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!

By Lulu

OB’s in Deland has become one of the most happening hot spots in Volusia County with theme parties during the year, monthly birthday bashes for the regulars, huge Wednesday night bike nights and live music Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Two times a year their bike shows are bigger than most rally events anywhere. The Russ & Bob Knuckle/Pan show in November and the Americana Bike Show in June fill the HUGE parking lot and property. And do not forget the food they dish out at OB’s! I love their burgers and cannot wait for them to open back up to the masses!! Bike Week was a party all 10 days with great live music! Do not forget them as a spot for poker runs. Kristi and crew love to host your events so give them a shout out!

By T. J.

A short ride from the Bike Week central madness, which is Main St. Daytona, out on Rt. 44 at Volusia County Fairgrounds in Deland is a very “HOTT” event called the Burning Bike. There is camping and vendors all week to create the party, and on the final night they torch a massive wooden motorcycle. This is the biggest and most amazing bon fire you will ever see. Word must be spreading because over the last few years the crowd size has really grown. Troy at Fastlane Productions puts on one hell of a show with a band and bikini contest rounding out the evening. The “Sgt. Will Gardner Harley Fundraiser” was also there raising awareness for their military veterans’ support campaign. See more about this effort at specopscharity.com/harleyfundraiser/. Put the Burning Bike night on your calendar for next year and enjoy a fun time.

By T. J.

On the last Sunday of Bike Week when the Corona cancellation was in effect, I did something different and took a ride to Orlando Speed World on Rt. 50 in Bithlo to watch the Sunshine Nationals Drag Races. It was extremely exciting to watch these racers reach speeds well over 200 mph and cover a ¼ mile in 6.5 seconds. The engine sound is deafening, and the horsepower can be felt from a distance. What a rush if you have never seen it up close in real life. Qualifying day was open to anybody that felt the need to test their bike and skill, but the finals were dominated by the pros and it was awesome to see. The crowd in attendance loved it. Keep up with the AMRA (American Motorcycle Racing Assoc) schedule this year and consider attending next year’s event for one memorable afternoon. I’ll see ya there.

By Lulu

So as famous as Bike Week is, Willie and the crew at Tropical Tattoo make Bike Week what it is! Old school mentality is evident even among the young riders! Wrenching on bikes, creating a masterpiece sometimes only in their own minds, and bringing it to show their art is what this day is all about!!! Sexy young ladies, emcee Roadside Marty, great tunes out back by Big Rick and the Troublemakers and one of a kind 2-wheeled pieces of art everywhere you look make this the place to be on the last Thursday of Bike Week. Thanks to our major sponsors Rue & Ziffra law firm and Twisted Tea who help Tropical put this awesome event on. Also to Tucker Rocky (V-Twin) Hot Leathers, Biltwell, Spectro Oil, USA Parts Co., Dirtbag Choppers, Blings Cycles, FNA, Hardcore Cycles, Inc., the Pocket Guide, Grandview Live, Dave Perewitz, B & D Customs, Speedking Racing, Mo’s Image, Bikernet, RiderNow, Southern Cycle, and Cycle Source Magazine for helping bring this party to the masses. Anyone who knows me will hear me say, this is by far the best event of the year! Add to that the beer and Twisted Tea sales benefit local veterans and give us all an opportunity to help those who have protected our freedom, you can check them out at www.veteranssupportfund.com.

By Lulu

Bike Week 2020 ended up chaos for the bars and vendors on Main Street. Just by an amazing stroke of luck. Phaedra Lee scheduled the Miss Twisted Tea bikini contest the first weekend of Bike Week and it was packed and went off without a hitch. Usually the contest falls the last Sunday and would have been shut down due to the ridiculous Corona lock down that the mayor decided could not wait for one more day. During the contest photographers were snapping away, bartenders were slinging drinks and Twisted Tea at an amazing pace keeping the crowd happy. The beautiful 2020 Twisted Tea Bike for their annual giveaway was revealed on stage. Chris and the peeps from Cycle Source were on hand and see the ad inside to find out how to register to enter. Each girl on stage was adorable in her own right and I would have hated to be a judge! Please do not forget as things open after this corona nightmare the huge Wednesday Bike Nights with live music and $1 longnecks.