, and then you see the "man" headed toward you from the opposite direction:  DO NOT QUICKLY LET OFF THE THROTTLE.  (unless you're doing 100).  The dip in your headlight beam attracts them like moths to a flame, as they do a 30mph 180 to run you down and jack up your insurance rates.

Are we witnessing here, a move to welcome the free-riding, free-spending biker crowd?

Is our contribution to the good of their local economy far more important than a wad of $200 tickets?  You don't have to own a degree in economics to see which is more important.

Enjoy your weekend, and check back for more news from the little town that could.

Leesburg Bikefest '12 Video:

Leesburg Rally: Food, gas, good times!

Leesburg Bikefest '12

places we've been lately..

Cheap Food Deals

Checkers Burger Joint, Hwy 441, Tavares-2 Fish Sandwiches for $2.

Hey, it ain't the "Breakers", but the fish came hot, crunchy, and somewhat tasty.

For a little more, try Cedar River Seafood, Rt#441 by the airport.

$8.99 (before 4pm), all you can eat flounder, +2 sides.  Fish arrived table side, hot, light, perfectly fried, ton of fries, hush puppies, and a pretty good cole slaw.  Nothing fancy, then, neither are we..

"No Bike" required?

Yeah, it had to happen, the "no bike required" shuttle bus takes kids, senior citizens, the infirm, and other non riders into the gut of the beast which is, the American Biker, engaged in the act of "decompressing"..  A buck one way, two more for all day.  Anything which cuts down on the number of cages is ok with most bikers. 

Best Gas

Harris Oil.  We've been paying 4.34/gal for 89 octane.  Or is it kerosene..This place is selling 93 octane, 100% gas, no alcohol, for $4.34.  Yes, it is 40 cents more, but the mpg will far exceed e-10.  Adding just a gallon or two to makes a huge difference.  Running a couple tankfulls will make you wonder why all stations don't sell 100% gas.  441, keep going til you slip under the old railroad trestle, turn left at the bottom of the valley, (yes, valley, wow!)

 

21901 Hwy #441, Mt Dora, 352.383.2322-closed Sunday.

honerable mention:

Lewis Oil Co, 893 S. Highway 19, Palatka, Fl  386-325-3582

90 octane alcohol free juice-again, closed Sudays..is this some kind of plot?

Oh yeah, and it's hot.  We believe one of the big pulls here at Leesburg is second only to the "no cages" rule.  Whether you imbibe or not, know many people love nothing better than to wander around the whole city guarding a beer or a margurita. 

The free featured band tonight is Firehouse, with Seven Mary Three lining the big temporary stage which rests on the steps of city hall. We like 'em. Heard that Leon Russel is playing somewhere nearby, for $25 a ticket.  He was here 4-5 years ago, did a good job.  To his credit, he didn't sing "Lady Blue".

PS

Vids Next! 



Hot Party In the Orange Groves!

Leesburg Bikefest 2012!

We've run into people from all over the country.

The word is out.

Check out a few bike pics.  We'll upload more info and

some vids later.

We're through giving away spare ammo boxes!

How cool is this softail, working man's bike.

Rat Poison!

..It followed me home, may we keep it?

Nice Milwaukee Power Job

what?

More stuff on the way soon as we stuff ourselves with a well deserved pile of deep fried

flounder, smotherd in okra!

MC vs Tree: Oak 1, Beemer 0

Pancake Thin Handlebars, 23 Large!

BMW's are great motorcycles, with a rich history of being for all intents, "bulletproof".  In the past few years, we've seen a trend to replace the airheads with newer, more lightweight bikes, the thinking that lighter means faster, burning fewer gallons of precious petrol.  We're just saying, maybe they shaved too much bulk off the ALUMINUM handlebars?

This motorcycle seeming has it all.  Reviewers gushed over the BMW 1600 GTL's flawless 129 torque pound power delivery, superb handling characteristic, even an adjustable electronic windshield plus a height adjustable seat. 

Handlebars are one of your motorcycle's more critical bolt on parts, and most of us likely would agree the "weight-shavers" in BMW's r&d lab may have made them a tad thin for the task at hand. 

Tree 1, BMW 0:

The bike was parked outside the dude's garage on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.  No rain, or wind.  A rotted out branch broke off, falling about fifteen feet, and onto the beemer.  What you're looking at is the aftermath.  We've seen pics of the branch, estimated at about a five inch diameter, and because it was dry rotted, the weight of the falling limb was reduced by at least 50%.

Florida Panther Pounces On Unsuspecting Biker!

Everglades Madness?

Unsuspecting Biker Dove On By Hungry Florida Panther!

ABM has a history of cruising the extreme tip of southern Florida, both on the road, and on the water.  The area either side of "Everglades City" is so remote, they'd never find Zimmerman.

Four bros were out for a little ride, when eye witnesses say a Florida panther actually mounted a guard rail, then pounced onto biker Ken Nolan, who was knocked to the ground, taking in some road rash, and a messed up clavicle.

Biker hits panther, or panther hits biker?  We guess it's what's behind curtain 2, making this oddity one of the weirdest biker versus animal stories ever heard.

The fact that Florida Fish and Game can't figure out why the big cats prefer crossing the road, instead of specially built tunnels is a mystery to us.  Anyone who has ever had a feline pet knows all cats love to sit atop any lookout/perch.

Wanna ride extreme southern Florida?  Bring BIG CAT protection, and remember....They LOVE DUCATI MEAT! 

PS..The trusty ABM Nikon selected this week to enter camera hell.  We'll post pics of the broken BMW handlebars tomorrow.

AGATT Dudes Driven Crazy By Flip Flop Wearing Bikers!

Scandalous!

This sort of behavior drives the AGATT, or "All Gear, All The Time dudes crazy!

Here's a few from Daytona's Main Street..

(we're saving the freaky ones for last!)

A Double!

You'd think it's only ladies wearing flips..

Couple of days in the Florida sun turns toenails white, toes red !

Shot on I- 95, headed south toward Daytona:

80mph flip flops.

We got no beef, just sayin' 80mph?

CRAAZEE!

..and, one for the road.

"Put on them high heeled sneakers, babe..!"

Beats flip flops any day of the week?

next time:  quarter inch handlebars on a

$23,000 motorcycle?

Scandalous!