Bike week Daytona for non bike people?

Mrs SKJSS just left for a weekend trip to visit her father in Atlanta, so I'm looking for things to do.  I live near Melbourne FL, so Daytona is less than 90 minutes away.  Bike week starts tomorrow, I've never been.  As much as I admire bikes, I've always been scared of them.  A lot of that is probably due to 30 years in car insurance claims, but I digress.  As I get older, my fear of them is starting to soften... either that or my fear of dying is softening, LOL.  I live two blocks from the beach, so I'm thinking maybe it'd be fun to pick up an old Honda or Suzuki cruiser for a few grand and ride around the island.  If I did, I'd go full safety gear as I've seen far too many road burns in my life.  Wondering if I'd melt in the heat here...

Anywhoodles, is bike week worth it for someone like me?  Would I enjoy it?  Are there (good) cheap bikes and gear for sale?  Is it nothing but Harleys and debauchery?

Do you like getting drunk and showing off your motorcycle reckless driving skills?  If so then bike week is for you.

If you don't do anything else, go to the Supercross on Saturday at the speedway. I don't ride bikes or participate in anything bike week but it's one of my favorite events to go to.

 You can still enjoy the bike week stuff without having a motorcycle but parking get a little more difficult and expensive the closer you want to get to the big events and venues. 

Years ago, my grandmother lived in Daytona. She was the typical little old lady. She said she liked bike week because it was the one time of year when you could safely cross the street. Bikers - and I mean Hell's Angels type of bikers - would come to a full stop, block the road, and let her cross. Things may have changed since the 80's, but I always remember that. 

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

So what I hear you saying is I should go dressed up like a little old lady.

Buy a convertible instead. Too many distracted drivers and vehicles that keep getting bigger and bigger. We owned a multi-line Powersports dealership years ago and that was the advice that I gave customers who came in to buy their first bike who were 40+ years old(i don't know your age). As soon as they mentioned that they wanted to "start riding" and if I couldn't convince them to first schedule taking the free MSF course (Motorcycle Safety Foundation), I suggested a Miata. You'll never tip-over at a light in a Miata. Going a bit wide in a corner and encountering gravel won't launch you into a guardrail in a Miata(a you may bump it but there are far fewer consequences). If you get T-boned my a teenage girl in a 3-Series BMW talking on her cell phone, you likely aren't going to die in a Miata like you might on a bike. 
 

If you decide that you want to do it, look up the MSF course. Ride, learn, tip over on their bikes. Then buy a $500 bike that runs and use that for a few months "learning" to ride, navigate traffic and see if you enjoy the experience. You're going to drop the bike at least a few times and the damage you'll do to a $500 beater won't matter. If you enjoy it and want to "buy-up" to a nicer ride, sell the bike for $400, lose $100 which will be less than replacing a turn signal, mirror or lever on a more expensive bike. You'll know after a few weeks if riding is for you or not.

One more thing, when riding in FL, I've noticed that the asphalt is different that the mix used here in PA. It's slipperier when wet and anywhere near the coast, sand blown on the road poses another hazard.   
 

Just one persons opinion.....

We vacationed in Orlando a few years ago the week prior and the party had already started in Daytona Beach!

The young girls were falling out of their suits and old dudes were shooting video. 

Wife said it's not family oriented so I pushed my eyes back into my head and we drove over and paid to tour the Speedway.

😳

As far as going for something to do, Bike-weeks are like art museums. The bikers are there to be seen in all of their resplendent plummage. They need people like you to be the audience.  

I love bikes, but am smart enough to know that I am too dumb to be safe on one.

In reply to lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks!!  I'm 52 years old and have owned lots of convertibles, including 8 Miatas...or 9???  Who's counting?   Like I mentioned I have studied car (truck, motorcycle, etc...) accidents for almost 30 years now.  I've literally seen hundreds and probably over 1000 motorcycle accidents.  Those experiences are what kept me away from them.  However at this point in my life I am starting to think I am willing to take the risk.  I'll mitigate it the best I can... good helmet, proper gear head to toe... but it's an experience I think I'd like to try.  Totally agree on getting a cheap (and reliable) bike if I decide to do it.

