For those of you who haven’t lived the rally circuit you simply can’t understand the extended family that grows across the miles. Having tended bar at one of the original biker bars The White Eagle in Daytona Beach, working the rallies in Laconia, Texas, Sturgis, Ohio Bike Week, Myrtle Beach and of course Bike Week and Biketoberfest you get to know so many people that you see year after year.

Facebook makes it easy to keep up with their lives and that is the one thing Facebook is good for. I worked for 5 weeks in Sturgis at the Easy Rider Saloon (now The Iron Horse) several years ago, and I saw many of the girls we hired from back in the day at Sturgis this year. Whether it is vendors, Doug from Sick Boys, Billy from Twisted Tea, other magazine owners or bar owners it is just like a family reunion at every rally.

My 4th trip up to Sturgis and I still find the riding to be amazing and the vistas spectacular. Sturgis was awesome this year! Weather-picture perfect. Camp Kristen is like coming home! Thank you Wade, Kristen and Billy. The first weekend the crowds were huge. The Kid Rock concert had to be attended by 70,000! It quieted down quickly going into the second weekend. Their Governor Kristi Noem not only rode her horse around town, but she also rode her brand new Indian! Kenny, T.J., Jeani and I made it home safely although we both have spent most of September recovering from Covid.

I sure wish Sturgis wasn’t so far or so cold in the winter I would move there in a minute!!! Check out the calendar as there are so many local events across our state that you shouldn’t miss!
Schedule a trip to Sturgis, say a prayer for the folks left in Afghanistan and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Ron Cox

Conflicts overseas may be winding down, but the unseen injuries are ever present. So, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA) hosted a poker run to raise funds and awareness of PTSD among returning Veterans.

The run began and ended at Latitude 78/Gator Mike’s in Cape Coral. In support of CVMA’s run, Wolfhounds Legacy and PTSD Awareness Summit both had a presence with information about their programs.

After registering at Gator Mike’s and drawing the first card, riders set out to card stops in St. James City, Cape Coral, North Ft. Myers before returning to the starting point for the last card. Dirk Dennis won the $100 Best Hand prize with 3 Kings. Mike Myzak “won” the Worst Hand with a 9 high nothing. Proceeds from the run will be donated to PTSD Awareness.

Donations can be made at www.wolfhoundslegacy.com or
www.PTSDAwarenessSummit.org to support these agencies doing invaluable work.

By Lulu

A great destination ride during Biketoberfest for cocktails or a cold one with a relaxing view of the Atlantic is on A1A just south of the Flagler Pier. A sweet girl, Jayne Harris, is the owner and she has had a bit of a rough year with the new business! She opened Hang Ten in December 2020 right smack in the middle of a pandemic that has continued to plague bars & restaurants. Not only did they have the fear factor for clients and their staff, but they also had the government paying people not to work! All this made her first year more difficult than it might have been. Now with beautiful riding weather upon us, I know motorcycle enthusiasts always love to come to the aid of people! So put this on your list of places to stop in during the fall riding season. The outside tiki bar is always open 7 days a week. Their hours are noon to 9pm Sun-Thurs, and noon to 10pm Fri & Sat. The bar is full liquor and they serve ice cold beer. A full menu includes house specials Beef on Weck. It’s roast beef piled high on a kummelweck roll with au jus and horseradish on the side. Another must try: Jayne’s Wipeout Burger, a half-pound prime rib burger on a lightly toasted bun with sauteed onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a Hang Ten signature sauce. They rope off bike parking during the rally for you, so they like to see two & three wheelers ride in. On Tuesday evenings they feature Trivia, Wednesdays Karaoke, Thursdays open mic and then Fri & Sat evenings live music which they also have in the afternoons Sat & Sun. Let’s make October Jayne’s best month of 2021!!

By Lulu

Denise and Rick Hilliard have been in the bar/restaurant business their whole life. Even as a kid, Denise’s mom had The Flame on International Speedway and Rick’s parents owned the property that became the First Turn in Port Orange after moving from the Speedway. Rick, Denise, and Lee Hilliard started the First Turn near the Speedway on International in 1984. Volusia County has reaped the benefits of not only their great food & music, but also their charitable giving back to the community that kept their business thriving in good times and bad! But as the saying goes, “Nothing stays the same!” and after 33 years at First Turn on US 1 in Port Orange, the Hilliards have sold the bar and are retiring to be full time grandparents and part-time farmers! Shane Snipes is now at the helm of First Turn. His plans are to do some remodeling and keep the First Turn venue pretty much the same; lots of good live music, great steak and seafood meals, and continue the Tuesday night Bike Night. So, ride in to the First Turn for a great time!

