By Amy Poole [autoviewer id="282" width="600" height="600" ] The 2nd Annual Flagler Heritage Festival was celebrated at the Black Cloud Saloon this year. Hosting this event is Heritage Crossroads, the same group that acquired Florida’s first highway in Flagler County. If you are familiar with Flagler County you know there are MILES of worthy historic culture! Stormy skies and a soggy ground did not prevent this “fun for the whole family” event from taking place at the Thunder Gulch Campground. This occasion is to recreate the history of Flagler County by showing reenactments of historic ways of work, play, and the way of life back then. Volunteers and attendees made camp and brought the historic atmosphere back to life by blacksmithing toys, cooking by small fires, demonstrating handmade tools, displaying craftsmanship and a few antique autos rolled in. Also on display were some rare antique motorcycles provided by Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley Davidson. Many of the children participated, hands on, to see how food was prepared and how children entertained themselves many years ago. Present-day items were on site including Pinstriping by the Rossie’s, Sheila’s Funnel Cakes, arts & crafts, food & more! What an intriguing affair and thank you John, the owner of Black Cloud and ALL the sponsors that lent a hand to make it all come together! You can go to www.heritagecrossroads.org for future info or become a sponsor for next year. Thanks!! Read the rest of this entry »

By Billy "Kneecap" Braddock

I was going to write this whole article on those Moto-Psychos that terrorized a man, his wife, and their two-year-old child in an SUV in N.Y. Their actions reinstates the label of 50 years ago when bikers were considered leather clad, bearded, tattooed barbarians, that did nothing but indulge in booze, dope, and barroom brawls. This, in no way reflects most of the motorcycle organizations that spend their weekends contributing to their community. This whole incident doesn't deserve the ink that is used to write about it, but it needs to be addressed. Rather than waste the magazine's space, I will address this incident in my blog at nobodiesopinion.com. I wrote this article during Biketoberest, after reading an article in our local liberal rag; I decided to address their opinions. The article was entitled "Daytona Beach, other venues face challenge: keep bikers coming" by Jeffrey Cassady. Instead of an upbeat article about the arrival of bikers from around the country, they portrayed a picture of doom. The first sentence was “If you've noticed Biketoberfest crowds seem to be smaller than they were a decade ago, you're not alone”. Maybe we need to do a quick reflection on Biketoberfest. In 1992 it started out as “The Daytona Fall Tour” and attracted approximately 5000. In 1993 it changed its name to “Biketoberfest” and was attended by 15,000. By 1999 it had grown to 75,000, and even with the aftermath of the 2004 hurricanes, 100,000 came to Daytona. This number has stayed fairly steady since. Ever since I was a kid, all I've heard from Daytona was “we need to make Daytona Beach into a family oriented town”. Wake up Daytona; you are a “Beach Town”, not “Disneyland”. Complaining, whining, and blaming the economy, competition, and changing demographics are not going to increase or keep attendance. I even heard of one merchant saying that he'd like to see a little rain so that it would keep the bikers on Main Street. If you need rain to keep people in your establishment, do you think you might be doing something wrong? It's not that bikers are getting older or smaller rallies that are siphoning attendees. There are 10.4 million registered motorcycles in United States with an average age ownership of 40-47. The percentage of owners 40-49 years old has increased from 14 to 28%, and owners 50+ increased from 9 to 25%. Even though the highest percent of owners are male, females are gaining ground. Granted, the population of the millennials now equals that of baby boomers, but baby boomers have and spend more money. Daytona needs to take a lesson from successful businesses. 99% of success is in “Attitude”. They need to ask themselves, “Why are bikers going north or to events in Orlando”? Shelly Rossmeyer Pepe, general manager of Bruce Rossmeyer' Daytona Harley-Davidson at Destination Daytona, hit it on the nose, when she said “It's a total community effort. If you invite people to your home, you need to provide excellent service with an excellent product. You have to offer a party.” Making Daytona more attractive to bikers may not be an easy accomplishment. First, they need to expand Biketoberfest from four days (it's actually three days, Sunday doesn't count) to ten, like they did in 2004. Would you ride 1000mi.+ for a three-day party? Add events and attractions to keep the rally fresh. The bars, restaurants, hotels, and campgrounds need to stop price gouging the bikers. Stop the police from ticketing bikers for every little thing. They have more important things to do, like catching criminals. Stop looking at the glass as being half-empty. Remember the bottom half is full and the top half is empty. Try to fill the whole glass. Stop picking on older bikers. They tend to be multi-taskers. They can laugh, cough, sneeze, and pee at the same time. See you on the shiny side up tomorrow… Read the rest of this entry »

