Having nothing better to do on the Sunday before the Daytona 500, we attended a motorcycle swap meet at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach, Florida. Marcus Orabona wanted to go look for bargains he might find useful and I thought it might be picture worthy on a boring Sunday.

So, we met a Will’s and stopped up the road for breakfast at a popular eatery in a strip mall and ran into others headed up to the swap meet. Just Joe was going to see if he could get some needed parts for his Shovelhead build. He wanted to find a used headlight mounting block so he wouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for a new one. And frugal Sean was looking for a bargain tire.

The locals are all trying to get their rides up and roadworthy as Bike Week is coming up and it wouldn’t do not to have the bikes running for the biggest motorcycle event in the world. That figure is according to the Daytona Beach Visitors Bureau authorities whose job it is to hype such valuable tidbits.

It was a chilly morning when we rolled into the site in Ormond Beach next to a Love’s Truck Stop. First order was more hot coffee, and then it was time to wander the aisles of new, used, shiny, and bent parts to see what we could see at the right price. Since it was mostly locals it was also a lot of social intercourse and lying, bragging and tire kicking. The talk was of the upcoming Daytona Bike Week, which bars were in, which were out, and which were overpriced rip-offs for the tourist enthusiasts the locals laugh about; the cops, whether the Feds (who were here in October) would be here seizing bikes with stolen parts. I’ve seen these guys in Sturgis, Laughlin, and Daytona before. They walk in a pack and with wide open eyes look for bikes that just don’t look right. Then they swarm the bike and check it over like the judges at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, examining every detail. If they find a problem you don’t lose a chance at a trophy, you lose the bike as a tow truck snatches it up and it’s off to impound.

Also the talk was if the crowds were going to be huge with lots of money to bolster the economy and where the best places would be to find the best looking, skimpiest dressed barmaids. Excitement was in the air.

There were a surprising large number of vendors, some from out of the area with new, used, and take-off parts. One of the peddlers was from the Carolinas, some 500 miles north of Daytona Beach. Plus some of the race cars for Speed Week events at Barberville were parked and sort of pitted on the large lot so there was a lot going on with all the action. Also there were a couple of vendors selling regular flea market junk. Marcus found a few parts for his projects, Just Joe picked up a set of wheels. Sean unsuccessfully looked for a 140 tire. And me? I shot some pictures and enjoyed the morning in the bright sun.