Words by RVB
Pics by John C, Mike C, RVB and Rob W
What better way to start the riding season than with a 3100+ mile trip! Disclaimer before I begin, this trip should NOT be considered a bike trip but should be viewed more as a road trip on bikes. We barely touched the bikes in Key West or Daytona, We simply road the hell out of them on the highway to get there.
John C and I left New York last Friday and it was 24 degrees! Electric gear kept us toasty all the way to our first stop for the night in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We left Huntington around 5 am and finished the day with just under 600 miles under our belts.
As we headed south, the warmer weather fueled our ride. We would ride 150 miles and then make a pitstop for a quick bathroom break or cup of coffee. I was sipping ice cold water from my hydroflask as needed. I really liked this set up over a Camelback system that I’ve used over the years. I had the bottle stored in a backpack on the backseat with the hose and bite valve sitting in the chest pocket. The flask kept the water ice cold despite the sun. It worked great until it fell snapped the connector. Luckily, they are sending me a new one. A sip every few minutes made the miles and hours slip by painlessly. I highly recommend the Hydrolid system for the Hydroflask!
We found a great Comfort Inn directly next door to Cracker Barrel and had a great dinner. Who does not love a good Cracker Barrel! Did you know that they even sell beer!
Next day, we continued south. Of course, we had to make a visit at the new animal themed based gas station on steroids that are taking over the east coast- Bucc-ees
I gotta say, the place was PACKED! They had a ton of staff on hand to sell tshirts, tchotchkes, roasted nuts, camping gear and a great brisket sandwich. Fresh coffee was a welcome delight!
We made it all the way to Titusville, Florida for the night- 528 miles. We ate dinner at a great steakplace right next door and enjoyed a few Old Fashions before going to bed. Temps were in the mid 70s and felt FANTASTIC after the winter we all just endured. The roads on I- 95 were awesome. We even made it through several long constructions zone with ease. It made the 150 mile stretches fly by.
One thing John and I did notice- his RT gets much better gas mileage than my Grand America. I was filling up with six gallons of gas to his 2-3 at every gas stop. My light would go on at the 240 mile mark and he was barely below half a tank. I attribute that to the mass of the bike, the aerodynamics of the floorboards sucking up the wind, and the Brentune in the on the bike that makes the bike more throttle responsive so it greatly drinks up the gas. Thoughts?
We were supposed to meet up with Mikey C in Key Largo but he had a delay in leaving his new home near Tampa. I’ll let him share what happened as he left his development.
We arrived in Best Western Hibiscus in Key West around 130 pm. We were poolside within minutes of our arrival.
Again, this was not a bike trip and more of a road trip so the alcohol was a flowing but we really never got on the bikes the whole time. Key West is a very walkable town. We were a few blocks off the beach, Duval street (where the restaurants and bars are located), a Cuban coffee shop right across the street and a great bar next store that sold beer and booze even had live music. The motel rooms were clean and large. The AC was blowing cold and the pool water was perfect! It’s a great homebase for the week. We even had our own little semi private parking lot.
Mike joined us later that afternoon. We had a great dinner at Abbondanza’s. It was a block away and the food was delicious. The restaurant even has a ton of artwork displayed (and for sale) created by local artists in the area.
The next day, started with more of the same activities. Mental note for next year, the frozen drink stand two blocks away opens at 10:30 am.
There is nothing like hanging pool side in 85 degree weather planning a few upcoming road trips.
John C was able to get his new Pickball obsession fixed with several pickup games a few blocks away.
Me, I had other plans
On Tuesday, Paul P, John Z and Rob W joined us and we hit Duval Street and simply enjoyed relaxing in the sun.
Lunch was at a fabulous Little Whitehouse Sub shop down by Mallory Square.
Our other favorite stop for lunch and dessert was the Moondog Cafe. Look at the Key Lime Pie!
If course, no bike trip to KW is complete without the cursory picture with the Southermost Point Buoy! This year was made it more of challenge. You used to be able to simply ride up and snap a pic. This year, the old location is under construction. However, since it is such a tourist destination tied to KW, they moved it so people can get their photo for “‘TheGram”. Unfortunately, now they moved it between to buildings off a narrow roadway. You cannot take a pic with your bike during the day time as there are hundreds of folks and signage preventing this from happening. Have no fear folks, your fellow LIBMW Riders could not be denied. Paul wanted his pic so bad that he left Miami at 3 am to get there before dawn. For his efforts, I’m including both pics he shared:
More photos to come at the buoy from Rob W.
