By Joe and Pam Dunn

The 22nd Annual Thunder By The Bay Music and Motorcycle Festival in Sarasota, Florida is a great three-day event that raises money for Suncoast Charities for Children. If you have never been, it is worth the trip for a good cause. We had an awesome time listening to great bands, such as the Heart Tribute Band Love Alive, In the Light of Led Zeppelin, Ultimate Def Leopard and the headliner band, Warrant, as well as many others. The drinks were flowing, there were lots of vendors, a bike show, burnout contest, Cycle Circus stunt show and even a poker run on Sunday. Even though the rain rolled in for a bit on Friday night, it did not stop the crowd from coming. The bikes kept rolling in. The crowd even doubled on Saturday night! It is clear, that when it comes to raising money for families in need, especially children, you can always count on our biker family. They truly do have a heart of gold! For more pictures of the event go to our Thunder Roads Florida’s Facebook page.

By Lulu

Each year Heavy and Christine from Midwest Motorcycle invade the property of Beaver Bar and put on one of the year’s best attended events anywhere. The bike show trophies were off the chain! Everyone lucky enough to go home with one has a unique piece of art to go with their award-winning bike. This year Midwest was celebrating their 26th year in business. That is an awesome acheivement in this day and age. The antique and custom show was rocked by Crashrocket and Matt Oree Band all afternoon and into the evening. A special thanks to Barney’s Leather, Unleashed Jewelry, One Sexy Biker Chick, Dale Garza Radio, Squirrel Trophy’s, Cap Wilson, Euro Cycles of Daytona, Stavely Coastal Cycles, Brigit Custom Works, Pin-Ups of Daytona, Who’s Hot Online, Mark Hall Riding and Flying, Cycle Fever, Politis & Matovina, and WHOG Radio all for helping put this event on each year. A lot of hard work goes into creating an event of this size. More pictures from the days’ events are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook’s page.

By Raven Van Pelt

It’s that time again for the pre-Bike Week car and bike show hosted by Callahan Cruisers of North Florida at Adamec Harley-Davidson on Baymeadows in Jacksonville. Live music by Bluesdog 66 rocked the place as people came out to walk around and check out all the bikes and cages. Vendors from jewelry to food were on hand as well. Raffles and custom trophies completed the day. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Adamec’s newest addition to their collection of dealerships, ride to St. Augustine and check it out.

By Raven Vanpelt

BIG ENGINE rocked the outside stage at CHOPPER’s Bar & Grill on a beautiful Sunday afternoon on Highway 17 in Oceanway. The bar served pulled pork sandwiches to the crowd. New owner, Mel Compton and his staff made every customer feel like family. Chopper’s always has a great atmosphere and great entertainment. Live music outside on their back deck makes for a perfect place to spend time with friends. Inside is a full-service bar, pool, darts and great food!! Check out their events on Chopper’s Facebook page and make this a stop on your next ride or poker run. Also, take a look at their ad in this magazine for more info.

WOW, what a mess our world is in. I had every intention in writing this to knock our mayor in Daytona Beach for making such a ridiculous decision to cut the last Saturday of Bike Week out for ONLY Main Street…totally unfair!!! Why should those bands, bars and vendors suffer when US 1 and beyond partied on?

No one went home, Saturday night Main Street was full of bikes, Iron Horse and Broken Spoke were packed, and I don’t believe they saved a life by the stunt they pulled. If it was such a crisis that one more day mattered it should have been a crisis all over the U.S. Now a few days later it is, so they say. 44 of our ad clients have had their establishments shut down with a day’s warning. No pay for bar staff, no sales for owners, no sales for the distributor, no bands paid! And this is just in our little microcosm of the world. I called everyone that was having to close due to the government mandate.

