By LuLu

If you have visited the world famous Iron Horse Saloon over the past 30 years then you probably recognize this month’s Bull’s Eye Steve Fritze. Steve’s first trip to Bike Week in Daytona he happened to meet Billy and Sally, owners at the time of the Iron Horse and they developed a 30+ year friendship which eventually led him to be the manager of the Iron Horse. Steve was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1954, although he spent most of his time growing up in Enfield and eventually East Hampton, Connecticut. He is married to Deb and is the proud papa of four children. Matt is a bike mechanic in Jacksonville and Tony works for nuclear plants across the country. His daughter Kersten works for a hotel beachside in Daytona. His other daughter died in a car accident twelve years ago. He has 3 grandchildren and his bad ass persona is left outside if you are lucky enough to see the smile on his face holding his grandchildren in a photo on the wall in his office. This is definitely a fine family man. In 2004 Steve retired at 50 from driving tractor trailers for 30 years and moved to Bulow Campground to work full time for the Horse. He is so entrenched in the motorcycle lifestyle that his 2004 Ultra Classic has 90,000 miles on it. When I say this man “rides” I mean to say his leather seat is a bit ragged and worn from all the miles his bottom has been sitting on it! His first bike and all his bikes have been Harleys. At 18 he got a Sportster and has been riding ever since. When asked how he started riding he says “the guys I was hanging around with in Enfield rode.” Along with the Ultra Classic he has a 1981 FLH Shovelhead in his garage. He is a two time Vice President of ABATE in Daytona and when I asked what sets bikers apart from others he quickly answered, “They are the most giving people you’ll ever meet-I don’t believe there is a more giving group in the world.” His work at Iron Horse has certainly allowed him to see that as he has worked hard on charities which have included St. Jude’s and the Horse’s real love the Conklin Center for the Blind. He also gets to meet some very cool bikers through the Horse including David Alan Coe, Mickey Jones, John Travolta, Jimmy Van Zant and some of the cast from Sons of Anarchy. As much as he works, rides and enjoys his family there isn’t much time for past times but he does enjoy his suite tickets to NASCAR from time to time. In closing he would like you to know that he thanks all of you who have supported the Iron Horse Saloon over the years and looks forward to continuing to make it the bar you come home to while in town for Bike Week or Biketoberfest, or for that matter all year long! Read the rest of this entry »

By Miserable George The Chili Challenge was created with one purpose in mind: to be THE best ol’ school biker party, and has built quite a reputation on that premise. It is considered Florida’s best, as well as, among the top 10 in the U.S. It was never Roscoe’s intention to compete with any other parties...price-wise, or, other-wise, so, if price is your criteria, you have many others to choose from. But, if you want the best, then, there is only one choice...Roscoe’s Chili Challenge...often imitated...NEVER duplicated! Remember, quality ain’t cheap...and, cheap don’t get you quality!! Roscoe Amen to that Roscoe!! See the ads elsewhere in this issue, and, join me at the best, damn biker party...well...ANYWHERE!! Read the rest of this entry »

By Deborah Speicher On September 14, AMVETS Post 44 held their 6th Annual Patriot Day and 9-11 Remembrance Ride. Riders had a choice of six different starting locations (Brandon H-D, H-D of Tampa, H-D of Lakeland, Gulf Coast H-D, Jim’s H-D and Manatee River H-D), which all ended at Hillsborough Veteran’s Memorial Park in Tampa. I rode out with the Brandon H-D group which was also the largest with approximately 125 motorcycles along with a police escort. Ultimately, another 100+ motorcycles participated as well as those coming by cars and a large VA bus transporting several wheelchair bound veterans. This well organized event included live music by Jacked Up, raffles, food much of which was included in the price of the ride. In addition to an incredible color guard, there was the presentation of the MIA/POW table. Proceeds benefitted James A. Haley Hospital Recreational Services, and local first responders and veterans’ programs. On a side note, it was great to see Parti Patti who emceed the event as just a few weeks ago she was in a serious motorcycle accident. You really can’t keep a good woman down! Congratulations to AMVETS Post 44 on your successful event and thank you for all you do for our military and first responders. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu Well as luck would have it at least one day of any event at the Iron Horse this year had some pretty bad rainstorms all around, but the skies cleared and the Parrot Head Party was able to happen and those who braved the weather were able to enjoy a night of music by the Caribbean Chillers. Sloppy Joe’s was on hand providing some tasty food to fill our bellies. And the young lady who won the parrot head costume contest had a parrot of sorts on both sides of her head! Sunday the event was lucky enough to be spared any real rain and the crowds were brisk. Plenty of bikes were entered in the bike contest, the music by Psycho Magnets was great and the burnout contest seemed to go on all night! The bike show winners were Jason Swindell for Best Evo, Steve Pembrook for Best Twin Cam, Roadside Marty for best Knucklehead, Chris Calo for Best Old School, Mark Hampton for Best Antique with his ’58 Panhead, Chris Harris for best Paint, Kyle Priest for Best Trailer Trash and Todd Gomez for Willie’s Choice. I have heard they plan on bringing the car show back for the Saturday event next year, so put it on your calendar to spend Labor Day at the World Famous Iron Horse Saloon for fun, food, music and great people! Read the rest of this entry »