Lulu

Well, thanks to Suzy and Royce I have some photos to share of the Too Broke for Sturgis Bash that they have been throwing in Paisley for years! We were in Sturgis this year so TJ and I didn’t make the bash. This party is always well attended and the ice-cold beer they are known for was flowing. I heard Suzy was a bit hungover the next day. This is a cool place to ride out to. Pretty country roads in the Paisley area. Since I am not a beer drinker, the fact that they are full liquor makes me a happy camper when we stop in to cool our pipes. Along with a classic car show on the 2nd Saturdays, they have bike days every Saturday with bucket specials and on the 15th of January beginning at noon they will be throwing their big anniversary bash and we plan to attend…you should too!!

By Lulu

OB’s packed the place for the 3rd Americana Custom Bike Show. The adorable bikini contest girls gave us all plenty to look at, and Sandi from Jacksonville walked away with the winning title and money. The front lot was full of beautiful bikes and Best in Show was a bike recently added to Shireen Fletcher’s stable of bikes, a beautiful 2003 Harley Night Train. Other winners included Hiram’s 1978 Shovelhead that took the Cap Wilson award and Al Harrison’s Harley Road Glide won People’s Choice. Tribucon rocked the stage and Kristi and the wonderful staff kept the drinks flowing. This is a yearly show in June and even with bad weather was a GREAT event!

For those of you who haven’t lived the rally circuit you simply can’t understand the extended family that grows across the miles. Having tended bar at one of the original biker bars in Daytona Beach, working the rallies in Laconia, Texas, Sturgis, Ohio Bike Week, Myrtle Beach and of course Bike Week and Biketoberfest you get to know so many people that you see year after year.

Facebook makes it easy to keep up with their lives and that is the one thing Facebook is good for. I worked for 5 weeks in Sturgis at the Easy Rider Saloon several years ago and I saw many of the girls we hired from back in the day. Whether it is vendors, Doug from Sick Boys, Billy from Twisted Tea, other magazine owners or bar owners it is just like a family reunion.

My 4th trip up to Sturgis and I still find the riding to be amazing and the vistas spectacular. Sturgis was awesome this year! Weather picture perfect. Camp Kristen like coming home! Thank you Wade, Kristen and Billy. The first weekend the crowds were huge. The Kid Rock concert had to be attended by 70000! It quieted down quickly going into the second weekend. Their Governor Kristi Noem not only rode her horse around town, but she also rode her brand new Indian! Kenny, T.J., Jeani and I made it home safely but I sure wish Sturgis wasn’t so far or so cold in the winter!!! Check out the calendar as there are so many local events across our state that you shouldn’t miss!

Schedule a trip to Sturgis, say a prayer for the folks left in Afghanistan and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

Gotta love it when a female owned bike gets Best in Show. Shireen and David Fletcher are DeLeon Spring residents both busy, busy people. Somehow, they do find time to get on their bikes and ride. They both have won bike shows in the past, but a bike caught their eye at the Thunder Beach Spring Rally in Panama City Beach and Shireen added a beautiful custom Night Train to her stable of bikes. She is a beautiful blond with a great sense of humor and named her new “piece of art” Lo Ho 26. The bike is a classy & sleek 2003 Harley Softail Night Train Anniversary edition, the build year for the custom creation was 2020. The look of the bike may have sold Shireen on the purchase, but the paint is exceptional. The paint was done by Smurph at Dirty Wizard Cycleworx. And the custom seat even had the paint scheme under the grommets, such attention to detail. My favorite part of the bike is the Samson Cholo 39-inch Fishtail pipes in Sinister Black; what an awesome throaty roar. Shireen cranks that throttle and it’s as if she is a lion roaring in the field. The 95 cubic inch engine is complete with Roland Sands Nostalgia intake. Suspension is Dirty Air Simple on the front and the rear is Dirty Air Suspension with Dark Horse Cycleworxs Layframe Drop Pads. The neck triple tree is AFKustoms Layframe neck with American Suspension Trees installed by Bare Knuckle Baggers. The Dirty Bird Long Two Piece Nacelle headlight completes the unique sleekness of this ride. The front wheel gives Lo Ho 26 her name with the 26-inch DNA Specialty Mammoth Spoke. The rear wheel is a 16 inch. The handlebars are 12-inch Monster Ape Hangers with Performance Machine Elite Grips. That unique seat with grommets I spoke of earlier was done by James Carter. The fenders are Pickard USA. The front a Classic FL and the back a Cho-Low Smooth. All in all, this bike looks spectacular and Shireen enjoys the way it rides. The last bike she was featured for was her custom trike built by Kory Souza. If you see Shireen and David out take a close look at the immaculate detail of this bike!

