A Change In The Biker Community

Good afternoon!

I would like to address something I've noticed lately concerning the motorcycle community.  This of course is just my opinion.  I'd like to know how other riders feel about this, so be sure to let me know what you think.

A few weeks ago when my wife and I ventured to Daytona Beach, Florida for Biketoberfest, I couldn't help but notice that most bikers seem less friendly these days.  The respect and acknowledgement that bikers have for each other seems to be dwindling. 

In my opinion, it's protocol for a biker to nod their head or throw a wave to a fellow biker as they cross paths as a sign of acknowledgement and respect.  Driving a motorcycle sets you apart from other drivers on the road.  In a sense, it is a brotherhood.  Of course there are more distinguished groups of bikers in Motorcycle Clubs who have their own rules and regulations, but even for those MC members, is nodding to your fellow rider not a classic gesture?

On our Daytona trip, only a handful of the hundreds of bikers we encountered responded to our gestures.  I certainly understand everything is situational.  If it's not a safe time to take your hands off the controls, then of course don't do it, but I take issue with those bikers who act as if it's beneath them to return acknowledgement. 

My father used to avoid waving to other bikers on the highway, and one day I asked him why.  His answer was simple: 'Why should I risk my life by taking my hand off the controls at speed just to wave to someone? My life is more important.'  He certainly brought up a valid point, but I don't believe that is the mind set of every biker on the road, especially if you consider a large number of riders don't even wear basic protective gear.

I've also noticed an increase in wreckless and careless driving practices on the road.  If I'm at a stop light, I have no problem if another motorcyclist pulls up next to me and waits for the green light, but I have a huge problem with bikers who drive really close to me or directly beside me in the same lane. In my opinion, that is a blatant disreguard to my personal safety and to theirs as well.  What happens if I end up having to swerve or God forbid I lay down the bike?  I'm going to take out the other motorcycle as well.  Or if they have to make a quick adjustment, I could be killed or seriously injured.  There needs to be a basic understanding of the environment and riding conditions, and I don't feel many bikers have that.  Basic motorcycle etiquette is at an all time low.

My final argument derives from the type of motorcycles/motorcyclists I see on America's roadways.  Harley-Davidson.  I get it, they're America's classic motorcycle manufacturer and nothing screams red, white, and blue more than an American motorcycle.  I actually take issue with this. It isn't the fact that they ride a Harley, it's the manner in which they do it, and how they carry themselves.  I am annoyed by massive motorcycles covered in hundreds of dollars of chrome accessories on the road, being ridden by people who are more or less trying to create this "image" of what a motorcycle rider should look like.  No helmets, faux leather vests on 900 pound monster Harley's with massive body panels, sometimes blasting their music down the road. It's almost as if they're going for this "look", they all look the exact same, and don't have any regard for their personal safety, or for the safety of others (based on how they ride).  That, combined with how they present themselves on the road - arrogant, cocky, as my dad would say "king shit on turd island".  When in reality, they really look foolish, ignorant, and many of them are really assholes.

One of my best friends from my military days rides a Harley, and my father-in-law owns a Road King.  I've driven them, and I'm presenting my argument based off facts and experience.  I do see their appeal, especially for long rides or cross-country adventures.  But the attitude and personality of the bikers is changing for the worse.  The belief that a person must be a "bad ass" to ride because of chrome accessories on an enormous bike is incredibly elementary.  I own a 2008 Kawasaki Versys and a 1976 Triumph Tiger 750, but because I don't own a Sherman tank on 2 wheels, myself and others find ourselves looked down upon and shunned by these new upstart bikers who don't know the first thing about quality motorcycle sportsmanship.

I'm interested in hearing the opinions from other riders out there.  Is my view on this subject to be considered "old school"? Or does anyone else feel the same way? 


-James

 

St. Augustine Sunday

To cap off an incredible weekend, my wife and I spent Sunday in St. Augustine.  Following a 3-day weekend that consisted of movies on Friday, & Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach on Saturday, we mounted up and headed north to St. Augustine.

For those who don't know, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States.  Founded by the Spanish in 1565, it consists of incredible architectured buildings, a beautiful college, and the very famous Castillo de San Marcos - a 17th Century Spanish fort with an incredible history.  Find out more on Castillo de San Marcos by checking out the National Park Service link here.

The history of St. Augustine is one that is unmatched in the United States.  The area held firm for hundreds of years as a Spanish outpost, then as a staging point for British forces during the American Revolutionary War.  If you enjoy history, you need to visit St. Augustine!

Even though it is a college town, St. Augustine's primary source of income is tourism.  Cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages, and a wide variety of food gives visitors that old town feel, while providing excellent modern amenities. Again, my wife and I met up with her sister and her husband for a new adventure.  We decided it'd be best to take a car this time rather than the motorcycle.  After a long day of riding the previous day, our butts couldn't handle it (literally).

