Sebring Ride to the Heartland
Posted in 360Bikers, Just Plain Cool, Local Events, Motorcycles, Rides, Special Events on October 4th, 2009Occasionally, the stars align, your luck is great and you wind up with a great ride. Once again the most popular riding club in South Florida came up with a dandy ride for Saturday, October the 3rd. See photos on our Meet Up site under 360 Bikers.
Under a 40% chance of rain threat we started our journey at the Gun Club Cafe. It’s a great breakfast joint in West Palm Beach. It’s cozy, the food is great and there’s plenty of parking. We headed North on Beeline highway (710) from Haverhill Rd. It was pretty much a straight shot to (70) in Okeechobee from Beeline Hwy. We met the rest of our crew at the Racetrac gas station here. About 14 riders joined here to make a large crew of about 28. Our route followed 70 North to 98 North. From there it was about an hour to Sebring and SR 27. Just a few miles North on 27 took us to downtown Sebring, FL.
I have been to many bikefests in FL but had never even heard of the Heartland ride unitl now. The fest was much more than I imagined. There was food, fun and deals to be had for all. One of the highlights of the day for me was the Central Florida Drill Team. Most drill teams I have seen, have made use of the compact Harley Electra Glides, which make all the maneuvering considerably easier. However, at least 2 of the Central Florida riders sported the Flagship of tourers, the Goldwing. It was especially impressive as the Goldwings did everything the Glides did and just as smooth. We picked up a pair of MP3 equipped sun glasses for my better half for a great price and the obligatory event patch and pins. The whole fest had a strong resemblance to Leesburg, in scope and content. Although Leesburg is better known.
The ride back was just a pleasurable as the ride to the fest and followed the same route. Normally not a 360 staple but it was great all the same. We have some great ride leaders and organziers. We also have plenty of safety conscious and experienced members, mixed in with some newer riders. The blend is smooth and effortless and it shows when we ride.
That our beautiful state is hot is understatement, but at 55 mph plus, little traffic, no stop and go, underneath the blue skies and an Eagle flying overhead, I couldn’t think of a better way for 28 brothers and sisters to spend a Saturday.
Once again a great ride, after all, that’s what 360Bikers are known for. Until next time, RIDE SAFE!
GR
Well here we are 2 weeks since the start and end of Bike Week 09 and I already miss it. I’m actually late with this, as we got back home on the last day of Bike Week. Some of us had to get back to the job we last saw 9 days ago.
What can I tell you about Bike Week? If you haven’t been you need to go and if you have been, then you already know. Bike Week has something for everyone. Old bikers and new bikers, you are guaranteed to find something that fits you. It really is like your local bike night, times 100,000. The amount of bikers and bikes is really overwhelming and I never get tired of seeing it. You will definitely see your model and make, in many different styles and colors here and steal ideas to make your ride fit you and your personality. I can always find something to add to the bike. Which is just as it should be. If you go to a venue like this, you should expect to find the best possible prices. If you search around long enough you will find a great deal at bike week. 
It may have been just me, but I thought I noticed a few less of everything this year at Bike Week. A few less bikers and a few less vendors. This shouldn’t come as any big surprise, given the economy. I’m sure the final numbers on attendance will show a difference. I did see an interesting report on Destination Daytona while I was there. The evening local news reported they were selling 45 Harleys a day through bike week. I was surprised but if you did the math, 45 X 9 days is 405 bikes for the week. If you have several hundred thousand extra people in town to ride motorcycles I don’t think it’s out of the question. So good for them and great for bikers everywhere. 
There were some great shows at bike week as well. If you’re inclined, you can pay to watch the AMA races at the track. There were a number of custom bike shows. Endless bikini, T Shirt and shorts, shows. We missed the Cole Slaw wrestling but we did catch the Monster Energy “Dome of Death”. They weren’t to be confused with the “Wall of Death” at the Iron Horse. These kids were free and much more dangerous. We missed “Little Kiss”, midgets who dress up, make up and all, like the original Kiss and have concerts, but we did see the house band on Main Street, rock some of Ozzy’s “Crazy Train”. I heard ”Little Kiss” sounds just like the original. We miss the Brawl in the Cage at Destination Daytona but we did see some Evangelists crusaders versus Strip Club Choppers. This was interesting for several reasons. The crusaders were pretty much protesting everybody and everything. The guy hanging out at the Strip Club Choppers tent, looked amazingly like “Kid Rock” just taller. The crusaders had a guy with a bullhorn, one guy with a pole that had signs listing those being denounced, and 2 security guys standing behind him. Kid Rock was drinking beer after beer and blaring death rock at the crusaders. I thought Kid Rock and Strip Club Choppers got a raw deal because about 1/2 a block away, there were 2 beautiful young ladies having a “bikini bike shine”!?!?!? They definitely deserved some protesting.
We saw the shows. We bought some shirts. We took some photos. We acquired some ideas and new parts for the bikes. The real essence of Bike Week though, is the riding. I saw many country ride tours and saw some obvious tourists/vacation motorcycle groups along the roads. I know they had a great time. We are lucky enough to stay about 58 miles west of Daytona when we arrive for our vacation. I say lucky because by now we know every different way to get back and forth into town. Here are a couple of country roads you must find and ride, while at bike week (CR309, CR308, CR308B, US17). I call CR308B, the “little dragon”, those of you who have visited Tennessee and US129, you know what I am referring too. I often wonder how the locals feel about their backroads? I mean, I travel here at least once or twice a year just to ride. I wonder if I would be more apathetic if I lived here year round? Every morning and every night we had a great ride. After 9 days and about 2,000 miles it was hard going home. 
Finally, I did catch up with Mike & Debbie and Mikey from the 360 Bikers, so we did officially call this a 360 run. As the most Popular M/C riding group in South Florida, we had a responsibility to show up at Bike Week. Of course I will continue to provide myself as a guide whenever anyone want to find some country roads during bike week. I’m so selfless, it’s the least I can do. Until next time, Ride Safe!!!
Motorcyclist really are a social group. Rides are a nice mix of solitude and socializing that gives you the opportunity to be alone and with a group. The support you get from fellow bikers is unmatched and I know of no other group that takes care of each other as much.
Vic had gone out earlier in the week and shot a small wild boar. Yes, to go along with our “Wild Hogs” movie we actually ate some wild hog. Will’s crowning moment was when he unveiled the bleached skull of the pig as the center piece of the party. Steve (“Slick”) gave some musical parodies and earned a few part recognitions in the movie. Somehow, it’ll never be the same watching that movie again.