The ads in this coronavirus issue are still open currently or hope to be open by mid-April. The rest were thankful we allowed them to opt out as everything is so uncertain. Leesburg Bike Fest is cancelled. PLEASE put the 2021 rally on your list and if Thunder Beach can pull 2020 off please go!!! These vendors and local businesses are really hurting from this, particularly after 2 hurricanes in the recent past! I want to give a special thank you to the ad clients who supported us in this trying time, particularly Grandview Live who is shutdown for the 30 days. They said, “you support us, so we want to support you!” that gesture moved me to tears as it is costly to print this magazine. We pared this to our smallest issue ever rather than not print at all. There is still plenty to read in our magazine each month. We strive to make it more than just a yellow page book of ads. And figured if you are home stir crazy at least the joke page might entertain you.

We as a nation are all under stress about this. For me, more so about the economics and the fear this will hurt Trump’s reelection. But let’s not forget that for many people right now, it is how will I pay my rent? Even worse, if you happen to contract this damn thing, all the fear that comes with that suddenly becomes very real…although I still haven’t heard of one person from Bike Week that had it. Hope that stays true!

So, use your hand sanitizers, if they don’t impose Martial Law get out and ride an empty highway to nowhere and back and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Ron Cox

The Ft. Myers based Ronin Riding Club sponsored its 5th Annual Poker Run themed “Doing It for The Kids” on Saturday, February 29th. Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill (very biker friendly) served as the starting and ending point.

Spirits were high on this crisp morning as the seventy riders set out on the ambitious 120-mile route that included card stops in Naples and Labelle before finishing with stops in Ft. Myers. Roy Rowan won the 1st place prize with a full house.

Proceeds from the day ($10,900) will go into the Ronin Charities fund and distributed as needed to agencies like Ft. Myers Florida Baptist Ministries or Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida just to name a couple.

When the ride was over the riders were treated to finger foods and a cash bar. There was an auction for items donated by area businesses, raffles for door prizes and gift cards.

Ronin draws its name from ancient Japan, loosely defined as “A wandering Samurai who has no Lord or Master.” Ronin’s were known in the late Muromachi
(1138-1573) and Tokugawa (1603-1867) periods.

By Lulu

Tony and Dar at The Boat Bar in Port Orange had one of the biggest crowds ever for their pre Bike Week party. The place was packed. Live music by Swamp Juice was entertaining the masses. The fiddle or violin not sure which, was awesome. And the free spread of BBQ chicken and pork filled everyone’s bellies. The weather couldn’t have been more amazing. It made for a great start to Bike Week. Thank you to Shelley and Debbie for always taking such good care of Thunder Roads Florida!

Bear

Here is my tale of one lucky old school biker. December 13, 2019, yep Friday the 13th, started like any day waking up to haul my ass to the prosthetist to get my leg fixed. When I woke it was the same routine; stretch, creak and popping of old joints. Finally, I leverage myself to a seated position on the side of my bed with my stump dangling. Now here is why I am so lucky. As I was reaching for my liner, I started to have problems gripping the damned thing. When I went to turning it inside out, I noticed my left hand wasn’t cooperating. I finally got it turned inside out to don it, steadily bitching about what the hell is wrong with my damned hand enough to wake up the ole lady. I finally got everything on, and my leg pumped up and fumbled around getting dressed. I had to get the wife’s help to button my shorts. I got to the kitchen for my protein shake. Yep I had been trying for the past year to prevent what the hell was happening by losing weight and getting my BP under control. By that time, I was slurring my words, sans any excessive drinking and dragging my left leg and prosthetic. We live not far from Mayo here in Jacksonville. I will admit I took the long way. I had a prosthetist appointment and by damned I was making it, anyway one look at me and it was “get his ass to the hospital now”. Usually the wife doesn’t go to my appointments with me, but she had better sense than me and knew something wasn’t right. She also called our son who is a paramedic fireman in adjoining Clay County, and as he was getting off shift. He was ahead of us as we were heading to Mayo.