By Ron Cox [autoviewer id="271" width="600" height="600" ] Every five years The Harley-Davidson Motor Company hosts an Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee to commemorate its founding and to recognize its customer base. More than 130,000 riders gathered in this town (of half a million) that really knows how to throw a party and treats its guests like royalty. The centerpiece is the events being offered at Harry Maier Memorial Park, otherwise known as the Summerfest Grounds. Summerfest is a huge 75 acre rectangular park on the shores of Lake Michigan. It contains food and beverage kiosks, souvenir stands and tented exhibits. Harley's tent introduced the 2014 line of motorcycles. Willie G. and family signed autographs in the HOG Tent. There were several large stages with free entertainment. During the three days more than 60 bands were scheduled to appear. The later in the day, the more recognizable the talent became. Bands like The Doobie Brothers, Joan Jet & The Blackhearts, Blue Oyster Cult and one of my favorites, ZZ Top. Adjacent to Summerfest is the Marcus Amphitheater and with a separate ticket you could see Toby Keith, Aerosmith or Kid Rock, each star appeared on a different night. Another attraction at Summerfest was the Sky Glider, a ski-lift ride that carried you from one end of the park to the other. You could buy a one way ticket or a round trip. On Saturday, the Motor Company hosted the Motor Skill competition where more than 100 police motor officers (including three women) showed off their skills on a very tricky course. Riders were timed and points deducted for hitting or knocking over any of the cones. If an officer laid his bike down only he could stand it up, no help from the course judges. Each of the six dealerships in the Milwaukee area (Hal's, Milwaukee, House, Suburban, Wisconsin and Uke's) had a stage with live bands and scads and scads of vendors. Not to be left out, many of the communities hosted huge block parties with entertainment, food and vendors lasting well into the night. The Harley Museum was an extremely popular venue. In addition to walking through Harley's history, the Museum hosted a Bike Night and the AMD Invitational Custom Bike Show. If you're getting the idea there was more to see and do than there was time to do it, you'd be absolutely right! So, if you're thinking of going to the 115th you've got five years to plan and save, but the trip and the experience would be well worth it! Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu Thunder in the Garden was the first poker run held by the Winter Garden Police Athletic League. Don’t let the name fool you as it did me. They weren't raising money to buy baseball equipment for themselves. The group along with being heroes everyday they get up to go to work, also spend their time and efforts helping troubled youth in the community! The run started in the Winter Garden Village at Forest Grove with coffee and donuts. The stops included The Sandwich Shoppe in Ocoee, Mullinax Ford in Apopka that made a generous contribution for each bike that came through, West Orange Power Sports in Oakland, GT Marine in Clermont and the final stop was Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson who helped sponsor this event. Stormy Hill had a BBQ lunch for the riders and live music to entertain. This event is scheduled to be a yearly ride so look for it and plan to ride with a group of great men and women trying to make a difference in children’s lives. Read the rest of this entry »

By Raven Van Pelt August 17th the second Bikers for Babies was held at Adamec of Baymeadows in Jacksonville. This is the first motorcycle fundraiser for the March of Dimes in Jacksonville since 2004.  There was entertainment, food, giveaways and a police-escorted ride through beautiful Jacksonville. All proceeds benefit the Northeast Florida Division March of Dimes. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, it was founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938. Their mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality, as well as, educating moms, supporting families, and caring for pregnant women.  There has not been a single outbreak of polio in our country in more than 30 years. All in all, 115 bikers made the ride despite the rain, and once again LAMA, won the trophy for most funds raised. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu

