By Lulu First, even though the article for our Grub Run will run in the February issue, I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it a HUGE success. Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell law firm have taken this to places I never dreamed possible. We raised over 3000 lbs of food and $2800 for the Children’s Home Society and Second Harvest Food Bank. SPECIAL thank you to the wonderful men and women from Rolling Thunder Chapter 8 for always being there for me. They are just great people!!! Also to the HOG from Destination Daytona this was their first year to step in and lend their collective helping hand! The article next month will go in more detail about the event, but we certainly were able to make bellies fuller during the holiday. It is only due to each and every pound of food you wonderful people on 2-3 wheels collected. I love you for your generous hearts! This will be a yearly event and I would ask you all to bring more riders next year. Second, our Bike Night Listing has a new look and sponsor. Twisted Tea has joined us to co-host events at our ad clients that sell Twisted Tea. So we will visit 2 bars a month which will be listed in the Twisted Tea ad next to our Bike Night List page. We will attend with our cameras to catch you in the act of being “TWISTED”. We will have giveaways and if you bring in non-perishable food we will enter you in a raffle for a prize to be given that night. Please try to ride in for these events…we love to have a hearty, party! For a more complete list of Bike Nights or to get your Bike Night listed visit our website ThunderRoadsFlorida.com. Do something nice for a stranger, kiss someone you love and please even in cold weather don’t forget your sunscreen. Read the rest of this entry »

By Miserable George

The 16th Annual Cocoa Beach Biker Bash, this year, doubled as a 30 year celebration for the founding of the Brevard Chapter Warlocks MC. The party actually began at the Station 23 Clubhouse on Friday night, with a nice crowd, live music, many out-of-town brothers and sisters, and the usual bevy of beautiful babes. Saturday afternoon at 3PM, everyone headed for Capt. J’s on the beach in Cocoa Beach, where the party began in earnest! Good food, every drink you could think of, again, live music, lots of hotties, T-shirt sales, a vendor or two...everything to put you in a party mood! Several presentations were made to the Warlocks of Brevard in commemoration of their 30 years of existence. Also, there was an auction of various items to benefit the Shriner’s Children Hospitals, who, by the way, receive all the proceeds from this event. It was a bit nippy that night, but that didn’t stop several of the ladies from baring some ...er...assets! After things wound down at Capt. J’s, the gang moved to the Wakulla Suites just south of there, and partied the night away! Lots of clubs present...a wonderful showing of brotherhood...no problems! I’d like to thank the Warlocks of Brevard for their ever-present hospitality, and the staff at Capt. J’s for fast and courteous service! A good night all around! Hey...see ya next year...?? Read the rest of this entry »

By “Kneecap”

Deland, Florida goes out of their way to celebrate Veterans Day. It all started with one of the better parades I have ever witnessed. The streets were lined with patriotic Americans all waving flags or holding signs celebrating our veterans. The enthusiasm brought chills up my spine. We live in the greatest country in the world and it's inspiring to see the support the veterans received. After the parade I went to OB's restaurant and Lounge on N. Woodland Boulevard for a very special veteran’s ceremony presented by Rolling Thunder's Chapter 8. Being it was held on November 10, the Marine Corps birthday, they even brought a cake which was cut by the oldest and youngest Marine in attendance. It was also attended by previous POWs. After the ceremony that was sponsored by Rue & Ziffra law firm, we were treated to a great meal and entertainment provided by OB's owner Ronnie O' Brian. Deland really knows how to thank our veterans for their service. God bless the Military and their families who have sacrificed to keep our country safe and free. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu

Our Bike Week and Biketoberfest ritual includes waking up too early on Sunday morning to photograph the bikini contest winner for our Biketoberfest coverage. Generally we have stayed out too late the night before!!! So we are happy to end our Biketoberfest at the Dog Pound in Bunnell and just chill with good friends on the back porch with a stiff drink and great music by MisHap. And I better not forget to mention the great free food cooked by Harriet and Brian! If you haven’t been to the Dog Pound in Bunnell they have really great bartenders that are happy to serve you, great front, side and back porches and friendly locals that are glad you stopped in! So ride on over to Flagler County and get a “nip” at the Dog Pound Saloon. Read the rest of this entry »

