Daytona Beach is home to all things Harley-Davidson, which makes it the perfect place to shop for the Harley enthusiast on your list. What do you get the rider who has everything? How about a Harley-Davidson golf bag? Yep, you'll find one at Destination Daytona along with plenty of other Harley branded golf gear. 

And with that Harley-Davidson golf bag, you can visit one of the many golf courses in the greater Daytona Beach area. With 19 world class golf courses to choose from, Daytona Beach caters to golfers of any level. (Although they won't let you ride your bike on the course - you'll have to settle for a golf cart!) Cart your Harley-Davidson golf bag along with you and stay at any of a dozen local hotels which offer special golf packages. Visit www.golfdaytonabeach.com for all the scoop!

Hmmm, I wonder if anyone makes a Harley-Davidson golf cart? 

The writers of the popular TV sitcom Seinfeld introduced the American public to the idea of Festivus in the 1990s. The "holiday," as featured on the famous Seinfeld episode, was celebrated with an unadorned aluminum "Festivus pole" and practices such as "feats of strength" and the labeling of everyday events as "Festivus miracles." 

You might say that rolling into Daytona Beach for a visit on your bike and having the good fortune to find a rocking Blues concert, art festival or some other city-wide celebration would be a "Festivus miracle;" which technically would be accurate considering that "Festivus miracles," as depicted on Seinfeld, were not really miracles, but ordinary events.

The spring and fall seasons in the greater Daytona Beach area are chock full of festivals, concerts, shows and any number of entertaining events.  In addition to Biketoberfest® Oct. 14-17, you can enjoy the Daytona Beach Blues Fest (Oct. 8-10), Daytona Beach Dream Cruise classic auto show (Oct. 22-24), and the Halifax Art Festival (Nov. 6-7). Visit www.DaytonaFestivalSeason.com for a complete list.


Ride on over to Daytona Beach where there's always a "Festivus for the rest of us!"

If you're interested in personalizing your ride, visit Daytona Beach.  Just as the area offers more makes and models of bikes than anyplace else in the world, the Daytona Beach area is also home to more motorcycle after-market dealers, specialty installers and retailers than anywhere else in the U.S.


J&P Cycles, located at Destination Daytona, is recognized as a leader in aftermarket parts and accessories for all makes and models of bikes. Carl's Speed Shop in downtown Daytona Beach can give your bike the extra power you crave. Miller's Custom Parts in South Daytona stocks a wide range of custom wheels, performance and maintenance parts, chrome hardware, custom lighting and exhaust. 

Harley-Davidson with locations in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach has a customized design center where you can build the bike of your dreams.  

Diane Morrow, co-owner of Carl's Speed Shop in Daytona Beach, is a retailer ahead of her time. While other motorcycle shops and Beach Street stores were catering to men who ride, Diane stocked her store with gifts for women.  

She realized that women in town for motorcycle events, or women riders here year round, wanted more than t-shirts made for men. They wanted apparrel and accessories that reflected their love of riding and their femininity.  

Carl's Speed Shop, lcoated at 384 North Beach Street, boasts a large women's retail section. Diane carries unique and stylish leather jackets and vests, womens' t-shirts, jewelry, purses and home décor.  

Her shop stocks one of the most extensive selections of Betty Boop items and collectibles, a nod to Diane's love of the cartoon character who has been embraced as a signature icon by women riders. 

Come on down to Biketoberfest ® a little early this year and take part in what I guarantee will be the best charity ride you've ever experienced. The 16th Annual Harley-Davidson Ride for Children is Sunday, Oct. 10.

I've participated in this ride several times and you've never seen so many riders take part in one event, more than 1,000 each year. The ride gets a police escort, roads are cleared and the line of bikes stretches for several miles. The best part of the ride, besides the friendly way the Harley-Davidson folks treat the riders, is roaring into Camp Boggy Creek. Campers and families line the route with signs saying "Welcome Riders" and "Thank you for your support!" Once you dismount, you're served up a fantastic meal and entertained with great music. Here are the details.

The ride leaves at 10 a.m. sharp on Sunday, Oct. 10, from Destination Daytona at U.S. 1 and I-95 in Ormond Beach for Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis. Regular rider registration costs $50 and a VIP Rider Package is available for $300.

Visit www.RideforChildren.com to register.

We have friends in Michigan who love to ride.  To be sure, the Great Lakes area has many scenic routes. However, come fall, they have to winterize their motorcycles and store them for the cold season. While here in Daytona Beach, we ride year round (a fact that we rub in often by sending e-mail photos of our rides to them).  Our friends get their riding fix by coming to visit each year. They pack up the kids and trailer the bike down to Daytona Beach for a week.  Dad rides in the morning and joins the wife and kids for some beach time in the afternoon.  It's the perfect vacation for everyone and keeps them coming back to Daytona Beach year after year. 

The annual motorcycle events in Daytona Beach attract many up and coming bike builders and motorcycle industry entrepreneurs.  Paul Teutul Sr., owner of Orange County Choppers, credits Biketoberfest® with launching his amazingly successful career.

 

In the 1990s, Paul Sr. began building custom motorcycles as a hobby and he was soon on the way to the top with the success of his first bike, "True Blue," which debuted at Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999. From that point on, Paul Sr knew he had something and established Orange County Choppers, Inc. that same year.

Headquartered in Newburgh, NY, Orange County Choppers is regarded as one of the world's premier builders of custom motorcycles. The OCC shop is featured on American Chopper,  a reality television series that chronicles Paul Sr and the OCC crew as they battle impossible deadlines to create outrageous custom choppers. The show debuted in September 2002 on the Discovery Channel  and now airs on Discovery Channel's sister station, TLC on Thursday at 9pm ET/PT.

 

So visit Daytona Beach! You never know which rising star you'll bump into.

While beach bound families and race fans get a lot of attention when it comes to Daytona Beach area visitors, our city is also a favorite vacation destination for motorcycle riders. Just as Daytona Beach is home to the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway, it's also the mecca of motorcycles.

Daytona Beach is home to Biketoberfest® and Bike Week, two of the biggest motorcycle events in the country. Special events attract many motorcycle enthusiasts to town to be sure. The beautiful scenery, perfect weather, rider-friendly beachside resorts, great local dining, and a large and supportive rider community keeps bikers coming year round. 

This year Biketoberfest® is October 14 - 17. But if you can't make it, come visit anytime!