The crowds on opening day were kind of light under sunny ideal conditions. Cold nights in the high 30’s and cool days helped to keep the crowd at the leather and sweatshirt vendors busy while the girls at the bikini bike washes just had to tough it out.
The usual venues, downtown Daytona’s Beach Street on the mainland and the Main Street Crawl mingle with the lookie loos, tourists, and college kids on spring break. If that wasn’t enough, there’s the Ormond Mile (beware of overzealous cops), the Daytona International Speedway parking lot, the Volusia Swap Meet near the Speedway, and if you wanted really horrible traffic plus more overzealous cops, you’d head up to Destination Daytona.
A new money-raising scheme has been put in place this year of charging for parking bikes at all venues including ones controlled by the local Harley shops. And for the vertical plate crowd, Florida has made the vertical plate illegal and subject to a grand fine, yeah $1,000. Flagler Beach cops wrote a bunch of $1,000 Vertical Plate Tickets under Florida’s new law including one for a New Mexican biker from Los Lunas only to have the chief after getting blasted in the news, rewrite the ticket under another law with a $101 fine.
Motorcycle shows start with the very popular Ol’ Skool Show at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo ($2 beer cheapest in the Bike Week area) and ending with the Rat’s Hole at the Water Park beachside. I couldn’t help but notice that at the Harley Ride In Show, the Boardwalk Show, and the Rat’s Hole Show, the contestants were anal about cleaning, wiping, and polishing their bikes unlike the Ol’ Skool Show where entrants rode from wherever on their show bikes, got them spotted, and started partying. My kind of biker and FYI most bikes in the latter two shows would be ineligible for entry in the Ol’ Skool Show.
Other Bike Week events included cage fights, music, shopping, hanging out, riding in heavy traffic, and paying outrageous parking fees. I can only hope that this recession brings back the prime purpose of the motorcycle, riding it and packing your significant other.
Willie’s Ol’ Skool Show
Twice annually, Willie’s Tropical Tattoo Ol’ Skool show attracts bikers to look at bikes, drink cheap beer, and be part of a family gathering. It’s more of a “happening” than a bike show. This was the largest show in the history of Tropical’s Ol’ Skool Show with 167 entries.
H-D Ride In Show
The Motor Company’s Ride In Show is limited to Harley-Davidsons, where showroom stockers are on display with the radicals. Anybody with a genuine Harley can enter and be judged by The Motor Company.
Boardwalk Show
In my opinion, this is for people who wish to show off their rides after the Ol’ Skool Show and before the Rat’s Hole Show. Its location is where the Rat’s Hole originated by the late Karl “Big Daddy Rat” Smith.
Rat’s Hole Show
By Saturday, show bikes had their last chance for a trophy at the 37th annual Rat’s Hole Show held at the Waterpark. It was the most spacious show, so you could actually walk around the bikes. I noticed a huge upswing in the custom crotch-rocket class and lots of European entries giving a total of 164 entries.