Let’s knock off a few of things fast… First, when wrestling on the beach with a honey, sand has a tendency to get into the most inappropriate places faster than you can say Aunt Jemima. Second, they race in Daytona… Really? Racing on the beach is the reason why Bike Week started, but it is an afterthought today. Third, Bikers like chicks… young, old, pretty, fat… if they have a heartbeat, Bikers are interested.
There was a lot of interest in Daytona because of the squadrons of bikinis out and about, and not all of them you would want to see on a regular basis, if you know what I mean. And last, it looked like the sequester might have put a damper on the festivities because it felt like the biker count was down 20% this year.
Alright, after I pinned my Bikernet press credentials to my wife-beater t-shirt, Bandit called and said, “I’m not paying you to get a tan, goddammit. Get me the new stuff or don’t come back.” Then he slammed the phone down.
I believe he was having an off-day, as he is on the quest to build the World’ Fastest Trike and I think it’s got his Chicken all choked up, anyway…
Latest from Harley-Davidson – This is what Harley had to say about the World Premier of their new sled, the Breakout: “With an authentic swagger that turns heads in traffic, and a proud stance certain to draw a curb-side crowd on bike night, the Breakout is presented as a premium model in its segment with distinctive finishes and specific components not available on other Harley-Davidson bikes.”
Who talks like that?
What you need to know is simple: It’s a Harley Softail featuring a low profile, while accented with a 240mm rear tire, shaved tank and chopped fenders. Power is delivered by a Twin Cam 103B mill. It appears as they hired in a Yamaha designer, because it looks a lot like it came from the Star Motorcycle stable.
The Broken Spoke Saloon Update – The Broken Spoke celebrated its 25th anniversary with live music from Molly Hatchet and Jasmine Cain. Chris Callen 2.0 showed up for his Cycle Source VIP party with his new and slender physic and then rocked the house with some outstanding head-banging music. Callen is a talented dude, who embodies the lifestyle; he has fun, knows everyone and rides a killer chopper, and he wrote a book about the build.
Later that night he awarded the Cycle Source / Bikernet 15th Anniversary Giveaway Chopper that was produced by Biker Pros to Jordan Campbell of Dallas, TX.
Sponsors who worked hard on the Choppa project included Stage 5 Coatings, Rivera Primo Inc., 3 Guyz, ACCEL Motorcycles, Aeromach USA, Biker’s Choice, Barnett Clutches, Bell Helmets, Crazy Horse Motorcycles, D&D Exhaust, Evil Engineering, Fab Kevin, Hawg Halters, Grip Ace,
Rocking K Custom Leathers, Spectro Performance Oils, Texas Bike Works, Wire Plus, and XPress Lid by SmartCup. Kustoms Inc. assembled the bike and Chop Docs applied the paint.
New from Victory–Victory Has a New Logo and a New Attitude. I threw a leg over a Victory Crossroads and headed out on a press ride with Marilyn Stemp, Editor of IronWorks Magazine. She made me her Pilot beeach as I took the handlebars and she took the digital Canon camera. We stopped for java at a small airport to chat up the Victory brass.
After a lot of Mucka Blucka, I found out two things. First, the new logo represents a new direction for the motorcycle company, toward a freeing of their design criteria. And second, they have the ability to quickly take a design that is gaining market acceptance and interpret it into their model line up like they did with the HIGH BALL, their old-school matte-black bobber. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big front-and-rear wheel bike on their cruiser platform in the not-so-distant future.
Star Motorcycles, Yamaha’s Cruiser division, debuted their latest creation, the Bolt, in Daytona. The firm has dubbed it the “Urban Performance Bobber.” It targets riders who want a stripped-down cruiser devoid of the bling common to the segment… Really, who talks like that? The MSRP for the Bolt is $7,990. The bike is a mix of old-school bobber and modern sensibilities–or, if you will, a Sportster with a Roland Sand’s treatment. Will it sell? You betcha!
The New Indian–The $35,000 Premium Indian. American Picker’s Mike Wolfe and Indian’s Robert Pandya introduced the new Indian Thunder Stroke 111 power plant at Dirty Harry’s, the downtown party bar in Daytona where just about anything goes. After the music faded, and folks’ ears started ringing because of the lack of sound, Wolfe grabbed a mock set of handlebars, and toggled the switch and thunder enveloped the bar… Fist pumps, high-fives and glasses were raised in celebration.
The engine recreated the look of a 1940s Indian Chief twin with its slanted fins and tapered cylinders. I got on the horn to the keeper of the flame to see what Kiwi Mike of Kiwi Indian thought. He was enthusiastic about the look and indicated the pedigree came from the rock-solid design of the S&S X-Wedge. That means that the mil will probably have a lot of Hot Rod capabilities. The engine delivers 115 foot/pounds of torque, redlines at 5,500 rpm and should produce a healthy 100 horses.
Pricing is expected to be in the mid-’30s. Is there room for a premium $35,000 motorcycle with a brand that has a lot of patina around the edge because of past miscues? After a couple of Jacks neat, I came to the conclusion it will come down to the design. It’s got to look as good as it works… It’s got to make you feel like… if you rode down the street, your opportunities to get laid just took an uptick. Then yeah, it will sell.
The Killer Streamliner – Indian brought out a $150,000 Bonneville partial streamliner named the Spirit of Munro. It looks great and is sponsored in part by Jack Daniels—even greater. There is already controversy with rumors circulating. It might not pass scrutineering according to Dennis Manning of the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials. Ahhh, it will be fun to see what 2013 brings. If you want to see it up-close-and-personal, check out Hollister Rally Revival on July 5-6, 2013 as it will be entered in the Custom Bike Show.
Willie’s Tropical Tattoo Old School Chopper Show – Nothing new here… except it is still “THE” anti-establishment bike show in Daytona. It’s the place where hard-core innovation and Chopper Jockeys meet. Everyone, and I mean everyone from Ray Drea of Harley’s styling department, to Bobby Seeger of Indian Larry Motorcycles, to Dave Perewitz, to the Englishman from the Horse, Rogue from Bikernet, and Chris Callen from Cycle Source were in the house.
At the awards ceremony Roadside Marty commanders the MIC and keeps boys entertained by working the large and inviting attributes of the females in attendance.
The show itself is an institution… Bikes roll in and are placed inches from each other and stacked four to five deep in an area that’s the size of a postage stamp. It’s armpit to assholes for four hours. The band out back keeps it lively as the lovely ladies of Twisted Tea keep it hopping out front. Everyone there is having a good time and enjoying the chops. Inside the shop, ink is flowing like Niagara Falls.
Willie is a big guy with a long beard and a quiet demeanor. His Ormond Beach establishment has been slinging ink for over 20 years. He lives in a compound an hour outside of the city, and his compatriots make the annual trip to his enclave to chill and shoot large caliber semi-automatic weaponry. Ink, Choppers, and Guns—the Daytona trifecta rocks.
New from Big Bear–Big Bear Choppers Brought their New FXR to Town. Big Bear Choppers (BBC) brought some love to town and it’s named Titanium—an FXR-styled scoot that could be the best handling big twin in America. It starts with what many say is the best handling frame Harley ever made and is combined with a BBC-tuned Öhlins Inverted Front End suspension and Hayes Radial Mounted Monoblock Calipers.
With the combination of carbon fiber side covers and front fenders and a high performance S&S V111 you have a fine handling sled. On paper it is lightweight, powerful and handles. Titaniums comes in three styles and open your wallet at $37,650, with options hitting $42,850.
