By Lulu

Since mid-March, bars that do not serve food have been closed…bar owners and staff have held their breath with each passing week hoping for a reprieve by Governor Ron DeSantis. Bills mounting, staff without pay, and until June 3rd no word out of Tallahassee. It was beginning to seem like Ron had forgotten about the bars while restaurants were serving alcohol to the masses and gyms were allowing members to resume their normal lives.

I wrote to Ron myself saying I would rather sit on a barstool next to people who I considered to be more like family than just friends, than pass strangers in the grocery store! So, Patty Miracle and Frank Scott from the Daytona Beach radio station Rock of Daytona organized a protest ride mid-May to raise awareness that Bars R Essential too! The livelihood of many including the 55,000 bartenders in Florida!!! Thankfully today the Governor announced on June 5th the bars can open at 50% occupancy as we move into Phase II. So please get out and visit our ad clients…tip generously…realize what a strain emotionally and financially this has been to our friends in the business for much longer than the rest of us.

By Lulu

Despite the corona virus, motorcyclists met up at The Dog House in Port Orange and took the roadways to remember veterans and their sacrifices. Stops included Fox Head in Osteen, The Inn Between on a beautiful piece of tree covered property in Deland and OB’s in Deland. They then headed back to The Dog House for an after party. It was a great turn out for veterans with over a hundred bikes and a beautiful day to be riding.

I am going to rant about the rioting and looting. Don’t call it peaceful protest! Sit-ins were peaceful protests. The first person to stand and yell in a cop’s face, spit on them, throw pre-staged bricks and rocks at them, destroy vehicles, burn buildings, steal merchandise was the end of ANY peaceful protest! My nephew is a GOOD SWAT cop in rioting Louisville, Kentucky.

I am fearful for him. I understand daily the fear blacks claim to feel for family members. The thug they are marching to honor has a criminal background that included burglary while holding a gun to a pregnant woman’s belly. He still didn’t deserve to be knelt on by a rogue cop until he couldn’t breathe, while his “bad apples” just stood there. But this isn’t the days of the Old Testament…it isn’t an eye for an eye in the U.S.A. and even if it was, as I am writing this, 7 cops have been shot, at least 2 have died, one of them a black cop…do Black Cops Lives not matter? Who the hell are these fools marching and giving cover to looters?

Minority business owners still reeling from the coronavirus shut down now have broken windows, missing inventory and in at least one case have lost their lives in the crossfire. Let alone the total cost to our government that is trying to keep people fed while having less income tax to finance it all. I have seen on T.V. a black man in the street begging the looters to stop and to leave his business alone that he had worked his entire life for!

If these rioters and protestors think this helps us feel better about their race…they are wrong! All this has done for me is make me reup my NRA membership and want TJ to buy more ammo. I would never sit idly by while people destroy our property over a murder that happened in a city across the country by people I don’t know. I was outraged by the video. I felt the need to address the police brutality on this man. He shouldn’t have died that day.

But our country isn’t the problem! Our police across this country are no more the problem, than a bad surgeon who causes the death of a patient makes all doctors the problem. DEFEND THE POLICE! We should be the Red, White, and Blue line standing between the protestors and our police for God’s sake. If the police quit all we will have is THUGS and our GUNS.

Help the small businesses that have been so hurt by the coronavirus shut down, be kind to all races despite the insanity and pray for this country.

Each year Twisted Tea builds a custom bike that they giveaway to thank all the loyal Tea drinkers that have made the brand so popular. We caught up with Bill Grotto their “man on the street” at the motorcycle rallies and Chris Callen of Cycle Source via Zoom to get the low down.

TR: Hey guys what’s been happening lately?

BG: Hey Beth! Not much I’ll tell you that! With all the spring and summer motorcycle rallies cancelled I’ve been at home in Florida staying busy with things that I never get a chance to do since I’m always traveling. Equipment maintenance, organizing stuff, throwing old crap away that kind of thing. Oh, and lots of video conferencing with the home office since they’re on work from home as well. Normally planning for the next string of bike events would be on this list but right now it’s unclear.

TR: How about you Chris?

CC: Over at Cycle Source we’ve been just as busy and even busier with the stay at home. With rallies dropping like dominoes we realized we wouldn’t be getting in front of ppl anytime soon, so we ramped up our digital efforts in a major way. We’d been pretty successful in the amount of views our weekly digital broadcasts get but the stay at home has taken it up a notch.

TR: Cycle Source had a virtual bike rally a few weeks ago so tell us about that.

CC: Back in April we’d all only been on the stay at home for a few weeks and we’re hearing from all sorts of ppl how they missed seeing their friends and weren’t sure when they’d see them again since the future of rallies was so uncertain. So, the idea was simple; create all the sights and sounds of a motorcycle rally and bring it to the people digitally in the comfort of their own homes. We had a bike show, a bikini contest, a wet t-shirt contest and several bands played all set up from their garages; we just clicked a button and put them on air when it was their time to be a part of the show. We even had everyone’s favorite rally bartenders telling us what it’s like to be a rally performer and making drinks to boot.

