The last large bike show of the week at Daytona Bike Week is the Rat’s Hole Bike Show that takes place at the Daytona Lagoon water park. There were over 70 motorcycles competing in 22 classes on the final Saturday of the week. What a great location for a bike show. The water park is colorful, large and able to handle even more bikes if they so desired. The only thing that I will mention is that this is the only bike show that charges to get in, but the $5 entry fee is a small price to pay for a great show. If the entry fee is the only way to keep the show in the water park then it is definitely a small price to pay.

The Rat’s Hole Show is truly an International event with competitors from all over the world including, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Canada, as well as the U.S. The competition this year was labeled “The World Bike Showdown”, and true to its billing first place went to Chopper Kulture’s Mario Kyprianides from Abu Dhabi with his 1965 Harley Panhead bobber with a slew of one-off additions and eye-catching orange metal flake paint job. This is an incredible bike and well deserving of first place. Second place went to Joe Palermo of World Class Customs, the lone USA-built bike. Third place went to a custom bike built by Shaun Ruddy of Phat Choppers from Australia with a claimed weight of 166 pounds, a 500cc four-stoke, four-valve single putting out approximately 92 horsepower. Finally we had fourth place go to Tako Maniatakos of Sickasso Cycle Creations. Sickasso―a great name and a word I have been used to describe myself more than a few times.

Let’s not forget that there were 22 classes competing for the coveted “Rat” trophy and there were plenty of bikes that were potential first-place builds. Radical bikes, gorgeous baggers, street bikes, and way-cool bobbers were everywhere on site. As a matter of fact one of my favorites was not even included in the classes in the previous sentence. It was an 858cc Norton Commando café racer owned by Thomas J. Dukes from Clemont, Florida, entered in the Antique/Classic Restored class. Antique, classic, or restored, if I could take any bike home with me it would have been this one. In my dreams!

Well that does it for Daytona Bike Week coverage here online but you can see more in the next issue of Barnett’s Magazine.