We are rolling - Finally!

Our first day on the scene saw us visit Main Street, the main artery for seeing and being seen during Bike Week. On this cold day, most everyone was covered up and did not hang out as much as usual, an unfortunate set of circumstances given the scenery we have learned to expect. We tried to record some video, while riders would go by and run their engines up to the ignition cut out, to provide with atmosphere, I am sure!

Bruce Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson shopping plaza.

They say that it will warm up tomorrow, so there is still some hope for us serious people watchers. The main crowd is expected tomorrow (Wednesday) and we should see 200 000 bikes in the area by Saturday.

We also visited the Bruce Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson shopping plaza, as several shops selling European brands, as well as accessories of all ilk, have cropped up next to the dealership, creating a veritable motorcycle shopping plaza. Rossmeyer owns several other dealerships in Florida and is reputed to be the largest seller of H-Ds in the world. I stopped counting when I reached 40 staff on the sales floor, so they are BIG!

The Motor Company was kind enough to lend us a 2009 XR1200 for the day, a Sportster- based standard bike (Yes, that's right: not a cruiser or a chopper), with twin discs and Brembo callipers in front, serious tires and effective suspension front and rear, an easy-to-use 5-speed gearbox, and an excellent 90 hp version of the Sportster 1200 engine. The bike is not perfect, but it certainly is the best traditional bike H-D has produced in a long time. Look for a full report on this great looking machine in the coming weeks.

Tomorrow, we will attend the start of the Alligator Enduro, a tradition with dirt bikers for decades, where we hope to speak with a few Canadian riders, such as Guy Giroux, the new official BMW-Motorrad Canada rider on a G450X (Which he tested for Moto123.com last November - look it up).

The nice folks at KTM are lending us a Super Duke to contribute to our fun factor, and we will visit with Miguel Duhamel and Brett McCormick at the Speedway.

See you tomorrow.





Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux