A half-million bikers were expected to roar into town for the 71st Daytona Bike Week. Uhh, probably not… Bike Week got pushed back because NASCAR bumped their opening race, the Daytona 500, back a week and the Daytona International Speedway requires a week to convert the track from cars to motorcycles. What does this have to do to attendance? Reports filtered in over the sandy streets. Many enthusiasts rolled in a week early… some because they didn’t know and some because their time-shares were locked in.
Because Bike Week got pushed it fell smack into the center of spring break. The amazing benefits included a combination of leather and bikinis. This year action on and off the beach tossed the coastline nearly 24/7.
I peeled down to Daytona to produce the final U.S. Nationals of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show series located at the Ocean Center, 400 feet from the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean.
I invited Paul Aiken, of Aeromach USA, to stay with me, as he provides unlimited Makers Mark and cigars during rallies. After I made these carefully calculated arrangements, we received a call from Harley to cover their Ride-In Show, since I will produce another AMD affiliate show with the factory in Milwaukee later this year (Check Out Bikernet.com’ Facebook for coverage). I was honored to be involved, so I added our videographer to our room arrangements. He’s a stub of a man, who would rather stare in a lense, than drink my precious whiskey. Plus, he’s my older brother, and we’ve shared show duties for over a decade.
While I set up the Ultimate Builder show during load-in day, I got a call from Dar Holdsworth, the boss of Brass Balls Bobbers, almost the last production chopper builder still standing. It turns out his room reservations had fallen through–what the hell does that mean? What could we do? He recently finished building my bike. He was a brother, we couldn’t leave him standing on a Daytona street corner during spring break. We opened our rooms, and rolled in the bunk beds.
If the window-rattling snoring didn’t keep you awake the wallpaper-peeling farts sure did. I developed whiskey-induced anti-snoring techniques that gave me just enough peaceful time to fall back asleep, before it all started again. I took a shot or two, and jumped on the opposite side the bed. It bounced violently, which would lift the offender, (George our videographer), into the air and disrupted his 2-stroke snoring pattern. The terrorist attacks on his sleep patterns may have fucked with his much-needed rest, as he looked like hell by the end of the week.
Blue skies filled Daytona’s aura like warm lollipops for the entire week. It was photographically perfect and warm with the mercury hovering in the high ’70s / low ’80s. Maybe the week schedule alteration was a blessing?
The Harley-Davidson Ride-In Show on Wednesday drew a great turnout. Harley closed Beach Street for the day and over 120 motorcycles rode in for the event. A sea of enthusiasts kept the show area jammed.
Bikers as far away as Germany showcased there fabrication chops. Daytona bike week is truly an international event. The H-D ride-in show was sponsored by American Iron Magazine. Buzz Kantor, the publisher provided expert commentary on the PA during the show. He’s an antique bike collector, and loves to pontificate, describing the antique bikes in attendance.
We interviewed several builders/owners/editors to find out how they caught their two-wheel fever and what Harley-Davidson means to them.
Kim from Rotten Choppers @ H-D Ride-In Show
To top off the event the amazing artist, Peregro, created an incredible portrait of Willie G. live on-stage during the Harley-Davidson Ride-In Custom Bike Show, just as the awards ceremonies began. It was later auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the MDA.
Interview with the magnificent Willie G. by Bob Kay the Ultimate Builder Master of Ceremonies.
Jeremy Cupp from LC Fabrications took the win in the FreeStyle Class with Old Black at the US Championship of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. His 1976 Harley-Davidson XL is built on a hillclimber chassis and sports two reversed heads, dual Amal carbs and custom open-rocker valve train. Special features include jackshaft dual drive chains and dual rear drum brakes.
Cupp founded LC Fabrications in an effort to keep his passion for motorcycles, machines, and anything with wheels alive. LC Fabrications specializes in custom parts for Sportsters and modern Triumphs and they have the ability to put nearly anything into metal.
FreeStyle Winners
1 – Jeremy Cupp, LC Fabrications – Old Black, 1976 Sportster
2 – Steve Broyles, Stevenson’s Cycle – GL Special, 2007 Stevenson’s Bobber
3 – Steve Galvin, Wikked Steel – Pipe Dreams, 2012 Wikked Steel
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Steve Iacona of Iacona Custom Cycles took the Modified Harley Class at the 2012 US Championship. His bike, Challenger, has both Board Tracker and Cafe Racer influences. He won $4,000 dollars in price money as well as a 120 cubic inch, Screamin Eagle engine, provided by Harley-Davidson.
Special features include hand fabricated fuel tank, rear fender tail section with built in oil tank, exhaust pipes, and tips, handle bars, rear peg sets, headlight number plate, seat suspension, taillight, battery box, steering damper mounts and motor mounts.
Ignition coils are located near the battery box along with all electrical connections. Brake and oil lines are hand-formed stainless steel. The Sportster frame has been converted to a hardtail. Engine rebuilt using Buell heads and cylinders, dual 30mm Mikuni carburetors, stainless steel hardware and has been re-powder coated.
Modified Harley Winners
1 – Steven Iacona, Iacona Custom Cycles – Challenger, 1996 Harley-Davidson
2 – Copper Mike Cole, Gravesend Cycles – Coppa Choppa, 1939 Harley-Davidson
3 – Randall Medard, Pride Cycles – 2003 FLSTF
Mark Webster brought his custom built 1973 Yamaha TX 650 named Sweet Tracker and took 1st place in the Retro Mod class. This sano build has been lightened and chopped. Mark worked his magic on the engine with ported the heads, added stainless valves, R&D springs, cam and competition clutch. Additional features include Akont Wheels, quick change hub, Radian Swingarm and KYB piggyback shocks.