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In this economy staying in business another year is something to celebrate! And Gator Harley-Davidson did just that! Throwing a 2 day event in Leesburg to thank their customers for being loyal over the past 20 years!!! Bands including Bobby Friss kept the place jumping. Vendors, contests including best male body, bikini and tattoo and a water slide kept the crowd entertained. A few of the Predators were on site to sign autographs as was Miss Gator Harley from Leesburg Bikefest. The folks at Gator Harley work hard to bring events to the dealership and strive to make their dealership your choice for gear, apparel and BIKES!!!

By Attorney That RIDES.com Attorney Gabriel Jose Carrera

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Looks like “Jager” Mike Rudicel and DeeDee O’Reilly of South Florida Bike Events with Big Dawgs 2 & 3: Sports Bar crowd hit a home run this past month in Davie, FL with the successful 6th Annual Summer Bike Fest! The event was packed with hundreds of attendees before the “doors” were officially open. The event started from 11 am to 7 pm with top shelf musical acts like Richie Supa from legendary band Aerosmith who played with Florida’s favorite Fat Chance band. Over 4,000 bikes rode to the 93 degree blue sky event drinking up every cold beer on the premises while cheering on the bikini contestants. The ladies were so hot I though Jager Mike was going to pass out from a heat stroke deciding between the participating bikini-clad-babes. Bike builders from as far as Tampa joined the fun and the bikes on display by Roaring Toys and Trikes by Design were awesome.

This year the 6th Summer Bike Fest Sponsors really came out in force with the help from Jagermeister, Budweiser, Bud Light, the Monster Energy Drink, Gordon & Donner; Biker’s Inc. folks, Attorney That Rides.com, and Big Dawgs Sports Bars. Some of the MC clubs seen were the Fort Lauderdale Leather Necks, Latin American Riders, the Keltics, American Legion Post 180, and many, many others. A special thanks to the Wings of Gold Club for volunteering in the hot sun making the flow of traffic easy on the biker community. If it weren’t for them I am sure some blue-haired-old-lady cager would have downed a brother’s sled! Overall the spirit of the event was festive with no known arrests or altercations except jealous ole ladies nagging their old men for eying too much of the Jagermeister girls skin in their skimpy sexy short-shorts.

What’s an event without local vendors slinging the great food and drinks? The Round-Up Country Bar cooled the over-heated with freezing a/c, line dancing, and ice-cold beer. Boog N Geez Jewelry, Cary’s Biker Gear, Chester’s Harley Davidson, Indian Motorcycle Company, and Attorney That Rides.com, were just a few of the rows and rows of local businesses displaying their wares and services!

The day started out cloudy, but the sun made a bold appearance after ten days of rain. There was a serious storm on the radar that threatened to roll in except the event was spared the storm. The northern parts of Broward were hit with rain and thunder storms but not the brothers & sisters celebrating the 6th Annual Bike Fest. Over all, the event was a success, with the attendees vowing to come back for next year’s Summer Bike Festival! There is talk of combining Chester’s HD Bruce Rossmeyer’s Memorial Run (Saturday) with the (Sunday) Bike Fest event so next year will be kick ass is Jager Mike can make it happen.

Jager Mike is the CEO of South Florida Bike Events has been handling event planning for over 30 years and has inside knowledge of how to make a big event not only a fun for attendees, but also extremely successful for vendors and the local community at large. Dee Dee his partner also leads the charge in fund raising for local charities as Fort Lauderdale’s own Big Momma’s House. Many children currently make their home in Big Mama’s modest home on Fort Lauderdale’s west side and many more find temporary shelter there. They also find a peaceful environment to overcome the hardships of their young lives and move forward. Most come from homes with drug, alcohol, poverty, and violence related problems.
Another charity sponsored by DeeDee & Mike is “the Home Sweet Home Foundation” in Hollywood, FL which was founded by Alfredo Roberts, All-American at University of Miami & former 2-time Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys. Whatever this duo sponsor they do it well and throw one kick ass party that will be remembered. Now that Bike Fest is officially over – I am wondering what is the next “South Florida Bike Event” the Dynamic Duo are coordinating!