By Raven Van Pelt

Motorcyclists from all over northeast Florida joined the ride for Bikers for Babies at Adamec Harley-Davidson, on Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville. There was food, giveaways and a 50 mile police-escorted ride through Jacksonville, and ending at TRIO, The Event Place at Tinseltown Touchton Rd., Jacksonville, all proceeds benefit the Northeast Florida March of Dimes. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, their mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. 81,686 babies are born in the US. 10,058 babies are born premature. 6,677 babies are born with a low birth weight and 548 babies die before their first birthday. Dee Snider, best known as the lead singer of Twisted Sister, is the National Spokesperson for the March of Dimes Bikers for Babies; two of his four children were born prematurely. Special thanks go out to Ray and his wife Annie Grogan chairs, and Stephanie Lippmcott community director, for the March of Dimes. Also thanks to LAMA of Jacksonville who received plaques for their fund raising efforts and another for most riders in the First Annual March of Dimes Bikers for Babies in Jacksonville. Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hpd3sLN3dI&feature=youtu.be

By Lulu Connors

If you haven’t stopped in J&P Cycles in the past few months you probably aren’t aware of their recent updating and remodeling. I got to tour the newly revamped 15,000 square feet showroom and was impressed by the “shop ability” of the recent changes. Not only have they revamped the look, more importantly they have dramatically increased their local inventory.

Troy Porter, Retail Manager for J&P Cycles, Inc. was kind enough to take time out to tell us about some exciting changes they are planning for the future which includes possibly adding a service department that will do installs of parts purchased at the store. Another important element in the store’s changes is that each department’s employees are able to listen to the customers and if there is an interest in specialized inventory the employees pass that on to Dan & Sean, the Ormond Beach store supervisors, and they strive to add it to the inventory purchases. Troy stated, “Our employees have many years of experience in the industry and knowledge of what our local customers want and need. To me that is more valuable than a computer generated spreadsheet.” As the store has evolved they have seen a need to expand the Metric line’s inventory and plans are to do just that. In addition to re-merchandising the entire clothing section, they are completely refreshing the Sick Boy line they carry.

Along with the showroom, they have onsite a 5,000 square foot warehouse that houses inventory they keep on hand for their customers and a second warehouse offsite to handle the quickly moving items so they don’t have to wait for shipments to satisfy their customer’s needs. They also have onsite a call center, so when you need to call in with questions or to locate items, you are likely to get your answers locally!

Another new perk is they have started a 10% discount for in store purchases made with a military ID or VA card to thank the service of our military. I personally have observed a new involvement with our local community of bikers, and an example is their involvement with Iron Horse’s Tuesday night Bike Night that is developing starting in January 2013.

Troy, who has been with J&P for over eight years, put the recent rumor to bed that the Ormond location might be leaving. Troy’s exact words were “I anticipate growth! We have just increased our inventory significantly and are going to be here for our customers’ needs. In the future we hope to even expand by adding another retail store in another state.” He also hinted, “The changes are not done and something big is still to come”.

John and Jill Parham took a business that started as a traveling swap meet and evolved it into the most well known motorcycle parts and accessories multi-channel business. J&P’s retail stores in Ormond and Anamosa continue to evolve to meet customer needs. The Ormond location employs 99 and 200 are employed in Iowa. Even though John and Jill have retired they are happy to see their dream continue.

As a consumer I can say I am glad to have them in the Ormond Beach area. Their staff is knowledgeable, helpful and nice. I purchased my leather saddlebags, rain gear, a windshield, a suitcase, Sick Boy tops and Christmas presents all in the Destination Daytona location. So put this on your list to get those gifts for under your tree!

By Amy Poole

If you thought you had the best ink in St. Augustine then I’m sure you entered the 6 week tattoo contest at Mardi Gras! I will say there WAS some serious lookin’ ink at the finals on Oct 11th during The Sailor Jerry Tattoo Bash. The tattoo contest had multiple categories with many prizes. The Sailor Jerry’s crew was present giving out samples of their tasty spiced rum and also their Air Stream was on site and open for tours.

Mardi Gras is a large sports bar, and the bigger the place the more people you need to fill it up, but they don’t seem to have that issue there…ever! It is a popular spot for the locals and tourists since it is in the historic area. Pat, owner of Mardi Gras, changes things up a bit with the seasons….with football there is a bikini car wash instead of bike wash, Monday night football with happy hour all night and Thursday night is ladies night, for $5 you can purchase a cup and drink up….check their ad in Thunder Roads for more details. Thanks, Pat and staff, for making it a party all the time…. Mardi Gras style!!!