By Deborah Speicher

[autoviewer id="277" width="600" height="600" ] When Harley-Davidson and the City of Milwaukee throw a party, they really pull out all the stops. The party was somewhat spread out throughout the city and surrounding areas. The local dealerships all held parties of their own with live music, vendors, and various entertainment. The House of Harley dealership had different themes for each day and held organized rides that benefitted various charities (Susan Koman Foundation for Women’s Day, Fisher House for Veterans Day, etc.). Up at the Powertrain Plant in Menomonee Falls, they also held demo rides. It was a true twofer as we got to tour the plant and then ride the new 2014 models. There are lots of changes to the new Harley-Davidsons especially the touring models which had long lines to demo. I especially liked the fact that ABS is either standard or available as on option on all models. Lots of very cool paint options for 2014 too! The Harley-Davidson Museum was a great place to check out the history of all things Harley. There were also numerous vendors, a HOG (Harley Owners Group) pin stop, bike night and an AMD motorcycle show. Kudos to H‑D for having great food on the premises. I ate at Motor Bar and Restaurant previously and stopped in again a couple of times this trip. Service and quality were uncompromised even with the large crowds. The staff at the Museum recommended we leave our motorcycles in their secure lot and take a shuttle over to the Summerfest Grounds which we did a few times. The Summerfest Grounds are located in downtown Milwaukee on the shores of Lake Michigan and can accommodate several concerts at once. For one price, you got four days of 60+ concerts which featured The Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joan Jett and several other top notch acts. Three separate concerts (with additional tickets) were available for Aerosmith, Kid Rock and Toby Keith. There was also UFC and other events, making it something for everybody! Saturday, August 31 we attended the H-D parade. Participating were numerous antique motorcycles, hundreds of HOG chapters from all over the world, various law enforcement agencies and departments, motorcycle celebrities such as Willie G. and Nancy Davidson, and Governor Scott Walker (Wisconsin). The parade of approximately 7,000 motorcycles went from Miller Park to downtown Milwaukee and ended at Summerfest Grounds. This was really a sight to behold! We also spent some time out in the country hitting some of the local hangouts such as The DMZ Bunker in Waterford which has the best burgers and cold brews around. Friday night fish fries are popular at just about every local pub and once again the locals directed us to a really good one at Benno’s in downtown West Allis. No matter where we went, the people of Milwaukee and surrounding areas couldn’t have been nicer and welcomed us “home.” You can be sure I will be heading back for the 115th Anniversary in 2018! Read the rest of this entry »

By Kneecap

The Bar None Saloon in St. Augustine celebrated their 15th anniversary this year. With all the businesses that have closed in the past few years, this goes to show you how a well-run, friendly establishment can survive. The management and staff are so accommodating and friendly that you want to go back. The party was not supposed to start until four o'clock. However, I got there early and the place was mostly filled. By four o'clock a seat was hard to find. There was plenty of food, great entertainment, and great service. Without saying, their anniversary was a great success. With this attitude they will be celebrating many more anniversaries. Kneecap, and Thunder Roads Magazine Florida gives this bar Five Stars . Visit them soon and you'll give Bar None five stars also. Read the rest of this entry »

By LuLu

During Biketoberfest two brothers were signing autographs at one of my favorite “Super Centers” J&P Cycles. The Parker brothers, Marc and Shanon, have made quite a stir in the custom market. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina they transplanted to Melbourne, Florida 10 years ago. Both worked in construction for their living, but tinkered aggressively on boats, cars and bikes for their personal recreation and enjoyment. A friend posted some of their creations on the internet and the rest is quite a story. Both brothers were totally “caught off guard” by the thunderstorm that has followed. Hollywood contacted them to build for a movie and they had to explain they didn’t even have a business yet. But the Parker brothers quickly formed one under the name of Parker Brothers Concepts and built the “Shredder” an alien vehicle that appears in the movie Battleship. This year they built an 800hp all wheel drive race car which won the Gum Ball Rally, a 3,000 mile race across Europe. They also had a TV series which aired last year on the Sci-Fi channel. The series aired against “The Deadliest Catch” so if you wonder why you may not have seen it last year that is probably the reason. The first series they built a trike, car and spacecraft. When asked about the equipment they create these unique and impressive vehicles with, Marc laughed and said they started with your basic hand grinders and backyard welding equipment. He admits they have started gathering more sophisticated tools of the trade with their success. The Parkers are in negotiations with a new network for their second series and have 12-13 more movie projects in negotiations also. One of their next in house builds they intend to tackle is a submarine. Shanon is the design genius that comes up with these crazy and amazing ideas. And Marc brings them to life! Both brothers inherited their love of motorcycles from their father who was also in construction. Marc has a Yamaha R1 and a chopper that is an ongoing project in his garage and Shanon rides a FXR. Marc made me laugh when I asked him about their love life. Marc explained, “Shanon has three children with the girl he has loved since he was 13; and I can’t keep the same girl for 13 days!” These two brothers seem totally unaffected by their sudden celebrity status. They smiled and signed autographs for hours and just seem like smart, pleasant, AND extremely talented young men. Their shop is at 2335 Aurora Rd in Melbourne and they have been in that location for two years. Their website is ParkerBrothersConcepts.com. Read the rest of this entry »