By Lulu

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As often happened this summer, it rained and rained hard! But is spite of the weather gods not being on our side this summer, the great bikers of Volusia, Putnam and Flagler County did their best to help the children of the Children’s Home Society. This year the run began at Saints & Sinners and we were joined by riders from the Christian Motorcycle Asso., Rolling Thunder Florida Chapter 8 and Knights of Inferno. We have to thank Rolling Thunder for always being there to help whether it is to park, ride or MOVE!!!

The short ride down A1A to First Turn Steakhouse and Lounge who hosted the party was damp, but David Sweat and Rick Hilliard didn’t seem to mind the pelting one bit. I personally want to thank all who in spite of the weather helped us raise $1700 in cash and 144 backpacks. This certainly will help the Children’s Home Society provide for children who have no one to provide these needed supplies for the new school year. Thank you Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell, First Turn Steakhouse & Lounge, Saints & Sinners and to each of you who rode wet to make a difference!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

This is not what I was originally going to write about, but I saw an advertisement that said we should “Celebrate 9/11”. In the dictionary celebrate is defined as: to “commemorate with festivities”. It’s hard for me to celebrate the death of 3000 people who died from the hijackings of American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93 that subsequently crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and hallowed the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This should be a day of reflection and mourning for the lives lost to the violent acts of Islamic extremists. For many Americans the pain and anguish of 9/11/01 will remain forever. The loved ones, friends and family of those who died on that day will never be able To “Celebrate” a wedding, anniversary, birthday, or birth without remembering what they have lost.

Since 2001, millions of Americans come together on 9/11 to honor and remember those lost. In 2009, Congress designated September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. There will be ceremonies and a moment of silence for many Americans to fill their thoughts with personal remembrances and prayers. However, the most important thing to remember on 9/11 is that the world is still a dangerous place. Evil still exists. 9/11 was neither the first nor the last time that Muslims have killed Americans on U.S. soil in terror attacks. 61 people in 36 separate attacks have been killed since that day. On September 11, 2012 we had another attack on America. This time it was our embassy in Benghazi, Libya. The Islamic extremists killed four Americans, one of whom was a U.S. Ambassador. In less than every five hours, somewhere around the world a Muslim is carrying out a fatal jihadist attack. Some 1,800 deadly Muslim terror attacks happen each year, amounting to about 150 a month and five a day. Approximately 9,697 people have been killed from 1970 to the present in these attacks. The attacks should remind us all of the tragic consequences of disregarding threats. The American capabilities have declined since the defense budget is slashed and this administration refuses to admit there is a problem. They even called the massacre at Fort Hood in 2009 that killed 14 (one a pregnant woman) and injured 31 “workplace violence”. What about 4/15/13 in Boston that killed 3 and injured 170? There are so many questions and so many victims, living and dead, but there’s only one answer. “WE MUST NEVER FORGET OR SURRENDER”

I would join twitter but the only thing that ever follows me has blue lights on it.

One of the best Tweets out there this past week…something to the effect that George Zimmerman was going to change his name to Ben Ghazi so that he could be sure the main stream media would never mention him again.

I read the other day that since the Pfizer Corp.’s patent has expired you can now order Viagra by its generic name “Mycoxafloppin”.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow…

By Amy Poole

One of the best parts of having our Twisted Tea events is that it brings out faces we may not have seen in awhile…and it sure did during this bike event. The AMVETS’ Post 59 Twisted Tea Event started out a bit soggy, but that did not dampen the party as food for the food bank was brought by many, the Twisted Teas were selling like crazy, and the giveaways were handed out quickly! The new faces that we all got to meet were excited to try Twisted Tea and to also receive a “Twisted” giveaway of their choice. It was very hospitable that team AMVET made their own sign for the bike event and placed it in their window for all to see which I feel helped bring in 80 lbs. of food for the food bank at a Flagler County church! While you are out and about take a scenic ride up A1A to AMVETS Post 59 and have a cold one in a pleasurable and friendly atmosphere. Thank you AMVETS for the warm welcome!!! And a special thanks to Troy and Joe for playing the night away.