Retro Mod Winners
1 – Mark Webster, MW Performance – Sweet Tracker, 1973 TX650
2 – GEO, Blacksmith Motoring Co. – El Vaquero , 1977 GL1000
3 – Rick Schaffer – 1959 Harley-Davidson XLH
Michael Beland of A1 Cycles took his turbo and nitrous 140ci pro street bike to the top of the Performance Custom class at the United States Championship. Named Janet, it features a fully hand built frame, mono shock, Hayabusa stretched swingarm, hand built tail section and custom front end.
Pro Street Class Winners
1 – Michael Beland, A1 Cycles – Janet, 2012 A1 Cycles Street Racer
2 – Steve Galvin, Wikked Steel – Battlestar, 2012 Customs
3 – Mike Brown, Spitfire Motorcycles – Supertracker, 2010 Spitfire Tracker
Jon Shipley from Hoosier Daddy Choppers won People’s Choice with Whiskey Bent. His bike is a 2011 Hoosier Daddy Choppers that features a 1977 Ironhead Sportster in a stretched and raked chassis. It also features a Bar Stool seat, 102 year old headlight in a motorcycle that still pours Jack Daniels.
Motorcycle USA sponsored the “People’s Choice” in the Ultimate Builder series. Very soon they will be giving away a custom 2011 Honda Fury as part of their promotion of the show for anyone that has signed up to vote on their favorite motorcycle.
Daytona Bike Week would not be complete without making a trip down Main Street. Eccentric characters and self-expression is what fuels the parade of personalities along Main Street in Daytona Beach.
The Street is a living cacophony of horsepower and ear-bleeding rock and roll. Custom bikes to mopeds make a run down Main Street to see and be seen in this Mardi Gras-styled atmosphere.
A new twist to the outfits this year was the Irish influence as many were celebrating St. Patrick Day. I can’t say that black leather and sparkle green was a color combination that I had thought of before but I can honestly tell you that on some of the biker chicks it looked outstanding.
The original Bruce Rossmeyer’s store on Beach Street closed in April 2011 and has reopened as a Harley-Davidson apparel store with a motorcycle history museum under construction. For Bike Week only, the store will also be selling motorcycles on-site. Later this summer the museum will open.
Over at Destination Daytona there was the usual live music, as well as midget wrestling, a mechanical bull, and motorcycle stunts.
At the complex I stopped in at J&P Cycles to shoot a video with Ben Kudon of Rivera Primo for the Bikernet.com/ Cycle Source 15th Anniversary Giveaway Chopper project that is sponsored by XPress Lid by Smartcup (www.mysmartcup.com) and Spectro Oil. Ben commented that business was down and that guys weren’t buying hard parts like trannys and headlights but less expense items like helmets and apparel seemed to be doing well.
Okay, that is the 411 of Daytona Bike Week, from a guy who spent 90 percent of his time working the rally.
Harley Ride-In Bike Show Winners – Bike Week 2012
CLASS 1 – ANTIQUE PRE-1948
1st Place – Tommy Savage, Winterville, North Carolina 1930 Single 30C
Runner Up – Cole Neill, Stafford, Virginia 1937 EL
CLASS 2– CLASSIC 1948 – 1984
1st Place – Don Hart, Napanee, Ontario Canada 1957 FLH
Runner Up – Kent Saul, Los Lunas, New Mexico 1962 Pacer
CLASS 3 – TRIKE/SIDE CAR
1st Place – Don Waugh, Orange, Virginia 2011 Ultra w/sidecar
Runner Up – Chelle Brisco Alexandria, Virginia 2012 Tri-Glide
CLASS 4 – SPORTSTER
1st Place – Sandi Blackmer, Port Orange, Florida 2008 Nightster
Runner Up – Charles Butler, Jr., Middleburgh, New York 1992 Sportster XL
CLASS 5- V-ROD
1st Place – Edith Tasse, St. Jerome, Quebec Canada 2010 V-Rod
Runner Up – Bill Mack, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 2005 V-Rod
CLASS 6 – SOFTAIL
1st Place – Robb Wolf, Bradenton, Florida 2009 Custom Softail
Runner Up – John Kuklisiw,Streetsboro, Ohio 2010 CVO – FLSTSE
CLASS 7 – DYNA/FXR
1st Place – Melissa Winiarski, Wildwood, Florida 2010 Dyna Wide Glide
Runner Up – Guy Bond, St. Theodore, Quebec Canada 2007 Dyna Low Rider
CLASS 8-
1st Place – Chris Evans, Miami, Florida 2006 Street Glide
Runner Up – Scott Hiner, High Point, North Carolina 2011 FLHX
CLASS 9 – FULL DRESSER
1st Place – Larry Hilderbrand, Washington, Texas 2008 Ultra Classic
Runner Up – Mike Stanton, Great Meadows, New Jersey 2009 CVO Road Glide
CLASS 10 – PRO CUSTOM
1st Place – Jack Deagazio, East Syracuse, New York 1974 Bobber
Runner Up – Neil Perkins, Lebanon, Ohio 2005 Sportster
CLASS 11 – PRO CUSTOM OPEN
1st Place – Rich Bazzonells, Stunt, Florida 2007 Custom Bagger
Runner Up – Andy McCaslin, Fairborn, Ohio 2012 Porkybilt
People’s Choice Award – Arnie Syrbe, Sr., Port St. Lucie, Florida 1973 Sportster
Best Use of Geniune Harley-Davidson Motor Accessories
Karl Reilly, Cranford, New Jersey 2008 VRSC DX
Greg Yacker, Daytona Beach, Florida 2006 Deluxe
American Iron Editor’s Picks
Bagger– Joe Cullen 2008 Electra Glide Classic
Custom – John Hazle 2006 Custom Sportster
Classic – Tommy Savage 1930 30C Single
