Bike Week comes rocking, rolling, and roaring into the never too quiet streets of Daytona Beach, and throughout Volusia County in about ten days, so you old farts that complain about the noise and crowded streets, it's getting time for you to high-tail your butts outta here.
This year's annual tradition will repeat itself for the eighty-fourth time. It would be eighty-eight if it hadn't been for a four year break during World War II. What has now become one of the largest motorcycle rallies on the planet, brought in a half-million motorcycle enthusiasts and fanatics from around the globe last year. Now a ten day event, it started modestly in comparison, as the "Daytona 200" motorcycle race, held on Sunday, January 24th, 1937.
Like most racing in the home of speed prior to Bill France's vision to build the Daytona International Speedway in 1958, auto and motorcycle racing was done on a combination of hard-packed beach and pavement, in this case forming a 3.2 mile oval.
After World War II, at some point after 1947, Bill France started promoting the race and rally, and his Midas touch eventually took hold catapulting the event into what it has become today. Traditionally held the first week of March, plus the weekend prior, bikers from all walks of life hit the streets of Daytona for 10 days of motorcycle racing, concerts, street parties, festivals, and long cruises on their bikes throughout Volusia County.
While it's true bikes are everywhere during Bike Week, there are some centers of activity that no Bike Week attendee will want to miss. The crown jewel is of course the Daytona International Speedway, with road, dirt and motocross races throughout the week. The Speedway parking area in front, packed with vendor tents, food, drink and music also serves as a major area for bikers to congregate and show off their iron horses.
Another spot in Daytona Beach proper is the non-stop street party at Daytona Beach's Main Street Entertainment venue. Main Street is closed to automobile traffic, from A-1-A to Peninsula Drive, permitting only motorcycles, trikes and slingshots to weave their way through the mass of pedestrians. There is live music on several outdoor stages, and tons of street food and drink vendors.
North of Daytona Beach, in Ormond Beach, the party really spreads out along a major portion of U.S. Highway 1, (also known as Yonge Street), from a couple miles north of Granada Blvd., (Florida State Route 40), to west of Interstate 95, where you reach the massive commercial plaza Destination Daytona, anchored by Teddy Morse's Daytona Harley-Davidson Dealership and Showroom. The entire shopping center becomes a huge street festival, with plenty of food, drinks, motorcycle gear and of course free concerts.
But that's not all. Along the way to Daytona Destination, heading northwest on Yonge Street there are outdoor numerous concert venues, biker dive bars, and of course more street parties.
While the Daytona Beach Bike Week is a "do not miss" type of event for lovers of tricked-out motorcycles, and watchers of tricked-out people, I will end with one sobering message as well. Few years pass without some fatal motorcycle accidents taking place as a result of Bike Week. So far, 2006 holds the unenviable record with twenty deaths attributed to that year's rally. Bikers need to exercise caution and stay sober when on the bike, and automobile drivers need to be extra cautious.
See you all in a little under two weeks. I'll have my earplugs in and camera ready. Party on!!
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