The reports on the Streets were bad. Daytona was down to Biketoberfest attendee levels,” said Lee Clemens from Departure Bike Works in Richmond, VA. High prices, traffic and more events nationwide might have something to do with diminishing traffic. Some said it was the cops that kept them away. Let’s hit it through news features delivered by folks who were there, locals and scurvy bikes who slipped under the radar.
BIKERNET FEATURE BIKE OWNER REPORTS IN–I just got back from Daytona Bike Week, and thought to forward you pictures. I entered the bike in some shows, and here are the results:
1.) Harley-Davidson Corporate Show: I received “Honorable Mention” at this show. My bike is on their site in a number of places. I’m in the March 7th and March 9th group of pictures.
2.) International Master Bike Builders Association: I received “Third Place” Not bad considering I was up against dozens of greatbikes from around the world. I’ve been invited to attend the Canadian Biker Build Off as well.
Their website is: http://www.masterbikebuilders.com/bikeshows/bikeshow07.html
3.) Rat’s Hole Show: This was a big show with bikes from all over the world. I don’t know how many bikes were in my class exactly, but it was an entire floor. I placed eleventh in my class, which is great for my first time out in the world.
That’s all for now, Bandit. Thanks again bro for that beautiful write up on your site.
–Marc Frantz
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FUNDRAISING EFFORTS RAISED $150,000FOR MDA DURING DAYTONA BIKE WEEK– MILWAUKEE — (March 13, 2007) Harley-Davidson's fundraising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) raised more than $150,000 during 2007 Bike Week at Daytona Beach, Fla. Harley-Davidson employees, MDA organizers and event volunteers participated in various activities to raise dollars during the event March 3-10.
Harley-Davidson sponsored activities for MDA at Bike Week included the “Bankers Auction” hosted by Harley-Davidson, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jim Ziemer and Vice President and Treasurer Jim Brostowitz, the Willie G. Davidson pledge ride to Daytona, the Harley-Davidson Ride-in Show and MDA public auction held at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center.
Harley-Davidson and MDA volunteers also sold event pins and raffle tickets for a 2007 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy® Motorcycle customized by Willie G. Davidson with special Daytona graphics. As an added feature the motorcycle was fully accessorized with Genuine Motor Accessories™ installed by Harley-Davidson technicians on the Daytona show floor. Jimmie Gore of Pleasantville, LA won this one of a kind motorcycle.
Harley-Davidson has been a national sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1980 and the family of dealers, riders, suppliers and employees has raised more than $60 million for MDA. The funds raised support life-saving research, comprehensive medical care for children and adults with neuromuscular disease and MDA summer camps.
BUILDERS BREAKFAST SPONSORED BY BIKERNET.COM BREAKS THE BANK IN DAYTONA–The Builders Breakfast did it again raising $ 22 ,000 to benefit Boggy Creek Camp for Kids.
Daytona Beach, FL – (March 7, 2007) –With all 200 hundred breakfast tickets sold, the Builders Breakfast kicked it into high gear with an auction that raised an additional $12,000. Topping off an unbelievable morning, Bruce Rossmeyer, owner of Destination Daytona made an announcement to event host Billy Lane stating he would MATCH all the ticket sale funds raised at the event.
The first annual breakfast was held last year at the legendary Broken Spoke Saloon on Lazelle Street in Sturgis. Due to demand, a second event was added annually in Daytona.
“After the first event I received tons of emails and calls from people who wanted to attend the event, but didn’t go to Sturgis. They asked if we could hold a breakfast in Daytona. I talked to the other Builders and Rossmeyer and we decided we would give it a shot. With very little notice and time we pulled today’s event together. Based on the numbers, I think we did the right thing. Thanks to Bruce Rossmeyer and the attendees, Boggy Creek is leaving with a FAT check!” said Billy Lane, Founder of Choppers Inc and the Builders Breakfast.
Today’s Breakfast raised over $5,000 in ticket sales alone and nearly another $12,000 at the auction. “The beautiful part of today, was that every ticket dollar we raised was doubled thanks to the generosity of Bruce Rossmeyer,” said Billy, “Our $17,000 turned into $ 22 ,000 just like that.”
