By Lulu

On a beautiful day in July daring to gather motorcycling enthusiasts together in spite of Covid, Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson put on a Street Glide Bike Show with classes that included; paint, sound, lights, pipes, Best in Show, Best Bagger, Best Wheel and a few more. One of our clients and friend, Karl from Volks Audio was in the show and was happy to go home with the Best in Show trophy for sound . We are featuring him as our Biking Business feature in this issue. By far his sound was loud and clean. Should be with 24 speakers!! Mandy and Shelley Rossmeyer were on hand to register the entries and for trophy presentation. Not to laugh at the wounded but watching Mandy push Shelley around in a wheelchair while wearing a walking boot made for a chuckle or two. Mandy hurt a leg while dirt biking and Shelley stepped off a boat and is awaiting surgical correction! Get well soon you two! Get into the showroom before September 5th, as they are giving 3 bikes away and no purchase is necessary to enter! More photos of the day are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook.

By Jan Wideman

Saturday, July 18th Gator Harley-Davidson celebrated 27 amazing years in business. During the party we held a Tattoo Contest. Binx, owner of Style and Grace Modern Electric Tattooing Leesburg sponsored the Men’s and Ladies tattoo contest. With Binx, John Malik, Jr and Keith (Slapshot) Totten assisted with the judging. Binx gave the 1st place winners, both men’s and ladies a $100 gift certificate to Style & Grace. Gator H-D gave to the 2nd place winners a $50 GHD gift card and the 3rd place winners received a $25 GHD gift card. The judges had their work cut out for them as each contestant had amazing tattoos with interesting stories behind them. They were judged on: *Quality *Originality *Artwork * Over All Layout.

The winners in the men’s division were 1st Place-Stephen Malmrose 2nd Place-Tony Vick and 3rd Place-Shawn Fitzpatrick. The winners in the ladies’ division were 1st Place-Nellie Elizondo 2nd Place-Ellen Winans and 3rd Place-Robyn Stack. Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you to all the participants that entered the tattoo contest.

The Malik family opened Gator Harley-Davidson 27 years ago right down the road in a small shop. John Malik Jr. thanks all his customers, friends, and family for supporting them for the past 27 years. It was a great day at Gator Harley listening to Hypersona on the Fran Haasch Law Group stage, grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying an ice cold beverage from the Lake Co. Firefighters, visiting the vendors and checking out all the great stuff inside the Dealership. Customer Appreciation was a big hit inside with 20% off licensed product and aftermarket P&A. The sales staff welcomed 4 new Harley-Davidson owners also on Saturday.

A big Thank You goes to our Sponsors Fran Haasch Law Group and Budweiser for the Raffle Package we had for Josie McBride. We raised over the week and during the event $1521.00 in ticket sales for the raffle and another $145.00 in cash donations not to mention (2) checks in the amount of $400 as donations.

Marg was inside sewing away, patch after patch and altering leathers for folks.

Congratulations to Kelly Montgomery for winning the 50/50 and giving it back to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. A big congratulations to Michele Gentles for winning the Raffle Package which included a kick ass cooler and beach chairs.

Thank you to each and every one of you for coming out and celebrating our Anniversary with us.

I received a nasty message from an old friend I have known over 40 years chastising my selfish, risky behavior for attending the 80th Sturgis Bike Rally. Basically, she was telling me my behavior was suicidal if not homicidal and demanding I not visit our hometown of Pensacola potentially infecting and killing her family.

This is a dear friend who has had some risky viral behavior of her own in her past! Some will probably agree with her. In fact, there wasn’t much mask wearing in South Dakota. The crowds were down but still huge. I can’t really say social distancing was followed at concert venues either. But on a motorcycle, riding the Black Hills, you mostly are six feet from everyone, except Bison! I may come down with Covid from this wonderful time in the mountains. I might have come down with Covid from standing in line at the pharmacy before I left. We used hand sanitizer, wore masks where it was required, but we risked the disease and I will tell you why. Vendors are nearly broke from all the cancelled events. The little town of Sturgis with its 7500 residents and the surrounding small-town USA spots are accustomed to the rallies boost to their income.

The state of South Dakota weighed the risk. We weighed the risk. We suffered the 3-day truck ride. We got on our dangerous two wheeled transport and rode those twisties looking down steep cliffs knowing less experienced riders could take us out at any minute. We came face to face with bison, and in fact one lady who weighed the risk, even though signs posted told her not to, suffered the insult of being knocked out (unconscious) and knocked out of her pants for her bad decision of getting off her bike and approaching a baby bison. We all suffer consequences of our choices in life. My choice was simple. Live life as if there is no tomorrow. If I die of a bike wreck so be it. If I die of a bison attack so be it. If I die of Covid so be it. If you are afraid of normal living stay home, wear a mask, goggles, and gloves, don’t eat out, ask for an absentee ballot, and use hand sanitizer. If all that works you won’t have to fear me or my bad choices. In the end something will kill us, that is just a fact. But if going to one of the most spectacular places on Earth for a trip of a lifetime or standing in line at my local Wal-Mart are my choices…I am choosing the trip!

