Daytona Bike Week Madness
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
Bike Week in Daytona, FL is one of the world's great spectacles. In all my years of going there and taking pictures, I have never gotten a shot, or even a series of shots, that adequately conveys the enormity or full spectrum of the event. In the course of a week, over 500,000 bikers will visit the area. The sights and scenes are amazing.
The two most active areas are around the race track and around Main Street, at the beaches, where all these shots were taken. There are, however, many other areas that are real hot spots. It's almost too much to absorb.
OOPS!!
OK! OK! Just one for the guys
The two most active areas are around the race track and around Main Street, at the beaches, where all these shots were taken. There are, however, many other areas that are real hot spots. It's almost too much to absorb.
OOPS!!
OK! OK! Just one for the guys
I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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Comments
Really nice series of pictures. Enjoyed everyone. Well done.
I'm afraid they'd run me off the board if I put in any more of the " just for guys " shots. I used to go to Daytona for the whole week of wild times...I'm now down to two days. That place runs wide open from dawn to late at night. Everybody ought to go there for Bike Week at least once because nothing you will read or see in pictures will ever prepare you for the sights and sounds that go on.
Tom
Great series, You always get such great detail and color in your shots, always a treat!!
I can't even imagine all the things that go on, but I'll bet there are a lot of nice Bikes:D
Post some more if you get a chance.
Craig
Burleson, Texas
Thanks for the kind words.
There's one spot, not far from where these pictures were taken, that you can see probably as many as 5,000 bikes in one sweeping view....maybe even more than that. It makes you wonder if every bike ever made has shown up for the event. I'll post more shots later.
Tom
Think your right about getting a thread booted were you to post one like that here.
So to further see what you mean I checked out some small images at
daytonabikeweek dot com. Hmmmm.
could happen were I too visit a friend in Florida.
Come on over. Start planning for next year's trip. They stage a junior version of this shindig in the Fall...Biketoberfest...but you'll want to come for the " real thing ". always scheduled for the tale end of February - early March. You won't be disappointed.
Tom
Well, you do have to be a little prudent as to where you go sticking your camera lens. But, really, no more so than taking anyone's picture anywhere else. I stick mostly to large, group scenes but occasionally I'll single out some unique character ( and there are seemingly hundreds of them ). At those times, I'll typically ask if they mind and most of the time they are happy to accommodate me....people are basically hams.
The truth is, however, that the makeup of the crowds at Bike Week has morphed into a much more gentile and sophisticated bunch. You'll see as many, or more, lawyers, doctors, managers, and average middle-class guys ( and girls....yes, thousands of them ) roaring around in their leathers then you'll see of the old, hardcore biker group. The hardened biker is still there and there are certain places that overtly cater to that group, but, all in all, it is a much softer atmosphere in Daytona these days.
Tom
Looks like a wonderful photo-op! I was there about 12 years ago just before bike week when the early birds were arriving. Quite a sight indeed.
Jack
(My real name is John but Jack'll do)
Yea, this affair is a shooter's dream. You can't hardly walk a step without seeing something else you want to capture.
Take care, my friend.
Tom
Yeah that's why I haven't gone for awhile
Like your shots
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I hear you, brother. But it's still the best game in town and, as long as I can throw my leg over my steed, I'm going on down there and join the fracas.
Tom
I also wear a bike t-shirt of some sort and my favorite old motorcycle ball cap with an obscure brand name on it. Helps get across that I'm not some some guy who see others as odd balls and wants to take advantage. "Respect" is a very big deal with bikers.
"I didn't choose the life, it chose me."
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I've got to agree with you here. Showing respect for any person or group you're hoping to shoot just makes sense.
If you could see me in all my riding attire you'd think I just got off the trail after riding with Attila the Hun....talk about blending in.
Tom