Catching the tail-end of the famed Bike Week

In the early hours of Thursday, March 6, 2025, I left home pulling my toy hauler/trailer, headed for Daytona Beach. I had loaded in the trailer my Honda Monkey and CB500X , and my friend David’s Triumph Bonneville 1200. David was pulling his teardrop camper with his Mercedes as we headed on our way to Florida. The weather was good and we made it to the Florida line somewhere around noon.

Daytona, here we come!

We decided to camp at the Crazy Horse Campground right next to the huge flea market, less than a mile from the Daytona Speedway. This is a great location with hot showers and no reservations required. At only $21 a night per person, it’s quite a bargain. We got checked in to the campground around 3:00pm, and by 5:00pm we had our campsite set up and ready. There was already a big crowd there, but plenty a room for everybody.

It’s a long-standing tradition that the first meal I eat when arriving for Bike Week is to hit the Deland Fish House for a fried fish plate and a beer. It’s been two years since I was last there, but the owner still remembered me.

Best seafood in town.

After dinner, David and I just rode back to the campground rather than downtown, as we were tired from the trip down, and looking forward to the next day so we would go and explore all that we could see for Bike Week.

The next morning, March 7, we got up early and rode to the Monkey Morning Café (yes, it’s really called that) where I had visited two years prior because I was riding my own Honda Monkey that year, and it just seemed appropriate. We rode to where it used to be but discovered the establishment had relocated to a larger building. We found it, got in and got a nice table with no trouble even though it was very crowded, and the service was terrific. I like to play so much I even bought a t-shirt this time, to wear when riding my Monkey, of course.

This is a great stop to eat when you’re in Daytona.

New Smyrna Beach photo op. They didn’t seem to mind.

After breakfast, we rode out on a sightseeing tour and ended up in beautiful New Smyrna Beach right down by the ocean. As a friend of mine said, “just a couple of old boobs hanging out at the beach” (pun intended, lol). We then rode up US -1 and stopped at a local Dairy Queen for some ice cream. We shared an outside table with a nice couple from Canada, who were riding a Harley and spending a month in Florida.

The best part is always the people you meet.

After ice cream and a nice chat with the Canadians, we rode over to the famed A1A and up to Daytona Beach Main Street so we could cruise the rally’s main drag. We parked on the sidewalk with all the other motorcycles and enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds of all the craziness that is Daytona Bike Week.

An already crowded Main Street.

After about an hour of roaming the stores and vendors on Main, we decided to go ride around some more and headed for the Daytona Speedway. On the way to the speedway from Daytona Beach we happened on the Terragona Tower. I remembered many years ago when Highway 92 going to the beach was only a two lane road. It actually went through the arch in this tower. It’s pretty amazing how big the road is now.

Terragona Tower, the old gateway to Daytona Beach.

I had to stop and show David the tower and share it’s history to show him how old I am, and I can still remember all that. I’m sure he was impressed. When down in Daytona, definitely take a detour to check it out. We then made our way over to the race track, which isn’t too far from the tower. Many of the major motorcycle brands set up in the parking lots surrounding the Daytona International Speedway, with demo rides, displays of new bikes, and their latest gear and accessories. We also wanted to figure out what we had to do to get in for the races the following day.

Friday evening we decided we to get a steak so we rode to the local Texas Roadhouse. The place was mobbed and we had to wait a little while, which was fine with us. The Daytona Texas Roadhouse is a pretty place with a nice pond and benches and we even took some selfies for people. We enjoyed a nice steak dinner and when we got our checks David suddenly realized he didn’t have his wallet. He was understandably freaked, trying to figure out how he’s going to deal with this. I paid the bill and as we were preparing to leave, the staff asked over their PA system if anyone had found a wallet. Sure enough, someone had found it on the bench we’d been sitting on outside and turned it in at the front desk.

It’s the little things that restore your faith in humanity.

Made it to the Speedway!

Saturday was race day, the big day of the legendary Daytona 200. We rode over to a nearby Buc-ee‘s for some breakfast sandwiches then headed for the track. We wanted to get there early so we could find a good vantage point. The 200 race didn’t start until 1pm, but that was okay as there was plenty of things to see and do around the infield. We also ran into some people that I knew from Cajun Harley-Davidson in Lafayette, Louisiana, and chatted them up.

We sat on the bleachers in the infield, right at the 180° turn which is really an exciting place to watch all the races. The first 10 laps or so went pretty fast, then it started raining so race control red flagged the race until the shower passed by. Fortunately it was brief and they restarted the race. Shortly after the restart, there was a crash and a second red flag came out for a short time to clean up the track. Once resumed, it was an exciting race with the Ducati’s #2 plate of Josh Herrin taking his 3rd consecutive win, a Daytona 200 record. A pair of Suzukis piloted by Tyler Scott and Richie Escalante rounded out the podium.

2025 Daytona 200, Josh Herrin leading the pack.

After the 200, David and I stayed for the 8-lap King of the Baggers race, which is pretty much the old Harley versus Indian rivalry. Harley’s Kyle Wyman took the win on a H-D factory ride, with 2nd place going to #43 James Rispoli, also on a factory team Harley, and last year’s champion Troy Herfoss taking 3rd on an Indian Challenger. It’s amazing to be trackside for this race. You feel the roar of those bikes in your chest.

Harley #33 Kyle Wyman leading last year’s champion Troy Herfoss. Amazing how deep they can lean a big bagger!

By the time the races were over and we got on our bikes, we spent a lot of time in traffic just trying to get out of the speedway. I decided it was time to get something to eat, so we found an Italian restaurant straight across from the speedway, in a new area called Victory Circle. We dined at Tiano’s Cucina Italiana, where we enjoyed a great meal with great service. Highly recommend this place outside the racetrack. After dinner we were tired and rolled back to the campground, as we knew we were going to have a big day packing up and going home on Sunday.

Customary pretty girl photo. And a true rider. Respect.

We got up before sunrise on Sunday morning and it wasn’t raining yet. We got the bikes loaded and everything ready to go, and drove over for one last stop at Buc-ee’s for gas and breakfast sandwiches. As we headed north on I-95 it started raining, and it rained on us all the way home. We drove up through Jacksonville, and as we were just south of the city, people were driving really fast on really wet roads. Not good. One car slid off the road and flipped upside down which caused a little bit of an inconvenience, to say the least.

Slow down, people.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful, and we got back in time to get David‘s bike unloaded at his house, then to my house to get everything unloaded and put away before dark. Now that I’m home and it’s another Bike Week in the books, I can sit here and reflect on all the many years, all the various places and all the different people that I have met yearly, attending Daytona Bike Week. Always an adventure.

Mike Boyd