BG: Yeah, the sights and sounds were awesome I’m glad you weren’t able to re-create the smells!!

(laughter)

TR: That is a really cool idea how was it received?

CC: It was a huge success- so much to the point that we’ve added a weekly virtual bike night every Thursday where we follow the same model; we have live entertainment, garage tours from the viewers who want to join in and we even have a cooking with Tea segment with Billy. People can check it out on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel.

TR: Really? What’s that about?

BG: I enjoy cooking and baking because I was a cook in the Navy, so I’ve been doing more of it now that I’m home. We have some cool recipes for Twisted Tea, so I figured what the hell they do it on the Today Show right??!!

TR: Now tell us about the Twisted Tea Sweepstakes Bike

BG: We’ve done a sweepstakes bike for the past 5 years. The first 2 (a 71 Shovel Head and an ’05 ultra-classic) were pretty much stock bikes with Twisted tea paint scheme and pin striping by Dave “Letterfly” Knoderer. In 2017 with Cycle Source acting as the general contractor so to speak, we got together with several builders to build a one of a kind custom build which was the Tea Chopper. It really set the stage for what was to come because the bike was unbelievable. In 2017 we did a flat track called the Tea Tracker, in 2019 we did a chollos inspired low rider called the Tea Low Rider and this year’s bike is a bobber style bar hopper kinda like an Exile because I’ve always like that style.

TR: Wow that’s so cool I didn’t realize you’ve done that many bikes. Who comes up with the inspiration for the different builds?

CC: Usually when Sturgis is over and we’re all still out there, Billy, myself, Heather and whoever happens to be left standing go to a place called Pizza Ranch and get a bunch of fried chicken and talk about what would be a cool bike to take on. It’s that simple; no board room no bullshit just people who love motorcycles wanting to build a kick ass bike to give to the Tea fans

TR: Wait a minute, you go to the Pizza Ranch for fried chicken?

BG: Yup…it’s a kind of a best kept secret that’s not really a secret for those “in the know”. It’s a pizza buffet and the pizza is great but they also have a cafeteria style buffet and the main thing is fried chicken- it’s killer! I always loved the look of the Exile bikes; squatty stance, stripped down, internal components, big fat tire on the front. They looked tough kinda like Mack truck or a bulldozer.

TR: Is that how you came up with the name Tea-Dozer?

CC/BG: There was nothing else more fitting especially when the bike was done- it really fits.

CC: The primary builder this year was Flat Broke Chops and Rods which is Mark Persichetti and me. It started out as us just wrenching on bikes because I’ve known Mark forever and it just built from there. We call it Flat Broke because we’ll never get rich doing it, but we love it and that’s all that counts!

(Laughter)

TR: What made this bike so special? People were totally digging it when you did the reveals in Daytona during Bike Week.

CC: I’d say the biggest thing was probably the tank where we took 3.5-gallon fat bobs and split them down to make a rubber mount chopper tank. That and the rear fender struts came out really nice.

BG: Yes, all that plus Curt Green from Barebones leather did the seat and Casey @ The Paint Chop did the pinstriping again which was really cool.

TR: You guys always bring the bike around to the different rallies so how can people see it or enter to win it?

BG: Yeah that’s another casualty of the COVD-19 pandemic. Since we aren’t able to bring the bike to the rallies, we’ve been promoting it on social media, print and any way we can really. If anyone wants to enter to win the bike, and it’s totally free to do this, visit twistedtea.com, or cyclesource.com and enter. Another way is to text the word “TEADOZER” to 24587 and you’ll get a link on your phone that prompts you through entering.

TR: Wow that’s cool that Twisted Tea does this for the drinkers and bikers

BG: It’s the least we can do to thank them for being our customers, plus I get to ride it at rallies…Come to think of it there goes another thing I can’t do thanks to the pandemic…damn it!

TR: Well thanks a lot you guys and we’ll see you on the road before too long- If not we’ll be seeing you online

By Holly Will Bond

On a beautiful Monday evening a crowd gathered at the Flight 747 Lounge on Airport Road in Jacksonville. The air was bittersweet as we gathered to dedicate a chip table to the memory of our beloved Leather Lady, Patty Trantham, whom we lost on December 7, 2018. Patty had been collecting and trading Harley chips for years. Occasionally, she would sit out on her screened porch and arrange the chips on a wooden table, post pics on Facebook and comment about completing the table once she had enough chips.