ER went quick; triage and it was announced you’re at the head of the list to be seen. All I will say is Mayo didn’t waste any time or efforts, due to their quick reaction and care I was hooked up, MRI’d, Ultra Sounded where I could see my heart was still beating, and they were popping the medicine for stroke victims. Got my ass reamed verbally by a black lady doctor telling me I would take whatever prescriptions I was given, and she didn’t want to hear my shit. Yep, I am not one who likes to support big pharma, but I heard her loud and clear. I had to stay a few days under their care, but I think I showed them a thing or two about bikers before I was released the following Tuesday afternoon. First, I was informed. Second, I want to thank my many visitors and those who called or checked in on me, the Mayo staff had never seen any one patient have as many visitors as I had at all hours of the day and night. Third was the determination of a biker who refused to accept that a stroke or anything else was going to keep him down. That first night I was still not 100% sure exactly what was wrong other than I had a stroke type event. I’ll tell you I was some shook up, truth is I was waiting for the biggie to hit me, I wouldn’t sleep. I knew my left side was completely paralyzed, but by damn I knew I wasn’t done, not by a long shot. I knew God didn’t save my ass back in 2008 when I lost the leg when a kid in a car drove into the side of Phoenix. I still had too much living to do back then and still do. But brothers and sisters I was scared, I may not have all my parts, but I always had my strength, will, brains and I could string words together. There I laid slurred speech, couldn’t move well, weak, and not knowing what was going to happen next, just that long night of wait and see. So, I laid there and was trying and sweating my tail off trying to move stump, leg, arm, hand fingers, speak clearly, anything.

By the time doctors started showing up with their poking, prodding and not saying much, the Bear was getting his bullheadedness up. Still hadn’t had much confirmed regarding what was what, but I was in full get this show on the road. Little by little I got my hand to unclench, I got that arm to move, and I got the leg to do some moving. Sunday after being visited by rehab people, I was cleared to get out of bed with help. That didn’t last long, I got the IV out and I was making breaks for the hall, bathroom, and finally stumbling laps around the floor. It wasn’t pretty, but by damn this scooter tramp was up and moving. I pissed off one doctor when I stated my main goal was to use my left hand to work the clutch on my bike. Hey, you got to set goals! He popped off something and walked out leaving the other doctor there to explain what had happened to me as per the MRI. Stroke hit me at the brain stem and affected my left side. I wasn’t overly thrilled with the way she was looking, never liked it when doctors look concerned, it leaves you feeling downright uneasy. I do know without a doubt how lucky and blessed I am, this one usually ends much worse off, like kills you. Apparently, that is also where your lungs are controlled along with left side motor skills.

So, by Sunday. Ol’ Bear was walking a lap at a time around the fourth floor ward nurses stations, and I run into the doctors along with the smartass that walked out leaving the other one hanging, and I gave them a “good morning” as I stumbled past. The best part was when they came into my room and I was the stroke victim that came in Friday. You don’t give up, you don’t quit, and you sure don’t let anybody put limitations on what can be done. Now I am not what many would call a real religious person, but I do have a strong belief in God. I know from experience guardian angels ride with us. It also doesn’t hurt if you’re one that happens to have a lot of years of riding experience. Without God, and a streak of stubbornness and perseverance a mile wide, nothing will ever stop you so long as you have a breath in your body and a will to fight for your right to live your life as a biker. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever stop a biker, or old school, or scooter tramps, or even the one percenters so long as they have their belief, their code that we live by, ride by, and eventually we will meet our maker by. But until that day, you bust your butt, you don’t quit, and you sure as hell don’t listen to anyone that tells you that it can’t be done.