Get on your bike and find a new highway, use your hand sanitizer, and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

When I first started bike riding, I loved the sound of the bike, it was almost the sound of a horse’s trot. Then Bull upgraded his stroked-out Heritage to an Ultra Classic complete with a sound system. We would ride all over the country listening to his CD’s mostly cut by biker bands he knew from somewhere USA. Fast forward 15 years, now there are sound contests and systems that blow your skirt up, like Marilyn over the sidewalk grate. The first time I experienced that heart hurting booming sound coming from a bike was at the Casa Marina in Key West. A sound off by the Cartel Baggers was going on poolside and one of the competitors cracked his fiberglass from the extreme sound. Now people are seeking out sound experts to make their rides competition worthy.

Karl Biancardi has been tinkering with sound since his childhood. Even as a teen he DJ’d and made mixes for his school. At 18 he rented an office for $220 a month and had his first enterprise known as Stereo, Electronics and Gold Exchange in Deltona, Florida. Since 1989 he has had a business known as Volks Audio. Taking some time away from that, Karl spent 15 years in the bar business in the Deland area with JR’s Saloon, H2 Bar, Buck Wild Bar & Grill and H3 Envy. While trying his hand in nightclubs…music and sound was still a big part of it.

Finally deciding he had enough of the bar owner life, Karl went back to what he loves most SOUND. His business based out of Orange City installs and creates custom sound systems for cars, boats, homes, and motorcycles. We were at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson when he took first place for sound with his green Street Glide’s system. This bike has 24 speakers and delivers what he promises; loud sound “clean as a whistle”. The systems he installs on a bike can run from $1,500 to $30,000 and can take from 1 week to 1 month to install. Karl carries PRV Audio, SOUNDDIGITAL, LimiTless Battery and Voodoo Bags. His business has grown so quickly that he is in the process of moving to his new larger facility still in the Orange City area. Every show he enters he get bikes or boats from people hearing how clean the music from his sound system is.

If you are thinking of creating a customized sound system for your bike call Karl at 386-804-2979.

By Ron Cox

Three hundred fifty-seven riders and passengers assembled at Stu’s Motorcycles in south Ft. Myers to participate in a Memorial Ride for Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission Officer Julian Keen who lost his life serving the community.

Early and on-line pre-registrations indicated this would be a monster ride and the columns of motorcycles reached down the side of the dealership and wrapped around it almost completely. A tip of the cap should go to the Motor Officers of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for safely escorting the riders on the 100-mile route.

Wildlife Officer Keen was shot and killed in LaBelle when he attempted to stop a hit-and-run suspect while off duty. It would be a gross understatement to say how much the LaBelle community loved and admired this man.

Hendry County deputies located Officer Keen’s body after responding to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Nobles Road and Apache Circle. Keen’s alleged killer is in custody trying to make bail. Thirty-year-old Keen had served with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for six years.

Upon returning to Stu’s there were hot dogs and burgers on hand along with some ice-cold beverages. A different wrinkle to a biker event was the axe throwing demonstration with the opportunity to try your hand at it yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On a lighter note, some lovely ladies were willing to wash your ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All proceeds from today’s event ($9,000+) will go to the Julian Keen Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship benefits youth pursuing a criminal justice degree or a career in law enforcement.

By Tony and T-Rex

On the Schoon *lazy* river in Chestertown we checked in with Tina at The Rancho Pines Campground. She’s owned this for 24 years but was established back around 1928 so it’s old…with tall pines all over. Set up camp then it’s time to explore, first stop T-Rex wants to see Lake George. There was no Americade this year so that hurt business here. Half the tourists are back, and no traffic going in or out of town. We are on the Eastern side of the mountains, so we rode up to Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.

Then I took T-Rex up to one of the oldest bars, restaurant, boarding house, and train station in Lake Clear Junction. The Charlie’s Inn established a little before 1901 was the main railway from Utica to Malone. It’s not running anymore but the buildings are still standing, so lunch and a beer and we were off.

From there we ran Route 30 to 28 N. It runs you into a small, ok…very, small town of Minerva, where we slid into Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon, another cool place in the middle of nowhere. Cabins for rent, a bar and food they even put on a motorcycle hill climb. A week of riding in the mountains great weather, mountain roads twisting through the big pines and lakes and rivers galore…off to Vermont we go. Stay cool Tony @T-Rex.