By Ron Cox

In concert with the Cape Coral Community Foundation, the Special Forces M/C Chapter 1 organized a fund raising ride to raise money for the establishment and maintenance of the Iraq War Monument at Eco Park in Cape Coral. A unique feature of the event was the prize for the most patriotically decorated motor vehicle. Riding away with first place was Dan Bartley from the Gold Wing Road Riders, FL 2-G. Pitching in to show support was Anthony's On The Boulevard which hosted a Pig Roast Fundraiser from noon to midnight. Anthony's is well known in the community for supporting worthwhile events. The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 594 provided the color guard for opening ceremonies. By coincidence, Navy CPO Blaine Elmer literally stepped off an airplane at SW Regional Airport and jumped on his Harley which had been brought there by some friends. The ride's departure was delayed so CPO Elmer could take his position at the front, just behind the color guard. Elmer has served five overseas tours including duty in Iraq, the Balkans and this most recent assignment in Afghanistan. Needless to say, Elmer received a standing ovation and many handshakes from the Veterans in attendance.

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Donations for the Monument can be sent to: Cape Coral Community Foundation, The IRAQ Monument, 4729 Vincennes Boulevard, Cape Coral, Florida 33904.

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Pony Tales header By Lulu With the insanity that has been splashed all over every news channel concerning the crotch rocket “gang” in New York I have a request of the “REAL” bikers. Please post any video footage you have of bikers as I know them on You Tube and Facebook. I want videos to go viral of bikers with bicycles strapped to their bikes on Toy Runs, bags of food being carried to food drives, Patriot Guard Riders escorting our lost soldiers to their final resting place, the REAL bikers of Rolling Thunder making their pilgrimage to the Wall…I don’t want a posse of idiots in New York to be viewed as what we in the biker community are about. Sure all of us have had episodes of cages scaring the crap out of us from time to time, and we may have even witnessed a biker kick the side of a car that veered to close, BUT the insanity of what happened in New York was that there were hundreds of reports to the police about their behavior on two wheels over the weekend! What the hell took so long to get them off the road! In Palm Coast my friend Sherry parked illegally in a fire zone while I ran inside to make a copy and before I could walk in and out a cop had his blue lights on her!!! If there truly had been over a hundred calls to the police over the weekend when this incident took place someone should have intervened before this family was terrified and someone horribly injured. As a note to those of you who ride a crotch rocket, BEWARE! This behavior will certainly adversely affect how you are perceived by all of us. Had I been in a car with my grandchildren and those lunatics terrified me I would have ended up in jail because the safety of my family comes first. Ride with care in the aftermath of this news coverage, be courteous to those who are frightened by what they witnessed on TV and don’t forget your sunscreen. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu

Community involvement is something the folks at Gator and Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson pride themselves on and one of my favorite events there is this month on November 2nd to honor Veterans. In September they hosted a chili cook off and the parking lot was full of tasty treats. Each year they have two categories, one for professionals and one for cooks trying to impress us all with their culinary skills. I would not have been able to pick a winner all were tasty treats! The money raised goes to the Lake County Professional Firefighters, and as we all know these guys and girls are heroes everyday! Thank you Gator Harley-Davidson for caring for your heroes in your community! Read the rest of this entry »