By Lulu

We all wake up and get on with our day, never knowing what the day will bring, but expecting the status quo. So was the day of Cochise Chop’s 100th Edition party at The Boot Hill. People from all over jumped on their bikes planning to enjoy the music, free food, and to help Cochise celebrate. We were heading there from Port Orange. Cap, Willie, Bill & Jade, and others all were heading south down A1A to Main Street to join in the festivities when a drunk bitch came out of a one-way (going the wrong way) on to Main Street and plowed into Willie. Luckily, he had his helmet on, but the blunt force of being thrown into a pole crushed his ribs and punctured his lung.

Multiple surgeries, near misses with heaven and then a fierce chest infection would have taken weaker men out. I am sure he has used up one of his nine lives; Willie is such a “cool cat” he certainly has 8 left! Unfortunately, although he is getting stronger and has survived…more surgeries are needed to repair his chest injuries. Months out of work, medical bills, etc. prompted Cap and friends to do multiple events to help. The Poker Run for Willie was organized by Cap, then tragically he died on his bike prior to the run. But the show must go on and the group Cap had put in place to put the run together pulled off a phenomenally successful day.

The ride started at The Dog House with free donuts by Krispy Kreme. Next stop was The Iron Horse, I am sure some great Bloody Mary’s were consumed at this World-Famous stop. On to A1A to the Sea Drift, a huge bar in Ormond by The Sea. Back on the bikes to ride to Holly Hill and see the girls at The Hideout Lounge who donated an amazing gift basket for the raffle. Final stop was OB’s, which is one of Willie’s and Cap’s favorite places as they both live nearby and the staff treat them like kings! OB’s provided free food and Rob and the gang donated ALL the money to the kitty for Willie. Hot Action donated 200 t-shirts and every one of the shirts were sold that day!

The winner of the 50/50 and best hand also donated their winnings. A favorite band of Willie’s, Jacksonville Slim and Express Train played their hearts out for the huge crowd. There are just too many people to thank here for their generous support, but I do want to thank Crossroad Tavern in Bunnell who not only donated 3 large baskets but also is contributing to the next event. Thank you, Janice!!! Next big event planned by Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach is the Willie-Palooza Concert on Sat. August 28th. $10 admission will all go to Willie and the bands include Reed Foley Band, Jacksonville Slim and Express Train, Miss Intent, & Cowboy the Kid Rock Tribute Band. Gates open at noon with the headliner playing at 8pm. Hope to see you ALL there!

This is a short “Tale” as we ended up with a new ad client that I needed to make space for. Also, we are heading to Sturgis with my friend, Jeani, and much going on to prepare. What I want to say here is for any of you who haven’t found our Facebook page, Thunder Roads Florida, we post photos of all events there and even if you haven’t made the printed pages of the magazine, you may find yourself there. The Albums are listed by event or by locale. We will also be posting photos of Sturgis and would love you to follow our escapades there. Too Broke for Sturgis at Pirate’s Pub in Paisley is on August 7th. Don’t forget the event at the end of the month for Willie in Ormond Beach at the Iron Horse Saloon on August 28th. It is an all-day music event for $10 which will all go to Willie! Be there or be square!! Put Sturgis on your calendar for next year, explore a new highway and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Lulu

The HOG group from the Harley dealership in New Smyrna on 44 has a monthly bike night the first Thursday of each month. The one coming up in August will be August 5th. As part of the evening of fellowship they serve up food and in July donated their kitty to Willie for his recovery fund. A great group of people take a Thursday evening and ride in to New Smyrna H-D to support these guys and gals!

By Lulu

Rhonda, her awesome crew, Mischief Makes and wonderful volunteers made Memorial Day Weekend benefit local veterans through the Veterans Support Fund. Registration began at The Dog House with stops that included Iron Horse Saloon, Big Tunas, Dirty Harry’s Pub, and the Iron Axe Bar & Grill. Big Engine rocked the after party at The Dog House. Rhonda has more energy than the Energizer Bunny. The Dog House under Rhonda’s control has become one of the most community-oriented bars in Volusia County. Ride in for one of their Wednesday Bike Nights or their Customer Appreciation BBQs, see their ad in Thunder Roads or find them on Facebook to find out what is on their agenda!