Unquestionably I'd take the MSF course and any other safety course available.  I'd also consider riding at track days, where I'm safer than on a public road.

Glad you're going into it with your head and full knowledge of the consequences. Most don't.
 

If you live anywhere that there's the chance to do any off-road riding, I'd suggest a dual-sport bike. Loads of fun(supermoto bikes are the most fun in my opinion) and since you're mechanical, owning a second set of wheels to swap out for the type of riding you want to do on any given day is the way to go. One set of more street oriented tires and one more off-road set-up. I miss all my bikes but the supermotos(do-it-all Swiss army knife of bikes) the most. 

II have wanted a bike since I was 18. Lucky for me I knew they would be the end of me so I never bought one. I still look longingly at BMW GS bikes when they pop up on Marketplace. As bad a traffic around here is, I'll never pull the trigger. Too many idiots on the road. 

As to bike week, I can't speak for Daytona but I double my rates to run service into Myrtle Beach during any of the bike weeks. 

Do you like loud drunken crowds that cover the the spectrum from the unwashed poor to the rich? How about sitting at a red light listening to 43 Harleys that apparently won't idle without the constant throttle blip. Or the sport bikes that love to listen to their liter bike bounce off the rev limiter in neutral. While I'm sure there are lots of good people in the crowd, the terrible people make it a place that I will go out of my way to avoid.

I’ll add that the MSF made me a better car driver, too. 

Had a bike for a little while. In the end, the Miata won out. 

There is more at the speedway than motocross, I like to watch the bikes run the infield course as well.

I like motorcycles, and I like riding them. I've been to a few "bike weeks", and I've hated every one of them. I don't have any problems with the people--it's always just that there are so many people. I get why people go--it's a big community thing, there are tons of vendors, and it's a destination to go to with your friends. But to me, it's a constant traffic jam, I never wanted to buy anything from the vendors anyway, and I'd rather disappear into up-state New York, ride to the top of Bear Mountain, or go get breakfast in Cornwall-on-Hudson (where my New York peeps at?). You know... at that place where the waitress can tell you which farms all the ingredients for their Huevos Rancheros came from, with my brother and some friends.

At a bike week, you'll definitely find the occasional denim-vest-with-no-undershirt-wearing guy with a name patch, "Psycho", on the front (now in his mid-to-late 70s, and probably far from anything you'd consider "psycho"), but you'll find all types and could make some friends. If you're into people watching, it could be fun.

I seem to remember that prices for goods were really high. These sorts of events often attract alcohol, and when people are walking around drunk, they make financial decisions without much consideration.

Go grab a Kawasaki Vulcan and ride up Hilton Head for the weekend or something. You can get full-body protection that is well-engineered to promote airflow. You can feel almost like you're wearing a t-shirt instead of a jacket on as long as the jacket is made well and it's engineered for hot climates (perforated, multi-layered, and designed to promote airflow). The gear might cost you as much as the bike, but it's worth it to be relatively safe.

I was thinking about going to the Daytona Oakley store tomorrow. 

No berkeleyin' way am I doing that now. The only advice I have about bike week is avoid. I can't say too much more without setting off filters and potentially getting put on timeout. I always knew when it was coming though because folks with ill-prepared trailers would descend upon the hardware store and ask for our assistance with all manner of shenanigans. 

I grew up with motorcycles, starting with beater mopeds and dirtbikes and dual-sports before taking the MSF course to get my license at 16. I've had at least one street-legal bike in the garage ever since. 

And, I live in Daytona, and commute past the Iron Horse Saloon every day.

