In March 2007, we had our first Thunder Roads Florida hit the streets! Can’t believe the years that have passed. Can’t believe the places this “rag” has hauled me! The Playboy Mansion, Sturgis for multiple trips, Ohio Bike Week, Lonestar Rally in Texas, Laconia in New Hampshire, Harley Rendezvous in New York, Peterson’s Ride to Key West, Thunder Beach, Cotee Rive Bike Fest, Thunder by the Bay, and the MOST amazing Rolling Thunder’s ride to DC. All these adventures have made the work worth the effort! Then there are events for so many charities you can’t even imagine Then there are all the amazing people we have met and witnessed do wonderful things to help people…it’s been quite a ride. Got a chance to know a lot of folks that are riding in the skies now and miss them Grizzly Adams (Dan Hagerty), Robbie Knievel, John Parham from JP Cycles, Bruce Rossmeyer, Arlen Ness, Ronnie Luznar, Kevin Rosa, Cap Wilson, Bull Connors who started this magazine and Kneecap. Certain I have forgotten some angels. Too many amazing people that I am lucky enough to call friends in the world of motorcycling, to mention, and risk forgetting some. This is not an easy endeavor, every 30 days for 18 years, but lots of great peeps have helped us along the way. Thank you to the readers who write to me with both positive and negative input. And a special thank you to the ad clients who bring this free magazine to the motorcycling community each month!

As for amazing people that love motorcycling, a wife recently wrote and asked me to surprise her husband with a mention in our magazine. That is “Col. Klink the Canadian Hoser” (Dave Langerud) in the photo. He is 76 years old and heading for his 50th Bike Week. She says he lives for Bike Week and has only missed one due to Covid. Many may have seen Dave helping Ronnie Luznar at Cabbage Patch, keeping the Sopotnick’s beer car full of beer and hosing down the coleslaw wrestlers during Bike Week. No wonder he loves Bike Week! Not sure if he trailers or rides here, but he hails from Burks Fall, Ontario. If you know him, tell him you saw him in Thunder Roads Florida!

Come up and say hi if you see TJ, Gator Ken, Jeani, or myself out and about, buy a stranger a beer and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

Rhonda’s Neighborhood Bar in Sanford has a really cool yearly event put on by Yogi. It is a ride in Chopper Show held in her bar’s backyard. Live music was by Rewind, a cool rockabilly style group. This is a great bar in the Sanford area, and they feature a second first Friday bike night with live music and food trucks from 8p-12a, the February one will be February 14th 7th. They are located at 2617 W. Orlando Dr. Find their music and events on Facebook. Say hi to Rhonda for us!

By Lulu

Each month The Boat Bar in Port Orange hosts a Mystery Ride with a 50/50 at the end and food. $5 is the cost and some lucky duck goes home with half the stash, the other half pays for your dinner! This month, Glenn won the cash! It was exceptionally chilly, but we were happy to see a bunch of our long-time Mystery riders back in the saddle after recent medical stuff kept them off the road! For the first time ever, Jack, who is known for riding in sleeveless attire regardless of the temp, had long sleeves! First stop was Lost Lagoon on US 1 at the New Smyrna Airport. Great Bloody Mary’s! Our stops included a new beer & wine/motorcycle shop in Edgewater called Good Fellas Beer & Wine, owned by bike builder Jim Lynch of Bike Show Mafia fame. We then took a great ride across Maytown Rd. to Foxhead Lounge. Next, Royce and Lorie won the Christmas Sweater Contest at Sorry Charlie’s where Crashrocket was playing. Then we headed to dinner at The Boat Bar. If you are looking to make some riding friends, the monthly ride ALWAYS has great peeps riding along with us. Next ride is Sunday, February 16, no longer on Saturdays since NFL season ended! Get on your bike and join us. KSU 11am at The Boat Bar on US 1 in Port Orange.

