Biketoberfest 2024
Story and photos by Katmandu
This October, your motorcycle mecca, also known as Daytona Beach and her surrounding state counties were heavily impacted by a strong, often Cat 5, hurricane named Milton. Yet despite heavy flooding in many neighborhoods and hundred mile an hour wind gusts the week before, the 32nd annual Biketoberfest kicked off in full hard-core fashion with Tropical Tattoo’s Chopper Time. This six-hour motorcycle show continues to bring the southern tribes back together if only for a couple of hours on a Thursday afternoon. As Floridians, we spend days in preparation for a stinkin’ storm and three days after with no power, or coffee. We can get rather testy. We secured the garage and protected the motorcycles at all costs.
Then, without too much warning, we feel the outside temperatures drop a solid fifteen degrees and it becomes perfect riding weather. This year, all the surrounding streets are lined with the massive piles of storm debris on every curb, but the sunshine was spectacular. Skies were bright blue and crystal clear. The air was actually crispy most of the day when this tattoo shop transforms into a big kid’s playground for all things metal, rubber and color.
The man behind the magic is Willie Perry. After sixty-nine years of Florida, most of it in Volusia County, he knows what makes for a good show. This one he hailed as almost flawless. There is teamwork in all areas of putting on this event. Willie often cites his people as the reason for this, from security to judging to helping set the band up. Tropical Tattoo shows have always been retro, gleaning back to the days of old and how it should or could still be.
Biketoberfest, often referred to as Bike Week’s little brother, with warmer weather, and lesser crowds may be thirty something in years, but Willie was having family chopper time in the summer months before lining up his shop and this show with the October timiKng of what started as The Daytona Fall Tour. Leave it to us to change the name to Biketoberfest a year later. He says it was around 2001 that the chopper became cool once more and with came the magazines, both local and national, were in attendance for Choppertime. The word spread.
And whether its March or October, the sheer intensity of the show, its craftsmanship and camaraderie, and especially its itty bitty sparklers often shining off by our healthy young women friends who don’t give a damn about the drop in degrees.
Bike builders both home spun or money backed would vie for a ChopperTime trophy. This writer believes this is where the industry trophies turned from golden Olympia plated bases into metal artworks relative to the lifestyle chopper heads live in. This has now come full circle as the metal works of designer “Little Chopper” of Gorilla Fabrications smoothed the lines and grafted a more contemporary look and feel.
Bikes are judges by people for the people. Unlike its rowdy big brother Bike Week, (there were 194 motorcycles to judge in March) here there were only 32 bikes registered for the fall show. Consider winning a trophy from these various classes: the Shovelhead Coalition, Willies pick, Best Rat, or Reverand Al’s pick. The pastor outdid it with the custom trophy. The ladies best build was the newest category. Alas, my shovel was sold 4 years ago. Of course there are the Antique, Panhead and best Knucklehead class too! Just too many to share at this time.
My report is a bit late. I had a hurricane to deal with. Watch for another outstanding and packed Bike Week show. I hope this finds you all dreaming of more customized motorcycles, those young healthy women in fishnet and rhinestones!
Love and respect always, Katmandu
Now living in Motorcycle Mecca, Daytona Beach
