Daytona Bike Week 2007 Rat's Hole

Signs for the new Bike Week campaign "Look Twice, Save A Life" were posted along the heavily traveled roads and appeared to have an impact with this year's motorcycle fatality number at seven as of Sunday, March 11th, considerably lower than last year's death toll of 19.

After taking a ride along the Daytona Loop in to Ormond Beach to photograph some riders, I visited Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona. The best bet for easy access to the super Harley-Davidson complex is to take I-95. The US 1 exit for Ormond Beach directs you right into the motorcycle-only lane. The parking lot gets full fast, but if you are in the back area you can hop on a tram. Don't worry, you will get enough leg exercise once inside the vendor area where there is plenty to do and see before you ever reach the gigantic H-D Dealership. As I walked up the main walkway, I was able to get a picture of Arlen Ness riding in to his new motorcycle dealership located within the Destination Daytona complex.

On my second visit to Rossmeyer's, I visited Wyotech Daytona to see the Metric Experience where I was able to meet up with my friend, master builder Don Gray. Don Gray Customs is a featured builder in the up coming TV series, Metric Revolution, scheduled to air on ESPN2 starting March 31. Don's work on metric motorcycles has been featured in many magazines and shows. His 108 cubic-inch Yamaha Roadstar is called Twisted Angel and it will be featured in the new metric biker build-off series.

The night life and bar scene is plentiful in the north area now. Hang around to catch great entertainment at one of the US 1 taverns. I visited the Iron Horse Saloon to see my friends of the California Hell Riders ride the motordrome known as the wall of death. While at the Iron Horse, I had the pleasure of taking in a David Allan Coe concert. Free concerts are easy to find during Bike Week, with good ole time rock and roll featuring artists like Edgar Winter, Pat Travers, Foghat and more.

The final Saturday of Bike Week in Daytona was the busiest day of the 10-day event. I have never experienced so many members of the mass media and photographers in one area. Everywhere you looked there was a video camera running while interviews were being taped and photographers with lenses big enough they should have wheels. Let's not forget to add to all this madness the technology of the cell phone with camera, bringing in a new mass of amateur photographers more than willing to stick their phone in front of your planned shot. Thank goodness for digital photography and being able to delete the picture that you just took of three hands holding cell phones.

Saturday, March 10th was the day for the 35th annual Rat's Hole Custom Motorcycle Show. This year, show promoter and owner, Ted Smith, decided to do something that has never been done before by adding the custom V-8 Chopper Build-off with a new crowd of
V-8 motorcycles and trikes.

But you could still view bikes built from scratch in most every design imaginable. I took a moment to visit with 16-year-old Joey Cihak with his entry he calls "Chain Reaction." Joey said he was hopeful that the international judges would chalk up the points needed for him to take home a trophy in his class. Joey has been building motorcycles since the age of 12 and built this trike out of 3/8-inch towing chain that he welded together. It's powered by a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 engine.

As bikers head home and Spring Breakers converge on Daytona, Bike Week 2007 wraps up another successful year. Just ask the hundreds of thousands that made the journey to the Daytona area for the annual event. They will tell you the amount of fun to be had and interesting things to do and see are endless. It is definitely worth the trip.



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