MNO Blog – Motorcycles, News, Opinions

You can see by the recent Bike Week webcam shot that Main Street is starting to see some life.

I made a post the other day on how to watch bike week from the Wise Guys Watering Hole web cams and I just captured this shot from their bike week webcam looking down on Main Street Daytona Beach. The weather is looking better, but the winds are still high.

Look for us! We always take pictures on the road, Cindi will have camera ready as we head up to the Cabbage Patch Bar to set up the tent.

Look for this sign that the Naked Cowboy is holding and your picture may appear on www.daytonamotorcyclerally.com or our 2007.bike-weekdaytona.com web site. Don’t forget that we shoot on the Daytona Loop as well. If you are interested in getting any private work done while you are in town for bike week, give me a call on my cell 321-961-8936 and we will try to work you in.

Bike Week Hotels are still available and with no minimum stay. Click here to check out popular bike week destinations.

This will be my last post for a couple of days until I return home to do updates. I’m out of here, see you on the road. Ride safe and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: bike week, travel, hotels, motorcycle news, daytona beach, florida

If you plan on visiting Florida for Bike Week 2007, be sure to work a ride on the Volusia County Loop into your plans. We will be on the loop photographing riders and their motorcycles on the first Saturday, March 3 between the hours of 1 till 3 pm.

We have been taking pictures on the Daytona Loop during Bike Week and Biketoberfest for the past 3 years and enjoy the work and friends we make. You can see our past loop photo galleries by clicking here to visit our Bike Week site.

The Loop is a great motorcycle ride that is enjoyed by the thousands of visitors to the Daytona, Ormond and Flagler Beach area each year during the two big motorcycle events Bike Week and Biketoberfest. The road is two lane paved that has stretches of straight roadway covered with scenic tree canopies provided by some of Florida’s oldest oaks.

As you ride in deeper into the 23 mile trail known as the “loop” you will encounter some sharp turns and  S curves along the low lying wetlands heavily decorated with natural Florida Palm Trees. The ride stretches out from outer Daytona and into Ormond and Flagler Beach.

There are not many places available to stop along the route, so you will want to ride slow to enjoy the view. The few places that allow for bikers to pull over and rest will not be seen until you are right on them, so you will need to keep an eye out for them.

Bikers taking a break during bike week ride on the Daytona Loop.

It can also be very hard for us to find a good spot to take pictures along the loop scenic ride, but we have a few places that we can be found working. One of my favorite places is at what I call the lake curve. The picture above and at the post opening were both taken there. This spot gives me a great camera vantage and angle where I can lay near the road and catch motorcycles as they pass on the curve.

Look for me and my wife as you ride and your picture may be posted in this year’s loop ride photo gallery. Pictures are available for purchase and are shot at a high resolution so that they are suitable for enlarging and framing. See you at Bike Week!

Technorati Tags: bike week, motorcycle news, florida, daytona beach, ormond beach, motorcycle pictures, the loop, biketoberfest, volusia county

This post will be first in a series, as I begin to bring you reviews of my Bike Night visits.

Back about a month ago we took a ride out to Sanford, Florida to check out Jonny Rotton’s Bar Out Back for bike night. Thursday nights in Sanford the normally dark and quiet road that winds along Lake Monroe is lit up as groups of motorcycles roll in for bike night. Located a couple of miles off of I-4 and just behind the St. John’s Bar and Grille lies Jonny Rotton’s Bar Out Back where every Thursday between 7 and 10 they have a party under the stars.

We arrived about 7:30 and even though the temperature was a bit low that night, along with dense patches of fog, the place still draws a large crowd. The Bar Out Back is a perfect place to have a bike night with a large area for motorcycle parking, covered tables, several bars and beer tubs and a burnout pit.

Real Radio 104.1 talk show host Shannon Burke rides his chopper that was recently built by Pit Bull Motorcycles and joins the crowd.

The motorcycle burnout pits were open and smokin for the weekly contest as the crowds cheered in pleasure to watch as bikers burn their rear tire to the rim.

The all Harley drag racing team of Ground Zro had their Harley drag bike on display and are usually on hand during the Thursday night biker event to answer questions.