Just finished a great weekend at Cotee River Bike Fest, the coverage of that event will be in the April issue as the Bike Week (March) issue always fills up with Bike Week event ads, etc. But the fall rally was rescheduled due to the west coast’s hurricane damage and the weather forecaster predicted rain all weekend, but it ended up well attended and decent weather. Tina and Steve Farrell are the organizers behind this charity rally and put their heart and soul into this each year. Gator Ken and Jeani joined us for the first time as she is retired now. They really seemed to enjoy New Port Richey’s downtown area and couldn’t get over the number of bars! This event is two main stages of music for 3 days and 2 side street stages with music too. It is a nice rally on a beautiful downtown river area with a poker run that benefits Fire & Iron and the entire rally benefits charity. Not sure whether they will schedule the next one in October again or change the whole thing to January in the future but should know by the event article. Thunder By the Bay is up next and hope to see some of our friends there in Sarasota!

On another subject, I promised a lady that asked me recently to mention how important screening for prostate cancer is for our motorcycling men! As a cancer nurse from my life before publisher of Thunder Roads Florida, I know that early diagnosis of this is critical for the best outcome. If you are over forty-five, you should ask your doctor about a PSA blood test. My brother is a primary care physician and was diagnosed at age 48, and with robotic surgery he is cancer free and has no post-surgical complications. A test for kidney stones found his cancer very early. Mostly they only tell you to have the test after 50, I think it should be forty-five! We hear all the time how important breast cancer awareness is, how important pap smears are, etc.! Well men, pick up the phone and ask your docs to order a simple blood test. Be safe…not sorry! The old rectal exam fears use to keep men from getting checked for this and the blood test doesn’t come with that worry.

Have fun at bike week, ride a new road and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Lulu

Known for great rock and roll, Boot Hill Saloon is the oldest party on Main Street in Daytona Beach. The perfect spot to toast in the New Year. The street was closed to traffic, the New York City-like ball drop at midnight is iconic and then fireworks off the pier at the end of Main Street was a perfect way to toss out 2024. Boot Hill was slammed, and the bartenders were in the weeds quite a bit as Main Street Station was unexpectedly closed for business! Everyone was patient and just enjoyed the two bands of the evening, Greye and Vermillion. It was a bit cold, so we headed home after the ball dropped. Boot Hill has big plans for Bike Week 2025 including a Twisted Tea Bikini Contest at 3-5p on Sunday the 2nd and great bands during the whole rally. If you are in the greater Daytona area, “The Boot” also does Bike Night on Wednesdays so ride in for the fun!

By Lulu

We were not able to make this event as we were scheduled to be out of town. But Sheldon called me about the loss of their bartender, Amber, who died in a car accident after leaving her shift at The Hideaway Bar & Grill last year. She was a mother of a young child, Grayson. So, Sheldon and Lisa owners of The Hideaway and the local bar community are hosting a yearly event to benefit an education fund for Grayson. Lots of locals spent a chilly day riding from The Hideaway to Idle Awhile Resort in Georgetown, Longs Log Cabin in Welaka, Oasis in San Mateo, Cow Catchers in Pomona Park and back to The Hideaway Bar & Grill in Pomona Park. This will be a yearly event in the beginning of January. Get ready to ride! Thanks to all involved for caring for Amber’s son! I must admit I snatched the photos from several Facebook posts to shine light on the good work of the biking and bar community!

By Lulu

On Wednesday nights at Boot Hill Saloon, you will always find great music. At our Twisted Tea Bike Night in January “the Boot” featured the band Alias and they kept the place rockin.’ Twisted Tea sampling was done by our beautiful friend Katye. And the peeps were happy to get Twisted giveaways like koozies, shop rags, sunglasses, or bandanas. Boot Hill’s bike night starts later than most kicking off at 8pm! Ride in for one and have a rocking fun time! Our February Twisted Tea night will be at OBs in Deland on February 12th with live music by Deadlanders starting at 6pm. Come on out and play!

