Daytona Bike Week is the most multifarious big motorcycle event in the country and perhaps in the world. Nowhere else can you find the diversity of cultures and activities seen during Bike Week. It’s a place where the rumblings of V-Twins mix with sportbike shrieks and where the slow crawl of Main Street contrasts with 180-mph velocities at Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona Bike Week is the unofficial kickoff to a new riding season, so we had boots on the ground from opening day (Feb. 28) through the final weekend (Mar. 9).
There were countless things to do and see, and we took in as many as we could, from Main Street nightlife to scenic cruises through Ormond Beach – and actually on Daytona Beach. We also checked out cool bike shows, browsed hundreds of vendors, took a few demo rides, and witnessed thrilling racing action at the Speedway.
Our journey to Bike Week started in Alabama, where we hopped on a 50th anniversary Honda Gold Wing for a few laps of Barber Motorsports Park before making the trek to Florida, arriving on the first day of Bike Week.
Related: The Road To Daytona Bike Week 2025
No trip to Daytona would be complete without a ride down Main Street, which intersects Florida’s eastern coastline and is restricted to only motorcycles – no cars allowed during Bike Week. It’s a hubbub of activity, with riders slowly parading by on a variety of bikes. Most are Harley-Davidsons, from bone-stock to outrageously radical customs, but there are also many bikes that aren’t American V-Twins, from Triumphs to Ducatis, and from Kawasakis to KTMs and BMWs.
Our first weekend in Daytona coincided with the AMA Supercross races held at the Speedway, and Honda gave us special access to the event, which included the cool experience of walking the gnarly track before the racing began. Veteran rider and fan-favorite Ken Roczen made a dramatic charge halfway through the race to win the 450 class on his Suzuki, a performance he described as one of his best wins ever.
The Speedway is often shunned by traditional Bike Week attendees, but it’s growing as a hub of activity, with a gigantic vendor area and the opportunity for demo rides from almost every major manufacturer.
Honda had a large footprint, which included a display that highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Gold Wing, featuring an example of every generation since its 1975 debut as the GL1000. Next to Honda was the Michelin booth, where we had our photo taken with “Bib” the Michelin Man, checked out the new Michelin Road W GT tires, and browsed its lineup of tires, including the Michelin Commander III Cruiser and Michelin Commander III Touring tires.
Harley’s activation zone was particularly massive and included areas for bike shows and stunt exhibitions. We watched an incredible performance by the Eastcoastin Enterprises stunt team, and we checked out a couple of bike shows hosted by our friends at V-Twin Visionary, including a bagger show and a performance-themed bike show.
Back at the Speedway, we saw the public debut of H-D’s most expensive motorcycle ever, the CVO Road Glide RR. It’s a street replica of Harley’s awesome King Of The Baggers racebike, boasting a 131ci 150-hp V-Twin with superbike-spec suspension and brakes, plus an intricate aluminum swingarm machined from a 220-lb block down to only 18 lb. Check your couch cushions for spare change, as you’ll need $110,000 to buy the RR!
Related: 2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR Preview
In nearby Ormond Beach, we dove into Teddy Morse’s Destination Daytona, which has an enormous vendor area next to the Daytona Harley-Davidson dealership. It had nearly anything a biker could want, from apparel to audio systems to seats and handlebars. There was so much to see that you could burn most of a day there and not see it all.
As the second week wound down, the racing action gathered steam. Fans of bar-banging dirt-track action were entertained at American Flat Track’s season-opening double-header at the Daytona Short Track, held Mar. 6-7. Dallas Daniels scored a pair of wins on his Yamaha MT-07, but he had to fight hard to beat Briar Bauman on his Harley XG750R.
Racing on asphalt took place inside the Speedway on Mar. 7-8, with spectator attention split between the historic Daytona 200 race and the awesomeness of the high-powered King Of The Baggers class. In the 200, Josh Herrin rewrote history by becoming the first rider ever to achieve three consecutive wins aboard a Ducati Panigale V2.
In the Bagger races, Harley-mounted Kyle Wyman scored a pair of wins on his Road Glide, but he didn’t have an easy time of it. Saturday’s race was won by only 0.056 second over reigning champ Troy Herfoss and his Indian Challenger.
Adding some Hollywood luster was superstar actor Keanu Reeves, who was in the pits to support his Arch Motorcycle racing team, which debuted an all-new bike at the track to compete in the packed Super Hooligan class.
The Arch 2S is powered by a 2-liter air/oil-cooled engine developed with Suter Racing, and Arch says a street version will be available next year. The 2S suffered teething problems in qualifying and the first race, but racer Corey Alexander did well to finish a creditable 7th in Race 2.
As we reflect back on Bike Week, it’s the diversity of experiences that make the event truly special. The rolling bike show on Main Street seems worlds away from the physics-defying roadracing at 180 mph. Graybeards ride with Millennials, Gixxers ride with Boss Hosses, and BMWs mix with trikes.
If you’ve never experienced Daytona Bike Week, it should be added to your punch-card – there’s nothing else like it. All it’s missing are nearby twisty roads, but Florida makes up for it by allowing motorcycles to ride on the beach!
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Source: RiderMagazine.com