St. Augustine is an enjoyable city with much to offer.  One of the most haunted buildings in America, the St. Augustine Lighthouse, is only a few miles from the main tourist hub.  The Alligator Farm is also nearby, giving visitors up close and personal experiences with alligators (yes, this is the same Alligator Farm featured on the TV show "Gator Boys").

At the suggestion of my brother-in-law, we traveled to Gaufre's & Goods Polish & Greek Restaurant, a literal "hole in the wall" cafe with an incredible atmosphere, food selection, service, and pricing.  We enjoyed a great bottle of Romanian wine, alone with shameless amounts of food.  I myself had boiled meat and cheese piorgies and a cup of cold Borstch.  So delicious!

 

Following lunch, we immediately headed towards the San Sabastian Winery.  Only a few blocks away, certainly walking distance, we enjoyed good conversation until we found ourselves doing some wine tasting.  I'm the first to admit that I'm a light weight.  I get drunk rather easily, and I don't pretend otherwise.  My wife and I enjoy the occasional beer or wine (I enjoy Vodka, rum, & whiskey), but we never find ourselves in a situation where we're just throwing back booze like it's water.  But on this day, we found ourselves sucking down more alcohol than we have in a very long time. 

The wine tasting was an incredible experience, and as we were leaving, I found the world around me slowing down as the alochol hit me.  Wine is one of those funny things that doesn't seem to be doing much until it hits you all at once.  After 3 glasses at lunch and sampling 9 wines at the winery, my world entered slow motion (and it was barely noon!). Regardless, we helped ourselves to two bottles of wine to bring home and enjoy in the future. You know, support your local economy!

As the animated bubbles of booze popped above my head from a strong buzz, we marched onward to the St. Augustine distillery!  As if wine wasn't doing me in, I was going to mix liquor on top of it.  Oh what smart decisions, right?  Well, thankfully as we awaited the start of the next tour, the heavy clouds of drunkeness began to clear, and my world returned to normal.  After a short walking tour of the distillery, we sampled some mixed drinks of Vodka and Gin.  Once again, we purchased a bottle of booze, St. Augustine sugar cane Vodka, to take home.  I'm telling ya, you must support your local economy!   As we paid, the cashier swiped my driver's license in her computer.  Florida State Law only allows 2 purchases from distilleries per year, per driver's license.  Good ol' government putting an economic growth limit on local businesses.  I think that's a ridiculous mandate.

Following our visit to the distillery, food was on our mind once again.  We made our way back to the center of town taking side streets to avoid heavy traffic.  We found ourselves at a Greek restaurant with beautiful hand painted & air brushed murals, and enjoyed a nice plate of Saganaki - A mixture of alcohol and cheese, set ablaze to carmelize on top.  A quick, yet delicious snack for the late afternoon.   



We enjoyed the evening air as the temperature began to drop. A nice leisurely walk through the main tourist street brought us to another wine tasting event where we sipped casually on some raspberry, blueberry, & coconut wine among others.

 

While deciding what to eat for dinner, we stopped by a shop that offered olive oil and vinaigrette tastings along with a bar that offered various alcoholic & coffee beverages.  We sat down inside and watched the world outside turn dark. 

For dinner, we ended up venturing next door to the Centro Piano Bar.  The atmosphere was pleasant, but the biggest challenge was enjoying dinner with family while having to listen to a terrible singer.  The guy could play the piano very well, but was an awful singer.  His voice reminded me of Burt Bacharach, which isn't a bad thing, but his attempts at singing Billy Joel, Elton John and Journey were thwarted by the fact that he didn't know all of the lyrics to the songs, and he kept trying to hit notes that were clearly out of his vocal range.  It really was quite a chore having to endure it.  He sang for about 2 hours straight.  Only 4 other people came into the Piano Bar during our visit, and that lack of attendance might be contributed to the fact that a tone-deaf piano player was the nightly entertainment.  Considering the overpriced menu and less than desireable entertainment, I don't foresee that restaurant staying open much longer. 

But our service was excellent, the food was good (albeit still overpriced), and the Sangria we shared was absolutely phenominal.



After dinner we parted ways and headed home.  It was a great weekend spent with family that we don't get to see very often.  Between Biketoberfest in Daytona on Saturday & St. Augustine on Sunday, I was incredibly exhausted once we headed home Sunday night.  But it was certainly worth it.

-James

Biketoberfest 2014

This past Saturday, my wife and I were laying in bed in the late morning.  Having stayed up until almost 2 AM the previous night playing video games & watching TV, we certainly enjoyed the extra sleep.  We've been wanting to take a ride up to St. Augustine the past few weeks, but could never get the timing right, or when we did, I didn't feel up to the drive.  As we laid there still half asleep, browsing Facebook, Twitter, & other oddities, my wife's sister called and asked if we'd like to meet them in Daytona Beach for Biketoberfest.  I didn't even know the festivities had begun, so I was surprised.