By Ron Cox

Upwards of 2,000 HOG’s and their guests converged on the Mission Inn in Howey-in-the-Hills to participate in the annual Florida State HOG Rally Oct.31st to Nov.3rd. In addition to the Mission Inn venue, Lake County’s two Harley-Davidson dealerships, Stormy Hill in Clermont and Gator in Leesburg also hosted significant events.

On Wednesday, in addition to Registration there was a Poker Run, self-guided rides and the topper a Street Party sponsored by the Clermont Downtown Partnership.

Thursday featured more self-guided rides, continued Registration, another Poker Run, guided tours, another Street Party thrown at the Tavares Entertainment District on the Waterfront and the HOG’s first crack at the vendors set up at Gator Harley.

Friday kicked into high gear with even more rides, tours and registration. In the afternoon there was a Tech Talk session with a Master Mechanic and HOG Regional Manager Valerie Ledterman led an open discussion of the Motor Company’s plans for the 110th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee. Later there were Drill Team demos and the Leesburg Street Party “Thunder in the Square” presented by the Leesburg Partnership. If that wasn’t enough the first round of bike games occurred and there was live karaoke music back at the Mission Inn.

Saturday offered even more of the above and the police escorted Parade of Chapter flags which started at Stormy Hill and ended at Gator Harley. The closing ceremonies featured awards to many of the volunteers and the announcement of next year’s Rally location which will be the Ft. Walton Beach/Destin area. One of the highlights was the awarding of the Longest Distance prize which went to two men who traveled more than 3,000 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada and Liberal, Kansas. Valerie Ledterman made heartfelt plea to the audience to help the people in the Northeast who suffered unimaginable losses from Hurricane Sandy. The site for the New Jersey State HOG Rally vanished. The crowd ponied up $1,028 and Ledterman matched the sum from her own pocket, forwarding the $2,056 to the American Red Cross.

Capping the night was the concert presented by Three Dog Night. The legendary rock band played their top hits on the Main Stage at the Mission Inn.

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

Before reading this article, remember the title is “Nobodies Opinion”. Everyone who has been reading my articles over the past years knows that I am a conservative libertarian and promoter of smaller government. We need some forms of government. Police, fire protection, infrastructure, etc. are important. However, in the past hundred years or so, the federal government has grown at an enormous pace. I believe that it is the fault of the uninformed, undereducated, and uncaring voters.

Our founding fathers had it right when they decided NOT to put the right to vote in the Constitution. It’s hard for me to believe that we would re-elect a president whose administration had 24 million unemployed, 47 million on food stamps, and millions of homes being foreclosed upon. I could go on with all the negatives but this article is not long enough. I believe Rush Limbaugh hit it on the nose when he said “You can’t vote against Santa Claus”.

We have become a “Regulation against Business Society”. The federal government has been adding on an average 68 new regulations a day. This costs businesses billions of dollars to comply. We don’t only have to worry about the feds; look at your local government. Every day some politician comes up with a new law or regulation. Give someone a little power, and they want to try to tell you how to live. (Republicans and Democrats alike)

Take Daytona Beach as an example. Businesses in the city proper are dropping like flies. When the suggestion of extending Biketoberfest to 10 days was suggested, the area merchants were all in favor. Then, here comes the politicians. They start claiming that it makes no difference in attendance. How stupid! Their example was, “We tried it twice”, once, immediately after the September 11 attacks and then immediately after the 2004 hurricanes. How dumb could they be? It was a last-minute decision with only a few weeks to publicize the extension.

Bikers save and prepare for months to come to Daytona. Nobody is going to ride long distances for just three days. (I don’t count Sunday because that is a going home day for most.) That’s why Bike Week brings in 500,000 and Biketoberfest only draws 100,000. The businesses outside of Daytona city limits run Biketoberfest for 10 days. They’ve been drawing the crowds making those businesses profitable.

One of the commissioners even said that the economic boost is short-lived. Duh!!! Did somebody forget to tell her that it’s only three days and the 744 room Hilton typically sells out? What a stupid comment.

Another excuse politicians like to use is “We want to make Daytona more family friendly”. That’s the biggest joke I ever heard. I’ve been hearing that for the past 50 years and it will never work. It’s a beach town not Disney World. We should take advantage of all and any revenue that can be brought into the community. Businesses are starving and the economy sucks. Every dollar is important. We need to tell these Blue hairs to stop standing in the way. They need to go sit on their rocking chairs, smoke a joint and relax. Stay out of the way and let the businesses make a living.

