Boldfaced Events Of The 70th Daytona Bike Week

Boomers Versus Generation Y. More than ever, Generation Y, those bikers and builders born in the 1980’s, brings a new face to Daytona Bike Week. Baby-boomers still largely dominate the scene, but Generation Y raw bikes built out of necessity to ride from”recycled parts” are everywhere to be seen, from the Limpnickie Lot to Willie’s to the Broken Spoke Saloon. For the 1st time, they even found their way to the Classic Rat’s Hole Bike Show where the new generation of builders seems to find excitement in challenging high end rollers with their blue collar attitude bikes .

– Harley-Davidson H-D1 Custom Bike Showcase. I understand that the new comprehensive personal customization process offered by Harley-Davidson when you buy a new model needs to be promoted. This year, harley-Davidson canceled its traditional Official Bike Show competition, usually held behind the Ocean Center, and replaced it by an invitation to enter custom bikes in the all-new H-D1 Custom Bike Showcase at the Harley display at Riverfront Park on Beach Street. Bring your custom Harley, have it photographed, and winners are selected daily by a random drawing for a total of eight winners, who each receive two nights lodging at a Best Western Hotel and a $200 H-D gift card. Nice, but I met several frustrated owners of customized Harleys who want to compete in a judged Official Harley Bike Show where they can check others  bikes and have a full day of camaraderie under the sun until Willie G. Davidson hands out trophies.

– Daytona Police Task Force. It seems that they were extremely efficient during this 70th edition. Instead of more than 200 stolen motorcycles during former years, the final number went down to about a dozen. Police patrols hit the streets of big gatherings, deploying bait motorcycles, hunting stolen bikes, tracking suspicious people fiddling with keys and wiring, stopping vans to check their content, etc. Back to the motto “To Protect And Serve”

– Biker Fusion Party. The main professional charity event of Bike Week was held again on Thursday night at the Dog House on Daytona Beach Main Street. All custom builders, industry and opinion leaders present in Daytona gathered to participate to what is mainly a charity event organized by Carrie Repp to benefit Soldier’s Angels, a volunteer-led nonprofit organization with hundreds of thousands of volunteers providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families. Through an auction, the industry demonstrated once again the strong and emotional relation it has with the military and its veterans by raising what may be a record amount of donations (amount to be confirmed)

– Harley Women MDA’s Ride. It’s also an important charity event, this one to benefit MDA, but from my point of view the story is also the large number of women who participated and the type of Harley models they solo rode (from Sportsters to Baggers) demonstrating again that women represent the leading emerging market of the motorcycle industry. Karen Davidson and Cris Sommer-Simmons led the ride like they lead by example the overall movement of women taking to the streets on their own motorcycles (women now represent 14% of new Harley sales)

– Rossmeyer’s Big White Chapel. Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona may be soon enter its name in the Guinness World Records Book, not for being the largest official Harley-Davidson dealer in terms of square footage or sales, but for a record- breaking achievement: the largest number of biker weddings in one day. Last Friday, after paying a fee of $50 and producing a valid marriage license, many couples got married among a sea of Harleys. Maybe a world record, but who is keeping track of weddings performed in other rallies like Sturgis? I wonder.

6 Responses to “Boldfaced Events Of The 70th Daytona Bike Week”


  1. 1 HD Chaz Mar 13th, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Overall, I think it was a good bike week. A very rainy day. Cool in mornings and evenings, but beautiful and sunny during the day. I think there were more custom bikes in shows, Rat’s Hole looked bigger than last year.

  2. 2 Harry Mar 13th, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Cool and simple copper tank.

  3. 3 MJ Reynolds Mar 14th, 2011 at 9:59 am

    It was nice seeing you at the 70th. Glad you could approve of “The Secret Life of Cyril Huze” featured in the Daytona Beach Ratty Rag, 2011 Bike Week edition. The limited 20,000 copies went in a snap.

  4. 4 KSW Mar 15th, 2011 at 10:02 am

    Cyril,

    I go as a photographer so I’m always observing.
    What I saw and heard was…………..

    Bike Week needs a little tweaking. At Full Moon over lunch with strangers
    the Old Guys where saying they are tired of the same bands and songs on
    main st. One said, how about some jazz or blues or something else. Personally,
    I walked from Full Moon to The Dog House and heard the exact same song being
    played by two different bands.

    Destination did have a clothing show with Hip-Hop music which speaks to the age
    gap happening. I saw a lot of sport bikes, younger riders and especially mixed ethnicity.
    I’m not just talking color or race but country’s. At the Hilton a Contingent from Brazil
    pulled up with a moving van of gear off their charter flight. The Russians where there in
    big numbers as well as Europeans of all walks. Then their are the women riders who appear
    to be obviously growing in numbers and not just riding small bikes.

    On the Chambers efforts to increase visitors to the area. The Hilton Daytona Beach is an
    abomination to the brand. I stay at the Hilton because it gives me easy access without my
    bike for shooting in the area from Main St. to Riverfront Park. Drinking and riding don’t mix
    for me. The Hilton and most of the hotels are seriously out of date. Even the jets at the pool
    spa haven’t been fixed in 4 years at The Hilton. The rooms are better almost anywhere else.
    The Chamber needs to not only fill the Main St. shops all year but have the businesses upgrade
    as well. Without ruffling too many feathers I”d say Daytona is the “Jersey” of Florida resort beaches.

    For me, a great year of images, riding and even the rain which blew in and out made good images.

    Kevin

  5. 5 Kirk Perry Mar 15th, 2011 at 11:09 am

    Hot item just popped-up:

    A bottle-brush for fork legs.

    http://www.motorcycleproductnews.com/Products/85312/ftb1_fork_tube_brush.aspx

  6. 6 Wiz Mar 17th, 2011 at 6:22 am

    Oh Boy, Here we go; Never been to Daytona so when Seminole Harley-Davidson in Sanford, FL called me to come pick up a brand spankin’ new 2011 H-D Tri-Glide to modify for an individual with no use of his right hand, I jumped at the chance. Left Dakota with 4 inches of ice on the ground ‘an jammed on down. The boys [especially Freddie] ‘an gals at Seminole treated me Great! Let me use a different new scooter every day [Street-Glides, Fat Boys] comp [no charge] to run up to Daytona for the festivities. Looked for you Jeffy Nickalus [did I get it right this time?] ‘an you Ricky Fearless to surprise you, but you guys weren’t around so I hung with my buds Eddie Trotta ‘an Brian Klock [good folks]. Had a wonderful time everywhere I went, so now I can say “Been there, done that, got the shirt!” A BIG THANK YOU to Seminole Harley-Davidson [give them yer bidness] and I’ll be delivering the Tri-Glide back there in a couple of weeks ‘an see them again. Of course, after my ’99 Chevy pick-up gets outta the shop [blew the tranny out of it, musta been the 95+ MPH all the time, down ‘an back] so be seein’ ya soon! Wiz

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Cyril Huze