bike week observations
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,261
Likes: 1
From: Deltona, Florida
The fun is always away from Daytona and Rossmeyers, places to go cabbage patch always a party and cole slaw wrestling, thunder glutch campgrounds have great wet tshirt contests, tropical tatoo bike show on thursday and ride through Ocala forest and down in through Lake County, just my .02 pennies
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,945
Likes: 85
From: Florida
just got back from a few days in daytona.seems like bike week gets more and more commercial every year.it was like being at a giant corporate flea market everybody hawking the same crap.for those of you who didnt get a chance to go imho you arent missing much.sorry about the rant but it seems like this once "must be at event" has turned into a sideshow
Interesting comment. In principle it is accurate, bike week is commercial. But what did you see that determined there were more vendors and it was more commercial?
I 've been to many bike weeks and biketoberfests in the last 10 years, and there were far fewer vendors this year than any in the last 10 years. The vendor area across from the Iron Horse was almost non-existent this year. A mere shadow of what it was 2-3 years ago. Then vendor area down by the old HD store, across the street had 10 yards between alot of the vendor tents. You never used to see that. The area across the street to the west of Boot Hill was really completely shut down. Just a bar-b-que pit and a place to get your pic taken with a snake. That used to be slammed with bike builders and was where Victory introduced their new Vision bagger about 4 years ago. Now nothing. And, even the ever popular Destination Daytona had fewer vendors. The big bike builders and manufactureers were absent.
I would tell you there were 20%-25% fewers vendors this year than in the past. And some of the biggest were the most glaringly absent. Yep still commercial, but not nearly so as in the past. Of course that is just my opinion after 10 years of wandering around.
And as already pointed out. it is about the ride and friends and fun. Bike week is just the excuse.
nomsayin?
Last edited by Jonesee; Mar 2, 2010 at 10:22 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 282
Likes: 42
From: Pennsylvania
Been to a few rallies and look forward to checking out some of the vendors stuff, Im always looking for something. Problem is that most of the vendors are selling things I dont want. Things ive bought from vendors so far, sunglasses, draggin jeans, kuryakin brake module. Things I would like to see to buy, Tools specific for working on Harleys, stuff for my garage (good foam kneeling pad, things related to changing oil) , books or dvd related to motorcycle safety, riding or repairs. I wouldnt mind seeing a lojack vendor, with them demostrating a motorcycle being driven and you could see on a display where the bike is.
There is only so much beef jerky I want to buy.
There is only so much beef jerky I want to buy.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 401
Likes: 4
From: In my head
Interesting comment. In principle it is accurate, bike week is commercial. But what did you see that determined there were more vendors and it was more commercial?
I 've been to many bike weeks and biketoberfests in the last 10 years, and there were far fewer vendors this year than any in the last 10 years. The vendor area across from the Iron Horse was almost non-existent this year. A mere shadow of what it was 2-3 years ago. Then vendor area down by the old HD store, across the street had 10 yards between alot of the vendor tents. You never used to see that. The area across the street to the west of Boot Hill was really completely shut down. Just a bar-b-que pit and a place to get your pic taken with a snake. That used to be slammed with bike builders and was where Victory introduced their new Vision bagger about 4 years ago. Now nothing. And, even the ever popular Destination Daytona had fewer vendors. The big bike builders and manufactureers were absent.
I would tell you there were 20%-25% fewers vendors this year than in the past. And some of the biggest were the most glaringly absent. Yep still commercial, but not nearly so as in the past. Of course that is just my opinion after 10 years of wandering around.
And as already pointed out. it is about the ride and friends and fun. Bike week is just the excuse.
nomsayin?
I 've been to many bike weeks and biketoberfests in the last 10 years, and there were far fewer vendors this year than any in the last 10 years. The vendor area across from the Iron Horse was almost non-existent this year. A mere shadow of what it was 2-3 years ago. Then vendor area down by the old HD store, across the street had 10 yards between alot of the vendor tents. You never used to see that. The area across the street to the west of Boot Hill was really completely shut down. Just a bar-b-que pit and a place to get your pic taken with a snake. That used to be slammed with bike builders and was where Victory introduced their new Vision bagger about 4 years ago. Now nothing. And, even the ever popular Destination Daytona had fewer vendors. The big bike builders and manufactureers were absent.
I would tell you there were 20%-25% fewers vendors this year than in the past. And some of the biggest were the most glaringly absent. Yep still commercial, but not nearly so as in the past. Of course that is just my opinion after 10 years of wandering around.
And as already pointed out. it is about the ride and friends and fun. Bike week is just the excuse.
nomsayin?
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 990
Likes: 10
From: Redondo Beach, California
A good friend of mine said about the same thing. Same sh*t, different location! At Sturgis last year for the 69TH Anniversary I talked to quite a few vendors that were there in Sturgis after coming from Daytona. If I was trying to make money by selling crap to the so called Biker Crowd I would do the same thing. Travel around the country, going from one motorcycle event to the next motorcycle event selling the T-Shirt of the moment at each site that I paid my vender fee to so that I could legally sell my junk to every Lookie Loo that I could get to come to my booth. Seriously! How many Hot Leather booths do you need at each event? Its Capitalism at its finest my friend! What got me was when I asked about 30 different people what it was the 69TH Anniversary of in Sturgis? NOBODY I asked could tell me. Almost everyone said Oh I came to Sturgis for the party. Nothing wrong with that, but that is the very reason for all of the commercialism in the first place IMO. Cities that host the AMA Grand National Championship of Motorcycle dirt track and Flat Track RACING, and motorcycle HILL Climbs are on a schedule. If you check the schedule, you will see the cities of Daytona, FL and Laconia, NH and Sturgis, SD among all of the other cities that are not so thought of as major motorcycle events. AMA Motorcycle racing was the reason that my father and all of his friends would ride their Harleys and Indians up to Laconia or down to Daytona from Virginia where they lived just so they could see their favorite racers risk possible injury and death while they battled it out on the Flat Track circuit for a chance to win the coveted #1 plate. Famous racers like the great Ed Kretz Jr. (My Dads favorite) and Johnny Gibson and Joe Leonard among so many other Hall of Fame greats. The passage of time seems to have lost the original reason for the event and just like lemmings, there are wave after wave of motorcycles following motorcycles to someplace that is famous but most dont even know why anymore. Sad really.
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Tourer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Peachtree City, GA
I just got back yesterday. IMO the ride is greater than the destination. A1A from St Augustine to Daytona is beautiful. There are a lot of vendors only if you visit a lot of vendors. I go to J&P to get my list of goodies at 10% off and free shipping, get my HOG pin at the speedway, and a T-shirt for myself and my son. I love to look at the bikes - some real works of art. Main St is great for people watching, but don't look at the body paint model - you'll be sick to your stomach.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 505
Likes: 1
From: Pennsylvania
AMA Motorcycle racing was the reason that my father and all of his friends would ride their Harleys and Indians up to Laconia or down to Daytona from Virginia where they lived just so they could see their favorite racers risk possible injury and death while they battled it out on the Flat Track circuit for a chance to win the coveted #1 plate. Famous racers like the great Ed Kretz Jr. (My Dads favorite) and Johnny Gibson and Joe Leonard among so many other Hall of Fame greats. The passage of time seems to have lost the original reason for the event and just like lemmings, there are wave after wave of motorcycles following motorcycles to someplace that is famous but most dont even know why anymore. Sad really.