I did mention that this was more of a road trip than a real motorcycle ride trip right? Some of more highlights:
Wednesday night, we ate dinner at a local Cuban hot spot- El Siboney. Food was out of this world!
JZ even ran into one of his customer’s family. 1500 miles away and everyone knows one of our founding club members! Can you name the other active founding club member?
Sadly, come Thursday morning, we started our long slog north. The highlight- JZ picked up a check for us! As many of you know, JZ has promised to pick up the bill for us at any Waffle House. For years, we have NEVER stopped and he has never had to back up his words. Well sadly, I think this offer may have run its course:
This was the first of FOUR stops to the Waffle House this trip. I must admit- I am now a convert. In fact, when we got to Daytona, I even got some fresh ink to cement the deal.
We bid our goodbyes to Mikey shortly after breakfast as he made his way north on the West Coast to finish his move into his new home. Maybe next year’s destination (hint hint).
We had nice rest stop at Rob’s house in Cocoa Beach. What a beautiful place! Rob offered to grill up some food for us but we declined and continued our journey to Daytona.
Before we get to Daytona, let me preface this by saying I had booked a great place for us on the water, a few blocks downtown from Main Street and not far from the racetrack. JZ balked and said he can do better! He found us a place near Destination Daytona in Ormand Beach that was much cheaper that the place I found. Based on the reviews, I knew why. WHAT A DUMP! Never let JZ pick a hotel room for your trips! Rest assured- this place did not meet the James Dubarry Seal of Approval. YUCK!!!!!!
The only redeeming thing about it was the location- convenient to both Destination Daytona and Racetrack. We spent Friday at both places and they did not disappoint. Some photos John C and I took plus some I sourced from several Facebook feeds.
They had a slew of vendors there and food trucks! We only hit half before we went back to our dumpy hotel. Most were for the Harley Crowd but all the major manufacturers were there- Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW and CFMoto. They were offering test rides in the area. Wunderlich was there and I got a kick ass deal on a luggage rack and bag for the top case of the Grand America. They even installed it for free.
The BMWMOA/BMWRA event was a disappointment in my opinion. No signage so finding them was frustrating. Maybe I my expectations were out of wack. They were set up on the infield of the track near FanZone area. It was very cool to have a BMW Designated parking area to see some very cool Beemers in a sea of Harleys. But it was so far removed from the vendor area it really felt like a totally separate event leading me to think it was purposeful. However, instead of being separate, it maybe could have been used as way to bring outsiders into the club as to opposed to be just a “private” event if that makes sense.
It was great to see the old R90S racebikes set up. They had a meet and greet with some of the gentlemen who road these beasts back in the 70s.
BMW corporate was there and even debuted a new Houligan Style R1300R bike pictured above. Neat little ride! Here is a link to learn more about this beast in the Motorcycle News.
Yes there was racing!
It was just so damned hot! We watched the Bagger Shootout in the FanZone.
We saw James W hanging out by the Vintage Racing group. He was hobbled by a recent leg injury but was enjoying the day out in the sun. We even saw these stunt riders going at it in a Dome of Terror ride.
A side note, congrats to Kayla Yaakov! She’s a super talented 18 year old who I’ve been following on Facebook since meeting her at a track day a few years ago. She is the first female to ever place in the Daytona 200. She is an awesome kid who I hope gets a chance to ride MotoGP soon!
The ride home was super easy. We stuck with the 150 miles rule. We stayed at a Super 8 near Kings Dominion in Virginia after a 717 miles ride. To be honest, it was super easy day! We even had dinner Saturday night at another club favorite dining destination:
This left 362 miles for me before I was able to get some Victory Pizza at the Little Vinnie’s near me.
Yes, I know – way too much emphasis on food and adult beverages. But I started off by saying this trip was not a typical Bike Trip for us. It was not the riding that attracted us to this destination. It was the warm weather and companionship that made this trip worth the time and expense. Our next long distance trip is definitely a riding trip- Georgia Mountain Rally and Route 66. Who’s in?