The Builders Breakfast Sturgis Sponsored by Bikernet.com is next in South Dakota benefiting Make A Wish, South Dakota. The Sturgis event takes place Tuesday, August 7th at the Broken Spoke Saloon.
Tickets are on sale now at
Builders Breakfast Events Details
Builders Breakfast Sturgis 2007
Tuesday, August 7th at Broken Spoke
Lazelle Street, Sturgis
Time: TBA
Ticket: $25 (optional $10 donation earns extra raffle ticket)
Builders Breakfast Daytona 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
More details to follow (watch for details at choppersinc.com. Listen for information on WHOG 95.7 in Daytona Beach)
Attending BuildersBilly Lane, Arlen Ness, Kendall Johnson, Cory Ness, Cyril Huze, Eddie Trotta, Matt Hotch, Aaron Greene, Paul Cox, Keino, Russell Mitchell, Russell Marlow*, Jesse Rooke*, Kim Suter, Jerry Covington, Donnie Smith, Dave Perewitz, Scott Webster, Fred Kodlin, Arlin Fatland, Paul Yaffe, Roland Sands, Michael Prugh and Jim Nasi. *participants, not in photo
NO STRIPPERS, NO BOOZE, JUST RIDING AND SUNSHINE–Daytona can be an oasis to someone like me coming from the frozen tundra. This year I took a gamble and jetted down to FL with no bike. Fortunately my bros took care of me and immediately hooked me up with a ride…not just any ride but a 2005 Custom Road King complete with a Pro-Charger courtesy of Leroy-Thompson. It was a blast to ride and even had a passenger seat, which afforded me the opportunity to give a hot French photographer some seat time for some great POV shots.
Being completely land locked there are a few things that I look forward to besides just seeing all my bros: including getting my feet in the sand, getting some miles in the salt air and the fresh seafood. I immediately headed to my favorite hole in wall the first night Hull’s Market in Ormond Beach just on the west side of the Granada bridge, nothing fancy but the best damn scallops I have ever tasted and hush puppies that would make you want to move there.
I’m busy while I’m down there trying to see everything I possibly can. On Wednesday I headed over to the builders breakfast in the morning and saw some familiar faces and arranged a riding photo shoot with Twisted Choppers, Sucker Punch, Rich Phillips, Led Sled and Leroy-Thompson.
We managed to squeeze shooters from Cyclesource, WILD and IronWorks in the back of a little Subaru Baja. There was no showboating…just a bunch of buddies out riding and having a good time in the Florida sunshine. This was the beginning of what I will classify as a trip that reinvigorated my faith in brotherhood, bikers and just generally people who “Get It”. It was so great hanging out with guys like Scott Webster of Leroy-Thompson and have him say things like…”Man I love what I do, if I can put my personality into a bike and people like it that is the best compliment I can get.”
We rode for a few hours and then headed back. The next day was a blur with the Chopper Chicks Crew getting a late start building their charity chopper that was donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. But they pulled it off in about 7.5 hours.
Thurs also had the Willie’s Tropical tattoo show, which had the coolest bikes by far. I checked out bikes from all over…the stand outs were definitely a red flamed Pan, a polished aluminum V-Twin that was done by Red Baron Choppers that had insane amounts of hand machining done and a few original flatties and Indians. It is the only show where a bike like Super Dave of SPS would win for best Hardcore chopper. This bike has been on fire because of either burnouts or ridden hard, but is a killer SPS work truck type ride. I checked out the S&S party that night and split for the house for a good nights sleep.
Friday we faced another photo shoot. This time there was a slightly different cast of characters and I was riding a Sucker Punch bobber thanks to Christian at Sucker Punch. We all met at Willies and Chris Callen head shit kicker at CycleSource test rode an SPS base model and we were joined by the Detroit Bros, Led Sled, Twisted and Rich Phillips on his boardtracker. We went through Tomoka Park and then down the coast with the esteemed photographer Sara Liberte shooting all the way.