I found the bike night at Jonny Rotton’s to be a lot of fun with plenty of outdoor space to roam and meet new friends. There are only a few vendors that were set up, so you do not feel like you are at a shopping mall. The combination of the St John’s Bar and Grille with the Bar Out Back works out real well and the drink prices are very reasonable. This is a bike night that I will return to and recommend it to those who are in the Sanford Orlando area.

Remember to drink responsibly, please.

Technorati Tags: bike night, biker bars, florida, motorcycle news, motorcycles, sanford

This is part II of my article about Steve Coe and Daytona Vintage Racing. After meeting Steve during bike week, I was invited out to see more of Coe’s toys at his home. Remember from the first article, that these motorcycles used to be kept in the Daytona Beach Klassix Museum.

After the museum closed, Coe built this mobile museum out of a tractor trailer rig. But this trailer could only house a select few of the collection that Steve Coe has.

Inside the old barn Steve has converted to store his collection you can see the motorcycles are still packed in for space. Displayed there is a wide variety of motor bikes, race and street motorcycles and trikes.

Some of the collection are even set up high along the wall like this 1938 90 cc Simplex surrounded by trophies that Steve Coe has won or been awarded throughout the years.

Yet another shot of the opposite corner of the building. For you car and hot rod buffs, take a note of the bright red Chevy Nomad in the background of this photograph.

Shovelhead, panhead and knuckleheads even a collection of engines on the shelves in the den. This room had a huge motor in it. When I asked Coe what it was, he said “oh yea, well that is a engine from a Indy car”. He has race bikes, dirt bikes, street bikes and choppers! The list just goes on and on. Coe sets up his mobile vintage motorcycle museum during Daytona motorcycle events, so be sure to look for him and say hi.

I’ll end this post with a picture of Steve and Vanessa on the Hemi Trike. Fast! What do you think?

Technorati Tags: antique, biker blog, classic, motorcycle news, motorcycles, racing, vintage harley, daytona beach, custom motorcycles

Imagine leaving the house with your Motorcycle in “Standard” mode. As you leave the side streets and enter the open highway, you shape-shift into a Cruiser and take the highway out of town. The ride gets long and so for comfort you switch to Touring mode. After many miles, you take an exit onto rural two-lane twisty roads and see a dirt and gravel road on your left, so you shape-shift into an Enduro and take the turn ….

A complete re-think of motorcycle design.
New Robotic ShapeShifting Harley
based Motorcycle.
…. any ride, anytime …. shapeshifts
on-the-fly.

Now, a much safer and more
connected Motorcycle riding experience
that actively adapts to both the
rider and the road.

1. Regular, Hemi or Diesel

2. Multi-link suspension ON BOTH ENDS !

3. No chain tensioner needed.

4. Six speeds and a reverse.

5. No rusting materials anywhere …. inside or out.

6. Extremely over-engineered to last as long as possible.

7. Center of mass maintained while shape-shifting by shifting the engine.

8. Precisely shapeshifts to exactly mimic each bike style, from Chopper, Cruiser, Tourer, Standard Town bike, Enduro, even Deep Woods.

This motorcycle is still a concept, but production is expected to take place March 2008! You can find out more about these bikes at the R-Bike Web Page.

About the designer: Erik Brinkman is a world renowned industrial designer and innovator. The Smithsonian Institution has asked to do an exhibit of his work.
His work has been featured on the cover of the most prestigious mechanical magazine in the world (American Machinist). He is also featured in McGraw-Hill college textbooks.

Technorati Tags: motorcycle news, motorcycles, shapeshifting

I first met Steve Coe during bike week 2005. He had is vintage motorcycle museum set up at the Cabbage Patch Bar. Taking a walk into the tractor trailer that has been converted into a mobile motorcycle museum you see he has quite a bit of motorcycle history inside. A couple of Harley-Davidson vintage race bikes, an antique Daytona Fire Department motorcycle and a V8 motorcycle called the Chevy-Davidson!

The Chevy Davidson motorcycle one of only two known to exist.

1948 Harley Hummer

1932 Harley 750

Notice the number 213 on the Harley Hummer? Not only does Steve Coe collect and maintain these motorcycles himself, he races them. Coe has finished every race that he has started. You can catch Steve Coe at the Daytona International Speedway during bike week as he races in the vintage class C hand shift series on March 6th.

Steve Coe loads up his vintage motorcycles on race day.

