Daytona Bike Week 2009

When gas prices started to dip in early November, I told Cathy if they drop below $2.00 per gallon I would book a return visit to Daytona Bike Week. We saw a decline in prices with a low of $1.61, but soon started to once again climb. As the weeks got closer to our departure, gas had been standing firm in the mid $1.90's. Chuck and I left Saturday, February 28 by 9:30 AM. His brother let us use his Chevy Silverado extended cab and along with Chuck's 16 foot enclosed trailer we were all set. It was 12 degrees as we started our journey. We didn't encounter any bad weather and were able to average just over 70 mph the entire trip and taking into account our gas stops, we had an overall average of over 67 mph! We never stopped for more than 10 minutes! Had we not stopped for about a 90 minute power nap just outside of Orlando, we would have arrived at Disney's Old Key West at 7:30 AM Sunday morning. I thought this would be a tad too early to fire up the motorcycles as many would still be sleeping from their magical adventures the night before. I know Dan and CDogg are wondering if I made Chuck drive the Smokey Mountains; yes he did on the way down, but I returned the favor later in the week on the journey north.

Shorty after arriving, the bikes were unloaded and we headed to Daytona. The temperatures the first half of the week averaged 15 degrees below seasonal averages! Once in Daytona a stop at the Race Track proved to be a great idea! As we made our way to the first vendor it started to rain hard! The rain stayed with us until early afternoon. As it cleared we headed to the far east end of the race track and took in the many different vendors including, Victory and Indian Motorcycles, Vance & Hines and even Nicole's Sign Works from Appleton! We left the race track late afternoon and drove downtown to stop at the Harley-Davidson Welcome Center to pickup our ever popular Event Pins. This year Harley did not host a reception area where in previous years members and their guests could relax, socialize and have free snacks.

Later in the week we made a stop at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona in Ormond off off Highway 95. I have tried for the past several years to get an up close and personal view of the largest HD Dealership in the nation but have been unsuccessful. Chuck with his Victory Vegas Jackpot Cory Ness Edition leading the way into the parking lot, we were able to find a few spots to park. The dealership itself had probably more than 1000 new Harley's for sale. In fact we found a 2009 Road King Classic, blue in color with 7 miles on it for $15.995! The economy has taken the bite out of every business and Daytona Bike Week was no exception. Attendance they said was down 40% from last year! Unheard of prices on new motorcycles and souvenirs were at a low not seen before.

Because of the chilly weather, G-nome didn't make many appearances with the Bar Maids! Even they, we dressed in sweatshirts and leather jackets! Bummer! When the temps got closer to seasonal averages G-nome made more appearances. You see, during Bike Week celebrations a gimmick is worth many a photo!

Wednesday we headed to Cape Coral to spend the night with my sister and brother-in-law. After we had ridden most of the way and were just 30 minutes from their gated community home, we were finally able to rid ourselves of the leather chaps and jackets. Thursday morning we left their house and rode to Victory Lane Motorcycle Dealership. I forgot to mention that earlier in the week Chuck had broken his clutch cable outside of Sanford, Florida on the way back from Daytona. After spending over $300 his bike was as good as new, but the pocket book much lighter as this was an unforeseen expense. The Victory dealer in Sanford was nothing like Victory Lane south of Fort Myers. Victory Lane was exclusively a Victory dealer and didn't cater to other makes of motorcycles. If you love Victory bikes and find yourself in Florida, then this is a must stop.

After leaving Victory Lane we headed west to Fort Myers Beach and rode the shoreline onto McGregor Boulevard and the many palm trees that line the road. Late afternoon we got back to Disney and had dinner at ESPN Sports Bar on the Boardwalk close to Epcot.

Friday morning we found ourselves on the road by 7:00 AM heading towards Daytona and a favorite of mine, the Starlite Diner for breakfast. Before leaving Disney we heard on the news that a semi carrying diesel fuel had tipped over on I-4 between Highway 44 and I-95 so we should expect delays! This isn't unusual, I-4 is a MUST avoid highway at anytime! We drove towards downtown Orlando on I-4 then exited onto 17-92 and headed towards Highway 50 and Titusville, then I-95 into Daytona. After parking on Main Street down by Boot Hill Saloon we walked to the Diner. Breakfast was good, not great but still a stop that is worth the wait. We walked around Main Street and made a few purchases before heading for lunch at the Hilton for Victory's 10th Anniversary Party. Over 500 guests got treated to a great lunch of chicken, roast beef, salads, vegetables and a variety of cheese cakes. Chuck got his photo taken with Arlen Ness .

When we got back to Disney for our last night, the bikes were loaded in the trailer. We had added over 1100 miles this week on our rides and only experienced a few problems on each of our bikes. I am still having problems with my gas gauge not working! This has been a headache from day one and hopefully will be corrected soon. I had added Vance & Hines slip-ons along with a Stage I kit onto the Ultra prior to Bike Week. I felt the added horse power and torque but also saw gas mileage had dropped noticeably. I learned that my speedometer is off between 3-5 mph, so this along with my fuel gauge may have something to do with it. For our last dinner in Orland, we headed to Hooters. We had a great time of riding this week. If you ever head to Daytona Bike Week, bring your "A" Game! When riding, keep your head and eyes up! Don't drive beyond your abilities and never consume alcohol and then ride! Keep focused on your ride and enjoy! To view the selected photos of Daytona Bike Week 2009 go to Shutterfly and remember to type in the password "chrome".

By-the-way, Chuck sent me an e-mail and after averaging 10.9 mpg on his brother's extended cab Chevy Silverado, pulling a 16 foot enclosed trailer, the roundtrip fuel costs including almost $20 in tolls in the State of Florida, was just over $503! It is much cheaper to haul the bikes than to ship, dah...................................!