I just had a birthday. I am now a lot closer to 50 that I am 40. True statement. This means that when I get lucky, it means I was able to find my motorcycle in the parking lot.

I heard a great commercial the other day. It said “your hair needs a touch of gray”. In my case I need a touch of hair.

Seen a good one the other day on my way to Deland, one of the human sign holders was waving his sign that said “Haircut And Style $15”. Guess what? He was bald. Wanted to go right in.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow…

By Lulu

The HOG Rally came to Leesburg this fall and Stormy Hill and Gator made it an event to celebrate! There was a bike show complete with a headlight with lashes, live music by Bobby Friss, the Parade of Flags from Stormy Hill to Gator HD, vendors, a pancake breakfast, drill competitions and, and of course, shopping.

By Phoenix and Metric

In the first weekend in October we usually think of the perfect riding weather with cooler, dryer days with a touch of chill in the night air, but not this year at the 9th Annual Run to the Heartland in downtown historical Sebring. Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature it was October. The days were hotter then Hell with afternoon showers raining down on our activities.

While the weather and the economy put a damper on attendance, the brave souls who attended this year’s event were treated to an awesome fun-filled weekend. Opening ceremonies on Friday included the Highlanders USMV MC Honor Guard and our own local Bagpiper Mark Manley. On stage the band Power Surge and the Shannon Reed band got the party started.

Saturday started with one of the most scenic rides though the best countryside Florida has to offer. While the White Collar band and the band Ransom got historical downtown Sebring hopping, Jerry “The Motorman” Paladino and the Central Florida Motorcycle Drill showed off their riding skills.

Sunday we were treated to a continental breakfast and bike blessing courtesy of the Christian Motorcycle Association, with bands Spirit Wind and the band Fakahatchee wrapping up a weekend to remember. If you have never made the Run to Heartland mark your calendar for the first weekend in October.

By Lulu

The final night of five was hosted by the Iron Horse Saloon. October 9th was the last chance to enter in the $500 raffle during Biketoberfest. It was slightly cooler than previous Iron Horse Tuesday Night Bike Night but the Corn Hole game draws the crowd regardless of weather. Iron Horse provided free hot dogs and Twisted Tea was being guzzled.

The winner of the $500 was Mike Lynch a regular at many of the Twisted Tea/Thunder Roads events. His number was called during the Hot Thunder Bikini Contest, we got his voicemail, but he was a happy camper saying the $500 would help with some bike repairs! The $500 was given by the White Eagle Lounge in Korona.

By Lulu

Fall is my favorite time to be outside. And for the past two years we have made the trip to Sebring for the Run to the Heartlands. Even though if you compare apples to apples, this isn’t a large event like Biketoberfest or Leesburg, but it is a solid event with vendors, a quaint city and lots of new people to meet.

This year we even got a photo op with an American Bald Eagle named Thunder. But what I enjoyed the most this year was riding out to some of our loyal advertisers to stop in and get to know them. Our first stop was at Gator Shack…we arrived before the doors were even open and yet they invited us in and gave us a tour of the kitchen; we spent more time than we planned kicking back on the porch enjoying a stiff cocktail and the company.

Next stop was Neibert’s Fishing Resort & Fred’s Bar where you can buy worms, crickets and a cold one…and catch a ride on an airboat! Once again the people were so friendly and the atmosphere is unique!

We then hit the Main Street Taproom in Avon Park. One of the friendliest bartenders and a football game must have had the crowd’s attention as there was a lot of hooting and hollering going on. Our must stop place is Wild Turkey Tavern. We always stop on our way back home for some of the best food in the area.

If you haven’t made this event and you enjoy good music and a laid back festival this is a great place for country riding and friendly folks!

By Raven Van Pelt

October 5th Adamec Harley-Davidson of Baymeadows Road in Jacksonville held their 2012 Light the City Ride, dedicated to the memory of fallen police officer Doug Parsons.

Parsons was with the sheriff’s office sixteen years and worked as a traffic officer. In addition to his service as a deputy, Parsons also served seven years in the United States Navy, Officer Parsons, was 45 when he passed of natural causes, he was a beloved husband and father.

The mission of the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police Foundation: is Fostering Public Safety through Education, Training and Community Outreach the ride started at 7:00 pm and even the rain couldn’t keep away an estimated count of 600 riders, who showed their support for this cause. Upon returning to Adamec, there was a raffle for a 2012 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.