Sam Bond offered to complete the table. He too had been collecting and trading chips over the years and spoke with Patty on numerous occasions about the table and that he would donate some of his chips to complete it. Patty’s family lovingly agreed to let Sam complete the table. The dedication was made on February 10th with a group of about thirty of Patty’s family and closest friends. Patty’s family wants the table to remain at the 747 Lounge as it was Patty’s favorite watering hole. If you are in the area, be sure to stop in at the 747, have a cold one, see the table and share a memory of Patty

By Lulu

Seminole Harley-Davidson in Sanford located right on I-4 is a convenient stop from just about any location in the state. During March while Bike Week 2020 was in full rally mode, Seminole brought in amazing stunt riders with Moto Motion and Orlando Alliance. Big bands including Tobacco Rd Band, Bobby Friss, September Dogs and Sound Theory played on the outside stage for the shoppers. The employees were happy to assist with all your purchases and happy bike buyers rode out on their new ride.

By Lulu

Rudy is one of the most patriotic Americans I know and that is why I love him and his bar. He loves our freedom, our police and our military. During Bike Week he remains old school and still features bikini bike wash girls slaving over your bikes, live music (the band even let TJ bang on the drums a bit) and a bevy of cute bartenders served drinks with a smile. Ride into Rudy’s for great wings if we still aren’t opened up in May you can order take out!

By Lulu

Stephanie Perras, the new owner of Dale’s Ales has made major improvements to her bar in Orange City. Inside and out, the bar is getting a facelift. Now, great grub by Fire House BBQ is a reason in itself to ride in to fill your bellies! Live music, full liquor and $10 domestic buckets are just a bonus! A short ride from Daytona, Deland and Sanford makes Dale’s Ales a great destination!

By Lulu

So, a bunch of freedom loving Renegades decided in April it was time to get out and ride for our freedom to do so. Meeting up at OB’s Cochise Chops from Chop’s magazine and Cap Wilson gathered and led us all the way across the Sunshine State with stops at Pirat’s Oasis in Umatilla and Swampy’s in Dunnellon before landing at Scooter Haven in Inglis. The host at Scooter Haven had hamburgers and hot dogs for us. The group really enjoyed making the three stops at places they had never been. I overheard many saying they would be back to camp at Scooter Haven in the future. Even Willie from Tropical made the ride!! Thanks Cochise and Cap for reminding us of the power of freedom!

By Lulu

On Main Street in Daytona Beach George Merced has a cool stop for purchasing premium cigars and miscellaneous gifts, T shirts and jewelry. Along with his brick and mortar location he also sets up booths at Froggy’s, Main Street Station and Affliction on Main Street and at other major rallies. George and his wife Kelly love to ride so stop in and meet them. They are in the process of moving from Ohio to Daytona and look forward to meeting new riding partners. You can also order online at chromepremiumcigars.com.

As the Co-Vid hell drags on, I worry for some of our friends and the businesses they have worked and struggled to keep afloat through recessions, lawsuits, fights with city officials and hurricanes. Some of their trials and tribulations have been self-inflicted…bad business choices, bad employee choices, failure to comply with the city etc. Others have been beyond their control, such as our redundant hurricane season. BUT I am starting to believe that this Corona mess is more than just a viral bug on steroids and our clients have absolutely no control over their destiny.

The government can’t possibly believe that it is okay to open-up restaurants and serve drinks, while keeping the bars who pay TOP dollar for their liquor licenses shut down. That isn’t fair at all! Why can’t they figure a way for social distancing just like the gyms, golf courses, restaurants, and the mall. I am much more afraid of the strangers in line at Wal-Mart than the folks I sit next to on a barstool at The Boat Bar in Port Orange. Often my fellow drinkers are more family than friends! This shut down has hurt everyone but Lowes, Walmart, and Amazon Prime. If I must catch Co-Vid, I would hope it was while I was having fun drinking with friends and not buying toilet paper.

I had to fly to Louisville to take care of my sister after a knee-replacement. The flight on Allegiant was incredibly cheap, like 58 bucks roundtrip. I was told the plane would be empty by the news channels. I was also told that I would need a mask. So, I bought a box of masks from the pharmacy, shoved a few in my purse, and TJ dropped me off in Sanford. The staff all wore masks. Some passengers did and some didn’t. I decided to keep mine on, because the plane wasn’t empty and the crazy thing is they loaded us like sardines in the back of the plane…right next to each other…no empty seats in between…the front of the plane was completely empty. I stood up and snapped a photo of it with my cell phone and a steward came and asked what I was doing. I told him I was putting the photo of our non-social distancing on Facebook. He said, “Oh we are getting ready to allow you to move anywhere you want on the plane!” I replied, “Well that is nice, but what moron came up with first loading us like cattle to rub shoulders before separating us?”. He was quite nice and didn’t take my camera or make me delete the photo. The whole world is screwed up right now. Half is caused by the left’s insane hatred for Trump. The other half is a bunch of doctors and government officials acting like they know what to do when obviously most of us have more sense than they do!

Try to ride to a local watering hole as soon as they open, buy a stranger a beer and don’t forget even with a mask you still need your sunscreen!