By Lulu

With back-to-back hurricanes affecting not only the entire state of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, attendance at Florida’s fall rallies took a hit also. Although the crowd wasn’t as large as in the past there were still lots of peeps at Gator H-D in Leesburg for the 3 days of bands, bikes, drinks, and vendors. This year the place was rocked by Rock Hard, Time Machine, Bobbie Blackmon, Swamp Juice, and Jeff Vitola & The Quarter Mile Rebels. A sound off contest by Elite Baggers had some awesome bikes with amazing speaker systems. Coming up next will be their Anniversary Bash. check out gatorharley.com for their events and let’s make it a big one.

By Lulu

For 23 years in November, OB’s in Deland has put on one of the largest Pan/Shovel Shows in Florida. Even with the two hurricanes and a tough economy, peeps came from near and far to SHOW their bikes and to SEE the bikes! The Best in Show Winner, Ron Herman, came from Largo with his 1937 Indian Chief. I would hate to judge these bikes. They all looked great to me! Music by Split Personality entertained the huge crowd. Then the Vintage Ladies Bikini Contest for contestants over fifty happened on stage. Last year over thirteen contestants, this year it was like pulling teeth to get 4 on stage. But the ladies were good sports and Barbara by far had the best attire!!! They all went home with some prize money!! If you haven’t ventured out to OB’s in Deland, they also have a great bike night on Wednesdays with live music and food specials, the Americana Custom Show is in June and next November it will be the 24th Russ & Bob Show so get those basket builds show ready and come out for the party.
2024 Winners
Custom Panhead-Jay Wright
Stock Panhead-Justin Krol
Custom Shovel-Sheldon Lucas
Stock Shovel-Jim Miller
Rat Bike-Biker Bob
Knucklehead-Tinker
Iron Head-Ed Coggades
Flat Head-Russ Cavalari
Cap Wilson Thunder Roads Pick-Paul
Best Ladies-Tricia Kennedy
Best in Show-Ron Herman

By Lulu

Some photos provided courtesy of AB3 Visuals-Taylor Paul

This was our first St. Pete Bikefest since they moved it off the beach! I didn’t really know what to expect since it is basically a rally on premise at OCC Road House & Museum and Bert’s Barracuda H-D in Clearwater. First, let me say, if you haven’t visited OCC, it is really an impressive venue. Large inside restaurant with a museum of the bikes and memorabilia of Orange County Choppers. The bikes are something to see, but I also really enjoyed all the photos and the wall of badges! Then there is the outside venue with two stages under the massive pavilion, outside seating and during the rally, a bunch of vendors. A huge area outback was the site of the headline concerts and the bike show. Bert’s Barracuda next door was jammed full of bikes, apparel, and Harley merch. While we were inside the dealership, I saw two bikes going home with women who had just signed the contract for their brand-new rides! You go girls!! Every day, scantily clad girls were very busy washing bikes. We didn’t arrive until Friday, so we missed Thursday’s bands Scotty Austin of Saving Abel and Signs of Sacrifice, the Creed tribute. But the headliners Molly Hatchet on Friday night and Hinder on Saturday night did not disappoint! Other bands daily, throughout the weekend, included Tony Tyler Band, Sunset Strip, The Lost Boys, Shovelhead and Full Throttle Band. 3 great days of music for all to enjoy! An artist, Debra Filipelli, was skillfully painting faces and body parts of the young and old. On Saturday afternoon, while the bike show was going on, Rock & Wrestling simultaneously entertained the masses with 2 matches and even kids from the audience were allowed to go in the ring for a bit to play with the wrestlers. Mechanical “Bull” Shark riding got some of our favorite peeps bucked to the mat. Sadly, we missed the Reign Bikini Contest as we thought it started an hour later, and it was over when we arrived. Later, on Saturday night, in front of the main stage 2 custom builds were unveiled that were to be auctioned off for charitable causes. My favorite part of the weekend was the burnout show which included eight bikes from the dealership, in the pit, burning the rubber right off, all at the same time! Amazing! Great burnout show! The ride in bike show trophies were sponsored and presented by Fran Haasch Law Group. Paul Teutle, Sr. led the Sunday morning Sunshine Skyway Ride. Hundreds of bikes made the ride and returned to the festival later. Closing out the 4-day party was a raffle drawing for a brand new 2024 Heritage. The lucky winner was a local resident who they called live on the phone to notify him that he had won, but he didn’t arrive before we packed up and headed out. Every rally we attend has its own personality. This one was fun for us as we met lots of new peeps, saw bikes we haven’t seen in the show, loved the 3 days of music and the entire event seemed organized and even family friendly! If you haven’t experienced the OCC Roadhouse and Museum and Bert’s Barracuda H-D complex, you must do it. It’s worth the trip just to see the American Flag that flies 200 feet high above the property. This 100’x 60’ symbol of patriotism is the most awesome I have ever seen. Bert’s GM John Dempsey called it a “gift to the community.” My response, “that is a gift to America”! See y’all there next year!

