Daytona speed/bike week coming up

Daytona Bike Week coming up-----Trailer Biker capital of the world!! I should be on return run from Key West and stop by at friend's house there.

Really great place to pick up trailering hints, suggestions for Halloween costume for riding and NOISE. Rider skills not very great.

Several years I rode down from northern WI-----takes 500 mile day straight south to get to warmer weather.

Funny on way in Gas Stations you see people (most HD types) in leather jackets/chaps,key rings, talking the talk about ride and then get in their pickups in full motorcycle gear and drive away.

ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE: This is also a great place to visit CORBIN, one of the few factory stores.
You can order a custom seat, or get your current corbin seat foam carved. add a backrest, get repairs, etc.

MOTOLIGHT also usually has a booth there where they will not only sell their products but install them as well.

In fact, if there is ANY product you are thinking of adding to your bike, call the manufacturer and ask if they will have a storefront of some kind at bike week.

Another nice thing about bike week, is you can find many companies to do custom stripeing, custom LED lighting, windscreen etching, test out side mirrors (W/ a 10mm adapter you can use virtually any mirror designed for a Harley.)

If you do your research and plan your trip right, you can see first hand all of the potential upgrades you were thinking about, and get them installed right.

I went to Daytona Beach in November a few years ago with Mrs M, I didn't really want to visit the Speedway or do more bike things as I'd already wandered around Seminole HD on the way there and found the whole Harley bada** biker thing boring. I didn't want to get a tattoo or buy any tacky biker souvenirs from Daytona Beach either.

Apart from that I enjoyed the place. I remember we drove our rental car onto the 'World Famous Daytona Beach', having a paddle, and  getting brain freeze overindulging in some weird ice cream concoction at a Cold Stone Creamery. I especially remember a scruffy wino trying to scrounge some money off us using the excuse "I haven't eaten for three days”.     I gave him some good advice instead, "Force yourself!"  

I have been planning on riding down to Daytona area during Bike Week for The IBA Rally in Jacksonville (intentionally distancing themselves from the Daytona pirate show), and from there riding down to Key West. But it seems that this winter misery is just never going to let up. With two weeks to go the temps here are still in the 20's (F°) and it's snowing. C'mon gimme a break...

Tim

I've just turned 60 and one of the things we were gonna do was come to USA, do speed week ( wrong month) ride 66 on a Harley, nothing left of it and would a Harley complete what is left ?, we then thought about doing a 3 centre, Frisco, LA and Vegas, checked out the mileage and it would work out about 300 a day, even a car that is not much of a holiday, also the temps weren't that great and the cost was gonna be horrendous. So we stayed at home, my 60th prezzie (early by 5 months) is in the drive and can be enjoyed whenever I like. However just so I can say I've ridden one, gonna hire an Ultra Glide for a day in either Edinburgh or Glasgow and do a few miles.

Ummm....Yeah.....That reminds me.....

While you CAN buy a pass to allow you to drive on the beach...

I do not suggest trying to drive on the actual beach with a Silverwing, unless you have a trike kit.
Sand not as packed as you think it is.

I got on, prayed for a quarter mile that I wouldn't drop the bike, because that's how far the next exit was, and got back on solid ground ASAP.

I used to go to bike week every year. I stayed in a dive hotel on the beach next to the peer at the end of Main st. at a cost of $35. a night.(first year I paid $65 way down the beach at a nice hotel) I would reserve the room for the next year when I checked out. One year when I went to check out they said someone already reserved it and I said I wanted it the year after that and was told the person had paid for two years in advance. By then it had gotten so crowded it wasn't much fun anyhow so I've never been back. It is something unique to see and the campgrounds are a nonstop party for those who are young and love to drink from daylight until whatever time you pass out and wake up and start all over again but that's not for this old man.
It's funny if you stay one more day after bike week when you get up and go outside everywhere you look you find young school kids on spring break. The storefronts are selling stuff for college kids and the biker stuff is packed up and put away for next year. The biker bars are still selling the tacky biker souvenirs and t-shirts so the kids that are over 21 or have fake IDs can go back to college and look cool.      
Meldrew you did it right, Daytona is like Sturgis after the bikes leave and spring break is over if becomes a normal town. Well as normal as any tourist town can be.