So, there I was with Gods help, at the end of the year, 18 days later wanting to do what I always do, New Year’s Day ride, well I didn’t make it. Test ride ended with me getting too slow in a cul-de-sac and I had to set her down. As I said, you don’t give up, you dig deeper and work harder. 38 days after my stroke on 20 January 2020 I rode down to the end of my subdivision and made the circle in the cul-de-sac, success! As my reward for perseverance and to really test myself, I rode the back by-ways from Jacksonville to Beaver Bar in Ormond Beach, and no I didn’t have a celebratory beer. I did discover work that I still need do before I get back out riding with friends and biker family. In the end, my message to all, follow your dream, only quit when your dead, but until then never, ever let any of life’s setback’s define who you are, keep the faith, if in nothing else…in yourself. For the rest remember, God never puts anything before you that he knows you can’t beat.

I will be at Bike Week 2020
Ride Hard, Live Free, Screw It Lets Ride!

By Lulu

Riding in Florida is flat! The only hills we really have to climb are a few rolling hills in Clermont. So, when we rented a bike from Cowboy Harley Davidson in Austin, Texas it was with the intention of exploring the old towns near Austin/San Antonio. A night or two of Blues music and great food in Austin, turned into hundreds of miles of highway.

Rolling hills, quaint old Texas towns and vistas everywhere made the trip to San Antonio more than just the Riverwalk and the Alamo. Visit Texas! Rent a bike and hit towns like Fredericksburg, Gruene and Luckenbach for a wonderful few days on two wheels. Make sure to ride up to The Oasis on Lake Travis outside of Austin on a sunny day, the view is amazing. A special thank you to our New Braunfels friends Paul and Yolanda for playing tour guides and opening their home to us, and to our good friend Pete for riding up from Padre Island to share some saddle time with us.

By Lulu

As you pull on your boots (And even though it is Florida WEAR THEM on your bike for safety sake!) and try to decide what your agenda for the day is, you might want to check out some of the following destinations. We are famous for a few roadways in the Daytona area. Of course, the World-Famous Beach riding is one. If you haven’t taken the bike out for an ocean front ride you really should, but be certain to wash the sand and salt off as soon as you get back on the highway. The Loop ride, starting at Beach St. and ending on A1A is a must do. The ocean ride from there up to St. Augustine is a great ride.

In this issue is an article about riding out to Crescent City off 17 and the country roads out that way are great. Blackwater Inn on the St John’s River and Williams Landing is a great stop when you are traveling Rt 40 through the Ocala National Forest. If you make it as far as Ocala have lunch at Ocalahan’s. If you travel out toward Palatka stop in and see Donnie and Amy at 3-D Saloon for a cold one.
Deland Bike Festival is a one-day rally, while you are out that way be certain to stop in and see the new owner of Dale’s Ales. Stephanie Perras has been busy making improvements both inside and out and loves to throw a party with live music, see their ad for the entertainment schedule. OB’s is doing an after party and has live music scheduled all day and lots of other stuff going on during the rally. The last Friday night of Bike Week in Deland, the Burning Bike happens at Volusia County Fairgrounds and that is something to see. A bikini contest also occurs that evening.

In Port Orange one of the favorite food and music stops is First Turn Steakhouse. Their huge tiki bar is perfect for chilling an afternoon away. The Dog House on Nova Rd. is bringing in bands including Confederate Railroad and Molly Hatchet. Mark’s Sports Bar in South Daytona, The Boat Bar in Port Orange and Bay 3 Bar in New Smyrna are known for great prices all year long. Cabbage Patch is Samsula will feature Coleslaw Wrestling, bike shows, vendors and bands.

The US 1 corridor features lots of our clients. Rudy’s Bar & Grill is run by one of the most patriotic immigrants I know, Chris’ Lounge bartenders are known for their drink making abilities, heading up north from there is the World Famous Iron Horse, Boot Hill Outpost, and the Broken Spoke all MUST DO stops. Of course, a stop or two at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona H-D is a Bike Week necessity. Up in Bunnell we have Ike’s Saloon and Crossroad Tavern both stops for locals and travelers.

Hard Rock Hotel has some of the nicest views of the ocean that you can ask for and is only a short hop from Main Street and everyone will make a stop at Main Street Station and Boot Hill Saloon for cocktails and T-shirts.