By Lulu

Charlie and Amie at Sorry Charlie’s Corner in Samsula have really brought back old school fun. In November they threw a Chopper Show and I was completely surprised by how many bikes entered! Along with the bike show they had a Sexy bra and panties contest with a nice cash prize. Kudos to the girls willing to strut their stuff! I tricked some guys into thinking they were going to be on stage to help the girls with their panties and judge, only to find when I handed them each a bag of ladies’ panties, that the first one to put on all 8 would win a bar tab! If you haven’t found Sorry Charlie’s yet. Get on your bike and ride. Their 3rd Anniversary Bash is on February 8th with Whey Jennings, Crashrocket and Sam Lowe. See more photos from the Chopper Show at Thunder Roads Florida Facebook, go to Albums and look for your friends!

Seems like 2024 has too many tragic moments and MANY near misses. My friend Shaun was a recent near miss. He still isn’t out of the woods as back surgery is in his future, but he was riding with friends, and his “CHEAP” front tire blew out cruising the highway at 90+MPH! The eyewitness account is that he maintained control of the bike until he tried to leave the pavement, then things went to hell in a handbag! Lucky for Shaun he didn’t end up in Hell that day! Michael who was riding with him was scared to approach him lying there looking like he was dead, but by the GRACE OF GOD just like Willie he was able to survive for another ride. This picture is Shaun in a back brace on the bike. I feel quite certain this would be against medical advice!!! The reason for this Pony Tales is to remind us all to check your bike for safety. Don’t buy cheap tires and then ride like a bat out of hell! And those of us older peeps including Shaun need to realize we don’t mend as quickly as in the past. Lastly, I will give Shaun credit for wearing a helmet or the situation could have been much worse!! Hug a friend (maybe not Shaun as he is still sore), buy a stranger a drink and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By T.J.

In October during Biketoberfest, Space Coast Harley held a 4-day event billed as Beer, Bikes & Beaches. We took the 85-mile ride down I-95 from Daytona to check it out and had a lot of fun. The dealership is beautiful and packed full of beautiful machines. The event featured the H-D demo truck, bikini bike wash girls, vendors, a full bar, live music, and the Ink & Iron Tattoo event. This is a very active Harley store so check out their website for upcoming music and event schedules at SpaceCoastHarley.com.

By Lulu

Our second Twisted Tea Bike Night was hosted by The Other Place on Nova Rd in Ormond Beach. Twisted Tea swag giveaways enhanced an already great weekly Wednesday night bike night, featuring delicious $5 Smashburgers, $2 longnecks, and $2.50 Twisted Teas!! What a bargain! It turned cold that day and a bit wet. The peeps that braved the weather on 2 and 3 wheels showed up in chaps and leathers! Elaine Holt was collecting toys and cash for her Christmas charity. Frog showed up in a Twisted Tea yellow colored antique pick-up truck. Even Steve Coe came for a bit, although he had to run to his girlfriend’s home to catch himself on the TV show American Pickers! Gina, the owner of The Other Place and Chris’ Lounge, stopped in and it was wonderful to see her looking beautiful and HEALTHY after a health scare in the fall! Our next Twisted Tea featured bike night is Wednesday, January 15th at Boot Hill Saloon. Join us for $3 Twisted Tea, live music by Alias and giveaways!