2011 Daytona Beach Bike Week Preview

I’ll wager Ed Kretz of Monterey Park, California had no clue what he was a part of while bombing down the sands of Daytona Beach in the inaugural Daytona 200. Kretz was just out having fun on his Indian motorcycle while trying to lap the 3.2-mile combination road and beach course faster than the rest of the riders entered in the 200 so he could earn a little paycheck. But this race on January 24, 1937 serves as the starting point for something special, something we now call Daytona Beach Bike Week. And this year, over half a million motorcyclists are expected to converge on Volusia and Flagler counties to have a little fun in the sun and ride their motorcycles on the same sandy beaches that the first Daytona 200 winner Kretz did.

The last beach race may have been over 50 years ago, but Daytona International Speedway has been a gracious host to the Daytona 200 since 1961. And racing is still at the heart of Bike Week. Almost every American motorcycle racing series uses it to kick off its season. The opening GNCC round goes down at Westgate River Ranch, AMA Pro Flat Track gets its season off to a roaring start with a doubleheader on the new quarter-mile lime rock track adjacent to the Speedway, and then there’s the Daytona 200 between the most talented road racers in AMA Pro Racing. If that’s not enough, the opening rounds of the AMA Pro American SuperBike and SuperSport classes take place during 2011 Daytona Bike Week. The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series will also debut on the historic high banks of the Speedway.

An AMA Supercross round is on the schedule, too. Right now, the GOAT is doing his best to make a hellacious course for competitors to ride on as work is underway on the Ricky Carmichael Signature Design Course. The Daytona Supercross round, generally held on the last weekend of Bike Week, is moving to the first weekend this year. The day after the pro race, the 2011 Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross is being held followed by the Ricky Carmichael University the day after that. The GOAT sure is busy for a man who’s supposed to be retired from the sport.

There’s plenty more going on at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) besides racing. Just about every motorcycle manufacturer will be set up there with their latest models on display. Most of them are offering demo rides, too, so you can sample the latest motorcycles on the market besides just looking and drooling over them. There are always tons of vendors hawking their wares in the motorcycle bazaar set up outside the Turn 4 tunnel. Fun stuff like the Hooters bikini contest takes place on Saturday, March 12 at Thunder Alley, located in the Midway. There will also be what’s known as the Spring Dash, where hundreds of every-day motorcyclists will get a chance to ride on the fresh pavement of DIS. The event, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, costs $30 to ride on the 3.56-mile road course with benefits going to the Disabled Veterans Foundation.

In the meantime, banners are being strung over the street, beer girls are picking out pasties and are ready to ice down their beer wells, and bars like the Boot Hill Saloon, Dirty Harry’s and Froggy’s Saloon are ready to compete for biker dollars on Main Street. This small strip of businesses is the epicenter of Bike Week party action and is sure to be elbow-to-elbow once again this year. It’s Bike Week’s 70th anniversary and anniversary years tend to be huge. Besides, a lot of bikers are itching to ride and looking forward to putting the cold months of a particularly hard winter behind them.

Bike Week also gives bikers and builders the first crack at showing-off what they’ve been working on all winter long. Checking out the bikes parked along and cruising Main Street is a pastime in and of itself. But if you really want to see cool bikes, be sure to hit up a bike show or two while you’re there. One of our favorites is the Rat’s Hole, a Bike Week tradition. The Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show has been taking place for over 30 years. This year’s contest is being billed as the “World Bike Showdown” with four bike builders from around the globe being flown in to compete for the title of “World Bike Showdown Champion.” There are also 22 classes for the rest of the competitors who will battle head-to-head in the judged contest. The Rat’s Hole crew has been busy making new trophies this year. Ol’ Ron Finch will be on hand to mingle with the crowd and sign autographs, “Ratmate” poster girls Alexis and Shelby will be doing the same, and tattoo and “Ratmate” contests will keep everyone entertained in the meantime. The show’s back at its prime location at the Daytona Lagoon Waterpark this year, so if you like custom motorcycles, be sure to put the Rat’s Hole on your itinerary for Saturday, March 12.

A bike show of another kind will take place at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo. Willie’s was off-the-hook crazy last year, with more bikes entered in the Old School Chopper Show than ever before. Willie’s features work from some of the best small shops and garage builders out there. You won’t find any stretched-out radical customs here as bobbers, choppers and rat bikes take center stage. It’s a good old-fashioned throw-down with BBQ, bands, $2 beers and the always entertaining antics of MC Roadside Marty. Willie’s is also the best place to get inked in town, so if you’re looking to get a new tattoo during Bike Week, don’t go to just anybody with a tattoo gun that thinks they’re an artist. Check out Willie’s first. The Tropical Tattoo Old School Chopper Show takes place Thursday, March 10 and is guaranteed to be a freak show – in a good way!

And there’s more. The Progressive International Motorcycle Show makes it last stop of the tour at Daytona Beach, which means the finale to its Ultimate Builder Bike Show will be taking place. Winners from the various IMS that have already taken place around the country are invited to compete in the big finale with the grand prize, entry into the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building in Sturgis, on the line. We also know that our buddies Joe Knezevic and Chris Maida of American Iron are holding a Bagger Bike Show on Friday afternoon at the Broken Spoke Saloon. So many bike shows, so little time.

Speaking of the Broken Spoke Saloon, it’s another must-do event during Bike Week. We love the ambience of full-scale motorcycles hanging from the trees, the ax-throwing booth, and fire-breathing bartenders. Tattoo and loud pipes contests will be going on daily, they’ve got live music and killer tribute bands playing every night, and there are always special events happening like Limpnickie Lot night and the Baker Drive Train Smoke-Down Showdown.

Another Bike Week institution is the shenanigan’s that take place at Sopotnick’s Cabbage Patch. Its yearly cole slaw wrestling matches are legendary. Sopotnick’s is always a free-for-all known for good ol’ fashioned fun. A couple of years back they concocted the “World’s Largest Beer Bong.” No telling what the folks at the Cabbage Patch have up their sleeve this year.

Another popular place to hit up this year is Riverfront Park. Harley-Davidson will be set up there and every year they hold a great Ride-In Bike Show. Other manufacturers like Indian Motorcycles and Big Dog also set up shop at Riverfront Park, as well as companies like Progressive and Amsoil. On March 8, there’s an MDA Women’s Ride that starts at Riverside and ends at Destination Daytona.

Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona is another Bike Week staple. Not only is it the largest Harley-Davidson dealership in the world, but the complex has enough activities going on to be considered its own mini-rally. It’s got a permanent hotel and restaurants on site, live bands will be cranking it up daily at the Coca-Cola Pavilion, they plan on having a Mardi Gras-themed beer garden with music and a selection of craft beers, and the Budweiser Clydesdales are scheduled to make guest appearances throughout the week. There are also tons of top-notch aftermarket vendors and companies like J&P Cycles who annually set up shop on the premises.

Many riders are already en route to the shores of Daytona Beach. If you’re traveling through Georgia, be forewarned. The state has received a grant for motorcycle-only checkpoints, so have all your insurance and registration papers in order and make sure your bikes are road-worthy. And I just checked the weather in Daytona Beach – 72 and partly sunny. The forecast is promising the perfect weather for a half million or so bikers to have fun, unlike the unseasonably cold Bike Week of last year. Get your motor running because it’s the 70th anniversary of Daytona Beach Bike Week. We’ll be there doing our best to report on action from the scene. Hope to see many of you there.