For those who want to put a few more miles on, ride up to St. Augustine and check out the new Adamec H-D dealership, or ride down I-4 to Seminole H-D. Even Gator H-D in Leesburg and Stormy Hill H-D in Clermont have events scheduled during the rally check out everyone’s ads in this issue.

And finally, if you need new boots check out Skip’s Boots on International Speedway for their large selection of Harley and cowboy boots. Remember no flip flops. I broke my foot last summer wearing flops for a short ride in Savannah BIG MISTAKE!!

By Lulu

Just north of the crossroads in Bunnell is Scott and Judy McNitt’s motorcycle repair business. The two have owned Tri City Cycles for twenty-two years. To be in any business for that length of time is a big deal, but to have loyal customers who followed them to their new location in 2018 shows they are doing everything right. Timely service, great prices and excellent service work is what makes people make the trip to Bunnell for their service and maintenance on bikes and trikes. The business was named Tri City Cycles in 1980 because the original owners planned on servicing bikes in Flagler Beach, Palm Coast and Bunnell. Tri City throughout its history has been family owned and operated for 40 years.

Denise Sarfde was the owner when Scott and Judy purchased Tri City. When Scott and Judy bought the business in 1997 from Denise, they kept the name, even though their clients drive from cities including Orlando and Jacksonville. Some clients visit every Bike Week when they are in town. The mechanics are Buzz Martin and Kyle Rieger who seem to stay busy with a smile, tinkering on the lifts out back. Denise is retired now, but still helps part-time with the books and Judy helps during events.

Tri City Cycles works on most makes and models. They have a huge selection of reasonably priced tires and batteries. They do brakes, fluid flushes and major repairs…but Scott really encourages routine maintenance to keep those major repairs from being necessary and to keep you safe on your ride. When I asked had the move off the beach to Bunnell helped or hurt his business he answered quickly, “We had our best year ever and had to hire another tech after the move!” During Bike Week Scott runs extended hours starting the first Friday of Bike Week running through the last Saturday. His hours will be 9-6 every day during the event to try to keep everyone up and riding! Call 386-437-7000 if you run into trouble with your bike or to schedule service. They do provide pick up if needed. Tri City’s address is 306 N. State St., Bunnell.

WOW I can’t believe it has been 13 Bike Weeks since our very first edition of Thunder Roads Florida!!! What an insane ride this life of motorcycling has been! I reflect on all the great people I have met and particularly those who no longer ride this Earth with us, and I am in awe at the sheer number of friends this magazine has graced me with.

For those of you who have known me since the first edition I want you to know I still miss Bull and his zest for life. No one loved the lifestyle of two wheels more. I only wish he could have seen what the magazine has become. I must thank Bull when I cross over to the other side for all the friends this magazine created. It took T. J. at the reins to make it financially sound…I must admit I wasn’t good at the financial part of the business as I simply couldn’t seem to do it all by myself. Writing, photography, events, etc. were a piece of cake but sales, billing, collections, and distribution were a struggle for me. With T. J.’s help we were finally named Publishers of the Year!

For those of you visiting our state for Bike Week please remember we have lots of critters on our roads and it seems they are getting braver each year…deer and bears are often racing across the highways even during the day. The police are another critter to watch for…I say that lovingly as one of my favorite nephews is a police officer. But they are only doing their job when they pull you over for running with blue or red LED lights, no sunglasses, loud pipes, ape hangers over the height limit, etc., but these reasons for pulling you over can lead to a DUI if you over imbibe…so drink responsibly and don’t ruin your trip. Drinking responsibly also means drink plenty of water.

And finally, as I always close my Pony Tales, wear sunscreen. Even when it isn’t out the sun can fry your skin and since we don’t have anything to shield us while we ride the Sunshine State, sunscreen is a must.