By Raven Van Pelt

Despite the on again, off again rain on September 22nd, Hwy 17 Roadhouse Tavern, on Hwy 17 in Yulee held a charity concert for the Veterans Farm located in Jacksonville. The events started at 2 PM with 4 bands, such as Circle of Influence, Black Creek Rizin, Shell Game and Blister. Between band changes, there were raffle drawings, including a 50/50 raffle and a POW/MIA Ceremony.  Auction Items, donations by Budweiser and Twisted Tea, as well as many vendor booths & exhibits, and plenty of food catered by Murray's Grill completed the day.  All in all there was a great turn out, all to help support the Veterans Farm. A special thank you must be said to the owners and staff of Highway 17 Roadhouse Tavern who put this on to honor family members who served in the armed forces…over $3500 was raised and donated!! The Veterans Farm mission is to help disabled combat veterans reintegrate back into society through the use of horticulture therapy, while working together in a relaxed, open environment. Veterans work as a team to develop solutions that will enable them to overcome physical and mental barriers. Their goal is to help fill this gap by partnering with organizations like Farmers Veterans Coalition to assist disabled veterans in obtaining the resources to start their own farm or to work with larger farming organizations. Veterans Farm makes a connection between our veterans and the civilian community at large. The way they do this is by having disabled veterans grow and sell fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, U-pick and commercial markets. This will help them to become more comfortable socializing with the public. Their other goals are to show the public that veterans and disabled veterans can be successful working in the civilian world, to educate the community about the health benefits of eating organic food and to collaborate and work with local farmers. For more information on Veterans Farm please write or call: 9526 Argyle Forest Blvd., Ste. B2 #321, Jacksonville, Fl 32222. Phone: 904-535-4129 Fax: 877-390-8852 Read the rest of this entry »

By Lil Jon

Yep, everybody wanted change and when Obama couldn’t deliver Harley did, from hood air vents and latches to large screen radios. Oh yea did I say that they’re water cooled? So that when you are stuck downtown in traffic you don’t burn up. On September 19th Rossmeyer Harley lines up the 2014s. It was an after hour party from 6-9p with food, a fashion show, games and giveaways. The fashion show was neat, from leather to bling, even luggage or something for your pet! The show room is full of all kinds of “can’t do with outs”! So stop and show and pick out that new Harley or step up to something a little different. They have plenty of new and used bikes. While you are there check out their service department, have a little something to eat in their new cafeteria or buy something new to wear. And if you haven’t scrapped those love bugs off your ride or if you just want your old ride to look new…stop across the parking lot or make an appointment with the Rossmeyer detail team. Ride safe…don’t let that road rage stuff take you off your two wheels! On a safety note: This is for all you bikers…road rage does not pay off. Cars and trucks always win, besides we are always portrayed as the bad guys. Too many bikers are getting run over during road rage episodes. Here’s an idea…when you get cut off just smile and wave. I have found that works on them more than trying to fight and trust me they know what they did; besides it is not always intentional. And being stupid is not against the law “yet”…ride safe. Read the rest of this entry »

By Phoenix and Metric

Just a few weeks ago we had the privilege to be part a life changing event. One the American Legion Riders from Chapter 74 in Sebring got us involved with “Charlie Bear”. Charlie Bear is the brain child of a couple riders who decided to help children in need by taking a stuffed bear around the world by motorcycle while raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network. Well, Charlie Bear stormed in to Sebring for a brief layover on his travels around the world. In his short stay he touched the lives of so many people. Charlie rolled in from down in Okeechobee and spent the night with Dumpster Mike and his lovely Karen. In the morning, we caught up with Charlie at Dutcher’s Diner in Avon Park for breakfast, before he was whisked away to his next stop in Wildwood. If you would like to follow Charlie Bear's adventure or make a donation go to http://worldwiderelayriders.org and sign up. Read the rest of this entry »