That night Detroit bros and Twisted battled it out at the Spoke to see who could do a better burnout. Hank Young and Jay Hart joined the fun and filled the place up with smoke and Hank grabbed four gears…
That night was a total blowout at the Spoke and I ended up riding that SPS bobber back through thick-as-mud, fog. I left before I could head out to the Ratshole show but heard it was a V-8 build-off. What kind of bullshit is that? I am sure there were some cool bikes, but I doubt as many cool bikes as there were at the Willies show…Next year watch out, I heard it is going to get even more spread out.
Thanks again to Leroy-Thompson and Sucker Punch for hooking me up with scoots for the duration.
–Maxwell Smart
ROGUE ON THE DAYTONA MOTORCYCLE TASK FORCE–I have written numerous things about the Motorcycle Task Force and in myopinion they are a joke. They convince the state to send them tomotorcycle events around the country with tax payer money. Now of course they work undercover (haha) wearing plain clothes andpartying. Oh yeah, they do make a showing and go out in a groups to checknumbers and harass people.
I have had numerous people contact me with complaints about them. You may remember some of the reports I have sent you in the past. It appears they confiscate motorcycles and then try to keep them. I did have a run in with some of them a few years ago when I was workingfor Quantum. I was at Carl's Speed Shop with some of the company's bikeswhen one of the employees told me some one was outside touching mymotorcycle.
I went outside and asked the person what the Fuck they thought they wedoing. He identified himself as part of this task force and said he waschecking my motorcycle. I told him to check with his eyes and not move myoil lines without asking, as he might crack or make them leak. He said hewas checking the transmission numbers. I asked him if he was some kind of expert and he said he was. At that pointI told him he was stupid and did not know shit. I stated the motorcycle hada State Of Florida assembled out-of-parts tag on the frame and that all theparts on the bike had been checked and numbers verified by the State ofFlorida.
He then asked if I was a expert and after chuckling I said, “Obviously morethan you, as I have built numerous motorcycles for myself and even companieslike Quantum. I’m also one of the staff authorized to stamp numbers innew motorcycles.”
When I was finishing my shift, the same goon squad was comingdown the street, and when one of them went to check my bike, the cop I hadwords with earlier, told them not to go near it or me. Their success rate sucks. Every once in awhile they do recover a stolenmotorcycle but no where near the amount that are stolen each year. The moneythat is spent to fund this group is a joke and amounts to the gettingto go to Biker Events on Our Tax dollars.
This is an issue that state agency's where events are held are very capableof handling with out bringing in outsiders to vacation.
Check out this on my web sitehttp://www.bikerrogue.com/Articles/justice_gone_crazy/police_snatch-a-bike_crews.htm
While I was President of Connecticut Motorcycle Right Association I did filecharges against Connecticut State Trooper Bob Kenney for illegallyconfiscating motorcycles. He also tried to confiscate one of the Easyriders Puller Bikes from therodeo. Check with Leon Thatcher for that story.
The motorcycle people of this country should complain to their stateagency's about the waste of our tax dollars.
–ROGUE
FALSE STOLEN MORTORCYCLE NUMBERS FOR BIKE WEEK–Just on local TV station, 77 motorcycles stolen in Daytona this year 44 Motorcycles stolen in 2006 = Bike Thefts Up.
Said that law enforcement were planting custom motorcycles with GPS in hopes they would get stolen and then they could catch someone.
–Rogue
MORE ON STOLEN MOTORCYCLES–DAYTONA BEACH — This year's was a kinder, gentler Bike Week.Although there was plenty of the usual rowdiness, fewer people died during the 10-day rally that ended Sunday.And fewer of the pricey bikes that give the tourist mega-event its name were stolen.Daytona Beach police Chief Michael Chitwood said he made sure the word got out nationwide beforehand that he wasn't giving any warnings for “idiot biking.”
Chitwood said his police force focused on cracking down on bike thieves. Nightly between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., detectives in plain clothes patrolled parking lots.Fifteen motorcycles were stolen this year in Daytona Beach compared with 54 last year, Chitwood said. It's a successful initiative he said police launched last fall.