So you think, wow that is a big collection of vintage motorcycles? The motorcycles contained in the mobile museum is only a drop in the bucket of Steve’s collection. If you have been to Daytona Beach you have probably noticed the Klassix Museum in the past. That museum used to house Steve’s collection which he now keeps at home. I visited Steve at his home to see more and continue this story in another post. Be sure to visit Daytona Vintage Racing to learn more about Steve Coe, his racing and his collection.

Technorati Tags: bike week, biketoberfest, daytona, motorcycle news, racing, vintage motorcycles

I finally found a decent article, with pictures, of the NYC Bike Show that was held in New York this past weekend. This is one show that I plan to make it to, one day. The place looks packed in the pictures and it was estimated that around 80,000 visitors toured the show at the Javitz Center. Matt Hotch, Dave Perowitz, Billy Lane and my friend The Ice Cream Man From Hell were just a few of the notable people of the industry that made appearance during the weekend.

Head on over to BikerPics.Org to view the pictures and read more about the New York Motorcycle Show.

Technorati Tags: new york, motorcycle show, bike show, biker blog, motorcycle news, billy lane, matt hotch, daveperowitz, ice cream man from hell, nyc

This video includes bike week and biketoberfest pictures taken over the past few years. You will see pictures taken along Main Street, Beach Street, The Loop and US HWY 1 in Daytona Beach. Pictures taken at Bike Week Bars like No Name Saloon, Cabbage Patch, Iron Horse, Boothill and Froggys.

Events shown like the Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show, Coleslaw Wrestling, Bull Riding and more. There are motorcycle pictures, chopper builders, babes and the bands that give us live music and concerts. The Daytona Motorcycle Rally Video is 10 minutes long and includes the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, INXS and Judas Priest. Sit back and watch the bike week video.

Technorati Tags: bike week video, bike week, motorcycle events, florida, daytona beach, bike week bars, biker blog

As I was cruising around today, I passed this motor bike by, it caught my eye. I immediately turned around to see what it was, in quick passing it appeared to be a replica type of a motor bike.

What I found was that it was not a replica motor bike, it was a production motor bike that can be purchased these days called a Whizzer. With all the new styled motor scooters, mopeds and motorbikes that have hit the market lately coupled with all of the pocket bikes and mini choppers, this motor bike is a back to basics concept that can be appreciated. Back in 1901 the concept of the original Harley Davidson motorcycle was put on blueprint with the drawing of a engine to fit a bicycle by William S. Harley. The Whizzer on the other hand was not created until 1939 and was sold as a bicycle motor kit.

While most of today’s scooters and mopeds are sold with a 49 cc engine, the Whizzer has a 138cc or 1.95 h.p. engine that still can be purchased as a kit to build your own or a full production model as seen here.

A belt drive and centrifugal clutch from the motor bike leave the pedals and chain in tact for those times you feel like getting a little exercise. I think that if I was in the market for a motorbike, the Whizzer would be in the running.

Source:

http://www.whizzermotorbike.com

http://www.harley-davidson.com

Technorati Tags: motorcycle news, motor bike, whizzer, motorcycles, bikes, two wheels

Fantastic South Florida weather, Christmas approaching and children in need were the reasons for the Toys in the sun run today. The turnout for the 19th annual SFPC toys in the sun run was in full force as over 30 thousand bikers met at the Pompano Harness Track to get ready for the parade. The motorcycle ride that would close 2 Interstate highways for over 3 hours. Riders started their motorcycles at 9:45 am and headed out for Markham Park in Sunrise a 26 mile ride away.

As the motorcycles arrive at the toy run destination and drop off, hundreds of onlookers lined the park entrance waving and cheering the bikers as they passed. The toys in the sun run brought in nearly $600,000.00 and 40,000 toys last year. This year it was projected that the numbers would be higher.

There was plenty of entertainment on hand for the day like when the Purrfect Angels were dancing on the Hard Rock Stage and live music provided all day on the main stage. We took the opportunity of most of the crowd watching the show to visit some of the motorcycle vendors in the area.

We talked with custom exhaust maker Frankie Serrano pictured here by one of his displays in the motorcycle vendor section. Frankie learned the ins and outs of the custom bike building and exhaust business. Studying under a legend like Eddie Trotta taught Frankie what it takes to be the best in a competitive industry.

There was a day full of everything motorcycle to see and do, but with a 150 mile trip home, it was time to head back to Melbourne.