By Miserable George

On June 26th, just 2 days before his scheduled deployment, Sgt. Cleveland, while riding his motorcycle, plowed into a car that had pulled out in front of him. The resulting injuries have left him paralyzed from the chest down. In order to help defray expenses of his family (wife Sharon is also active Air Force,) and two children, a benefit run was held on Sept. 21. It started with breakfast at Amer. Legion #163, Melbourne. From there, it was a run to the Tides Club at Patrick AFB, beachside, where over 200 bikes formed up. Pastor Tim led some prayers before departure for Space Coast Harley Davidson, where live bands, DJ Doc Holiday, food and drink, vendors, and various activities, awaited the riders. There was the presentation of colors, singing of the National Anthem, and a special presentation to Sharon Cleveland, from a Florida state senator. Thanks go out to AVET, and all who helped set up this benefit for Sgt. Cleveland, who has a long road to what we pray will be recovery. It was reported that $10,000 was raised for the family! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Note: This event was in no way affiliated with the US Air Force, nor the Department of Defense. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lil Jon [autoviewer id="270" width="600" height="600" ] Here we are again at Starke BikeFest. The years are starting to fly by. If you went to Starke I really only need to remind you of the fact, that you couldn’t be everywhere at one time. The bands that played in Starke ranged from Evil Monkey, Big Engine, Moccasin Creek to Mustang Sally who was an all girl band that packed downtown. There were contests all over including tattoo, bike show, best tan, bikini, pole dancing contest, frozen T-shirts, and even, the “in the street” porta-potty pulls. Some of the sponsors included BCDA, Bizzi-Boutique who did the tan contest, Twisted Tea who also sponsors the bike nights for us. It was hot and also drizzled, of course, which was no excuse for not riding out; there was a bar at each end of town and plenty of places to cool off and drink a cold one or hide from the rain. So quit your whining and plan to ride out next year RAIN OR SHINE! Just wear less and be ready to deal with whatever Mother Nature throws at you…like real bikers do. Those of you who put your feet on the highway bars in town…drive me crazy. The key word is “Highway” bars. The easiest way to lose a leg is to be in town with all the traffic and riding with your feet more than 4 inches from the pedals! You look cool enough without being foolish! Until the next event ride safe! Read the rest of this entry »

By Raven Once again Rusty’s Pub, on 103rd St. in Jacksonville, held their 2nd Annual Fun Run Survival Celebration. The event included a party all day, lasting into the night with drink specials, a pig roast, karaoke, comedians, 50/50 and raffles. The Twisted Tea girls were also on hand to help celebrate with giveaways, a little dancing and a lot of Twisted Tea. Randy and his crew did a great job, and look forward to the 3rd Annual Party. Read the rest of this entry »

By Billy "Kneecap" Braddock

Before I get started with my opinion, I want to remind ya'll that October is adopt a shelter dog month. We did and I found out that I didn't adopt him, he adopted us. I don't know why they say the dog is man's best friend. If they were, we wouldn't be cutting their balls off. He doesn't seem to mind, it just gives him less to lick. October is also the month we celebrate Halloween. That's supposed to be the day we wear a costume. I've always felt that most of us wear a costume year-round. When we get dressed to go out in public we put our costume on. Our costume gives other people an insight to your personality or occupation. We profile people by the costume they're wearing. If you see a person wearing a suit, scrubs, leathers, a black hoodie, socks with sandals, bib overalls, etc., you get an insight to that person. Being dressed like a Cowboy, Farmer, Doctor, Nurse, Biker, Thug, Gang Banger or Policeman, doesn't make you one but most people would assume you are one. You can't tell a book by its cover, but if you don't like the cover, you may not want to open it up to read the text. Don't be offended if people treat you like the costume you're wearing. Trust me; I'm a professional equal opportunity offender. It's hard to find a group of people more patriotic than bikers. Most Americans love their country and are grateful for their freedom and liberties. Even though our government has a tendency to overstep their bounds and try to take away some constitutional freedoms and liberties. Last month, September, commemorative services were observed around the country to honor those who died on 9/11, and bikers were at the forefront. When Muslims tried to make a mockery of the disaster on 9/11 with the “Million Muslim March”, the biker community was outraged. In protest they quickly organized what they called “2 Million Biker Rally”. The National Park Service went out of their way to grant the American Muslim Political Action Committee a permit for their “Million Muslim March”, but denied the rally organizers a permit. Carol Johnson, a spokesman for the National Park Service said, “I wish the bikers would leave me alone.” Even though they did not have an escorted “no stop” permit they decided to do it anyway, following all the traffic laws. They even featured a poster on her Facebook page that said. “We don't need no stinkin' permit! We have our Constitutional Rights and We shall ride! The run that would've taken two hours took all day. Although 2 Million Bikers did not show up 3 to 4 thousand did. In comparison there were only 21 attendees to the “Million Muslim March”. I guess you could say Bikers are our “Modern-Day Minutemen”. However, they don't need muskets; they will revolt with kick stands. A little bit of advice: If in the morning you look in a mirror and you look like the picture on your driver’s license you're too sick to ride. I figured out that my love life sucks. All I wake up with in my bed are dust mites. Check out my new website. There will be new Opinions every Tuesday and Friday NobodiesOpinion.com Have a fun filled and safe Biketoberfest. See you on the shiny side of tomorrow… Read the rest of this entry »