Scenes from Bike Week in Daytona Beach 2019

Boy, the last time I attended Bike Week in Daytona was in 2005 or 2006...and it really hasn’t changed much at all.  It’s definitely no Sturgis, but it’s enjoyable to see all of the bikes and hang out with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.

So the wife and I drove over from Tampa on a Saturday and met a few friends there. (It was a 2 1/2 hour drive each way, so, no...I didn’t ride!) We basically walked Main Street, looked around the shops, bought the ubiquitous event t shirts and gawked at all of the bikes rolling up and down the streets.  As well, it was a perfect venue for people watching, one of my favorite pastimes!  And believe me, the freaks we’re out in force...

Some observations:

I only saw a handful of custom bikes.  Among the many thousand Harley Ultra Classics and Honda Goldwings were a few Boss Hoss creations, some truly frame-up custom choppers and a few classic Triumph, Honda or BSAs.  I didn’t see even one Triumph Rocket III or Honda Rune.

Local law enforcement was out on bikes and on foot, but we didn’t see many incidents. The big watering holes (Boot Hill, Dirty Harry’s, etc.) were packed full but we could still move around and find places to sit.

Other than drinking, buying souvenirs and looking at bikes go up and down the street, there isn’t too much to the event. There was a police parade and a Budweiser wagon towed by some majestic Clydesdale horses, but that was about it.

And I ran into Robert Plant as I was leaving...