–from Rogue
Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Member 2005
SMALLER CROWD VISITS A MORE SPREAD OUT BIKE WEEK– Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL – DAYTONA BEACH — Leather-clad bikers packed their saddlebags in the parking lot at Plaza Resort & Spa on Sunday morning while inside a petite blonde, wearing a teal sweatshirt and University of Kentucky Wildcat jogging shorts, waited in a check-in line.
As Spring Break gears up and Bike Week winds down, organizers, businessmen and departing bikers seemed to agree: This year' s Bike Week was smaller, more spread out and safer.
“The obvious thing — we have had fewer deaths than last year. While no deaths are acceptable, fewer is better,” said Kevin Kilian, vice president of events at The Chamber, Daytona Beach/Halifax Area. “There was less congestion because it's so spread out.”
No motorcycle fatalities were reported Sunday, letting this year's Bike Week-related death toll in Central Florida stand at seven. Five of those deaths occurred in Volusia County, and two were in Seminole County on Interstate 4 just over the Volusia line. No deaths were reported in Flagler County.
By contrast, a record 21 Bike Week-related deaths were recorded in 2006, with 16 occurring in Volusia and Flagler counties.
“There were positively fewer people,” said Carl Morrow, owner of Carl's Speed Shop in Holly Hill, who also kept a presence at his old location on Beach Street. “If we had 500,000 last year, we had 300,000 this year, and if you have 40 percent less people, you have 40 percent less business.”Steve Fritze, year-round manager at The Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, thought things were off, too. “It seemed like a little less people around, but we had a good week,” Fritze said.
–Daytona News Journal
–from Rogue
DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW HOW BIG THE CROWDS WERE?– DAYTONA BEACH — You might notice some extra people in town during the six-week special event period that shifts into high gear with this week´s run-up to Sunday´s Daytona 500.
Actually, you might notice lots of people. Everywhere. Sitting at traffic lights. Waiting in line at restaurants. Parking at the Volusia Mall and walking across International Speedway Boulevard to the Speedway. Riding their motorcycles. Standing beside their motorcycles. Looking at other people´s motorcycles. Cruising the beachside, big speakers booming.You probably have time to ponder, fingers drumming your steering wheel, just how many people are in town.
And those who could spend money to get a more accurate count don´t care.
Bike Week has become a regional – some say statewide – event, spread across at least seven Central Florida counties. High room rates and weeklong minimum-stay requirements in Daytona Beach drove some bikers to neighboring counties in search of cheaper stays. Some Orlando-area venues now compete for biker business.Jones estimated 200,000 were in Volusia County for the final weekend of last year´s Bike Week. Attendance at Black College Reunion fell to 65,000 last year after several years at around 100,000, Jones said. Visitors bureau researcher Evelyn Fine estimates Spring Break attendance will stay at 140,000 in coming years.
More or less.
Crowd estimates are an inexact science anywhere large numbers gather, and some stabs provoke controversy.The San Francisco Chronicle commissioned an independent study, using aerial photographs, of a 2003 anti-war protest that organizers said drew 200,000 to 250,000. The actual number, according to the paper´s study, was 65,000. Protest organizers called the study “flat wrong,” the paper said.More famously, the Nation of Islam said its Million Man March in 1995 exceeded a million marchers at the Mall in Washington, but the U.S. Park Service put the figure closer to 400,000
–from Rogue
www.bikerrogue.com
DAYTONA DOWN–For another year. The folks who went had a helluva time, no dodging heavy traffic. Although we didn’t make it, our banners went flying from party to party, thanks to the crew at 2Wheelers and Darcy Betlach. Watch for more reports as journalists all over the country sober up and start to remember what happened.
So we’ll see what happens next in this twisted world. Maybe local shows will grow and more intimate parties expand. Maybe Biketoberfest will flourish and Bike Week will wane. We’ll take another look at Laughin in April, the remainder of the Easyriders Show Tour for 2007, the Quick Throttle Expo or the Half Moon Concourse. More reports are due it. Hang on.
–Bandit
