How Real Bikers Do Daytona Bike Week 2024

Last time photographer Michael Lichter checked in with Motorcyclist, he was covering Sturgis. But Daytona is a different beast, and this year he decided to do it a little differently. He’s been going to Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, since 1982. But this year, it was less about covering everything and more about enjoying everything. Michael explains.

“I had a different slant on Bike Week this year. Daytona has changed over the 40-plus years I’ve been attending so it was time to experience it and report on it in a new way. Certainly, the party on Main Street isn’t what it used to be, and so, up the road, Ormond Beach picked up the slack. Then the vendors on Beach Street were kicked out and moved over to the track. My response was to dodge Main Street until the very last day, never went shopping, and didn’t get to any of the races at the speedway.

“Instead of trying to cover everything, I did what everyone else does—put one foot in front of the other and see what happens. A full day at the brakeless Sons of Speed banked-track antique racing was the best place to start and learn what everyone would be up to and where they’d be heading. Bike shows were high on the list, with Hairball’s opening night at the Broken Spoke, Warren Lane’s True Grit, Willie’s Chopper Time, Shovelhead night at The Other Place, Detroit’s D.A.M. show at Black Bike Week, and lots more. Some of the most fun was had at the garage meet-ups where people put heads and hands together to keep bikes running, and at house parties that happened everywhere. Anyone can go with an open mind and no big plans and have the best time of all.”

Enjoy the photos.