Since the passing of my father this past March, my sister-in-law & her husband (both avid motorcyclists) have hounded me to meet up with them to take a ride together, but this being Florida, it's been way too hot or too wet to take them up on their offer.  The weather on Saturday, however, was flawless.  So I said "let's do it".  They live in Jacksonville but had already arrived in Daytona when they called us.  We quickly got ready and were out the door by 11:30.  Our trip took about 2 1/2 hours, with the majority of the journey taking us through the Ocala National Forest on Highway 40.

This past weekend was also Homecoming for the University of Florida in my hometown of Gainesville.  Traffic was a complete nightmare, and our route South took us directly by campus.  Naturally we were stopped by every traffic light, drunk college student, and city bus you could imagine.  Multiple instances of hard breaking met us head on before we even got out of the city.  Certainly not an enjoyable experience.  Once we got out of the city however, the roads cleared drastically.

Thankfully, the posted speed limits on the road to Daytona are reasonable.  65mph with drops to 45mph through the smaller towns along the way.  Taking after my father, I tend to travel about 10 over the speed limit if conditions allow for it; and on this day, it certainly allowed for it.  Traffic wasn't bad at all as we headed towards the coast.  While in the Ocala National Forest, I caught up with group of other motorcycles and I figured there was safety in numbers, so I decided to stay with them until they peeled off.  I have never made the drive myself.  In fact, the last time I went to Daytona, was for Bike Week in 2003! Back then, I was the ripe old age of 13. 

The trip down was a pleasant one, ran into many different bikes both coming and going.  We even passed a 2009 Kawasaki Versys! I was so excited because I have never seen another Versys on the road.  It was certainly a great surprise to pass one.  As we drew closer to Daytona, the traffic volume dramatically increased - primarily the number of bikes on the road.

The economy in Daytona is strongly tied to the motorcycle & auto racing communities.  The majority of bars, shops, hotels & restaurants are only open a few weeks out of the year to cater to the tens of thousands of bikers and spectators that come in from all around the world during these events.  They are able to generate enough revenue during these that they are free to do other things during the year.  Not too long ago, local politicians and city leaders tried to put an end to the Bike Week & Biketoberfest festivities because they didn't think it gave the city a clean reputation. Needless to say, that proposed legislation was met with powerful opposition from business owners and locals because without Bike Week & Biketoberfest, the only other big money maker is NASCAR.  Thankfully, the locals persevered and the motorcycle festivities continue!  Daytona doesn't completely throw respect out of the window, they ask for our support in return.  Signs everywhere say "Welcome back, bikers!", "Ride Safe", "Ride Quietly", etc..  It's only fair that the locals asks for respect from the motorcycle community, Daytona is opening up their doors to thousands of strangers every year offering some of the greatest biker experiences East of the Mississippi River.  As civilized people, and as adults, we should be courteous and respectful.

The locals are always welcoming to the motorcycle community.  Of course they don't want a bunch of foolishness in their city.  As long as the majority of Bike Week & Biketoberfest visitors continue to be respectful and supportive of the local community, I don't foresee drastic changes coming about.  I also have to acknowledge the Daytona Police Department and their policies towards these events.  As long as people aren't being completely ridiculous, they've been really easy going.  There will always be those cases of fights, wreckless driving and such, but they're fairly tolerant to the daily events that occur. I also couldn't help but notice some of the motorcycle cops were riding on Suzuki V-Strom 1000s.  It was quite a scene to see matte gray & black police bikes on the road.  They easily blend in with the crowd.

We met up with the family at the BMW-Ducati-Triumph dealership, exchanged pleasantries & decided where we should eat. 

We followed their lead and had lunch at the Oyster Pub a few blocks away off A1A.  Not too many positive things to say about the Pub, as the service was somewhat inconsistent and the food was average.  However, we were just so hungry that we didn't really gripe too much.  It did however have a great atmosphere and the staff was pleasant, even if they were a tad spacey.

After a late lunch, we walked a few store fronts over and enjoyed some Turkish coffee at a Hookah Bar owned by a friend of my sister-in-law's husband.  Great guy, great shop, & if we could've stayed longer, I definitely would have enjoyed some Hookah.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not packing my clear helmet visor & I wasn't about to risk driving the entire trip home in the dark with a blacked out visor.   We had to cut our Biketoberfest adventure short after only a few hours. 

Traffic was heavy on the return trip home, and there were plenty of foolish (& probably drunk) bikers that made parts of the trip unnerving.  I heard of one fatality, hopefully there weren't more.

Overall, my first experience with Biketoberfest was a great one.  I enjoy the ride down to Daytona, and I appreciate the concept of bikers coming together for various events.  It will be a mad house, but perhaps next time I'll venture towards International Drive & the International Speedway.  That would certainly bring back great memories.

Ride safe.

-James