Ride to Daytona

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space.

From when I was 15 years old and KK taught me to ride his old 4s Champion, I have been riding bikes ever since. Having ridden most bikes that I had dreamed of, the one bike on my radar I never got to ride was the Harley. It is every kids dream to ride a harley into the sunset. After getting my bike license in the US, the first thing I did is was to go rent a Harley.

Unlike cars, to ride a bike in the US you need to pass a 2 day course conducted by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and then get an endorsement on the us driving license. Renting is a good alternative to buying a Harley, as maintenance is taken care of and Harleys rent at about USD 150 a day.

Saturday morning I was at the Harley Davidson showroom in St Augustine by 9 in the morn. Since it was my first time I settled for a 1200 cc Sportster.

My initial plan was to take it for a short drive on the highway and then take the bike around the city. But once I got on the highway, before I knew it I was in Daytona.

Went to a few bike cafes, took a few pics of the bike, rode the bike on the beach, waved at every biker who passed me and drove back to Jacksonville along the A1A. The A1A from Daytona to Jax has some very beautiful stretches where you get to ride with the ocean on one side. Stopped for lunch at an Irish pub in St Augustine, the burger there was exceptional.

After getting back to Jax took the bike for a spin in the city, before driving it back the next day to the rental and got my car back.

What I have learnt from my ride was that, though the US roads are awesome for riding a bike, car drivers really dont care for the bikes making them accident prone. Next time I rent a bike I need to get something heavier as when a car passes you at 80 even the heavy sportster shakes like a leaf in the wind.