Here're a few thoughts:

1. Heavy traffic, in a strange place, with tons and tons of bikes ridden by impaired people is not the time or place to learn how to ride. Sadly, you've already missed your window to become a biker this year.
2. Bike Week is a TERRIBLE time to ride motorcycles. All of the fun roads are full of traffic, which usually means straight-piped Harleys going 10 under the speed limit. And because the main roads are also packed, the back roads are full of locals trying to escape the traffic. They're all late for work, and driving on smaller roads they don't drive on every day. I usually don't ride during Bike Week. 
3. Tons and tons of people ride their motorcycles once per year, then park them for the rest of the year. That once per year is Bike Week. Don't get too close to any baggers, especially at stop lights, as they tend to fall over. This happens more often earlier in the week.
4. Bike Week is a fantastic time to be a spectator of motorcycle culture. Mixed in with the thousands of crappy Sportsters ridden by people with huge loans are some of the coolest motorcycles ever made, and some legitimately cool activities.
5. My favorite thing to see is the Wall of Death at the Iron Horse, where they literally ride 100-year-old bikes on a vertical wall a few inches from your head. There are no helmets in sight, and the wall itself is 100-year-old wood that shakes and rattles the whole time. It's worth every penny of the $10 or whatever it costs to see. Plus, I bumped into Randy Pobst there last year. Details at http://www.wallofdeath.com/

All this to say, Nicole and I usually go to the Iron Horse for one night each bike week, with as many friends as we can get to join us, to see the Wall of Death, then walk around for an hour or so looking at bikes and marveling at the insanity. We'll either Uber or take the Grom (a little 125cc Honda) because parking a car is impossible and parking a giant bike is hard, too. 

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Thanks Tom!  I definitely didn't intend to learn to ride there.  I would do that here in the Melbourne area.  I was just thinking of going to check it out.  I've got 3 days to myself and no plans.

I've always been a motorcycle fan but not of the rally stuff. However, I have been to Daytona during bike week to watch the flat track racing and Daytona 200. Both are at Daytona Speedway and we were entertained. We stayed not far from the Sanford airport and drove over for the events. We spent the rest of the trip doing Orlando stuff.

Stampie said:

Do you like getting drunk and showing off your motorcycle reckless driving skills?  If so then bike week is for you.

I've been there, back before the smell of brand new leather was overwhelming. 
There is (or was at least) lots of race and history stuff (the whole reason it started) to do - in addition to the "party"

As bike week started turning into "trailer week" I stopped riding to them. Have had more fun in my ol' jalopy truck, at them since then. 
DO NOT ride a bike, there, as a beginner. 
get some time in to get  accustomed to the INTENSE situation awareness needed to survive on a bike around the AZZ HATS that the public is loaded with! The average rider, is one of them, these days, as well! 

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Thanks Tom!  I definitely didn't intend to learn to ride there.  I would do that here in the Melbourne area.  I was just thinking of going to check it out.  I've got 3 days to myself and no plans.

Scratch my last advice! Just saw this! 
Although, the advice itself is still sound. 

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Being out in the countryside most of the time, I've not ridden one of the little guys yet. But that a prefect plan. 
Working in Homestead for a few weeks, I'd love to have one for the commute. 
But can't justify it, as 80% of the time, top speed would need to be slightly more comfortable. 
I do hear they are fun in town. 

03Panther said:

As bike week started turning into "trailer week" I stopped riding to them. 

A friend went to bike week years ago.  He told me about seeing a semi truck and trailer, with an expensive pickup truck on back, with a dresser Harley sitting in the pickup bed.  Apparently someone who couldn't even be bothered to drive there.

I will be there for supercross!  Then I'm getting the he'll out!

In reply to stuart in mn :

One of the guys in my town, when I road all the time... to work to the store, for fun..

well, he trailed his brand new dresser 120 miles to a rally! 
I imagine, that to this day, he is still called "trailer Mike" by young guys, that don't even know why!