We have lots of new ad clients who are responsible for us being able to bring this monthly free magazine to you so please use the Motorcycle Friendly Directory as you travel the state and spend your money with those who truly are Motorcycle Friendly!!!

Visit the Bayer tent at Iron Horse or Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona H-D and thank them for the free samples, sign up for information at the Concealed Carry booth too and as I already mentioned don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Tom Taylor and Brenda Pierce

The American Legion Post 359 has always had a strong focus on helping our veterans. As part of our ongoing effort, the entire Post 359 Legion family, including the Legionnaires, Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.) and the Legion Riders set their focus on helping PROJECT: Vet Relief, whose mission is to “provide a legion of support for our service men and women as they transition into civilian lives.” Additional information on Project Vet Relief and their activities is available at https://www.projectvetrelief.org.

Post 359 members worked for the month of January, holding fundraising events and donating 100% of the proceeds to PROJECT: Vet Relief. Events were kicked off with a brunch buffet on New Year’s Day and continued throughout the month with the Legion Rider’s January Bike Day, Auxiliary Steak Shoot and spaghetti dinner, and a poker run and rib dinner sponsored by S.A.L. as well as daily lunch specials, drink specials ,raffle baskets and 200 specially designed challenge coins to commemorate the effort.

We ended the fundraising month with a catered dinner for the American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford and other dignitaries on January 31st. Astronaut High School R.O.T.C. provided an outstanding program and tribute to our fallen veterans as part of the event, which concluded with presentation of a check in the amount of $21,000 for PROJECT: Vet Relief to our Dept. of Florida American Legion Commander Rick Johnson.

Many thanks to every volunteer and to those who helped plan, coordinate and carry out these many events. Because of the success of this event, we are dedicated to choosing a charity on a quarterly basis to continue this assistance to our community.

By Lulu

Let’s Ride started in a small storefront in 2008, moved to US 19 in Port Richey in 2010 and now has two locations totaling over 6,000 sq. ft. Lisa and Bob Contorno said, “When we purchased the business in 2016 it was in the red. It took an overwhelming amount of work, advertising, and every cent we had or could borrow. When you put it all in, it’s scary. Your security is at risk, so you don’t count hours worked, just the measure of results, it’s a win or lose deal.”

They have always loved motorcycles, owned and ridden them. Bob was involved in two past dealerships, J & J Cycle and Liberty Harley-Davidson, both were in Ohio. Florida is much different, it’s an all year riding climate Bob said. According to Bob they have met so many great people from their motorcycling. Both Bob & Lisa are very active helping others, with sponsorship of so many events and worthy causes. They are members of and support the Sun Coast Brotherhood because they are a group that stands for Biker Rights and help so many in need, including children.

Lisa said, “Motorcycling is not just transportation, it is all about a common love for freedom”. Let’s Ride Retail on State Road 52 in Hudson, Florida makes and supplies patches, vests and riding gear to many organizations, clubs and people. “It’s self-expression” she said, “Making patches and sewing is rewarding!”

Bob added, we now have our service center open. Located at 6151 Springer Drive in Port Richey, Florida with trained mechanics, the five-lift center is “state of the art”. Bob said, “Nothing goes out unless it’s correct. We are taking pride in the trust people place in Let’s Ride to service their motorcycles. The labor rate is $85.00 per hour. Not abusive like most other dealer’s rates.”
Lisa also wants everyone to know that autos and trucks are for sale at the retail store, and at the service center they sell new and used motorcycles. Expanding into more facets of the industry is giving Let’s Ride the opportunity to grow. Bob and Lisa also want to thank the people who have made this possible. “Thunder Roads Florida has been great covering our events. The Fran Haasch Law Firm has always supported us and the motorcycle community. Other local “Biker Magazines” have helped and our customers have become family. Without these people, we would not be here.” Please drop in and meet the staff, and hopefully you will find “your new motorcycle store”. PS Let’s Ride is working on its first new franchised location. More to come soon. Let’s Ride!