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!

By Lulu

Each November Rue & Ziffra law firm has hosted a ride out of J&P Cycles in Ormond Beach to honor our first responders, veterans and those who work in medicine. This year the event benefited the Deltona Professional Firefighters Union. After a service at J&P Cycles, donuts and coffee, the bikes followed the police escort to OB’s in Deland for live music by Crashrocket and lunch. This event is to “honor valiant first responders who courageously step forward when disaster strikes putting their own lives on the line.” Join us next year for this ride. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday and makes you feel good that you took the time to personally say thank you to those who serve!

By Lulu

Hurricanes didn’t seem to keep the crowds away from Iron Horse Saloon during Biketoberfest. The place was packed when I was there. We popped in to visit Rusty and Steve at Southern Country Customs which was set up there since Broken Spoke wasn’t able to open for the fall rally. Caught great music by Cowboy, Tim Dugger and Bobby Friss, all amazing in their own right. This year Eddie Montgomery also filled the air with music as well as Saliva, although we weren’t able to catch them this time around. Like everyone else, I had to catch a bite of beef tips, purchase an Iron Horse T-shirt, and say hello to the guys at the Wall of Death! For Bike Week 2025 the staff at Iron Horse will be waiting for you, so hurry back!

By Lulu

For over 80 years Boot Hill Saloon has been rocking Main Street in Daytona Beach! And even after two major hurricanes this fall, they didn’t disappoint. Rockrage Radio and Bikers Info brought the party to the stage! Jasmine Cain, Def Leggend, Stone Temple Pilot STP Unglued Soflo, Leaving Eden, Fat Cactus, Greye, Sesame Plexer, Blistur, Vermillion, Redline, Second Shift, Ellie Lee, and Rockabilly Rockets all added to the Rock Party! Keeping their prices at $4 for domestics during Biketoberfest is almost unheard of on Main Street! Thanks to the sponsors that help keep this bar rocking Midwest Motorcycles, Twisted Tea, Miller Lite, and Rich Newsome Law. They are THE party on Main Street New Year’s Eve so put your party gear on and rock on!

By Lulu

With 2 hurricanes and the end of 4 years of Joe’s Bidenomics, Biketoberfest attendance was definitely down. Many hotels and campgrounds were not able to open at all and definitely not to full capacity. Chopper Time also had a few less bikes and the crowd wasn’t quite as dense as usual, but the weather was amazing, and all of the usual suspects were onsite! The BBQ served to help the Vets sold out! And just in case anyone doesn’t realize the saint that Willie is…Chopper Time benefits the Veteran’s Coalition. Everyone is a volunteer and even the tips for the bar staff goes in that kitty. Lots of great 2 & 3 wheel art rode into the packed parking lot and many happy men and women went home with trophies. If there is just one thing that I love to do each Bike Week and Biketoberfest it is Willie’s Chopper Time. It takes those volunteers to pull this thing off so a special thank you to the crew that gives their time! Special thanks to the sponsors Twisted Tea, Rue & Ziffra, J & P Cycles, Realty Pros, Guerrilla Fabrication, B & D Customs, Joker Cycle Works, Only Choppers, Hardcore Cycles, F N A Custom Cycles, Blings Cycles, US 1 Hogridin.com, Spectro Performance Oils, S & S, Morris Magneto, Joker Cycles Works, Prime IV, Broken Spoke, Iron Horse Saloon, OB’s, Rider’s Now Magazine, Cochise Chops, Choppers Magazine, Renegade Magazine, Cycle Source, and Old School Biker Magazine. Mike Jones from AOK Guns raffled off guns to help fund the Veteran’s kitty, go visit him in New Smyrna, his store his packed with what you need! Thank you also to Roadside Marty for keeping the show moving! The band Jacksonville Slim from Jacksonville played out back and kept the crowd entertained while waiting for the awards ceremony. All winners’ photos are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook under Chopper Time Album and more photos from the day. Oh, and if you are interested in getting some more ink etched into your pretty self, the artists at Willie’s are always happy to add to your canvas! Chopper Time is always the Thursday of Bike Week…God willing see you there!
WINNERS!
LADIES BUILD Kali Pilkington
BEST EVO Will Stacy
BEST KNUCKLEHEAD Mike Anastasio
WILLIE’S PICK Mike Vasey
BEST SPORTSTER Ed Coggeshall
BEST BOBBER Panhead Bob
BEST CHOPPER Adam Wilcox
BEST FLATTY Bill Denison
BEST RAT Brian Adiemior
BEST CUSTOM EVO Boner
SHOVELHEAD COALITION Bob Peterson
BEST CUSTOM Eric Allard
BEST METRIC Angel Whitehorse
BEST ANTIQUE Justin Krol
REV. AL’S PICK Cooper
BEST SHOVEL Ryan Barsin
BEST PANHEAD Jay Wright
WILLIE’S HARCORE Mark Mite
CROWD FAVORITE Thomas Eichman
TROPICAL TATTOO PIC Jason Eichman
BEST PAINT Johnny Dicula