DAYTONA BEACH — Bill and Kim Goss arrived early for their first Bike Week experience, staking out a prime people-watching — and motorcycle-watching —spot before noon along the railing outside the landmark Boot Hill Saloon for the event’s opening day on Main Street.
“It’s a prime spot, prime parking, a prime location to be living,” said Bill, 54, a newly retired New York City motorcycle policeman who relocated with his wife recently to Palm Coast from outside West Point, New York.
On Friday, as the 82nd Annual Bike Week opened its 10-day run in Daytona Beach and elsewhere in Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Duval counties amid sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, Goss couldn’t help smiling as he considered the weather in his former home state.
“It’s a big difference,” he said, taking a sip from an ice-cold bottle of beer. “Right now, they’ve got the snow up there.”
Bike Week crowds arrived early on Main Street
On Main Street, meanwhile, the outlook also was sunny among early-bird Bike Week visitors.
By midday on Friday, the leather-clad throng transformed the thoroughfare into a sensory orgy of roaring engines, rumbling exhaust pipes and gleaming chrome, all accented by tantalizing aromas that ranged from grilled sausages to leather saddle bags and apparel.
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Inside the Boot Hill, the iconic Main Street biker bar that’s marking its 50th anniversary at this year’s Bike Week, the outlook for the event was optimistic, said Patti Platt, who handles retail and marketing duties at the bar.
“We’ve been steadily busy already,” said Platt, who was assisting customers lined up at the bar’s merchandise counter to buy commemorative T-shirts, caps and leather-scented candles. “I think it’s shaping up to be a beautiful Bike Week for everybody.”
Looking ahead at the 10-day event, the weather outlook also is mostly beautiful.
Although there’s a 40% chance of rain on Saturday afternoon, the forecast is otherwise favorable for riders throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
The prediction calls for mostly sunny skies through Monday, with a 20% chance of showers, followed by sunny skies and daytime temperatures in the high 70s through Thursday.
For the Gosses, outside the Boot Hill on Friday, the first impression of the event was an impressive one.
“It’s great,” Bill said. “It’s a good time for everybody, a good time for the city and a good time for the area, which really needs it after the (back-to-back tropical) storms this past fall. When you go down to the beach, you can still see the damage all around.”
People-watching was Bike Week's big attraction on Main Street
The impact of the storm on the beaches also was evident to Scott and Eileen Resnick, who rode from Ocala on their Harley-Davidson to spend a few days at a beachfront timeshare for Bike Week.
“The whole pool at the place we’re staying was taken out by the storms,” said Scott, 67, a retired welder and hydraulic technician who has been a regular at Bike Week for nearly a decade. That won’t detract from the couple’s Bike Week plans, he said.
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“I just like watching the people,” he said, perched on a shady ledge along the sidewalk outside Froggy’s Saloon. “They are always entertaining. And I like to look at the bikes, the new stuff that comes out.”
Nearby, Wesley Peek, a Froggy’s security staffer, was cheerfully settling into his duties on opening day, offering enthusiastic greetings to people — and dogs — walking past.
“Hey, you big old guy!” Peek said to an English Bull Mastiff walking on a leash with his owner.
After they passed, Peek broke into a wide grin that stretched his silver handlebar mustache.
“This is all kinds of fun,” he said. “That’s why I come here, to work and watch Bike Week happen and get paid for it. Where else can you go and see something like this?”
License plates indicate a diverse Bike Week geographic mix
A scan of license plates on opening day offered evidence of a crowd that was geographically diverse, with tags representing Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Dakota, Maine and Quebec, among other far-flung destinations.
“We’re seeing a lot of people early, which is promising,” said Laura Humphreys, vice president of Humphreys & Son Jewelers, a Main Street fixture since 1954. “People want to get away from the weather up north and enjoy the Florida sunshine.”
A look at Humphreys & Son:
The outlook was a bit more cautious, however, at Biker Brothers apparel shop, another Main Street business a block west of Atlantic Avenue. There, owner Roger Harb was concerned about the impact of inflation and the stock market’s performance on potential spending by Bike Week visitors.
“There could be a million people here,” said Harb, pointing to his cash register, “but if this isn’t going ‘ching, ching’ then I’m not making any money.”
There were no such worries across the street at John’s Rock ‘N Ride, another longtime Main Street business. There, owner Johnny Sanchez said he stayed open until 1 a.m. Thursday to serve visitors on the eve of Bike Week’s official opening day.
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“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Sanchez said. “I think this is going to be a big one this year. There’s just something about Bike Week, where people come with a good feeling. People are just happy to be here, and I’m happy to be here.”
