The Scene: Daytona Beach

Scott Caraboolad ghost-wheelies through the double doors at Bike Fest.

Dateline: Daytona Beach, Florida. There have always been Superbike races at the Speedway, but for the most part, Bike Week at Daytona Beach has been a straight-up biker affair--streets clogged with choppers and enough fringed vests and blued-out tattoos on Main Street to cause even the hairiest Hell's Angel to look away. Despite this, over the past few years, a genuine Bike Week sportbike scene has emerged. Sportbike stuff still occurs on the fringes, perhaps predictably around the Speedway and at the gas stations and parking lots lining International Speedway Blvd. This year, some of the craziest sportbike action happened almost 30 miles south of town at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, where the Starboyz and a host of other stunt riders--sick of being hassled on the street--hired a livestock pavilion to host a legal (and hugely entertaining) indoor stuntbike fest. In the right places, the sportbike scene in Daytona Beach is going off. Here are some examples.

Let the good 'ole boys have Main Street with its fender-to-fender traffic and fringe-bedecked floozies passed out in the alleyways. If you're into sportbikes, the place to see and be seen is the Hess gas station on International Speedway Boulevard. Pull in after 11 any night during Bike Week, and you'll find dozens of sportbikes, most of the slammed-and-stretched variety.	Self-proclaimed street racers congregate in the parking lot behind the Red Lobster on International Speedway. Cops have to look hard here--sure, there's lots of trash-talking and plenty of bad motor-scooters mysteriously concealed in trailers, but very little action. The real street racers don't get within 100 miles of Daytona Beach.	Of all the shots to turn out dark...the blingest bike in Daytona Beach had to be this chromed-out MV Agusta F4 Serie Oro in factory diamond silver-pearl paint. Everything, even the shock linkage, was dipped. The picture just doesn't do it justice.
	Scott Caraboolad ghost-wheelies through the double doors at Bike Fest.	Smile, ladies--you're on Appel's camera!
A headlight wouldn't be of much use anyway, pointing up at the ceiling all the time.	Danielle Capricio, the brains behind Sportbike F.I.X., directs traffic.	Anthony from Mirror Image busts one of his endless, impossibly tight circle wheelies.
This is a stunning CBR, spotted at the Hess station.	Teenage Mutant Ninja 'Busa, spotted at the Hess station on Saturday night.	Once they get that camcorder sponsorship locked in, tool companies are next in line. "This stoppie brought to you by the fine folks at Snap-on Tools..."
How did the Starboyz spend their first million? Kevin and Scott bought star-themed choppers. Joe bought a duplex. You make the call.	Patrick Stephens shows why he's the sickest rider in stunting today--the dude was riding up the walls! Nice helmet, too.	Camcorders are as common as scar tissue at stunt exhibitions. Now that street freestyle riders are pulling in sponsorship contracts with clothing and parts makers like mad, can a deal with Sony or Panasonic be far behind?