Originally Posted by Jehu

My buddy rode his new EG up from Stuart to meet me in Daytona the Friday of Biketoberfest.
We met at the hotel where I was staying on A1A north of Main Street. Weather was threatening rain for the morning; it was overcast. In order to show him around, I figured we would walk Main Street, get that out of the way, run down Beach Street to International Speedway, go to the track and then the Cabbage Patch, Foxhead, etc. [Insert music] looking for adventure ... and whatever comes our way. LOL

After a stroll up/down Main Street where the early hour and the weather kept the crowds away and parking spots plentiful, then we saddle up to a light but steady drizzle which started just about as we got seated. We debate rain gear and decide to make that decision after checking out Beach Street. For those who do not know the geography, that's only about a mile or so away on the other side of the Halifax River. We don't even get to the Main Street Bridge and the skies opened up - it poured!

We cross the bridge in a heavy downpour and pull into the parking lot in front of the tent set up in front of the BMW dealership, dismount and duck under the edge of the tent to wait out the downpour. There were a few others there in corporate attire and/or BMW riding regalia. The tent was probably at least 20 X 50' if not bigger and we were at the very first three feet of it. I was looking at Foreflight RADAR on my phone and was just about to comment to my buddy that we should be good to go in about 5 to 10 minutes when BMW Lady in her BMW shirt says to us, "You have to move your bikes."

They had BMW motorcycles lined up for test rides in the tent and also had additional BMWs on display under the tent. Our bikes were blocking nothing and certainly not in the way. Given the early hour and the weather that day, there were very few there and our parking spots close to the tent were such that if entering the tent you would walk past them and see that they were Harleys. If I were a BMW staff member - I would see that as a good optic ... Harley guys there to check out BMWs, but that was apparently lost upon BMW lady who looked at us two, the only two without BMW riding regalia on as, eyed down the ridge her nose, we were viewed unapprovingly.

I asked her if we could leave in five minutes and she said "fine" and walked away. None of the other staff folk or motorcyclists approached us, said a word to us, or seemed the least bit bothered (or enamored) by our presence. My buddy and I each could have purchased any new model they had on display that morning for cash - we were on Harleys, me on a lowly Sportster, and were wearing garb clearly beneath suitability for such sophisticated machines as BMWs - especially given the weather (alright, so maybe I'll give her that one) but we did't touch or go near any of the bikes, didn't seek any of their coffee or anything else, but for perhaps nine square feet of cover for five minutes.

You meet the nicest people on a Honda; if only their tent were there at the time!

Originally Posted by Jehu

.... didn't seek any of their coffee or anything else, but for perhaps nine square feet of cover for five minutes.